Hi. I just joined this site, and I read your post. Your surgery on 4/06 sounds exactly like my husbands. He is going in on Jan. 29, 2007 for a second one. How are you doing now? Do you feel the last surgery was a success? As for the staph infection, I, too, fell victim during one of my own surgeries (8 on my shoulder last being a fusion). We spoke at great length about this problem with the neurosurgeon, and he feels that a prophyllactic dose of Vancomycin will hopefully prevent any infections. We are getting more nervous by the minute...to be expected, right?