@chrisanon You do have a lot of concerns. Do you think those issues have been addressed properly by the surgical team? Infection is a big risk after surgery. I had a lung infection 5 days after my surgery because I wasn't clearing phlegm well enough due to a physical problem that I have, and I needed to be on antibiotics. Being under general anesthesia slows things down and causes more phlegm in your lungs that needs to be cleared. I also had done Mupiroicin ointment inside my nose to prevent a staff infection as directed by the surgeon. If you have spinal cord compression or instability in the spine, it does increase risk of paralysis if an injury should happen in addition to that condition.

As for swallowing issues with ACDF, I can tell that I do not have as strong of a gag reflex on the side that was the surgical path, and I can choke more easily with swallowing, but I can swallow just fine. I do not have any spine hardware and no metal plate. I stayed in a neck brace 3 months until fused. I did recently stretch out the surgical scar tissue which helped me have better sensitivity in my throat which improved it a bit. My ACDF surgery was 8 years ago.

Do you have concerns and questions you need answered by your surgeon before your surgery?