[marion]

Hi Melody

Its really good news that you are doing so well. Your question about my pain before surgery..... is that it was constant, and up and down,but when it was up it raged like a toothache over my left shoulder and scapula and spread to a different burning pain on the right sice of my neck. It was so bad at times I was unable to blink without bracing myself!

I didnt have a pain killer that worked for a year!! Then I found tramadol (Ultram_ and it was great for 9 days then only a quarter as great. Like you my pain before the operation had a mind of its own, and wasnt related to activity

Now... things are changed , and I can promote pain on movement!! I am stiff in the neck in the mornings now, I wasnt before,. I have never had any problem with motion I have full range like before the op. The pain was really very good for a few weeks and although still constant never gets to the awful level it used to but now I take Pregablin and tramadol and Co -codymol every day whereas before I just took Tramadol.

I started to do Pilates, it is tough! I had/have a neck that lost its curve and now it tips forward so the exercises aggravate it somewhat. I have no regrets about the operation but what I would say is that after it , my pain has spread to include both scapulas the sides of the neck and elbows but only at times, not always because it moves around , sadly it is still constant, mostly it is 1 -3 on the scale of 10 sometimes it is 8 . I returned to work recently and that i, s hard but I am determined to get my llife back as much as possible.

You are so new out of the op , and things seems better for you than me. Many people recover fully and dont have any ongoing problems after 3 months and you will be one of them!!! Keep in touch Marion x