Emily,
I have not had surgery yet; but plan to in March. I have only one bad disc, which when the pain is not contolled by pain meds, it is in my low back, hips, butt and down my legs. I don't know what meds they have you on; but they increased my Cymbalta to 60 mg 2 X a day, Lyrica 150 mg 2 X a day and Kadian 20 mg 2 X a day. These have made my pain so much more manageable. I still take 4 Vicodin 10mg a day; but no longer have to be stuck to my couch on a heating pad constantly. Before this medication adjustment, I had a huge (size of a large heating pad) burn on my back from being on the heating pad all the time. It would blister and looked awful; but I was so desperate for any relief, that it was worth the burn for the back pain relief. I still use my heating pad, usually when I start hurting and take a vicodin I sit on it until the vicodin takes effect, in the morning I use it and at night. I would see a dr about pain management adjustments.
The medical talk can be confusing; but you will catch on. Also, if you don't understand something, just ask (we have all been there, I am constantly asking questions; that's what we are here for)
As far as the flight back from CA, there are a lot of people on here who had surgery in Germany and flew back after some recovery time there (not sure what the typical stay is, but sure someone can pipe in with that answer). So, I would think if you stayed in CA for a few days to a week or so, that it would be do-able.
Also, from what I have read, cervical is alot easier recovery than lumbar (seems like it would be the other way around to me). I believe this is because the lumbar is responsible for a lot more weight than the cervical.
Last, there was a guy on here who had a 2 level lumbar ADR (S1-L5 AND L5-L4) and a 2 level cervical ADR (C5-C6 AND C6-C7o, at the same time in Germany. His name is Terry and he would be a great resource for you, since you are facing an almost identical surgery. He just recently left the board; but if you follow this link to a previous post of his, you can search all his previous posts and find a ton of great information. He has been here for over 2 years and has almost 1,200 posts; so I am sure you can find more than enough information. You may also be able to send him a private message and see if he is still around to help you with any questions. Here is the link to a post of his, he is the first poster, just click his name and it will give you to find all posts and to send him a private message. If you need any help with anything, don't hesitate to ask us, we are here to help
http://www.adrsupport.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9626
Best Wishes,
God Bless,
Kathy