@me75 I'm not sure who your question is for. My surgery was a simple fusion of C5/C6 done without hardware. That was not too bad for a recovery and it was a lot easier than the ankle fracture I had a few years ago which was far more painful and for a longer period of time. I had 3 months in a neck brace, and after that my neck muscles were weak and I needed rehab and therapy.

You had a pretty big surgery and with the instrumentation, your life will change, but I don't have experience in that. Karen, who goes by @wascaly on this discussion has a lot of experience with extensive surgeries. I know your surgery was very recent, and now is probably the hardest part of the recovery from the trauma of surgery. It does take at least 6 weeks for the incision to heal as I was told when I had my procedure. I'm sure tasks of daily living are difficult right now and you must be very tired and in pain.

When you do feel better, you might want to try some sketches if you are able and if it isn't too tiring. Take small steps and don't try to create masterpieces. Just have fun with it. You can always redraw images until you get one you like. Don't put any pressure on yourself, but if you do get a good one and want to show your surgeon, that can be fun to do at an appointment. I think doing this can help with healing because there is the emotional part of it too, and here you can express your feelings with no judgement. Doodling helps or anything creative that can keeps your hands busy until you're ready for a nap. Before my spine surgery, I really was afraid, and doing sketches of my surgeon was a way for me to trick my brain into being comfortable with everything and to bond with him and like him because I only draw or paint things I like. Being able to like him helped me overcome my fear. Creativity is very healing. We do also have a discussion for that which I just mentioned in a previous post. This is the link.

Just Want to Talk - "Art for Healing"
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/art-for-healing/
Jennifer

You're a trooper! Praying that your recovery goes well! Take care of yourself and get plenty of rest. I had my procedure as a teen and it was still a major recovery process. I know that in the meantime there's a lot of uncertainty that comes with that - sometimes it's an emotional roller coaster! Everyone's timeline is going to look different, too. Don't be discouraged, though. I didn't know what to think when my restrictions were suddenly lifted at 6 weeks and I didn't FEEL less stiff than I had the week before, but I started feeling much more normal a little later after I started carefully doing my normal activities again. Pain went away before the stiffness did, though. It was a gradual and unpredictable process. One of the milestones for me was after about 2 weeks when my sleep started to really improve. If you've got a TV or at least a phone where you can pull up something good on YouTube, that might help by taking your mind off the pain; I have fond memories of sitting there watching a short sitcom and eating blueberry muffins - or when I was tired, just lying in bed and listening to it. Do you know if you got any taller? That was one of the fun parts for me about coming home, for my brother to see that I'd gained on him! 😀 Hang in there, champ. Hope you feel better soon.