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You're one of the very few other than myself who suffered horrifically from dizziness and not only pain. I went to 22 different surgeons over the last 5 years in NYC and not a single one of them believed me that my dizziness was coming from the neck. I was a power lifter (not a pro), and caused multiple bulged discs touching the spinal cord. I finally found a surgeon who agreed with me 100% And I did the surgery on May 27th, 2022 and I can't even describe how much better I am feeling! I will be making a video very shortly to share more information on many things that folks are not aware of that can help them heal quicker, via nutrition, as well as many other things that the surgeons fail to tell you about this surgery. I think between the two of us, we will be helping thousands of people who have had this surgery or are about to have the surgery. I ended up getting C5-6/7 fuse together however, my doctor does not like to use the metal plate because many folks have swallowing problems later on so instead, she uses titanium pins, spacers, and then fuses the bones together. Your experience sounds exactly like mine. It's more muscle pain than surgical pain. My surgeon wants me wearing a soft collar for 6 weeks all day except when playing down or showering. On June 14th, I'm going for my first visit to see how my neck is healing. Surprisingly, the steri strips still have not fallen off and it's been 15 days. Thank you again for your videos!
I’ve been having issues with dizziness, vertigo, motion sickness feeling, call it whatever….since 2014 after I was rear ended in an accident. I didn’t think I was hurt at the time….and years later I look back at that one moment as being the only traumatic event between my non-dizzy, and dizzy life. The ACDF (for me) was the magic elixir to fix my hand issues (bilateral numbness) and constant horrible neck pain ( I couldn’t even stand the weight of a towel on my head to dry my hair). Unfortunately for me, dizziness continues..,but I am not giving up hope for a solution. Sometimes I have to stand my ground (and almost fight) with Drs…we all have to advocate for ourselves. I am a firm believer in a positive attitude and expectations going in to this kind of surgery. I think if you put something together on the importance of proper nutrition both pre and post surgery that could really help a lot of people out. People should be as healthy as possible going in, and proper nutrition is a great step in achieving that. I look forward to seeing what you put together, and best of luck to you as you continue your recovery. Ps, my neck issues go back 40+ years! I used to get stingers (electrical shock) down my right arm when tackling people in football….and I am sure wrestling and rolling around on my head didn’t help either.
@@BarrysRecovery from your video I can tell you are a highly intellectual individual who knew better than to simply trust their doctors. I have healed my body and many friends and family members from some of the craziest health conditions that no doctor has been able to tackle. I can't mention the names here because they'll definitely take down my post but I think you get what I'm saying. I'm sorry to hear that you're still dealing with the dizziness and here is my quick suggestion to you. For starters, try to find yourself a vestibular rehabilitation physical therapist. They can check to see if you are suffering from something called bppv. I would advise researching this on UA-cam because it would be too much for me to type out here but basically you may have something as simple as calcium crystals dislodged in your ears not interacting with your cerebral spinal fluid properly. A simple exercise usually corrects this. If that doesn't work, I would highly suggest you seek out a specific test from an ENT doctor called a VNG. Most of the test is no big deal but there is a point where they have to spray either cold water or air into your ears to see if you get dizzy or not. It is not a pleasant sensation but it can lead you down the right path to determine if you have something wrong with you on a vestibular level.. You can then go for vestibular therapy which granted me a huge reprieve in the dizziness. I would say after that my dizziness subsided by at least 40 to 60%. The other thing that helped me, once I realized that my dizziness was coming from my nerve root endings being compressed between c5-6/7, was chiropractic services on the regular basis. I was fortunate enough to find an amazingly, talented, old school, free thinking, chiropractor and the minute I told him I was a powerlifter, he didn't even need to look at the x-rays to know what was wrong. One adjustment later and the dizziness subsided by an additional 60% but it would come back one week later each time, but that further confirmed my suspicion that it was all in the neck. I then found a much more open-minded pain management doctor who started to believe me and he said that despite me not wanting to get the epidural injection, this would help guarantee whether or not the dizziness was coming from the neck or not. Though I am the type of person that eats a strict organic diet for the last 20 years and really takes care of themselves, I finally conceded and I took the shot and guess what? No dizziness for a full 10 days! That was enough proof for him to suggest surgery and that my theory was correct. He also did a nerve test called an EMG which also further showed that my business was coming from the neck.. My injury came from shoulder shrugging over 200 lb in each hand in the gym on January 24th 2017 and I woke up with the worst vertigo you could ever imagine the next morning. The correlation was so obvious that I must have done some damage in my neck because I remember hearing two horribly loud snaps in my neck but I did not feel any pain. Long story short, I have to close my entertainment business, move back home with the parents and basically be a vegetable for the last 5 years because the dizziness was so bad. I didn't actually start having pain in my neck