L4-S1 Fusion Success Story
 

Firstly i just wanted to post this to encourage all those out there that are thinking of having spinal surgery because there are good success stories out there. Before i went through mine i had read alot on the internet about peoples horror stories and it almost put me off having it. but the constant thoughts of suicide were annoying me and i didn't want those things in my head anymore and i thought it surely can't get any worse than it is now. So i had a L4-S1 posterolateral fusion with instrumentation and now 3 months later i am pain free. Please be encouraged , these guys can get it right, sure there are horror stories out there and i know that those people to can be fixed, just hang in there (thats you Pam :wink: ). And to those who are thinking about it please go for it, because you don't want to carry on as you are with pain and always think to yourself, "i wonder if the surgery would have fixed it ?" , i waited 10 years before i finally had the courage to go through with it and i wish i had done it years ago.

This was briefly my situation somedays my pain was bearable , other days I could hardly bend over or climb stairs, (the day I was to have the op in hospital I felt great , always the way though isn’t it! , but I still went through with it)

Heres a few tips if you do decide to go through with it.

1. Firstly ask around about surgeons, find a good one ,ring around as many medical places as you can and ask “who’s the best spinal surgeon?” I managed to speak with a patient of one surgeon who raved about her op and how good this guy was (she had the same problems as me and had the 2 level fusion done to fix it and never regretted it) so I went with him in the end.

2. If you have the op TAKE IT EASY !!!!, no running, jumping , lifting for at least the first 3 months, this was hard for me as i am an active person, but fight the urge!, the best thing you can do is walk, just a little to start with , then go further and further each day.Listen to your body, it will let you know if you over do it (i had this happen twice) I have only just started light running after 3 months but will continue to not do much up until month 6. There is still lots of healing going on inside you, even though you may feel great, TAKE IT EASY PLEASE! , i can not stress that enough. This is major surgery and your body needs lots of time to heal , don't stress it out by thinking that you feel great after 2 months and can do whatever you like. I laid out on the couch for the first 3 weeks and just watched movies, the only thing i did was my walk each day and i believe this aided big time in a successful recovery.

Well that's all for now, if anyone has any questions, please ask me!! and please all those who still have issues from things that have gone wrong , hang in there! and all those considering this type of surgery , as long as you have exhausted all other options (ie physio, chiropractic, orthopaedic methods just as i did as surgery is the last option) then go for it and i wish you the best!

Cheers
Mike :)

PS Don't expect to end up so your as good as you were when you were 18 cause i'm def. not! , but i'm active again without pain and i'm happy with no more suicide thoughts at all.My goal is to beable to play soccer again, i am aiming to play my first game on the 1 year anniversary of my operation.

thanks mike!
 

I recently had ACDF on C5/6,6/7. I am 5 weeks out now, with no lifting restrictions. I am back to work full-time, and doing well. There is a lot of success, and we should all focus on that heavily.
Thanks,
Dave

I agree , nice to meet you Dave :) and i'm glad to hear of another successful story.

L4-s1
 

Well, after 12 + years of constant pain, they are preparing for surgery. My question is; did you have this new technique done, or the old one where they took part of the hip bone? Abby

Mike,

I am very happy to hear this! :)

So many times we all go through conservative measures...one after the other to no avail. I have had two cervical ACDF's and while there is some residual pain I am so much better than I once was. I may someday be looking at the L4 through S1 myself so your post is encouraging.

i feel my l4/5 fusion was a success. I still have a lot of pain but the nerve is not being crushed anymore. So the worst of the pain is gone.
My big problem (imho) is that the nerve was sqashed between the bones for 11 months, after having a bone spur removed that was "biting" into it for the previous 11 months.

i was told by my surgeon and my pcp and spine rehab docs that the damage is permanent and this will probably not get better.

