Newbie here, about to get ACDF - told disc replacement isn't an option
 

Hi everyone, I hope my post is appropriate.

I'm 51 and have a congenital fusion at C5-6 and a lifetime of sports and in particular Crossift in 2012 caused a bunch of herniations, particularly at C5-6 and C6-7. PT and steroid injections, mostly PT, helped the problem get a lot better within a couple months and more or less stabilized since, though like an idiot I still continued doing Crossfit until 2016. In 2017 I noticed long drives started causing neck pain on the left side and in 2018 after I started working on the PC again for really long periods (programmer), I really started having issues, and the past 16 months have been constantly painful and difficult, with numbness in the arm, though not detrimentally so. Since 2012 I have gone to 3 or 4 doctors about this and they all said disc replacement was not an option due to the advanced nature of the disc degeneration, among other things. I am scheduled to have C4-5 and C6-7 fused on Wednesday.

So this is sort of a last minute inquiry to see what people think, if that is even allowed. It seems no matter which doc I see they tell me disc replacement is a no-no, and they all do that surgery. I have felt like it would be unwise to try to find someone who will do it. It also makes sense that doing ADR on two separate levels would be kind of difficult, particularly in getting the alignment just right, but that's just a guess.

I have numerous MRI results and reports. Do people here even look at them?

Anyway, I meant to write this last week but didn't get approved right away and was away from the computer for a while. Thanks again.

P.S. - one other thing is the PT people a year ago believe I have an elevated first rib causing some of the shoulder and arm issues. My doc isn't convinced but said that could be the case. Regardless, I do have numerous issues that are strictly neck related, so the surgery should still help me.

My personal experience
 

Doctors here that tell you adr is jot an option; is because they do not do them and haven't been trained to do them.
Did they even telly you why adr wasn't an option?!

Yeah they all do disc replacements too. MY degeneration is/was really advanced and I have issues in the facet joints, so they would still be moving around and causing pain with a disc replacement, and there would also be continued bone growth. I ended up getting the fusions. They are low enough that I shouldn't see too much loss of range of motion. I'm just hoping the adjacent discs don't become too problematic any time soon.

Facets
 

Yeah, degenerated facets are usually a deal breaker for most adr surgeons.