I have had an autograph twice. The bone retrieval was more painful than the repair and seemed to take forever to quiet down. Check with your surgeon and see if he is planning on using Infuse compound made by Medtronic. It is only to be used on one level at a time. If used off label, it increases the risk of overgrowth. My spinal surgeon who was involved in the research and developement of Infuse used it on three levels without telling me in advance. I have overgrowth and nobody will touch it. Best wishes.