Hi!

I just had the pump put in almost 2 weeks ago (tomorrow) for back pain. Before my surgery I was searching for surgery details also so I know how you are feeling. I would be happy to share my experience but like other posts said- keep in mind that everyone is different. You may have a completely different experience.
I spent 2 nights in the hospital and from what I have heard that is kind of long. Some leave the same day but my operation was done in the evening and I had low blood pressure issues so he wanted to play it safe and keep me around another night. Waking up was the most uncomfortable part but they will give you meds in your IV for that. I am pretty tolerant to medicine so I'm not gonna lie it hurt more than I thought. I'm also pretty small so he had to use the smaller device and it still was a stretch getting it to fit. Rather than type a novel- I'll just summarize by saying that so far it's worth it. I've had to increase the pump 3 times in 2 weeks and this is common because they will start it as low as they can. I called in today to get another increase before I go back to work Monday. I have had 0 activity in the last 2 weeks and I go between a 2 and 3 on the pain scale (much better than my 8's and 9's before). I am on NO oral meds! Yay! I was on the 100 fentanyl patches before the pump. I am waiting to see what I will feel like when I am back to normal life.
My biggest concern now is returning to work Monday. Can someone post how long they were out/down when they had the pump in? I'll be out 2-1/2 weeks if I go back Monday. I feel a lot better but not 100%. I tend to push myself too much so I am debating on asking for another week to play it safe. Just curious how long others needed to fully heal.

Good luck and I am here if you have more questions!