however until the last year and a half so that was the trick I had to use to get the surgeon to finally acquiesce. I had to constantly complain about pain and not mention the dizziness as much or the insurance didn't want to cover it because they don't believe dizziness can come from compressed nerves which is a crock of s***. Had I not had as much holistic knowledge on nutrition in the body, I would have never have figured this out on my own. If only I was able to convince a surgeon years ago, I would not have had to suffer needlessly. I was fortunate enough to get one of the most sought out neurosurgeons that there are in New York City who has been in charge of three different hospitals in her 20-year career so I knew I was in good hands and when she was the first one to agree with me that the dizziness was coming from the nerve compression, I knew she was the one. Regarding nutrition, and again I will expand on this in my own video, you want to be eating as many organic, grass-fed, pasteurized, animal products such as bone broth, steak, collagen, gelatin, raw milk, raw cheese, pasture raised eggs, and colostrum because nothing will heal your bones quicker than that, and this is coming from a recently former vegan who believes the vegan diet completely destroyed my bones, but that's another topic for another time, LOL. Hope this helps everybody! And thank you again for taking the time out to make this wonderful video! Dave 🙏👍💪
Another thing I wanted to recommend for you to try brother is to find a acupuncturist who might be able to help you with your dizziness because here's something many surgeons will not tell you because they simply were not educated in school with this information thanks to Big pharma controlling everything..... There is a direct correlation with dizziness, as well as stomach issues and the vagus nerve which is always overlooked by the medical professionals. When the Vagus nerve is inflamed, and you already have a neck injury, this can exacerbate your dizziness by as much as tenfold. The key to keeping the inflammation down of the vagus nerve is to eat a diet that is non-inflammatory. The foods I recommend eliminating all together are anything with wheat or anything with artificial sugars and flavors as well as food coloring because these are all seen by the body as foreign invaders. Feel free to go to town on organic fruits, vegetables, some nuts, some seeds, but I would highly recommend leaning towards grass-fed, pasture raised steak, liver, as well as raw milk and raw cheese because our body utilizes animal products and it's a lot more bioavailable than plant-based products. The reason why people have so many issues with dairy is because once the dairy is pasteurized and homogenized, all the good bacteria as well as the bad bacteria are zapped out of the food thus once again, the body sees this modified version of dairy as a foreign invader, thus creating inflammation to try to fight off the food. Same thing with meat. You know how we have been told for the last 30 or 40 years that meat causes cancer? That's only true if you eat the meat that's in most supermarkets but again, if you purchase organic, grass-fed, pasture raised, you will not have these issues. The bottom line is, the lower the inflammation, the better your dizziness will become as well as your gut health. If you want to try an interesting product which really helps bring down the dizziness, if you go on Amazon, there is an essential oil blend mix that you roll onto the back of your neck and the temples and behind your ears. I don't remember the exact name but if you type in essential oils vertigo, I'm sure you'll find two products. Both of them work pretty well and they kick in within 5 minutes. There's also a homeopathic remedy that helped me significantly, manufactured by a company called Boiron which is the world's largest homeopathic remedy company for many many years and the supplement you're looking for from them is called Cocculus Indicus and I believe the strength is 30.... It's sold as a motion sickness homeopathic medicine but it really zaps dizziness within 5 to 10 minutes of taking it. They are tiny little tablets that you chew up and it's not that expensive. If Amazon doesn't have it, vitamin shoppe usually does, or you can find it elsewhere online I'm sure. Ginger tincture also helps quite a bit with dizziness and inflammation and there's a supplement which can be a little hard for people to handle sometimes because it is kind of strong but it's called zyflamed. It's a full body inflammation reducer. Hope this helps!
@@SpirituallyAscending81 Dave, thank you for your well thought out and very clear response. Here are some of the tests, places, and Drs I’ve seen so far. Brain MRI/mar, neck mri,MTA, vng, eeg, balance center complete testing (Hot and cold in the ear, spinning me inside the machine, wobble board, the whole litany of tests there) they determined I had very good balance (I could’ve told him that because I played tennis regularly) and that there was no BPPV or major vestibular dysfunction. I have also been checked for acoustic neuroma, labrythitis, shwanomma, the whole works. I’ve been to Chiropractors, functional medicine chiropractors, ENT, physiatrists, neurologists, DO’s, the works. Ive been told I don’t have BPPV, that I “have”migraine associated vertigo,and most recently my neurologists says Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD) I’ve I’ve been to vestibular rehab, and that actually makes it much worse…especially when there is a lot of upper neck movement…….. which leads me to suspect (or at least want to rule out) issues with C1/C2. Years ago on an MRI it was noted I had moderate narrowing of foraminal space at c2. Guess what just happens to come out of that spot? The vertebral artery and the vertebral venous plexus. My theory is that ‘IF’ that space is compromised and there is impingement on the artery and/or nerves couldn’t that cause dizziness….just like the severe foraminal narrowing at c5/6 caused my hand issues? If so, scoop out those osteophytes, widen it up and set me free!
