trinab,

Having had two ACDF's I'll tell you what I did or used...

1) Slept in a recliner for at least two weeks if not longer.
2) IF you are laying flat in your own bed and need to get up, hold the back of your neck and do a "log roll" to get up. Ask the hospital to show you how. Trust me, if not done right, you WILL feel it!
3) You will probably be in a soft collar for a few weeks maybe less. I wore mine all the time at first and then periodically if I started to feel the muscles get tight.
4) The hospital or doctor will explain how to care for the incision; it is no biggie really...but those steri strips sometimes don't like to fall off.
5) I bought one of those long "grabber" poles to pick things off the floor instead of bending over.
6) Some people pack themselves in pillows too...but I always just used my own cervical pillow.
7) Walk! And walk as much as you possibly can when you feel up to it. That seems to be the biggest thing the docs stress...just walk!
8) As time passes, they will have you do stretches. I learned the hard way...do not do them when your neck is cold so to speak. Do them in a hot shower...something my spinal PM mentioned.

This is really all I can think of for now. I am sure others will be along to add more. As far as food goes, I didn't worry too much because at first because hubby brought meals home. And truthfully, it wasn't so bad that I couldn't make myself something to eat. And this last fusion I had done was outpatient! Anyway, I wish you luck and let everyone know how it goes.