Hi there. I just wanted to say that most, if not all, responses here will be negative since we are all here for support because we are still in pain.

I had 5 surgeries to date. The 3rd one did work, a fusion of L4/L5. All was fine for a couple of years and then L3/L4 went and I had stenosis at that level. I heard later on that stabilizing one level may cause extra stress on the level above. I had surgery for the stenosis, but it did not work.

Have you explored the artificial disk at all? I have heard better results with that.

Not to scare you, but have you considered the fact that there are an extreme amount of cases of hospital staph infection? I am one of those cases, unfortunately. I contracted MRSA during my last surgery and had to have another surgery to fix the problem. AND, the doctor nicked the dura which caused a spinal fluid leak which was another fix during that second surgery.

I know that a majority of surgeries come out fine, and I pray that yours is one of those. If the surgery is medically necessary to fix a neurological condition and there are no other options, then you have to hope for the best. Chances are - if you are having the surgery to get rid of pain only, you will be disappointed. Ask your surgeon what percentage of pain relief you can expect.

Wishing you all the best. Maryanne