@bgl I join Rachel in welcoming you to Connect. It sounds like you have a tough road ahead of you and that once you get past this correction, your real recovery can begin.

What helped me a lot before and after my cervical spine surgery is a physical therapist who also does myofascial release which can help break up surgical scar tissue. You can have adhesions in the fascial layers that connect the skin incision scar to the internal surgical site and as that scar tissue forms, it tightens up and can increase pain. For me that started happening a couple months after the surgery, but at that time, my PT wouldn't touch anything until the fusion began to fuse, so I had to live with it until then. When I could get things stretched out again, it really helped.

Here is our discussion about myofascial release in case you are interested in learning about the benefits of this therapy.

- Neuropathy - "Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/
Do you have issues with bone quality that could have contributed to the failed first surgery? I know that when screws are placed, they also need to be at very precise angles. When surgeons do this in the lumbar spine, or at the lumbar sacral junction, screws attached to the rods can pull out if not at the correct angles because of all the forces exerted at the lower end on the spine. Have your doctors given you some assurance that this won't happen again?

I don't know anyone with a similar experience, but I have heard of a patient having fractures in the spinous processes right after a cervical fusion surgery. I hope your surgery will help get you back to a positive outcome, but I'm sure that will be a long recovery.