except I had the opposite problem, My C3 & C5 were ruptured with severe pain down my left arm, and it was worst and THROBBED when I laid down, I slept sitting up on my sofa, Heck I did just about everything sitting up on that sofa....(Keep it clean)...had to wait for over 2 months for operation. had to have 2 valiums in order to have MRI done in a laying position for 20 minutes, Ouch..... took me 2 attempts to handle the pain...
Any way, I finally had the operation and they fused my neck so I couldn't look up, and while I was there they took fractured Bony plate out from behind my neck and in all total, I had a 5 1/2 hr operation and 2 days straped into a hospital bed with a drainage pack stuck in the back of my neck, then 2 1/2 weeks flat on my back at home, after the first week, I had 3 - 15 minute "walk abouts" during the day. I'm no dummy, so I took advantage of my down time to quit smoking "cold Turkey". Told my Wife and my Mother-in-law who flew in to help take care of things, NO CIGS. And believe it or not, after the 3rd day it was "a Piece of cake".

Steve R-6416