I think a lot depends on what we expect the op to do. I knew i would never be 100% again.

sims

Hey Abby , i had the old one where they shaved my hip bone and used that as putty to fill in around the metal rods.

ok just to update you on things (and everyone else) its been 9 months now since my op and let me tell you things are great! , i would say i'm 98% of what i use to be before the pain started 10 years ago. The only weird thing is i swear i can sometimes feel them some days (the rods that is) and i have set off the metal detectors in airports also..lol..my brothers call me the T-800 terminator , living tissue over polymetal alloy...lol.. , it really weird but i'm getting use to these things. But there is no pain whatsoever, that is the cool thing. I have joined a football club now and i am playing again , really happy about that , its 3 months shy of my 1 year ann. like i said before i would play , but i couldn't take it anymore and i had done lots of back strengthing exercises and sprint tests and also spoke to my surgeon who gave the go ahead. I am feeling very strong now. i can pick up very heavy objects now, things i wouldn't never have even thought about doing pre-op (even a fridge!). So please be encouraged everyone, total success here and you to can be free from back pain, its a life changing operation and it has totally changed my life (just got to find a girlfriend now and things will be complete...lol) Even my mindset about things is different and i certainly don't have anymore suicide thoughts that use to haunt me daily . I really hope to hear about your stories to in this forum so we can all encourage others as it is big step to take and its nice to have someone with you when you go through this. ( i had no-one in the hospital when i went in and i nearly did a runner at the last moment, if you can, take someone with you as it helps alot). ok any other questions please ask me , i am totally open and would like to help others who are going through this.

ok later :wink:
Mike

L4-L5 S1, bone spur a list
 

The doctor got the MRI report and said that there is a herniated disk, a bone spur protruding into the sacral nerve, L4 and L5-S1 something or other that I didn't understand, etc. But he said the bulk of my pain is coming from the bone spur that is protruding into the nerve. If I don't chicken out first, the surgery is scheduled for the 27th. I've survived off Bayer aspirin and ice packs for many, many years because I won't take narcotic drugs. I work for a medical clinic and have seen way too much addiction.

Mike, thank you for your encouraging words. The doctor said that they will (ahem) Saw off the bone spur :eek: , and that I will have 3 screws on either side. It sounds like I'll be setting off metal detectors too huh? :confused:

I'll keep you posted.

Hey Abby

Glad to hear that you are booked in for the operation!. Your story sounds similar to mine, 10+ years of back pain, I to refused to take meds as this to me was just dulling the problem and not fixing it, I wanted a permanent fix. So I just learned to live with it and adapt, but you don’t have to at all! . I to had a collapsed herniated disc that was pushing onto the sciatic nerve, thus causing me all sorts of pain/tingling/numbness down my right leg ( I could see it myself on my x-rays, it was black and squashed and pushing on the nerve). The surgeon cut that out, fused the bone with rods and hip bone putty and now it’s great. I encourage you completely and I hope the op is a total success!. Be prepared though, it is painful for the first 2 weeks and you think to yourself “what have I don’t to myself, I should have left it alone”. But ignore those thoughts, they will pass very soon, after one month things get a whole lot better very quickly as your movement and muscle’s repair from the op. But please TAKE IT EASY, lots of rest and walking and you will come out of this fine I’m sure of it.

Make sure they put one of those waterproof sticking pads overtop of the wound , so that you can shower without getting water in it and avoid possible infection.

All the best Abby, you’re in my prayers :) , let me know how you get on

Cheers
Mike

Abby,

Glad to hear that you are going to find a remedy for your problems. Don't be afraid of the narcotics. I have had to come off of them several times before and never had any issues. This last time I was on them for over a year and came off them fine. I do however know that people are all different. They will allow you to function while in agony, until a permanent solution is found.

Mike,

Glad to hear that there is another success story on here as well. I had a L5-S1 fusion and I feel great! It was my second spinal surgery in three years and I can honestly say that I was scared as hell because of all of the horror stories associated with a "spinal fusion" surgery. Especially the ones on here. Lack of mobility was one of the problems I was most concerned about.

After surgery, my pain was unbearable until the morphine pump was hooked up. That part I won't lie about, it was not fun at all. But that lasted only for a half day. Once that subsided I felt that I was in better shape (post-op) than my lamanectomy(sp?) three years earlier. The surgeon used no hardware at all. He used bone from a cadaver and everything fused great. Due to my age(26) at the time, he said that the bone would fuse just fine due to my youth and I needed no instrumentation. My last post-op visit was Sept. 13th and his words were, "Everything looks like it is fusing great!"

I still experience pain in my legs due to nerve damage from my first spinal cord injury, not related to the spinal fusion. Other than that....I can't bend over and work on anything while standing up. I think that it strains my lower back area too much. So I just sit and work on what I need to. To me, that is a very, very small sacrifice compared to the shape I was in. That's the only thing that I've noticed since my surgery. I can't notice a decrease of motion in bending over at all.

