My dad, who is now 78 had this done on his neck area. He was talked into by the specialist who said if he didn't have it done he risked becoming paralyzed. It was the biggest mistake. He's worse now than he ever was before the surgery. It did nothing to improve his life in any way. The saddest thing is he's worse off because now he can barely walk because of lack of balance as a result of the surgery. Sorry to hear your experience wasn't much better.