Lucy
I had neck surgery 6 weeks ago. I had a ruptured disk at C 4-5 that had calcified and formed a spur that pinched the nerve and was pressing on the spinal cord. I was only in the hospital for 2 days. I have never had a blood clot but they gave me shots in the stomach to prevent them, made me wear the tight stockings and made me do plenty of deep breathing in the little bedside device and helped me up to walk the next morning. I was extremely stiff for 2-3 weeks and could not look up or down or to the side. He did not make me wear a neck brace because he said the pain would keep me from over eserting the area and my neck muscles would strengthen naturally. Using muscle relaxers and some pain medication I am now getting better and feeling like it was a success. Hope things go well for you. You will need some help for at least a week to get bathed, wash your hair, etc. Lucy