My surgeon is William Zerick in Columbus, OH. I can't say anything but wonderful things about him. He is very confident, but not in an egotistical manner. It's a comforting confidence. I would recommend anyone in the area to visit him. I would venture to say that he is one of the better NS on the east coast.

-Seann

Surgery completed
 

Hi again;

I had the surgery on Friday night the 12th after a couple of reschedules. I came home yesterday the 16th. Wow, apparently the surgery went well and they really straightened my spine. The doctor put me on flexeril due to muscle spasms in my back (horribly painful) and hydrocodone. I really want off the pain meds but am not sure that is going to happen this week! I am getting around okay with the help of the brace and my youngest son has been helping me a lot. Thank God for children! Today, I get to shower, I can't wait. I'll keep you posted. For now, I want to go lay down.

Abby

Abby

Wow ,you were in and out fast!, i was in for 7 days, but i did have a reaction to the morphine, thats why, no op. problems, but anyway that’s fantastic , glad to hear it went well!. Just remember, rest,rest and more rest! , don’t over do it and be careful, don’t worry about the flexibility at all, that will return, i used to be able to touch my toes pre-op, it’s a bit more of a stretch and effort now but I can still touch them! , but that takes time and it will return

All the best mate!

Seann

Glad to hear yours went well mate and thanks for sharing , its good to get the msg out that there is more than one success story and hopefully if Abby’s goes well, that will make three of us to spread the news and remove that horrible fear of things going wrong when your in that pre-op stage.

Take care!
Mike

post op
 

Wow 7 days would have driven me to the funny farm. I had a reaction to something as they wheeled me into surgery. All I remember is that the anesthesioligist was keeping an eye on a rash on my legs. And I was horribly nauseated when I woke up. They almost released me on Monday, decided against it and were glad because my BP dropped pretty dramatically Monday night, as did my oxygen, my potassium, pulse, and my temp went up. I guess I scared the nurse pretty good. Today I drove myself to the mall so I could walk. That's a no no, but I live alone and if I wait for someone to take me, I'll never get better. This has been depressing. My son can't always be here and I'm not one to ask for help although I have had many offers, I can't bring myself to accept. Instead I've been trying my damndest, and crying a lot. It's really hard. I wouldn't do it again.

ABBY ARE YOU CRAZY!!!!...what are you doing driving, seriously mate!, you should be resting and walking , why go to the mall, whats wrong with the footpath outside your house, i just use to walk up and down my driveway till i was starting to get sore, then i would go back and lie down straight away. Have you read nothing i wrote about buddy ??...rest rest walk a little and then more rest! , then repeat the next day but walk a little further until you are walking 2 kilometers by week 6. I didn't drive for 6 weeks. DON"T BE PROUD ASK FOR HELP! , dont risk everything you have been through by being proud and then doing damage to your back , please!! , be humble and ask!. Do you want to have another op because you stuffed this one up, or worse it can't be fixed and you become one of these horror stories ?

I only say all this because i want you to have an awesome recovery and i reckon alot of peoples on-going problems post-op are because people expect to much of their body to soon before its actually healed properly, you have basically put your body through a head on car crash damage wise and it takes a long time to come back from that. I hope you act on this and please ask for help.

I wish you the best Abby and stay in touch :hug:

Cheers
Mike

Mike:

First thanks for posting your success. People that read these forums need to realize that there are successful outcomes and the people who are here are the ones looking for answers. The successes are living their lives and not sitting at the computer looking for answers.

My question is what did you need the surgery? Were you injured? Many people who have these operations can't return to such active lifestyles because the cause for their surgery is disease driven.

Thanks, Username

Yeah i don't really know what you are trying to say with that first bit as it doesn't make sense, so i won't comment on that till you clarify what you are trying to say. The only reason i am posting is because as a pre-op person i to was scared and looking for answers on here to what my outcome might be and all i found was horror stories, hence i am posting a success story to give others hope and not be afraid to what could be a life changing operation as it was for me. Yes my problem was a degenerative bone problem, not an injury, proberly passed on through the genes to me by my parents. The bone has broken away and was falling apart so my surgeon said. So he put the rods in and fused it all together with the bone from my hip, hence no more pain or nerve issues, the rest of my spine seemed fine he said, just this one area where it was all black and dead.

