I have never had this pain at the neck area, only in the lumbar. I can tell you this, you will need help around the clock for a while. If you think you have pain now, wait till the surgery. I have had seven lumbar surgeries and they were all painful. Some never helped at all. I still have pain to some degree.

What surgery are you talking about? If it is spinal fusion, yes, it is painful and not intended to take away all pain. The surgery is usually to help with numbness and some pain like you mentioned. My doctor would not garentee it would help with pain at all. I do wish you good luck and ask a lot of questions before you decide what to do.
Fancylady