I had a C6-7 ACDF on 11/9/07, and honestly the surgery itself was a breeze. My doctor is a neck specialist and does more ACDF's than any other doctor in my city, so I felt very comfortable having him as my surgeon. I had a huge herniated disk and had no choice other than to have the surgery. I was having excruciating pain running down my left arm with muscle spasms and numbness in my thumb, index and middle fingers.

So I had the surgery, stayed in the hospital overnight and went home the next morning. At home, I had to sleep in a recliner for at least 2-3 weeks. It was too uncomfortable to lie flat, and I was afraid I might roll around in bed, so the recliner worked well.

Overall, I can say that I'm glad I had the surgery. I had some dysphagia (painful swallowing) at first, but the doctor said that's normal. I also still feel a "lump in my throat" from time to time, like Redhotbeads described. I asked my doctor about this and told him that I can feel the plate, but he assured me that I'm NOT feeling the plate. So what is "the lump?" Sometimes I feel like I'm having muscle spasms in my throat. I hope this will resolve in time. Has anyone else had this problem?