@@BarrysRecovery Wow! Okay! I didn't realize just how much you really knew about the topic and just how far you've went down the rabbit hole. You and I are exactly on the same page. I've had a brain mri, vertebral artery test mris and I think it was called and MRE or MRA, to make certain that there was no damage to the vertebral arteries and the branches. I've also had just about everything else that you mentioned tested for and I'm glad you also tested for acoustic neuroma, meniere's, etc..... I figured you didn't have bppv but sometimes that's the easiest thing to rule out any residual dizziness. With that being said, I believe your suspicion is correct. That is exactly where C1 and C2 and the vertebral arteries are located exactly where you said, and guess what? Right before the surgery, they asked me for an updated MRI because the previous one was about 6 months old and guess what they found? I also have a bulging disc at C1/2! That made me start to believe that it might be the vertebral arteries and the vagus nerve also being inflamed on a regular basis so I asked the surgeon if while you're in there if we can correct that one too, but she told me, that it would be way too much trauma to have all that done in one day so she recommended me just to stick with C5-6-7 and we will go from there. My chiropractor also suggested that I may have a bulging disc at around t10 so I convinced the hospital to give me a thoracic spine scan as well and lo and behold t10 is also not looking too good. I definitely believe you're onto something here and if you still do not get better after everything you went through, you may have to insist on getting that C 1/2 taken care of as well. I would look into the Vagas nerve anyway because I'm wondering if that nerve starts around the same area where the vertebral arteries are because once again, if that vagus nerve is inflamed and you already have dizziness issues, it only amplifies everything. My acupuncturist was the one that helped me the most because he would calm down the vagus nerve. It was not a pleasant experience because you're in a decent amount of pain with where he has to place those needles for about 5 minutes but after that, you can literally feel a sense of relaxation and calmness like you've never had before. I think that's the only thing I haven't seen you mention yet is trying a really good acupuncturist. What do you have to lose at this point my brother. Give it a shot. If you start to see immediate relief from the dizziness and other effects, then it's definitely tied into your Vegas nerve and again I think you're spot on with the c1/2 theory. Best!
So glad I could help. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out, there’s a lot of folks that I’ve gone through this procedure and come out the other side very happy.
Hi Tim. Glad I’m able to help. I did have a couple of steroid injections, nerve blocks, and nerve ablations. Because my issue was primarily related to the narrowing of the foraminal space and those darn osteophytes, nothing short of surgery was going to fix me. The steroid injections, nerve blocks, nerve ablation’s helped me tolerate the discomfort until such point that surgery was the only option. It essentially bought me one to two years before surgery. I will say that it didn’t do anything long-term to help or hinder.
I am 63 years old and I am suffering from 2 degenerated discs at C5-C6-C7. Some days I am doing ok but other days it is really bad. Seeing a neurosurgeon in May and I hope he can help me so that I no longer need to suffer from pain.
I occasionally have pain in my left shoulder and left arm up until my elbow. What I noticed that if I go biking then the pain goes away and if I am inactive and sit for hours in front on my computer the pain flares up. Also what also helps is to warm my neck with an infrared spotlight.
@@ericbauwens1642 When you talk to the surgeon ask if they plan on performing a foraminotomy also. That is the widening up of for formational space so there is more room for the nerves to pass through without being compromised. That is the part of the procedure that gave me full use of my hands back.
Hi Randi, SSSI meaning Social Security Disability Insurance? I am assuming you mean for assistance beyond the cost of the procedure (as that would be covered by medical insurance) I wasn't disabled by my condition, so SSDI wasn't even on my mind. Perhaps others may have some input?
Whenever you’re clear of narcotics you can drive. For me I was cleared to drive after 4-5 days as I stopped the narcotics quickly (I hate the way they make me feel)
@@angelaoren1344 I was in pain all the time, and having issues with both hands. My hands work great now! I really thought I was going to be in a lot more pain and discomfort after the procedure, but it really is quite tolerable.
