Well, I am 1 week post-install and feeling great!! I am completely off all pain meds and only taking a few Tylenol each day. The brace is a little easier to sleep with now and I hope to have it off entirely, along with the stitches being pulled, on Thursday. This was the best decision I have made in a long time!!

Congratulations Draw4u on your successful outcome. You must be over the moon.
What have you planned to celebrate?

I'm happy for you, that the surgery was such a success.

I'm one of those people who had terrible things going on by the time I got my surgery for cervical stenosis, which fused C4 - C6. Apparently I came very close to total paralysis, which seems to be so rare that nobody talks about it. Before the surgery, I had severe pain from head to toe and could barely move. For a couple of hours each day, my arms would go completely numb and useless from elbow to fingertip, and it felt like I had two baseball bats for arms. The feeling and movement would gradually come back to my arms, but they remained stiff and painful all day, and my hands barely worked. My legs were also stiff and heavy feeling, as though gravity had increased by tenfold, and I could not coordinate their movement.

I had my surgery just over a year ago, and I still have neck and shoulder pain, and other problems, but nonetheless, I consider the surgery a success. I'm overjoyed. I can use my hands again, and I can put one foot in front of another again. I can type on my keyboard without feeling as though my fingers are touching hot coals. I can do so many things I thought I'd never be able to do again. Even though I've still got pain, it's wonderful. I think if I had not had to wait so long for the surgery (due to lack of insurance), I would have had a quick and complete recovery, but I'm happy with what I've got.

My only problem is that now I think I also have spinal stenosis in my lower back, but that's another story.