The professional opinions that I mentioned soliciting were, in fact, other neruo guys. I'm a nurse, and I've worked in orthopedic surgery for about 20 years. Ironic, eh? So, yeah, I did consult with acquaintances, but decided to go to a different hospital because I didn't want to cause any lingering issues, if there was any chance of them, by choosing within my own facility. I took their recommendations for my surgeon choice, though.

With regard to the traction, I was told pretty universally that it would be alright at this point, with the caveat that I start very low pressure (using one of the inflatable types, rather than the over the door) and eased my pressure values up slowly. Hardware is in perfect shape, graft healing nicely, so they were all in agreement that it shouldn't be a problem. Given the parameters of my situation, they were also all in agreement that I should go sooner than later, so I have more time to recover, since I need to be really up to speed walking long distances since I'll probably be walking several miles a day each day in Scotland.

Thanks for your interest, I hope, Ginnie, that you don't require further surgery. Are you in a position to do core strength exercises, in order to increase the muscular support around your spine? I have degenerative disk disease in my lower back, and have found that core strength building has diminished formerly daily lower back pain to virtually nonexistant. The issues in my neck are from old sports related issues which finally came to a head many years later, I believe...