@@BarrysRecovery I went and saw the neurosurgeon and she said I needed surgery. She said it will help with the weakness, balance issues and pain my neck, but she couldn’t say if it would help my migraines at all. That was a bummer, because I deal with daily migraines. She said my problem is not a nerve problem with my disc’s it is a problem with it pressing on my spinal canal. It is very severe and the only way to fix it is surgery. She said I have to have surgery or it will continue to get worse and cause me to go paralyzed if not treated. She doesn’t know why I am having the numbness and tingling since it is not pressing on the nerves. Anyways thank you for all your help. Hope you are still healing nicely.
@@angelaoren1344 I was diagnosed with cervicogenic / vestibular migraines the theory is the constant pain in my neck overwhelms the system and manifests as nausea dizziness, etc… I am hopeful that my ACDF repair helps with my other issues as well.
Honestly, anything that makes you comfortable. For me it was a couple of pillows together. I used the first one as a ramp up the 2nd one as I felt most comfortable on a slight incline (especially with the soft collar on). The first one was almost under my shoulder blades, and it angled on top of the 2nd. That felt good for me (still does)
Honestly, the best thing you can do is to sleep in a recliner for the first five to seven days because all that pressure on the back of your neck on a flat pillow on a flat mattress is going to kill you. That is what happened to me and I really wish I had a recliner because my suffering would have been much less. Please listen to me when I make the suggestion to you about the recliner or you'll pay the price needlessly in pain. However, the pillow that helped me the most was a cervical pillow that had a slight notch in it where your head rests but you must sleep on your back in order to relieve the pressure. This was a game changer for me between waking up with horrible pain and dizziness or waking up with little to no pain and slight dizziness because the nerves were being all compressed while you sleep if you don't sleep on your back.
I'm so scared to have this surgery, but the pain and not being able to do a lot of things I used to do is so hard to deal with. How are you feeling now ?
@@pamelaalvarez2734 this was life changing for me in the best way possible. I had limited use of both hands, and the pain I. My neck was so bad, I couldn’t stand the weight of a towel on my head to dry my hair. Immediately after surgery the pain in my neck was gone, and both my hands were fully functional. I am 8 months post op, and I have no issues from the surgery at all. My neck feels great! My only regret is that I didn’t do this sooner! It’s natural to go in with fear but arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible with regard to the recovery period. I specifically put the series of videos together to show what my recovery was like. I was so excited to have the surgery done and I was greatly looking forward to being on the recovery side of the procedure. I have been miserable for many years. Hopefully my videos can help you understand what a typical recovery is like. I have to say it was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I would absolutely do it again in a heartbeat. No regrets.
@@pamelaalvarez2734 I have no restrictions. I can play tennis, and do everything I could do before. What levels are you in need of having repaired? My only regret is not having this done sooner! I had issues with both hands and cannot even stand the weight of a towel on my head to dry my hair. My life was absolutely miserable before having this done. Now I am back to where I was before and feeling great! :-)
I felt so good! To not have the chronic burning pain, to be able to fully use my hands again, it was such a blessing. I still wake up in the morning, feeling such gratitude that I have full use of my hands again….. and no more horrific pain in my neck.
I had my my neck decompressed.Twelve screws two rods later. Tylenols and oxycodone. Over a month in severe pain. Heard they had a halo on me wasn't told that. I hate that hospital they treated me like s*** And even ate my food. I know it wasn't hungry but there was like one piece of bacon underneath the lid of the dish. I asked for help to the bathroom and they go well a lot of people can hold their pee you know. Yeah a lot of people that don't have IV bags and have to go to the bathroom. Terrible when you're like vulnerable like that and they treat you like crap!
Carol, OMG thats horrible. What was that procedure called? It doesn’t sound like an acdf. Who did the surgery? Was it HSS or Stamford Hospital. Twelve screws and two rods! Wow, I’m so sorry you needed all that work done.
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You're one of the very few other than myself who suffered horrifically from dizziness and not only pain. I went to 22 different surgeons over the last 5 years in NYC and not a single one of them believed me that my dizziness was coming from the neck. I was a power lifter (not a pro), and caused multiple bulged discs touching the spinal cord.
I finally found a surgeon who agreed with me 100% And I did the surgery on May 27th, 2022 and I can't even describe how much better I am feeling!
I will be making a video very shortly to share more information on many things that folks are not aware of that can help them heal quicker, via nutrition, as well as many other things that the surgeons fail to tell you about this surgery. I think between the two of us, we will be helping thousands of people who have had this surgery or are about to have the surgery.
I ended up getting C5-6/7 fuse together however, my doctor does not like to use the metal plate because many folks have swallowing problems later on so instead, she uses titanium pins, spacers, and then fuses the bones together.
