Thanks for the responses for my inquiries regarding recovery time. Things moved quickly since my last post in June. I'm not one to wait around; once I make a decision I move quickly, so here's what's gone down since then:
I had fusion of L4-L5-S1 on July 20 2011. I keep hearing double fusions like that take longer to recover from and I think they're right. I am almost 6 weeks post op, and while I definitely feel better than I did at week 1, I know I still have a long way to go to recover. I was back at work after 2.5 weeks, but could only work for 3 or 4 hours at a time. I'm back at the gym, but am only allowed to walk on the treadmill (I went from a 9 min/mile to a 20 min/mile......talk about depressing! LOL) No weights allowed! Aaaaggghh! I'm going crazy! I still need my cane to get in and out of my car or getting out of bed, but for the most part I keep it close by "just in case". I am getting sick of lugging it around, though. (It IS pink and flowered, but I think my fashion statement is getting old at this point.)
I am having one symptom that troubles me, and I'm hoping someone out there has an answer for me. When I arise from a lying-down position, it seems something at the fusion site has shifted, and I have pain on my left side, approximately at the fusion site and to the left. It's like something has temporarily gone crooked. If I sit, it will take a moment to readjust and I can get up with little problem. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what the heck is it? Do I need to worry? I'll call my doctor this week, but it's nice to hear if anyone else has dealt with this issue as well.
All in all, I'm not a complete wreck, but am very impatient to be back to normal. I'm dying to hit the gym again for a REAL workout. <insert heavy sigh> I know I must have patience, but enough already!