I am new member, please excuse any rookie mistakes. I have 2 conditions. One is causing me current pain in my neck, right shoulder blade, right triceps area...with tingling in my right forearm and some numbness in my right hand. It is believed from CT scan, MRI, Xrays, and examination that I have bone spurs and a bulging disc causing issues with C5-C7.

Secondarily I have OPLL - ossification (calcification) posterior longitudinal ligament - with some stenosis pressing on my spinal cord. My surgeon and his team are recommending a combined anterior and posterior approach. Anterior to fix the bone spurs\bulging disc (my most serious current pain) and Posterior to correct the OPLL\Stenosis issue. This is a mouthful but my upcoming surgery is called "c5-c7 anterior cervical discectomy and fusion and C2-T2 posterior spinal decompression and fusion". With the combined approach and many levels its an estimated 6-7 hour surgery 4 or 5 days in the hospital.

My question is if anyone on this forum has had a combined anterior\posterior cervical spine surgery? and if so what was their experience? anything regarding expectations post surgery...both short and long term would be appreciated. I know it won't likely be positive, but I have experienced difficulty finding information regarding patient outcomes of a similar procedure. Good or bad, I can't find it. It just appears to be rare, though my surgeon tells me he does many of them each year.

Any advice on how to find folks with a similar experience to learn from?