@terri672
As I said in my previous post, the disc replacement was the suggestion of my surgeon. He said on occasion, it does not work and a fusion needs to be done.
The surgery was done in a hospital. I was an outpatient although sometimes, if done late in the day, patients could stay overnight.
The surgery is done under general anesthesia. An incision about 2 inches was made in my neck. He did it in a crease to hide it. The opening was glued and taped. There are no plares or screws. I really can't explain the artificial discs. Besides, there might be many brands.
I was able to shower starting the next day but it had to be covered with plastic wrap and surgical tape.
I saw the surgeon twice after along with an xray. I only needed pain meds the first couple of days. I couldn't bend, lift, twist, overextend my neck because of the need for the artificial discs to take hold. Ineeded help with those things.
I was basically healed by week 8, at which time I had to go to PT to strengthen my neck and work on range of motion.
I really found this to be an easy surgery to recover from. However, my therapist said complete healing takes several months. Of course, we all heal at different rates.
I lived in Central Florida. My neurosurgeon is outside of Tampa in a town called Lutz.
In my research, I found out the spinal surgery can be done by an orthopedic surgeon or neuro surgeon. It was my decision to go with a neurosurgeon since the cervical is so close, in my estimation, to the brain. I wanted someone experienced in both.
Hope this helps.
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)