Liza,

I saw my surgeon on Thursday and I told him exactly what you are saying. I am still needing my cane. He said that if I go to PT I will not need it. The PT will strengthen the muscles in my back. They asked me to bend backwards for the ex-rays, but that is an impossibility.

I just know if I do any bending at all, I can not straighten up at all. I walk hunched over and need my cane to walk. I also need the cane after sitting for any length of time my legs are stiff and do not move right away. This could not be from muscles in my back since I had this problem before the surgery. For the first time the other day my legs felt heavy as you described. I had this pre-surgery though and thought the surgery would eliminate it.

My surgeon now tells me that I am fusing, but there is not much bone in the cages. He told me I did not have to wear the bone stimulator anymore. I really do not know how he can see that, since his partner told me there was too much arcing on the films and they could not tell if I was fusing. They sent me for a CT Scan and I do not think he knows that I got the report from the radiologist telling me that there is too much arcing and they could not tell if I was fusing. They could not see the spinal canal at all and most of the pictures are just bright white. So I guess he saw something the others did not see, but I just find it odd that I am still on pain meds when he said I would only need them for three months. It is now almost nine months. He said once I heal more I should not have as much pain, but I seem to have the same pain. It is not as intense as immediately after surgery, but they had to up my meds after the first visit with my PM doc, and when it is time for another I am in so much pain I would not be able to walk at all, so I am just a little worried.

What happens if bone does not form in the cages? I see him again in six months. There was a woman in the waiting area bragging to everyone how great my surgeon is...Yes, he is...She had L3 to L5 fused...She said she could not walk before the surgery and now she is walking without a cane and fused at three months. I am ashamed to admit I was a little angry with her. I know I should have been happy for her and I did express it to her, but a part of me wanted to tell her to shut up. She just went on and on and was telling some fellow that he was the greatest surgeon in the world...He is, I know that, but I want to walk without pain too...