Hope that helps

Cheers

Hey Kathy, i hope it all turns out well for you mate!

All the best! :winky:

I was only one word off, but you got. I meant why did you need the surgery was it due to injury or disease?

No need to answer it 2x!

Thanks,

Gimpy

Start Walking
 

Hello Abby,

I want to encourage you to walk a bunch. In 2002 I had the rods, screw and hip shaving for L5-S1. I spent eight days in the hospital and had to have a transfusion on the last day just to get out. (I had a major shoulder surgery just 10 days before the back surgery and was wearing a protective shoulder brace into the hospital).

After the back surgery, I went home and was in pain and action gingerly for a day and a half. Finally, I said to hell with it and pushed thru the pain that day, walking up and down stairs to my computer etc.

By the end of the day, all the sore surgical muscles had been unstiffened and I was able to function. I went back to work after two days out of the hospital. In order to get my doctor to release me, I had to promise to walk two miles per day. He removed my staples and I was on my way.

Good luck

Walking
 

Hi all;

First I need to point out, that my doctor has allowed me to drive. This is due to the fact that I am only taking 1/2 of one hydrocodone at night to help me sleep. The rest of the day, due to horrible responses to pain meds, I take Tylenol. This is part of the problem I have had, it doesn't cut the pain.

I am up to walking a full hour per day, 2 miles is what I am managing so far. The pain is slowly dissapating. Getting up seems to be the roughest part and that too, is getting easier each day.

My son has helped a lot, coming over daily to do thing that I still can't do, like raking leaves and vacuuming. Other than that, it's me and 3 cats. That has made it a bit more difficult too.

I did manage to stop by the office yesterday and get a few things done for my staff and am hoping for a work release on Monday. I still get tired easily and have been rather emotional, I think from pain and fatigue.

Also, I did have an injury. Apparently my children should have been born via C-section? The first was a very difficult labor and delivery (22 hours of hard labor) and I had horrible pain the first year after he was born. Then it subsided. My second child was born without a hitch! Apparently the way had been cleared by the first?

It really started bothering me in 1998 and due to degeneration and has gotten progressively worse.

The reality? I would do it all over again if not doing it, meant not having my boys. I adore them and they are worth any amount of pain I may have had, or may now be suffering.

foot path
 

Oh by the way, I live in Idaho. Outside it's been windy, snowy, raining, nasty. I am originally from Southern California; warm weather! The mall is kitty corner across a rather busy intersection, but warm. Hence, I walk at the mall.

Mike, do you think your surgery would have been as successful if you'd just had a laminectomy done? I'm scheduled for a L4-S1 laminectomy in November. At L1 and L3 I have a herniated disc flattening the thecal sac, centrally. At L4, L5 my foramen and ligament are pinching off my exiting nerve rooots causing severe pain in my legs. We have opted to leave the disc part alone for now and just take care of the nerves. As little intervention as needed. What do you think about this? I'm asking because I believe I can get better to and I'm not wiling to give up just yet.

Thanks,

Username

Sciatica L4-S1
 

I am looking for some help as well. I pinched something during labor with child number three and I was ok up until now. In April 2007 my sciatica pain became so great that I gave up running an decided to take some time off to let it heal. Well in August while getting up water-skiing in a shallow lake the fin on the back dragged in the muck and my hips popped forward creating so much pain that I could not walk for over a week. I went to the ER and CT Scan showed mild diffuse disk bulging at L4-L5 and moderate right sided disk protrusion at L5-S1 that contacts right S1 nerve root. Driving a car hurts the most and I am not running at all which is really depressing me. I have been in great shape most of my life and compete in triathlons and I am going nuts not being able to do anything without feeling imense pain all the time. Have you tried anything called the Invertac, and did that help anyone. I am very leery about surgery and not sure if I need it. Oh, and our insurance sucks. I don't have anything that covers any of my back costs.

Desperatly seeking the old me.

