If you can get to Lenox Hill Hospital...see Dr. Fabian Bitan...He does ADR...and minimally invasive surgeries...He is the absolute best in NYC...He ran the ADR trials for the East Coast....If you did not have the laminectomy he could possibly do an ADR, but I think that is out now...I wish you the best of luck...Dr. Bitan is French by the way and is well trained. He has done two fellowships in France and two in the US ...He is chief of surgery at Lenox Hill...You will like him...He has a lot of compassion for spinal patients...He is listed as a top doc in the Castle/Connolly directory...and in the NY directory...Please make an appt to see him...He did my lumbar fusion...Most surgeons will not do above a three level fusion...You need to see a NYC doc for that...Good luck!

http://www.bitanmd.com/

Edited to say too...I just read how old you are kiddo...You are just to young for this much pain ....Get into the city to see Dr. Bitan and get away from the docs you are seeing now...Call Dr. Bitan's office and tell them you are in the Army and your whole story...or post it on his web site...I would hope they would tell you to come in to see him...He is very compassionate...

Go very, very slow with the PT....Most spinal surgeons tell you to do nothing more than walk after surgery....What do they have you doing in PT? I would take it easy and if it hurts...DO NOT DO IT! I have never had any kind of PT after any of my lumbar surgeries...I did after the cervical fusion, but that was to help with ROM...and that was very minimal exercises...Take it easy...