Alyssia's Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion

I decided to go back to school for Electrical Engineering when I was 21 and got a wild hair, and decided I wanted to attempt to cheer again. I was lucky enough to cheer in college; I traveled to other places, such as Boston College and Notre Dame. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world. While captain, I was fortunate enough to win NCA Nationals in 2018 in Daytona Beach, FL. Winning nationals with my team is one of my most proud accomplishments in cheerleading. That year I was awarded MVP; the following year, I received the most dedicated award. I was a member of the NCA staff from 2017 until I could not participate in 2021; I had the opportunity to travel the Southeast region teaching athletes different skills ranging from the high school level to college. I met so many talented people along the way.

In December 2020, something happened, and I awoke on a Sunday morning and went to the gym to find myself unable to lift either arm, I attempted to row, and I couldn’t without searing pain that brought me to tears. I thought, okay, just let it rest. We were on a break from cheer for about a month, so I stretched and took time off in an attempt to recover. When we returned, I attempted to perform at the same level, and my left arm wouldn’t cooperate, so I participated to the best of my ability, slowly losing more and more range of motion as I went. Finally, it was a football game in early October when I caught a pyramid that went wrong, and I couldn’t physically get my left arm to raise higher than 20 degrees from my hip. I was devastated. I was then told to take time off; I worked hard at PT to recover while seeing multiple doctors. I received two epidural injections in my neck and countless trigger point steroid injections, all in an attempt to finish out my fifth and final season. At this point, it has been nearly two years of various MRIs, CT scans, and X-rays; the neurosurgeon didn’t believe it could be my neck because I was “too young.” It must be a shoulder problem. The Orthopedic Surgeon thought it to be stemming from my neck. I finally went to another neurosurgeon who understood the issue and believed it to be a herniated disc causing nerve compression. Finally, after two years, someone has a solution.

We decided that surgery was the best decision as I was graduating in May and needed to start my career as soon as possible. I put myself through college, but the funds were running out, and when else would I be able to take six weeks off to recover other than the transition from school to the workforce?

I tailored my resume and cover letter to apply for the industry I wanted to enter and landed the first job I applied for, which is exactly what I wanted; it was in Boise, Idaho and the nanoscience/semiconductor field. I am an Equipment Engineer at Photronics now. Shortly after moving here, my recovery took a sharp turn for the worst. I was walking to my car, putting on a backpack, and I heard a pop and instantly fell to the ground. Turns out my first rib fractured; unsure how even the doctors are bewildered. Without understanding the cause, I was left in pain and with many questions.

The disc replacement failing is rare, this fracture is rare, and someone as young as me having this issue is rare. Nonetheless, all are occurring, putting me in a precarious situation. There are mornings I struggle to pull my pants up; I am unfortunately on pain meds to function, and by function, I mean going to work and then lying down. I no longer get to participate in activities I enjoy with people because it hurts too much to be vertical at this point. I am 26 and should be able to enjoy life, but unfortunately, I have a debilitating injury.

The surgery is scheduled for February 27th, 2022. I will receive an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, ACDF, which is when they fuse the vertebrae together using cadaver bone and remove the previous replacement. This surgery will again put me out of work for a minimum of six weeks from work, reducing my income on top of the cost of the surgery itself, leaving me in a pinch financially. Not to mention the medical bills from the previous surgery I am still paying off. After the first neck surgery, I assumed I would be good as new and be able to lead a normal life again, but this hasn’t been the case.

ACDF Animated Video

This picture is from the NC State VS. Boston College Football Game in 2019.