Mike; I am about 1/2 way into week 3. I went back to work last Wednesday and by Friday night I was so exhausted, I wound up sleeping most of the weekend. I was in a lot of pain too but I am thinking that was due in part to female problems. It was all I could do to get through yesterday until about 3ish then I came home and walked for the first time since last Thursday. I felt much better after that. Today was rough at work but it was easier then it has been. I don't have it in me to walk today though. I just had a bowl of soup and all I want to do is go to bed.

I am down to 1/2 a pain pill at night though. I think that given my sensitivity to pain meds, any more than that and you'd never wake me up! Tylenol still doesn't quite cut the pain but it helps.

I am managing one hour when I do walk, at 20, then 25, then 30 speed on the treadmill (leveled, no incline). Usually about 2 to 2 1/2 miles. The issue is of course that I need to walk daily and can't seem to do it all. I live alone though and my time off is gone, the rest would be leave without pay.

This has been a rough one, no question about it. And I worry that I can't seem to get enough walking in. The surgeon is getting me a bone stimulator belt that he hopes will help. Did anyone have one of these?

I'm drinking protein powder every morning and taking a ton of vitamins including Calcium, Vitamin D, Glucosomine, antioxidents, etc., in an effort to get my energy back. My co-workers said I'm too thin but I really haven't lost, I think I'm just toning from the walking I am getting in.

Any other ideas out there? I need energy.

Hi Mike,

I've enjoyed reading your posts on here--I'm scheduled for a fusion on Jan 32008 because of multiple reherniations on L4/L5 and L5/S1. I'm glad you posted your story because the more I read about fusions on the internet, the more scared I get!

I just wanted to know how you are doing now? I'm (was) pretty active: skydiver, paraglider, SCUBA and BASE jumper. Now I'm so scared I won't be able to do those things anymore! But it seems like you can pretty much do what you want to do now . . .

Thanks!

Firstly to all, sorry for the slackness in replies i didn't know there had been posts and questions! , please forgive me, ok now to answer you , no worries about posting my story i hope it gives you encouragement and please don't be scared! :) , we are all here with you and will support you! , i to was very active throughout my life till the pain got to much for me and i had the op (i to sky dived, played football and scuba dived) the first few days after the op i thought i had done the wrong thing, the pain was so intense and i felt like a 90 year old man!...lol...(the first time i stood up after the op i passed out from the pain, but then again i was on no pain meds at all due to a reaction to them)but ignore those thoughts!, you will get better quickly and you will do all those things you love to do again , trust me ;), just give it time, be patient, one month out of your life to let your body heal and get better is a small price to pay for a life going forward of pain free trouble if you do things right (ie listen to your body take it easy and lots of walking!, walk walk walk until your body says rest , you will know what this means when the time comes and start small at first , my first walk was only 5 meters) ok its nearly my one year anniversary this 23rd dec!..woohoo! and i feel great, i'm playing sport,sky diving and scuba diving and running without pain, honestly this op. changed my life my friends, i'm happy, getting a girlfriend now would be the icing on the cake...lol...but otherwise i'm great, no loss of flexibility, i can still touch my toes (i think crossing the 30 year mark in my life has more to do with losing that now than anything..lol) sciatica has completely gone, no stiffness of muscles after doing exercise, i can lift things without trouble, i can stand up straight after sitting in a chair for more than 30 mins straight without having to place my hands on my lower back to right myself ( do these things sounds familiar ??) no numbness in my legs and i can stand for 3 hours straight watching a concert with getting sciatica (could never do that before, had to squat down every 30 mins or so to relieve the nerve pain) , ok thats enough blabbing from me, hope this helps and please keep me updated mate! i'll be thinking of you :)

Michael

Hey mate, i couldn't say for sure if i had just had that type of op and not the fusion, but i did tell the surgeon that i wanted to only do this once, so lets do it right the first time and this is the path he suggested to me, i just had to trust his judgment on my situation, i'm no surgeon so i can't really comment on yours, but if you want something less intrusive to your body than this sounds like the way to go, i hope it works and if it doesn't then don't give up mate! , stick with it, trust your surgeon, maybe you could ask this surgeon how many times has this type of surgery been successful for this type of problem ??...for the ones that it didn't fix, what happened to them ??...did they then have a fusion to fix it ??.., thats proberly what i would ask if i was in your shoes mate ..all the best :) and let me know how it goes ok ??...

