I understand about having to keep up with kids. Mine are 8 and 4. The biggest adjustment to my four year old is that I can't carry her anymore. She is 40 lbs.

The reason my neurosurgeon chose to do 3 levels is because c4-5 and c6-7 were both herniated and touching the cord. These levels would not have held up and if I didn't take care of them now, he told me I would be back within a few years. Not a desirable idea for me. There has also been research done that shows adjacent segment disease is actually lower in multilevel fusion patients than their counterparts having a one level fusion. I'm hoping this will prove true in my case. I am in physical therapy and my range of motion is coming back. I was told on the whole, I would lose about 20% which should only be noticeable to me and not anyone else. My half marathon days are over but right now I average walking 3-5 miles about 5 timers per week. I've also added body weight squats, lunges and leg raises back in. With time, I should be able to do most things. I won't be able to do Insanity dvd's because of how high impact it is, but I wasn't doing that before. I should be able to do strength training and cardio but will always have to be mindful of my spine and make modifications where needed.

Again, good luck.