Patient Stories

How to Prep Your Hair Before Neck Surgery

Shared by real patients preparing for neck surgery. One question comes up constantly in neck surgery recovery groups: what do you do with your hair when you know you can't shower for days afterward...

What Does the First Week After ACDF Really Feel Like?

Shared by real patients preparing for or recovering from neck surgery. The first week after ACDF can look surprisingly normal in one patient's post and overwhelming in the next. One patient is walk...

When Can You Drive After ACDF Surgery?

Shared by real patients preparing for or recovering from neck surgery. One patient was driving again a little over two weeks after neck surgery. Another was still nowhere near ready. So which timel...

How Long Do You Wear a Neck Brace After ACDF?

Shared by real patients preparing for or recovering from neck surgery. One ACDF patient is told to wear a hard collar for weeks. Another leaves the hospital without one. Online, that can make it lo...

What Should You Have at Home Before ACDF Surgery?

Shared by real patients preparing for or recovering from neck surgery. The best time to discover that everything you use is on a low shelf is not the day you come home from neck surgery. Patients p...

Recliner vs. Bed After Neck Surgery: What Real Patients Preferred

Shared by real patients preparing for or recovering from neck surgery. Do you need a recliner after neck surgery? Patient communities cannot agree, which is exactly why their experiences are useful...

Numb Hands at Night: When the Problem May Be Coming From Your Neck

If your hands or arms go numb at night, it is easy to blame the pillow or sleeping position. Sometimes position can affect symptoms. But patients with cervical spine problems often describe somethi...

When Neck Pain Exhausts More Than Your Body

People preparing for neck surgery hear a lot about the physical side: the incision, pain, restrictions and recovery timeline. What gets discussed less often is how exhausting it can be to live with...

Can You Go on a Cruise After Neck Surgery? Real Patients Weigh In

A patient with a multilevel cervical surgery scheduled before a long-planned cruise asked a recovery group a simple question: would five or six weeks be enough time to recover and still enjoy the t...

When Can You Sleep on Your Side After ACDF?

Shared by real patients preparing for or recovering from neck surgery. For lifelong side sleepers, one of the most practical questions after ACDF is simple: when can I sleep on my side again? Patie...