Wow, that pain lived with you awhile! A woman I work with had to have a plate placed in her neck as well. Sadly, the doc did something wrong and after some time a couple of the screws he used started backing out and rubbing on living tissue, causing new pains. A few months ago she had to go back to get things redone by a different doc. 1st doc is being sued now I think. Hope everything continues to go well for you!