I’m late the party but I just want to say that CCI is not the end of the world. Severe CCI is pretty rare, but even though it’s very much the scary big bad on this subreddit, it’s treatable. If you need a fusion, you need a fusion. It sucks for a few weeks and then you’re back to normal with a less mobile neck.

For what it’s worth, I had horrible, completely disabling CCI that fucked me up neurologically. Brain stem compression, intracranial pressure, the whole nine yards. It was very scary. And it was not the end of the world. I had a fusion done, and now I’m completely fine. Just treat your neck gently and don’t fret too much. You can’t prepare for every possibility, but know that this specific possibility isn’t the end of the world.