Michael

Abby , remember , its not about pounding out the distance, its about listening to your body and doing what you can till it tells you to rest, (ie like when you went to bed instead of walking)...i had up and down days during the month of rest, i remember one night waking up at 3am during week 3 of recovery and trying to touch my toes and because i couldn't (ie it hurt to much) i thought the surgery had failed and i was sad, but the next day i gave myself a verbal kick in the balls to sort myself out and to remind me that it was still early days! as for energy levels your working during the day and walking 2.5 miles halfway through week 3!...no wonder your stuffed mate! ,your body is expelling alot of energy healing and repairing and your asking 2.5 miles o walking from it as well!...i would ease back abit buddy...your body is telling you your over doing it via tiredness...the first time i hit the 2 kms mark was week 4 i think(to put this into perspective 2 kms is only 1.2 miles for week 4) you see where i'm going with this mate ??...i remember the 2 times i over stressed my body and it totally drained me of energy for the day and i stiffened up (ie i over walked it)....your also working to mate so ease up abit, its ok to ease up,your doing great otherwise though! its all part of listening to your body, some heal faster than others, some heal slower , only you can tell...no i don't know what a bone stimulator belt is let alone had one....as for pain killers, i never took them and i'll tell you why, firstly i had a reaction to morphine so i couldn't have that (it made me throw up and when you know what happens when your sick, you convulse your body and this activates the muscles including the back muscles!...very painful when you have just been cut open..lol) i also didn't like to take them because i felt during the healing process they masked the pain to much and i couldn't tell when i had over stressed my body because i had numbed it to the signals, ie your body lets you know its had enough by increasing pain levels,tiredness and stiffening up to stop you doing what your doing!...i did take neurofen pills on really bad days though just to take the edge off,i'm not stupid ;) . hope that helps Abby , let me know how your getting on mate :)

Michael

Hey Mate, your situation sounds very similar to mine...a progressive loss of quality of life till i reach a point where i felt useless and in constant pain and would get depressed to the point of suicide thoughts, it was that point that drove me to go see the surgeon , i explained to him how i felt and that i didn't want those horrible thoughts in my head anymore. It was slowly over 10 years that i reached that point and i tried everything under the sun during that 10 years that i could find to fix it before opting for surgery and i have to say surgery is the only thing that worked, it was like taking a sledgehammer to the problem, but it fixed it and i cannot deny that....i to water ski and i'm back doing that now ;) ...wouldn't dream of doing it 18 months ago...i never tried Invertac sorry...hope that helps mate

Michael

Hey
 

I am 11 weeks post op now and went in for X-rays yesterday. Wish me luck! My son flew in for Christmas and the boys kept me quite busy and I wasn't feeling well so I didn't walk for a whole week. :mad: But I am back at it now. I am taking 2, sometimes 4 tylenol a day but that's it. No ice packs since the surgery, and no pain killers since week 3 I think? Just a word to others out there. Mike is right, you tire easy so watch it. I am taking one protein drink per day and a lot of vitamins!! Primarily, Calcium, Vitamin D and Glucosimine. Those are all good for joints and the bones ya know. :wink:

I am terrified of the X-ray report, but anxious to lose the brace provided it's fusing properly. Wish me luck!

I'm new here..I'm 26 and on Jan. 9th I will be one year post-op from a posterior/anterior L5-S1 fusion with instrumentation.

I'm still having pain, although I'm better than I was before surgery. My rods feel odd, when I try an flex my spine to much it feels like they are being gripped.

The doctors are concerned the bone grafts aren't healing properly, so Ill find out next fri at my 1 year post-op. I'm not where I thought I'd be at this point...I just hope things have fused then I can deal with the pain. I want my active life back, I want to travel without worrying about where I'll rest or how I'll carry my own bags. I want to start thinking about having children with my husband without being scared of how my back will handle it.

This is the hardest hurdle I've ever faced. I have horrible insomnia since the surgery becasue I can't seem to get comfortable. Enough of my late night, over-tired ramblings!!

