Hello @kyana . Welcome to Connect. I had a similar situation with a herniated disc and bone spurs pressing into my spinal cord in my neck. My disc had collapsed 50%, and there was no way to save it. It was compressing the spinal cord and that needed to be freed to avoid permanent damage or disability. The bad disc was removed. I had a choice of a fusion using a replacement cadaver bone disc (or they can take a graft from your hip bone) or an implant of an artificial disc. I took the fusion with donor bone and chose not to have any hardware attached to my spine which meant I spent 3 months in a hard collar until the bone fused together. Of course every patient is different. What is important is to see a good spine specialist who can assess the impact to your spinal cord, and how to prevent any further damage. Lumbar surgery is a harder recovery than cervical because the lumbar spine is bearing most of your body weight. Find the best surgeon you can because you have one chance to get it right when you go through surgery.

I did not have much change in movement because my level was C5/C6 that was replaced, and that does not do much at all for head turning, so my movement is pretty much the same as I was before surgery. Any type of implant screwed into the spine has the potential to become dislodged or migrate, break, or cause an immune reaction. Bone quality is very important. Sometimes metals in surgical hardware can cause pain. I had that experience when I had titanium plates because of a fractured ankle. I had them removed. Of course surgical hardware would be more difficult to remove, and sometimes it is designed so bone grows through it making it a permanent addition to the spine. These are all questions to ask your spine specialist.

How did you receive your diagnosis? Have you been referred to a spine specialist?

I've had neck surgeries years ago.
After your first neck surgery, 12 years later you might have trouble again. Do you have any pain in your arms ?
I have four vertebrates fused together in my neck.
The surgeon couldn't make it to my appointment yesterday so I have to wait two more weeks to talk to him about my back. I don't know what he's going to suggest. I'm hoping to avoid fusion. I'm concerned with the nerve that is responsible for left kidney function. It has been malfunctioning for about a year.
Thanks for your input. No one else has commented.
I live near Louisville Kentucky.

Hello @kyana and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I noticed an existing discussion on herniated discs so you will notice that I have moved your post here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/herniated-discs-history-of-injections-is-it-time-for-surgery/

What types of procedures have you already explored or do you have experience with?