To me, this sounds like Myelomalacia, which is what I have been diagnosed with. Fall, it could paralyze you, surgery could do the same thing, continued deterioration can cause you to stop breathing. My opinion is that you get a 2nd opinion before making any decisions, and a 3rd or 4th, if necessary. I am set up for my 2nd and 3rd opinions next week and will likely have at least one more. Best wishes, please keep us updated.

@donnalou0917 You have a tough decision to make. There is a lot to consider. In my book, 75 is not old. I suppose the answer to that may be based on what ailments someone lives with. I hear what you're saying about loosing independence, but that will also happen if you don't do the spine surgery. You'll become housebound because of a fragile spine that would cause an injury to be catastrophic. Falling at home could also do the same thing and paralyze you if the instability injures the spinal cord in the fall. Injuries with instability at the skull spine junction can be fatal because it can sever vital functions in the only connection between the brain and the body. That is why your doctor is concerned. There can also be years of being paralyzed with round the clock assistance needed that is financially difficult if a person cannot care for themselves.

Fusing multi levels in the cervical spine is a big change and a compromise because you will loose the mobility of those segments. It is done to protect from further damage. The phrenic nerve which goes to the lungs for breathing exits the spine around C 3 and below which are the levels you have in question which is why your surgeon said you could stop breathing because of instability there. Honestly, that would scare me more than surgery. The surgery happens and is over and the patient recovers to their maximum improvement whatever that is, but the fear of loosing the ability to breathe will stay there. This is what happened when actor Christopher Reeve had a spine injury in a horse jumping accident and he was on a ventilator the rest of his life. He had made some progress in temporarily weaning off the ventilator for short periods, but he couldn't breathe well enough on his own to stop using it and he died from pneumonia. Your lungs have to be able to move to not only breathe, but to clear the phlegm that can accumulate, and if that is compromised, it turns into an infection easily, and the lungs may not be able to physically clear the excess phlegm produced by the infection.

I think of surgery as amazing for what it did for me with a C5/C6 fusion. I had spinal cord compression because a disc ruptured into the spinal canal and bone spurs grew there alongside it. I knew my choice was to face my fear or accept disability as my future. I chose to face my fear and have the surgery and I am so glad I did. I was terrified too and I had panic attacks for 4 months until I figured out how to defuse them, and found the root cause of my fear. I didn't think I was capable of this, but I did it on my own and no longer fear surgery. That has been tested a few times with oral surgery and breaking my ankle and I was fine and sailed though the medical stuff calmly. If you want to beat your fears, you can. You have to want to work on overcoming it, and it will give you freedom. Consider this..... don't let your fear make your decisions for you. If this was happening to someone else instead of you, such as a friend, you might be able to consider the options objectively without fear.

Here is a discussion you may find helpful. A counselor may be able to help you work through all of this uncertainty and stress.

- Just Want to Talk - "How can I defeat my anxiety about medical tests and surgery?"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-can-i-defeat-my-anxiety-about-medical-tests-and-surgery/
What questions do you want to ask of members here or questions directed to your doctors and medical providers?

I was just diagnosed a few months ago with cervical pannus at the door at the. 1-2 just like you, and I am also afraid I’m a nervous surgeon who is performed five spinal procedures on me is telling me how horrendous that surgery is. Are you in much pain?? I have two fusions in my neck and have developed severe stenosis in for areas, which I hope he is cleaning out soon. I find out tomorrow . I am not sure how much pain is coming from the Pannus. We have a hospital for special surgery opening here in Naples Florida in 2025. I’m hoping someone there will have some better options I have had two spinal fusions in my lumbar and I have thoracic issues as well but I don’t think anything compares to neck pain. I am sorry you were going through all this as well.. I am 68.