Hey Sade, i'm sorry to hear that your still having issues and pain, thats not cool, i don't know exactly how yours feels, but i know some days my rods feel weird to , especially when its cold, its like the muscles tighten around the rods and its a slight uncomfortable feeling, not painful though, abit like someone has there hand around my lower spine and squeezing/gripping it, this sounds similar to yours but i have no pain, just a "weird" feeling as i like to call it...where is it painful on you ??..in the same spot where they took the bone graft?? or where the rods are ?, i was told the bone graft section can take 18 months to heal by my surgeon and i know when i knock it even slightly it can hurt quite abit , thats right on the back of my hip where they took the bone for the graft, but it doesn't bother me only when i knock it of course!...well i hope the results of your x-rays are good and the fusion has been successful, stay in touch mate!

Mike

surgery
 

Dear Mike,
Could you tell me what was wrong with your back that you had this surgery? The neuro told me that there is nothing he can do for me. I beg to differ and I guess I need to get a second oppinion. Arthritis is eating away my lower spine and so it is narrowing very bad on my nerves to my legs. I have severe pain and it all started about late 80's. Now it is so bad that I can't even walk very far, stand or sit as well as swimming. Everyone says to get into swimming but when I am using my legs for a period of time the same thing happens when I walk or sit. Get the picture? So what am I supposed to do, sit back and wait till the nerves are totally pinched and I end up in a chair? NOT! I can't sit very long now. Anyway drop me a line and let me know what caused your trouble. Thanks so much, Angel :wink:

Success here too!
 

Hi Mike, good to meet you. I had the same surgery in 2002 and have never regretted it. I have continued to have other spinal degeneration and still deal with pain but it is nowhere near the pain that I had before my first surgery! I have a wonderful ortho surgeon and I went the whole route of conservative treatments for years before fusion. By that time I would have done anything to reduce the pain. I know that there are more spinal problems in my future but I am still moving and can even still play some golf on good days! So you are right, there are successful surgeries being done all the time. Think positively!
Kat

Vitamins vitamins
 

Hey all; Thought I'd let you know my X-rays were good. The neuro wants more in May or June and the brace came off :winky:

For those of you still suffering - along with the walking and please do walk, I asked for advice at the health food store. I'm so impatient with healing! Anyway, along with the Calcium and Vitamin D, they suggested Magnesium Citrate = to the Calcium for better absorption and also Collagen (ladies, this will help your nails and hair too :) ). I take a high protein, low carb powder with lowfat milk daily. I am convinced this is helping. I am taking a lot of other vitamins (A, E, C, etc. ) and I know they aren't cheap but neither was the surgery ya know? And I sure don't want to go through it again.

Just some food for thought. It can't hurt afterall and for those with artheritis and degenerative bone disease and women going through the dreadfull change, you need more anyway. Don't expect immediate results, it takes time. My neuro is all for it and agrees it sure can't hurt and is probably helping.

Personally, I want to get back on that golf course as soon as the weather clears! :cool:

I had C6/7 ACDF seven weeks ago and as soon as I could swallow well (within a week) I went back to my normal regimen of Vitamin D, Calcium, Magnesium, multi, and Glucosamine. I figure it can't hurt. Everything looked fine at my six-week x-rays (although obviously, nowhere near fused). But I feel REALLY good and my operation was very successful!! I do think the vitamins and minerals help. :)

I plan to learn how to golf this year, too! :)
Kelly

Hey Angel, they couldn't actually tell me what was wrong with me (they suspected scoliosis but weren't sure) , there were segments of my vertebrae that had turned black and died so to speak (you could clearly see it on my MRI)....and thus the disc's had shrunken and weren't doing the job anymore, but every other vertebrae and disc looked fine...so they put the rods in and its been nearly perfect ever since.

All the best mate and i hope you find a breakthrough....

Cheers
Mike

Cheers for sharing your story Kat! :)

Thanks for the good vibes
 

I wanted to write and thank everyone for their posts and information regarding the L-4 - S-1 fusion, especially KiwiMike. I am having a laminectomy and L4/S-1 fusion this Thursday, 3/27. My surgeon wants me to walk some each day and gradually get it up to 3 miles in 3 months. That seems like an awful lot!

Isn't the fusion complete after 6 months? I'm a little scared of the pain and will be on the morphine pump in the hospital, and then, he said likely percocet and muscle relaxers for I don't know how long at home.

Anyway, you have all relieved some of my pre-surgery anxiety and I thank you for that!

Bev

Golf
 

Kelly, Yep, Glucosamine is in my little bundle of vita-poppers too. I hope you do better than me at golf :) Good luck out there!