Thank you both.
I will not be having any clamps, braces or pins put in. They are going to cut a portion of the vertebrae off and remove the portion of the disc that has slipped out.
Then let it heal. Because it is the base of the neck on the C-7, and thus the largest of the cervical vertebrae, they can remove a portion of it without weakening it.
Down the road I may need another operation to fix my lower spine that very well may end up to be similar to what they did to you Jukeman.
Either way, I pray the surgery will put an end to the wretched pain I have been dealing with. Today is a good pain day, but as I learned that can change in 10 minutes.
The rehab physical therapy is of utmost importance.
Oh my. You are in my prayers, FRiend.
try the miracle liquid DMSO also...used by many sports teams because there is no better natual healer. Also known as horse linament because it is used on racehorses.