I am going in for back fusion surgery. Has anybody had the fusion back surgery? Did it help at all? How long will I expect to be on restrictions? Not looking forward to the surgery but if it cures the pain, it will be worth it.
Wishing you well with surgery and recovery! My Doc has recommended fusion for me from L2 to S1 and I am not very excited about it. Understand very well your desire to eliminate the constant pain. Will be anxiously awaiting your experience and recovery. Best Regards, Ed
Doctors have been in my back 3 times. I have 3 bad/herniated discs and one that had burst which they cut and repaired and filled it with stuff. I have also had facist joint injections in the spine. Now, they want to go in a fuse L3 and L4 and I refused. I personally have heard 50/50 stories and some not so good. I'm in daily pain also but real leary of fusion. I'm gonna wait until they get it better... Best of luck, please keep us posted!
I have had back issues for the better part of 50 years (now 71) and have always just worked through it with the epidural injections and some mild pain relievers. It's been really miserable . I have asked many people who have had back surgery and my count is also 50/50, half have said it's the best thing they've ever done and the other half are no better (or worse) than before the surgery. That is the reason I have not done anything with mine yet. I am probably going to try a procedure that kills the nerves in several places but that supposedly lasts from 6 months to a year and still doesn't eliminate the basic structural issues. I wish the OP nothing but the best in his upcoming surgery and hope he is "cured"
The "50/50 stories" are what worries me. It has been getting progressively worst over the last year. Both my PrimaryCare Doctor & the Neuro Doctor say if I do nothing, I will be in a wheelchair When that happens there is nothing that can be done.
Gotta be close to 30 years now & I’ll be 55 next week. I was in a car wreck outside of North Platte Ne. I got out of the car and then couldn’t stand, ambulance ride, & then helicopter ride to Omaha. When I woke up I was told that they fused 4 vertebrae and put in a set of Harrington rods. I could barely move my toes and was hyper sensitive in my calves and feet. Came extremely close to being paralyzed. At some point in the recovery, the top of the rods came lose and you could see them trying to protrude under the skin. Back in for another surgery to reinstall a new set of rods. My doctors partner came in and explained that they were going to basically use bolt cutters to remove the first set and put it new ones with a different attachment method. When they finished that, they wanted to roll me over and remove one rib and deflate one lung, then take part of the rib to fashion a wedge of sorts and fuse it into the front of my spine! Kinda to prop me up straighter, I balked pretty hard about that second part. Dr. Explained that if I was 65-70 I could probably do without it, but “you are a young man and need your back for a long time yet, and this is the one chance to get it as good as possible”. They did it and I recovered pretty well. Don’t recall how long I had restrictions on what I could do. I remember asking “ how long before I could shoot a gun?” Answer: “probably a year” “How long before I can shoot my bow?” Answer: “even longer” but today I can do anything I need/want and 95% of the time I don’t even think about it. I get along better than a lot of people my age and younger. I was very fortunate!! Good luck with your decision
Ive heard about 50/50 why id not have it done until absolutely necessary. A lifetime of roofing and construction plus hoarding wood "the hard way" has me in daily back pain. Some PT and wearing the brace helps. I think my core strength has helped it not be worse. Ive never had injections pr any type of meds other than OTC stuff. Ms. buZZsaw has has injections as she has major back issues. They only partly helped her and she wont go back for them anymore. Best of luck with it and keep us updated please.
