Hey everyone! I have been reading a lot of your posts and wanted to share my story in hopes that others could offer some advice or share your stories. I am 31 years old and I was diagnosed with about a grade 1 spondylolisthesis in 2010 at my L5-S1. I also have a chronic unilateral right pars defect and a large herniation at my L5-S1. I have gone to PT, had an epidural shot and taken medication. Nothing has helped the pain. Lately my feet have been going to sleep more often ( even while laying in the bed) and my back constantly hurts. My ortho sent me for another MRI last week and I go for the results tomorrow. Oh and I have pretty unstable spondy. My disc slips 5 mm upon flexion and 10mm upon extension. My first ortho said i'd eventually need surgery and suggested a laminectomy first and then down the road I may need another surgery with a cage and screws. I went for a second opinion and he said that he would also suggest surgery but suggested a TLIF surgery. I'm not sure if i'm ready for surgery but I have been considering it more and more because i always seem to be in pain and i've noticed it's harder for me to move around and get up an down.
Sorry to ramble so much but I was hoping maybe some of you might have advice or stories to share. I feel like i'm not as bad off as some folks but I know I do get tired of hurting all the time. I'm also wondering if I should get another opinion since I have had 2 different docs give me 2 different opinions. Thanks everyone for taking time to read my post!