surgery recovery

[optionsdude]

Okay I have had ongoing problems with my neck off and on for the last few years. This last year I developed a debilitating pain from neck all the way down into left hand. I have never felt pain like that before. Dr put me on gabapentin a.k.a. neurontin. This medication has really screwed me up and I got really depressed for a while because of this medication. If I quit taking the meds pain comes right back. I met with a neurosurgeon and he recommends fusion of lower area c6&7 and disc replacement on the one above c5&6. I have put on some weight and have finally been able to do some cardio and eating right after tapering meds back a bit. Surgery is going to be month or two out depending on insurance approval time. I was thinking about doing a cycle after surgery once I am going through physical therapy to get the most out of my recovery. I am 45 and if I had to guess my body fat % is probably 20% right now. I was in pretty good shape before this and did a cycle of Dbol in my late 20's. I know that a cycle is not a miracle cure I am just trying to get the most out of my recovery since my job is very physical and I only have 5 years left before I can retire and find something less physical. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[bass]

first recover from your surgery, then exercise and diet to lose fat down to 15% or less, then come back and talk about a cycle because it'll be a while. good luck with everything...

[lovbyts]

gabapentin is used for a few things including sleep. I have had it prescribed to me for my lower back pain, Herniated/ruptured L3, L4 and L5. gabapentin did NOTHING for me in regards to pain. It did help me sleep but that's about it.

Nothing has ever helped me for pain except Vicodine and Tramadol. Believe it or not when they gave me morphine pills it did nothing.

[optionsdude]

Bass, I plan on preparing myself as much as possible for this event. Just getting through the insurance hurdles is still a month or two out possibly. I was basically wondering if a cycle of some sort would help at all with my recovery. I have been doing mostly cardio, hiking, and eating healthy. Low fat, low carb, high protien. I have shed 15 pounds so far and need to lose another 15 at least.

Lovbyts, I know what you mean about pain that can't be touched with medication. When my pain started this last time nothing helped, I was taking darvocet, ibuprofen, and tizanadine with a vodka cranberry chaser to wash it down and it did nothing. Ambien was the only thing that would allow me to sleep but if I moved at all in the middle of the night the pain came shooting back. I also had one cortisone lidocaine injection which did nothing. Then they started me on gabapentin 2x a day, then 3x a day, and then 4x a day. These pills do not make me sleep, but they have taken away about 70-80% of the pain. I have tapered the dose back so I can function but I still get dizzy spells in the afternoon and the tingling in my hand has never went away. I spent too many of my younger years smoking pot and being in the clouds, I like having a clear head, but I cannot handle that nerve pain. I do take vicodin on occasion but only when needed, that stuff gives me a headache and amps me up instead of making me tired.

[optionsdude]

Weight loss still going well and I might have finally got a date for my neck surgery. The doctor said first 6 weeks not doing much of anything but walking but should be back to normal in 3 to 4 months. I would like to hear this same information about recovery time from someone that's had neck surgery lately. They are going to do a fusion at c7-t1 and disk replacement at c5-c6. Any info on what I can expect during recovery would be greatly appreciated.

[lovbyts]

Good luck with the surgery.
I never worked my way up on the gabapentin, after reading what it was, what it did I dont like the idea of any phyc type meds and like you, I spent to many year when i was younger with my head in a cloud.

I almost want to try the gabapentin just to see if it would do anything for my pain in my lower back but???? Usually I take a anti inflammatory and a vicodine if needed but I try to go as many days without as possible.

I was taking the anti inflammatory as prescribed for quite a while (2 a day) but I know it inhibits muscle growth so I and trying to take none. Only problem is I feel like Im 90 most of the time and takes me 2 hrs to limber up at all in the morning. I cant ever put my shoes on first thing or bend without hurting a lot.

[optionsdude]

Okay I had neck surgery on May 25th and the recovery has gone well. I managed to shed 25 pounds before surgery and then some more afterwards. My throat hurt like hell and was swollen for a few weeks so I could not eat solids. Walked like the dr told me to 5-6 times per day at least 15 min each walk. Did this for the first 8 weeks after. Started PT at the end of July and added an HRT clinic recommended prescription of 200mg/ml test and deca 1ml each for 10 weeks and anastrozole for the first 2 days after each injection. I followed this up with a PCT of HCG and clomiphene. My recovery has been great and much more than I expected. I have not felt this good in years. Still some residual tingling in left pinky finger but no more nerve pain. My overall attitude and mood has improved as well and I am off of everything. Still losing body fat and maintaining my muscle. I was just at inlaws who haven't seen me in a while and everyone of them asked me if I had lost weight and said I looked great. I owe a lot of thanks to everyone on this forum, on this post and others, for telling me surgeries can have a happy ending. And also for encouraging me to work hard and change my diet and get in shape, not just do a cycle of something and hope for the best.