Hello, I am new here so forgive me if any of my questions are out of line. In 1996 I ruptured c5/c6 and it was quite brutal as you can imagine. I decided against the disc fusion at that level and by a miracle it really healed up quite nicely with no major issues. This April/2012 I felt something pull in my shoulder blade as I was standing up and it got progressively worse to intense stabbing pain. My pain was in shoulder blade down to my wrist including deltoids. My suspicion was that it was the c5 c6 disc again, but I couldn't figure out why the pain was a little different and not centered in the neck. I do not take narcotic medications for the pain so it's quite bad. I went to physiatrist(sp?) and I did PT. In early June it appeared to heal up, but on July 11th, it did the same thing in the shoulder blade and it is still bothering to this day. I did CT myelogram and sure enough, my c6/c7 had ruptured. I was referred to a highly regarded neurosurgeon at that point. Per CT myelogram the c5/c6 is fine now and there are really no other issues in my spine. Doctor said per examination, I am losing strength in left arm which is quite scary. He said the "simple" fusion of 6/7 using cadaver bone and plate/not a cage, would stop the pain, but no guarantees on getting strength back. He said if I did nothing the strength loss and atrophy could get worse, better, or not change but it would eventually heal to no pain. I am so worried about this surgery which is scheduled for late September. I do not want to wake a sleeping giant in neck or other areas due to complications or unexpected outcomes of the surgery just to heal something that may already heal as the first one did. The strength loss is the main issue for me and the surgery may not help that. It is slowly getting better again and there is a slight strength return this week per PT. If anyone knows about this surgery, has personal stories or otherwise, I would so greatly appreciate it. Any information would really help me and gain you a good word from me to the Maker! It is brutal to even sit and type this post, but I am desperate. Also, I am in my mid 40s so I guess I am relatively young with no other health issues and would recover well from this surgery per doctor. Thank you!