Your experience sounds exactly like mine. It's more muscle pain than surgical pain. My surgeon wants me wearing a soft collar for 6 weeks all day except when playing down or showering.
On June 14th, I'm going for my first visit to see how my neck is healing. Surprisingly, the steri strips still have not fallen off and it's been 15 days.
Thank you again for your videos!
I’ve been having issues with dizziness, vertigo, motion sickness feeling, call it whatever….since 2014 after I was rear ended in an accident. I didn’t think I was hurt at the time….and years later I look back at that one moment as being the only traumatic event between my non-dizzy, and dizzy life. The ACDF (for me) was the magic elixir to fix my hand issues (bilateral numbness) and constant horrible neck pain ( I couldn’t even stand the weight of a towel on my head to dry my hair). Unfortunately for me, dizziness continues..,but I am not giving up hope for a solution. Sometimes I have to stand my ground (and almost fight) with Drs…we all have to advocate for ourselves. I am a firm believer in a positive attitude and expectations going in to this kind of surgery.
I think if you put something together on the importance of proper nutrition both pre and post surgery that could really help a lot of people out. People should be as healthy as possible going in, and proper nutrition is a great step in achieving that. I look forward to seeing what you put together, and best of luck to you as you continue your recovery.
Ps, my neck issues go back 40+ years! I used to get stingers (electrical shock) down my right arm when tackling people in football….and I am sure wrestling and rolling around on my head didn’t help either.
@@BarrysRecovery from your video I can tell you are a highly intellectual individual who knew better than to simply trust their doctors. I have healed my body and many friends and family members from some of the craziest health conditions that no doctor has been able to tackle. I can't mention the names here because they'll definitely take down my post but I think you get what I'm saying.
I'm sorry to hear that you're still dealing with the dizziness and here is my quick suggestion to you.
For starters, try to find yourself a vestibular rehabilitation physical therapist. They can check to see if you are suffering from something called bppv. I would advise researching this on UA-cam because it would be too much for me to type out here but basically you may have something as simple as calcium crystals dislodged in your ears not interacting with your cerebral spinal fluid properly. A simple exercise usually corrects this.
If that doesn't work, I would highly suggest you seek out a specific test from an ENT doctor called a VNG.
Most of the test is no big deal but there is a point where they have to spray either cold water or air into your ears to see if you get dizzy or not. It is not a pleasant sensation but it can lead you down the right path to determine if you have something wrong with you on a vestibular level..
You can then go for vestibular therapy which granted me a huge reprieve in the dizziness. I would say after that my dizziness subsided by at least 40 to 60%.
The other thing that helped me, once I realized that my dizziness was coming from my nerve root endings being compressed between c5-6/7, was chiropractic services on the regular basis.
I was fortunate enough to find an amazingly, talented, old school, free thinking, chiropractor and the minute I told him I was a powerlifter, he didn't even need to look at the x-rays to know what was wrong. One adjustment later and the dizziness subsided by an additional 60% but it would come back one week later each time, but that further confirmed my suspicion that it was all in the neck.
I then found a much more open-minded pain management doctor who started to believe me and he said that despite me not wanting to get the epidural injection, this would help guarantee whether or not the dizziness was coming from the neck or not.
Though I am the type of person that eats a strict organic diet for the last 20 years and really takes care of themselves, I finally conceded and I took the shot and guess what? No dizziness for a full 10 days!
That was enough proof for him to suggest surgery and that my theory was correct.
He also did a nerve test called an EMG which also further showed that my business was coming from the neck..
My injury came from shoulder shrugging over 200 lb in each hand in the gym on January 24th 2017 and I woke up with the worst vertigo you could ever imagine the next morning. The correlation was so obvious that I must have done some damage in my neck because I remember hearing two horribly loud snaps in my neck but I did not feel any pain.
Long story short, I have to close my entertainment business, move back home with the parents and basically be a vegetable for the last 5 years because the dizziness was so bad.
I didn't actually start having pain in my neck however until the last year and a half so that was the trick I had to use to get the surgeon to finally acquiesce. I had to constantly complain about pain and not mention the dizziness as much or the insurance didn't want to cover it because they don't believe dizziness can come from compressed nerves which is a crock of s***.
Had I not had as much holistic knowledge on nutrition in the body, I would have never have figured this out on my own.
If only I was able to convince a surgeon years ago, I would not have had to suffer needlessly.
I was fortunate enough to get one of the most sought out neurosurgeons that there are in New York City who has been in charge of three different hospitals in her 20-year career so I knew I was in good hands and when she was the first one to agree with me that the dizziness was coming from the nerve compression, I knew she was the one.
