Marisette,
Condolences on your condition. But I am delighted that you think that you've found a doctor that will do a "bang up" job on you.
I don't know how you can determine your potential surgeon's track record, or verify the number of ADRs that he's performed other than looking him up on local forums; which often don't provide much information.
In three surgical sessions over a 10 year period I've had two cervical fusions (2000, 2002) and a double cervical ADR (2009). After each surgery I was 100% ambulatory within two days, up to the point of being able to walk 20 miles on the second day after surgery. Since surgery I've run two half and two full marathons, and been in a 100 mile bicycle race. If you have a completely successful surgery, I would expect that you will be able to perform any NON-contact task that you desire.
Neural decompression is intended to alleviate pain. ADR is intended to preserve motion. But there is no way to know before surgery if either of those goals will be met. Unfortunately it is a roll of the dice. From talking to dozens of fellow fusion/ADR recipients, cervical surgery almost always achieves both of those goals.
I haven't read the M6 study, but can tell you ...
- If the study is a double blind study then you have a slightly better than 50% chance of waking up from surgery with a fusion.
- If the study is a blind study then you have a slightly better than 50% chance of waking up from surgery with a fusion.
I have two M6's and wouldn't trade for them.
After both of my fusions I had a TERRIBLE sore throat for ... maybe six hours. After my double ADR there was no sore throat. I don't know why the difference; probably improved surgical technique in the ten years between the procedures. After all three surgeries I was on pain medication for two day, and ibuprofen for a further two. Some people are on narcotics for weeks; everyone is different. Sorry, but there's no way to know where you'll fall until you have surgery.
I don't envy the many difficult decisions that you're going to have to make. Even worse, you can't know if you made the right decisions until possibly years after you've made them. I would strongly encourage you to research, research and then research some more. The most beneficial research I think is reading patient outcomes with different surgeons and different prosthesis.
Good luck!
Jeff