I had C-3,4,5 fused, my trouble was in my neck. I was losing use and feeling in my left arm. I couldn't feel the middle, ring, and pinky finger or lift a gallon jug of milk before surgery. It took months for pain to go away and more than a year for nerve function to get back to normal.
Baby steps man. A friend of mine told me "Remember, the light at the end of the tunnel is not necessarily a train coming."
Jim