Photos

Pre-op Herniation - This image shows the herniated disk pushing its way oput the back of the vertebral column and into the spinal cord. You can see that the disk has compressed the spinal cord against the back of the spine and the shock absorbing fluid (the white part around the spinal cord) has almost been cut off.
Cross Sectional View - This view more dramatically shows the spinal cord compression. The bottom frame is a more normal cross section (you are looking downwards from the top of the head). You can see the white circle (shock absorbing fluid) and the grey circle (spinal cord). In the top frame, you can see that the disk has squished everything almost to a pinpoint.
Post-op Slipped Fusion - In this picture, you can see that the bone that has replaced the disk has slipped forward and is jutting (2mm) into the throat. Anyway, it looks worse than it is. Apparently, the bone will be sanded down over time and should have no detrimental health effects.