Regarding nutrition, and again I will expand on this in my own video, you want to be eating as many organic, grass-fed, pasteurized, animal products such as bone broth, steak, collagen, gelatin, raw milk, raw cheese, pasture raised eggs, and colostrum because nothing will heal your bones quicker than that, and this is coming from a recently former vegan who believes the vegan diet completely destroyed my bones, but that's another topic for another time, LOL.
Hope this helps everybody! And thank you again for taking the time out to make this wonderful video!
Dave 🙏👍💪
Another thing I wanted to recommend for you to try brother is to find a acupuncturist who might be able to help you with your dizziness because here's something many surgeons will not tell you because they simply were not educated in school with this information thanks to Big pharma controlling everything.....
There is a direct correlation with dizziness, as well as stomach issues and the vagus nerve which is always overlooked by the medical professionals.
When the Vagus nerve is inflamed, and you already have a neck injury, this can exacerbate your dizziness by as much as tenfold.
The key to keeping the inflammation down of the vagus nerve is to eat a diet that is non-inflammatory. The foods I recommend eliminating all together are anything with wheat or anything with artificial sugars and flavors as well as food coloring because these are all seen by the body as foreign invaders.
Feel free to go to town on organic fruits, vegetables, some nuts, some seeds, but I would highly recommend leaning towards grass-fed, pasture raised steak, liver, as well as raw milk and raw cheese because our body utilizes animal products and it's a lot more bioavailable than plant-based products.
The reason why people have so many issues with dairy is because once the dairy is pasteurized and homogenized, all the good bacteria as well as the bad bacteria are zapped out of the food thus once again, the body sees this modified version of dairy as a foreign invader, thus creating inflammation to try to fight off the food.
Same thing with meat. You know how we have been told for the last 30 or 40 years that meat causes cancer? That's only true if you eat the meat that's in most supermarkets but again, if you purchase organic, grass-fed, pasture raised, you will not have these issues.
The bottom line is, the lower the inflammation, the better your dizziness will become as well as your gut health.
If you want to try an interesting product which really helps bring down the dizziness, if you go on Amazon, there is an essential oil blend mix that you roll onto the back of your neck and the temples and behind your ears. I don't remember the exact name but if you type in essential oils vertigo, I'm sure you'll find two products. Both of them work pretty well and they kick in within 5 minutes.
There's also a homeopathic remedy that helped me significantly, manufactured by a company called Boiron which is the world's largest homeopathic remedy company for many many years and the supplement you're looking for from them is called Cocculus Indicus and I believe the strength is 30.... It's sold as a motion sickness homeopathic medicine but it really zaps dizziness within 5 to 10 minutes of taking it. They are tiny little tablets that you chew up and it's not that expensive. If Amazon doesn't have it, vitamin shoppe usually does, or you can find it elsewhere online I'm sure.
Ginger tincture also helps quite a bit with dizziness and inflammation and there's a supplement which can be a little hard for people to handle sometimes because it is kind of strong but it's called zyflamed. It's a full body inflammation reducer.
Hope this helps!
@@SpirituallyAscending81 Dave, thank you for your well thought out and very clear response. Here are some of the tests, places, and Drs I’ve seen so far. Brain MRI/mar, neck mri,MTA, vng, eeg, balance center complete testing (Hot and cold in the ear, spinning me inside the machine, wobble board, the whole litany of tests there) they determined I had very good balance (I could’ve told him that because I played tennis regularly) and that there was no BPPV or major vestibular dysfunction. I have also been checked for acoustic neuroma, labrythitis, shwanomma, the whole works.
I’ve been to Chiropractors, functional medicine chiropractors, ENT, physiatrists, neurologists, DO’s, the works. Ive been told I don’t have BPPV, that I “have”migraine associated vertigo,and most recently my neurologists says Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD) I’ve I’ve been to vestibular rehab, and that actually makes it much worse…especially when there is a lot of upper neck movement…….. which leads me to suspect (or at least want to rule out) issues with C1/C2. Years ago on an MRI it was noted I had moderate narrowing of foraminal space at c2. Guess what just happens to come out of that spot? The vertebral artery and the vertebral venous plexus. My theory is that ‘IF’ that space is compromised and there is impingement on the artery and/or nerves couldn’t that cause dizziness….just like the severe foraminal narrowing at c5/6 caused my hand issues? If so, scoop out those osteophytes, widen it up and set me free!
@@BarrysRecovery Wow!
Okay! I didn't realize just how much you really knew about the topic and just how far you've went down the rabbit hole.
You and I are exactly on the same page. I've had a brain mri, vertebral artery test mris and I think it was called and MRE or MRA, to make certain that there was no damage to the vertebral arteries and the branches.
