Hey All

I actually forgot about this thread for a while, but this coming December 2011 is my 5th anniversary of my operation. It was at this point that i started to wonder if this thread was still alive so i thought i would check in and see. (I thought i had it setup to notify me when someone posts but it didn't, i had also forgotten my username and password but figured it out...lol). And now to my happy amazement it is still here and being used and now has 22 pages of replies!...crazy stuff, but i am so happy after reading people's posts on here that they have taken courage from my initial post and gone with the surgery, but not only that have been just as successful as i have been. That is all i wanted to do with this thread as i was sooooooo scared when i first started down this path as you will all know. I still shudder as i recall sitting there in pain one night reading about others horrific stories on the net when i was pre-op and looking for inspiration to have the fusion op. I'm glad others have found this thread and being encouraged enough to go through with it and thanks to all for posting also.

An update on me now post op, well as i said its 5 years this December and you will be glad to hear that i am still as good as ever!....some days i actually forget that i had previous back pain and was basically crippled some days , but it only takes a movement and the feel of the rods back there in my spine that reminds me of the past (as i said earlier this is a good thing in my opinion as it stops me lifting silly things and keeps me mindful of my back past and the second chance i have been given, hence not to do something stupid and waste what i have been given). I have no pain whatsoever, i rarely do the back exercises now as i think my back is now strong , i just live life normally and its sooooooo good!. I still get abit stiff if i sit in a chair too long, but its not pain at all, just muscle stiffness which happens in my legs and arms also if stuck in the same position for a long time without movement. Its nothing that a 2 min walk to go for a coffee from my desk doesn't fix, simple things now i almost take for granted like bending down to pick up something or putting my socks on each morning, or even sneezing!...i remember how i used to fall over every time i sneezed because of the pain...so overall i am still great five years on and can now sneeze and stay standing!, i haven't seen my surgeon for over 3 years now, but am thinking about going back for an x-ray soon just to see how things are , i even have a g/f now which is awesome! (sadly she is Australian though but i can see my way past that...lol)...i am still playing football and am very active, i am in no way held back at all by my operation and i haven't even really lost any flexibility that my surgeon said i might.

If anyone has any questions please ask and i will try and reply, i will continue to monitor and this thread abit more from now on incase others want to know more. I wish you all the best and God bless!

Mike