Hi Alicia! Thanks for inquiring and thanks for sharing your experience. My flare-up seems to have settled. I still get a little extra tingling and numbness now and then but the burning pain that developed is gone. Phew! I have even started exercising again - treadmill, elliptical arc trainer and even ran 3 1/2 miles outside the other day. So far so good. I have stayed away from strength training. I don't think my upper body is quite ready for that yet.

How long ago did you have your fusion? When your symptoms come on, do they last a while or do they just come & go? Have you noticed if certain activities cause your flare-ups? It's nice to know that a bumpy road can still lead to a good overall recovery. You are a beacon of hope for me. I was really scared last month when all those new symptoms appeared. I have realized that I should not get myself too worked up over things as the stress itself seems to magnify symptoms and things can snowball from there. Anyways, I hope all stays well for you.