u/Sufficient-Sink1805

I'm a 47 yr old guy, very fit and have had an active lifestyle with mt biking, running, hiking, ultimate frisbee, etc- as well as physically demanding work.

Head floaty off balance sensation and stiff neck started in Feb which led to an MRI finding two discs bulging directly into my spinal cord. My extremities started feeling slightly sludgy as spring progressed but I was never really in pain.

I seem to be recovering well from surgery- neck feeling stronger and more stable, incision healed quickly, throat feels back to normal, zero pain, etc..just a fair bit of tightness in the back of my neck and some tension in my traps.

BUT my balance and head floatiness seems to be persisting. It's not debilitating, I can function and it waxes n wanes. I'd say it's most severe when I'm driving and I shift my gaze between rear view mirrors or to other things and shift focus back onto the road. No spinning or nausea.

I know it's been barely 4 weeks since surgery and everything else going well makes me feel optimistic that my balance will be restored but it messes with my mind because it's the main symptom that really bothers me, I would trade it for persistent level 3-5 pain or sensation in my extremities not restoring if I could.

The balance/head floaty thing doesn't seem to be a thing for most ppl so it's hard to draw a consensus on other experiences and outcomes.

Id greatly appreciate it if anyone relate to this or share a similar experience, thank you.

I'm 47 and in pretty stellar shape for my age, this is actually my first major health issue and surgery so it's been very psychologically challenging for me.

I was never really in pain but I started having a "head floaty" slightly dizzy feeling back in Feb and my neck was abnormally stiff and my body felt kinda sludgy like I was in quicksand. A cpl years ago i noticed a significant dropoff in my energy and ability to recover from exercise and it felt like too sharp of a decline to chalk off to age.

I ended up getting an MRI in April and it showed two slipped discs bulging directly into my central canal.

Also, my left knee has been getting progressively worse starting about 3 yrs ago. I could walk and cycle on it fine but couldn't run on it anymore. It felt structurally unstable and sharp pain would shoot through my kneecap when it was bearing down on an exercise mat. So I had an MRI the week before the ACDF and was really surprised that it was totally clear.

The knee is not feeling completely better when I go out for walks but I've been testing it out on an exercise mat and the shooting kneecap pain seems to be gone. The ortho said it's unlikely that the knee issue could be caused by the spinal cord compression.

Anyways- the surgery went smooth and so far my recovery seems to be going better than it goes for a lot of others. My neurosurgeon said no collar. I'm not in pain but my neck felt very unstable the first 11-12 days so I got a soft collar to feel a little more protected. It's felt much more stable the last cpl of days so I ditched the collar unless I ride in a car.

Even though it's more stable, my neck and traps feel super tense and tight now and it feels like I have a lump in my throat.

I have to keep my mind from obsessing over the hardware or spacers shifting or failing. The head floaty/dizzy feeling is still persistent but I'm hoping that fades as my nerves repair.

My matrix of symptoms seem kind of peculiar when I compare to what other ppl have experienced.

Any insight or shared experience would be appreciated, thank you.