I've also had just about everything else that you mentioned tested for and I'm glad you also tested for acoustic neuroma, meniere's, etc..... I figured you didn't have bppv but sometimes that's the easiest thing to rule out any residual dizziness.
With that being said, I believe your suspicion is correct. That is exactly where C1 and C2 and the vertebral arteries are located exactly where you said, and guess what? Right before the surgery, they asked me for an updated MRI because the previous one was about 6 months old and guess what they found? I also have a bulging disc at C1/2!
That made me start to believe that it might be the vertebral arteries and the vagus nerve also being inflamed on a regular basis so I asked the surgeon if while you're in there if we can correct that one too, but she told me, that it would be way too much trauma to have all that done in one day so she recommended me just to stick with C5-6-7 and we will go from there.
My chiropractor also suggested that I may have a bulging disc at around t10 so I convinced the hospital to give me a thoracic spine scan as well and lo and behold t10 is also not looking too good.
I definitely believe you're onto something here and if you still do not get better after everything you went through, you may have to insist on getting that C 1/2 taken care of as well.
I would look into the Vagas nerve anyway because I'm wondering if that nerve starts around the same area where the vertebral arteries are because once again, if that vagus nerve is inflamed and you already have dizziness issues, it only amplifies everything.
My acupuncturist was the one that helped me the most because he would calm down the vagus nerve. It was not a pleasant experience because you're in a decent amount of pain with where he has to place those needles for about 5 minutes but after that, you can literally feel a sense of relaxation and calmness like you've never had before.
I think that's the only thing I haven't seen you mention yet is trying a really good acupuncturist. What do you have to lose at this point my brother. Give it a shot. If you start to see immediate relief from the dizziness and other effects, then it's definitely tied into your Vegas nerve and again I think you're spot on with the c1/2 theory.
Best!
I need this too. I had the symptoms for one year now. Good luck to you!
Natalia, I’ll keep making update videos. Hopefully they help you get an idea of what it’s all about.
Just had this done 10 days ago. Doing pretty good.
I am so happy to hear that. Wishing you a very happy and healthy new year.
@@BarrysRecovery Thank you so much. Same to you!!
Thanks this information is great!
So glad I could help. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out, there’s a lot of folks that I’ve gone through this procedure and come out the other side very happy.
Your story is truly inspiring! Thank you for sharing! What are your thoughts of epidural steroid injections? Thanks again!
Hi Tim. Glad I’m able to help. I did have a couple of steroid injections, nerve blocks, and nerve ablations. Because my issue was primarily related to the narrowing of the foraminal space and those darn osteophytes, nothing short of surgery was going to fix me. The steroid injections, nerve blocks, nerve ablation’s helped me tolerate the discomfort until such point that surgery was the only option. It essentially bought me one to two years before surgery. I will say that it didn’t do anything long-term to help or hinder.
@@BarrysRecovery Thanks for sharing your experience and feedback....very helpful!! Glad you are doing so well!!
How old were you when you had this surgery?
I was 58 when I had it. Best thing I ever did. I still find myself subconsciously doing finger movements I couldn’t do for 20 years.
I am 63 years old and I am suffering from 2 degenerated discs at C5-C6-C7. Some days I am doing ok but other days it is really bad. Seeing a neurosurgeon in May and I hope he can help me so that I no longer need to suffer from pain.
@@ericbauwens1642 burning pain in your neck? any issues with hands, arms, etc?
I occasionally have pain in my left shoulder and left arm up until my elbow. What I noticed that if I go biking then the pain goes away and if I am inactive and sit for hours in front on my computer the pain flares up. Also what also helps is to warm my neck with an infrared spotlight.
@@ericbauwens1642 When you talk to the surgeon ask if they plan on performing a foraminotomy also. That is the widening up of for formational space so there is more room for the nerves to pass through without being compromised. That is the part of the procedure that gave me full use of my hands back.
Did anyone of you that got this surgery apply for SSDI to get help?, and if so did you get approved?
Hi Randi, SSSI meaning Social Security Disability Insurance? I am assuming you mean for assistance beyond the cost of the procedure (as that would be covered by medical insurance) I wasn't disabled by my condition, so SSDI wasn't even on my mind. Perhaps others may have some input?
How many days after surgery were you able to drive?
Whenever you’re clear of narcotics you can drive. For me I was cleared to drive after 4-5 days as I stopped the narcotics quickly (I hate the way they make me feel)
I know I have several bone Spurs also. What do they do to the bone Spurs? What does the bone Spurs do the spine?
