Hi Gotsteel, I've got steel too, well titanium to be more accurate. I had my 1st fusion in the late 70's, 2 in the 90's, another last year in 2013 and it seems I will need a further one this year.

Mine were L4/5 but in 2013 they did a double fusion doing L4/5 & S1. They will likely do L3 this year.

With each fusion I have had some initial problems but once sorted they have given me 15 plus years of good quality living. I have lived very actively and worked long hours, no doubt about it, I have done things that have exacerbated my spine and caused issues further down the track. Life however is meant to be lived, not wrapped up in a blanket never venturing out and living in fear of what if.

Don't get me wrong, there are many many things I have had to give up as a result of my surgery, my love of horses and riding, the desire to be a vet and so much more. My point I guess is, if you do decide to go ahead with your fusion, pay particular care to your after recovery and you will reap the benefits. Far too many of us begin to feel well and throw caution to the wind and indulge in activities best only for those that have never suffered a spine injury. My biggest challenge has always been where I have known something is wrong and no one would listen to me.

I have had numerous Rhyzotomy procedures, nerve blocks, disc injections and more recently an SCS implant. They all provide some relief for short periods of time, but the fusions once sorted truly gave me 30+ years of good living. I am of the strong hope once I get this fusion of L3 thereby fixing the troubling referred pain I suffer with and allowing me to get some sort if life back. I had to give up work in 2012 due to several compression fractures in the thoracic region and we agreed we would use the time off work to sort my lumbar issues. Time is running out, my allowable time frame I gave myself was 2 years but my surgeon had recently told me to focus on getting well rather than going back to the workplace..

I pray my answer gives you some hope, that there is a wonderful life out there to be lived, we just have to believe it and do what the surgeons, physio and nurses tell us to do post surgery. It may not be 100% pain free but there are medications and many other things available you can have to help you get by.