Originally Posted by Bevchcgo

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

Originally Posted by Mike508

Thanks to all, especially KiwiMike. I see that there havent been many recent posts, so I hope someone will see this! I was in a horrific car crash 3 years ago and suffered 2 herniations at L4-L5 and L5-S1. The higher herniation has ruptured, and after 3 years of conservative treatment (PT, Pain Management, Epidural Injections) I have told the Docs that I want surgery. I have met with 3 seperate Docs her in CT, and all have said that a 2 level fusion from L4 to S1 is the only option. They all agree that Laminectomy will not help because my main pain issues are in the low back rather than down the legs. They say that they expect a 75% improvement. I am a Police Officer and have always been very active and was a Ski Instructor part time. I really want to get back to the slopes, and start to really enjoy my young children, who are becoming increasingly more demanding for Daddy to play with them, which has been very difficult. I am only 39, and I feel like I have the body of 80. I walk with a definite limp now, which has been causing horrible pain in my knees. Now that the Docs have called out of the blue and told me, "It's a go for 5/30"; I have gottne very anxious about weather I am doing the right thing. The years since my accident have been very traumatic for me, and the feelings of being trapped and helpless have been very hard to deal with. I have been in psychotherapy for PTSD and suicidal thoughts, which thankfully have gone away; but now I am really worried about negative side effects. I dont want to be in worse shape than before, and I am very nervous about possible sexual side effects (thanks to something one of the Docs said; which was probably pretty innocent, but the seed is planted). I feel like I really understand the physics of what is wrong with me, and I believe that the surgery will really help. I know that Mike has had a really great outcome, and even though Abby was pretty distrought shortly after, it seems like your much better now too. Thanks for listening, and any encouraging words will help a lot.

Originally Posted by labar914

Thank you very much to everyone. This is a very encouraging post. The bad results speak so loud, it is hard to here the positive outcomes.

I have been waiting for several years to make the decsion, it keeps getting put off due to the "what if's". This past week I spent a day in the ER because of a bladder/kidney infection, I never knew it because I dont have much feeling during urination due to the disc problems. Didnt even notice till it was so bad I needed IV antibiotics.

I have a spinal surgeon who is scheduling me for lumbar fusion surgery, but needs a repeat discogram, since mine is over 2 years old, to confirm what everyone allready knows is there, unfortunetly we cant find anyone to do that till late July. My only concern is that this surgeon wants to go from the back instead of thru the abdomen which I am told will be a shorter and easier recovery. I do have some calls in for a second opinion at Penn in Philly but havent heard back.

Anyway, thanks again for the encouraging posts.

Originally Posted by kiwimike

ask nurses who work with these guys , who's the best ??...i did this and not only got the best spinal surgeon Mike

Originally Posted by kiwimike

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 ). 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.