Why I Finally Decided to Have Neck Surgery After Years of Pain

When you’ve already gone through open-heart surgery, deciding to have another surgery isn’t something you take lightly. In fact, if I’m being honest, I spent years hoping I wouldn’t need neck surgery. I tried to manage the pain. I adjusted my activities. I told myself it wasn’t that bad. I convinced myself I could live with it. But eventually, I reached a point where I had to ask myself a difficult question:

Was I avoiding surgery because it wasn’t necessary—or because I was afraid?

This is the story of how I finally decided to move forward with cervical disc replacement surgery after years of neck pain and nerve symptoms.

How My Neck Pain Began

Several years ago, while living in Germany, I underwent emergency open-heart surgery to remove a rare benign heart tumor called an atrial myxoma. The surgery lasted more than five hours and completely changed my life. Thankfully, the surgery was successful, but recovery was long and challenging. You can read more about my heart tumor and surgery here.

Not long afterward my surgery though, I began noticing neck pain and stiffness. At first, I didn’t think much about it. After all, I had just survived open-heart surgery. Neck pain seemed like a normal side effect from having surgery and that it would eventually go away.

But it didn’t.

Living With Neck Pain for Years

Over time, the discomfort became part of everyday life. Some days were better than others. I learned how to work around it. I adjusted my sleeping positions. I modified workouts. I stretched. I took breaks. Like many people living with chronic pain, I slowly adapted to symptoms that probably should have received more attention sooner. The problem was that the symptoms weren’t staying the same. They were getting worse.

When Things Started to Change

The turning point came when I began experiencing tingling sensations in my feet and lower legs. Neck pain was one thing. Nerve symptoms were something entirely different.

Suddenly, this wasn’t just about discomfort. It was about protecting my mobility and preventing potential long-term nerve damage. After a crazy experience one morning and being taken to the hospital because I couldn’t feel my hands and feet, it became clear that the issue wasn’t simply muscle tension or aging. The MRI showed degeneration in my cervical spine and compression that was affecting my nerves. For the first time, surgery became a real possibility.

What Is Degenerative Disc Disease?

Despite its name, degenerative disc disease is not actually a disease. It is a condition that occurs when the discs between the vertebrae of the spine gradually wear down over time. These discs act as cushions and shock absorbers, helping the spine move comfortably and protecting the nerves that travel through the spinal column.

As we age, discs naturally lose some of their water content and flexibility. For some people, this process causes little to no symptoms. For others, the changes can lead to chronic pain, stiffness, inflammation, and pressure on nearby nerves.

When degenerative disc disease affects the cervical spine (the neck), symptoms can extend far beyond neck pain. People may experience headaches, shoulder pain, numbness or tingling in the arms and hands, muscle weakness, balance issues, or nerve-related symptoms that travel into other areas of the body.

The impact can be gradual and easy to dismiss at first. What begins as occasional discomfort may slowly progress into daily pain, interrupted sleep, reduced mobility, and difficulty performing everyday activities. Simple tasks such as driving, exercising, working at a computer, lifting objects, or even finding a comfortable sleeping position can become increasingly challenging.

For many people, conservative treatments such as physical therapy, exercise, anti-inflammatory medications, injections, or lifestyle modifications can help manage symptoms for years. However, when nerve compression worsens or symptoms begin affecting quality of life and long-term function, surgery may become a consideration.

Every person’s experience with degenerative disc disease is different. Some live with mild symptoms, while others face significant pain and neurological changes that make it difficult to maintain their normal routines. Understanding how the condition progresses is often an important part of deciding on the best treatment path.

The Treatments I Tried First

Like most people facing surgery, I wanted to explore conservative options before considering an operation. I tried:

• Physical therapy
• Activity modifications
• Exercise adjustments
• Stretching and mobility work
• Acupuncture
• Cortisone injections in the neck

I wasn’t looking for a quick fix. I genuinely hoped I could avoid surgery altogether. But despite my efforts, the symptoms continued. The tingling didn’t disappear. The underlying problem wasn’t improving.

Why I Waited So Long

The truth is, part of me was scared. After experiencing emergency open-heart surgery during the COVID years in a foreign country, I understood exactly how vulnerable surgery can make you feel. I remembered the uncertainty. I remembered the recovery. I remembered wondering how long it would take to feel normal again.

Even though cervical disc replacement is very different from open-heart surgery, those memories stayed with me. It’s difficult to volunteer for another surgery when you’ve already been through a major one. So I waited. And waited. And hoped things would improve on their own.

The Moment I Knew It Was Time

Eventually, I realized I wasn’t making decisions based solely on what was best for my health. I was making decisions based on fear. That realization changed everything. I started asking a different question:

What happens if I don’t do this?

Could the nerve symptoms continue to worsen?

Could permanent damage occur?

Would I continue limiting activities I enjoy?

Would I always wonder if I should have acted sooner?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that avoiding surgery wasn’t solving the problem. It was simply delaying a decision.

Why I Chose Cervical Disc Replacement

One of the things that gave me confidence was learning more about cervical disc replacement.

Unlike a fusion, disc replacement preserves motion in the neck and is designed to maintain more natural movement. After discussing my options with my surgeon and reviewing my imaging, we agreed that cervical disc replacement offered the best opportunity to relieve nerve compression while preserving mobility. No surgery comes with guarantees. But having a clear treatment plan helped me feel more confident moving forward.

What I Hope to Regain

People often ask what I’m hoping for after surgery. The obvious answer is less pain. But it’s more than that. I’m looking forward to:

• Less nerve irritation
• Greater peace of mind
• More confidence in daily activities
• Better long-term spinal health
• The ability to focus less on symptoms and more on living

When you’ve lived with discomfort for years, you sometimes forget how much energy it consumes.

Preparing for the Next Chapter

While I’m still nervous about surgery, I also feel surprisingly at peace with my decision. I’ve done the research. I’ve asked the questions. I’ve explored my options. And now it’s time to move forward.

If you’re preparing for surgery yourself, know that it’s normal to feel scared, uncertain, or overwhelmed. But sometimes the hardest decision isn’t having surgery. Sometimes the hardest decision is finally accepting that it’s time.

Related Posts

Now that I’ve made the decision to move forward, I’m focusing on preparation and recovery. Read how I prepared for my neck surgery, My Neck Surgery Preparation Checklist: What I’m Doing Before Surgery. In that post, I share the questions I asked my surgeon, what I’m packing for the hospital, meal prep ideas, and recovery essentials. I’m also sharing how I’m preparing my home with comfortable bedding, books and simple comforts that will help support recovery in How I’m Creating a Cozy Recovery Space at Home After Neck Surgery. Because healing starts long before surgery day.