They remove the bone Spurs , clean them, and then they become part of the artificial disk. The bone Spurs encourage bone growth.
@@BarrysRecovery that’s is great news thanks. They said I need surgery, but I need to talk to my husband about it.
@@angelaoren1344 I was in pain all the time, and having issues with both hands. My hands work great now! I really thought I was going to be in a lot more pain and discomfort after the procedure, but it really is quite tolerable.
@@BarrysRecovery I went and saw the neurosurgeon and she said I needed surgery. She said it will help with the weakness, balance issues and pain my neck, but she couldn’t say if it would help my migraines at all. That was a bummer, because I deal with daily migraines. She said my problem is not a nerve problem with my disc’s it is a problem with it pressing on my spinal canal. It is very severe and the only way to fix it is surgery. She said I have to have surgery or it will continue to get worse and cause me to go paralyzed if not treated. She doesn’t know why I am having the numbness and tingling since it is not pressing on the nerves. Anyways thank you for all your help. Hope you are still healing nicely.
@@angelaoren1344 I was diagnosed with cervicogenic / vestibular migraines the theory is the constant pain in my neck overwhelms the system and manifests as nausea dizziness, etc… I am hopeful that my ACDF repair helps with my other issues as well.
How were you able to brush your teeth ?
I had no issues opening my mouth or brushing my teeth. As a matter fact, it was easier for me because my hands worked fully after the surgery.
Hi everyone is any one with similar symptoms like my stiffness headache chest tightness and pain also neck pain back pain
What kind of pillow would you recommend after surgery
Honestly, anything that makes you comfortable. For me it was a couple of pillows together. I used the first one as a ramp up the 2nd one as I felt most comfortable on a slight incline (especially with the soft collar on). The first one was almost under my shoulder blades, and it angled on top of the 2nd. That felt good for me (still does)
Honestly, the best thing you can do is to sleep in a recliner for the first five to seven days because all that pressure on the back of your neck on a flat pillow on a flat mattress is going to kill you. That is what happened to me and I really wish I had a recliner because my suffering would have been much less. Please listen to me when I make the suggestion to you about the recliner or you'll pay the price needlessly in pain.
However, the pillow that helped me the most was a cervical pillow that had a slight notch in it where your head rests but you must sleep on your back in order to relieve the pressure. This was a game changer for me between waking up with horrible pain and dizziness or waking up with little to no pain and slight dizziness because the nerves were being all compressed while you sleep if you don't sleep on your back.
I'm so scared to have this surgery, but the pain and not being able to do a lot of things I used to do is so hard to deal with. How are you feeling now ?
@@pamelaalvarez2734 this was life changing for me in the best way possible. I had limited use of both hands, and the pain I. My neck was so bad, I couldn’t stand the weight of a towel on my head to dry my hair. Immediately after surgery the pain in my neck was gone, and both my hands were fully functional. I am 8 months post op, and I have no issues from the surgery at all. My neck feels great! My only regret is that I didn’t do this sooner! It’s natural to go in with fear but arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible with regard to the recovery period. I specifically put the series of videos together to show what my recovery was like. I was so excited to have the surgery done and I was greatly looking forward to being on the recovery side of the procedure. I have been miserable for many years. Hopefully my videos can help you understand what a typical recovery is like. I have to say it was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I would absolutely do it again in a heartbeat. No regrets.
@@pamelaalvarez2734 I have no restrictions. I can play tennis, and do everything I could do before. What levels are you in need of having repaired? My only regret is not having this done sooner! I had issues with both hands and cannot even stand the weight of a towel on my head to dry my hair. My life was absolutely miserable before having this done. Now I am back to where I was before and feeling great! :-)
How were you able to cook breakfast on day 2 ????
I felt so good! To not have the chronic burning pain, to be able to fully use my hands again, it was such a blessing. I still wake up in the morning, feeling such gratitude that I have full use of my hands again….. and no more horrific pain in my neck.
I had my my neck decompressed.Twelve screws two rods later. Tylenols and oxycodone. Over a month in severe pain. Heard they had a halo on me wasn't told that. I hate that hospital they treated me like s*** And even ate my food. I know it wasn't hungry but there was like one piece of bacon underneath the lid of the dish. I asked for help to the bathroom and they go well a lot of people can hold their pee you know. Yeah a lot of people that don't have IV bags and have to go to the bathroom. Terrible when you're like vulnerable like that and they treat you like crap!
Carol, OMG thats horrible. What was that procedure called? It doesn’t sound like an acdf. Who did the surgery? Was it HSS or Stamford Hospital. Twelve screws and two rods! Wow, I’m so sorry you needed all that work done.