Hello Kelly:

Give the shots - some time....they will kick in but it is not an immediate feeling of relief...

Have you seen prints of your "big honkin' disk"? Some questions to ask before undergoing major surger involving anything around your spine. Especially a fusion.

My Neurosurgeon said with the proceedure he wants to do on my back that I would be trading one pain for another. (To that I answer....after he tells me about the risks of not doing one, Why would I want to trade this pain - which I have had for 12 years now for a new one? I have learned to walk, live, cope and deal with my current pain - what will the new pain be like?) That usually shuts him up for one more year.

Until there is another viable alternative out there to Lumbar Fusion I am going to hold off.

Surgery is a major decision. Cutting around and fusing the spine is a long surgery that can take months of acute pain to recover from.

But.....many people benefit from it. Many people resume normal relatively pain free lives afterwards...and others - well they do not. That is what my Neurosurgeon means by trading one pain for another. And a lot of times - you are not limited to one surgery.

Can you get a second opinion? How are you feeling now. How is this affecting your daily life - is it bearable?

Hope you find some answers

Take Care
Kim