I thought I would update you guys on my situation. I had the discectomy surgery about three weeks ago to shave down that disc. The neurosurgeon said it was one of the worst cases he's ever seen, and he was surprised I could even walk. He told me there was only a 60% chance the surgery would alleviate the pain in my back, and it seems like I'm in the other 40% right now. I'm still hopeful that after six weeks (the recommended recovery time), the pain will be gone, but as of right now, I'm still feeling about the same amount of pain I was before the surgery.

I've got a follow-up appointment in a few weeks, so we'll figure out what's next for me. I was in immense pain for about a week after the surgery, so if he suggests a lumbar fusion, I'll probably decline it. I don't want to go through that again. Of course, there are other negatives to having a lumbar fusion at my age as well.