Anyone had a lumbar fusion?

[MinnesotaEric]

Went to the surgeon's office today for my last checkup. Got X-rays and went to see Dr. Smith. He looked them over and said it all looks great. The grafts have healed properly, and nothing has moved. Great news.
Next week marks a year since the surgery, and I couldn't have asked for a better outcome.
I was pleasantly surprised how fast I was in and out today. I arrived right on time for my 12:15 PM X-ray appointment, got check in and didn't even have time to sit down before the tech came out and called in back to the X-ray room. Walked up a floor to the doc's office, checked in at 12:30 PM for my 1:00 PM appointment and expected to wait for a half hour, but had barely sat down and the nurse came out and took me back to the exam room. She took all my information, said the doc would be right in, and he actually did just a couple of minutes later. I walked out just before 1:00 PM, fastest I've ever been in and out of a doctor's office.View attachment 847454

Ouch. Right now I'm healing up from my fourth back surgery (eight weeks out, post-op). My first three surgeries were performed by John Stark who, among other things, invented a way to fuse the lumbar and now that John has retired, this last surgery was done using a modified version of the surgery John invented. Regardless, I would not wish this kind of pain on anybody and I hope you continue to enjoy a happy life afterward!

 

[etpm]

Went to the surgeon's office today for my last checkup. Got X-rays and went to see Dr. Smith. He looked them over and said it all looks great. The grafts have healed properly, and nothing has moved. Great news.
Next week marks a year since the surgery, and I couldn't have asked for a better outcome.
I was pleasantly surprised how fast I was in and out today. I arrived right on time for my 12:15 PM X-ray appointment, got check in and didn't even have time to sit down before the tech came out and called in back to the X-ray room. Walked up a floor to the doc's office, checked in at 12:30 PM for my 1:00 PM appointment and expected to wait for a half hour, but had barely sat down and the nurse came out and took me back to the exam room. She took all my information, said the doc would be right in, and he actually did just a couple of minutes later. I walked out just before 1:00 PM, fastest I've ever been in and out of a doctor's office.View attachment 847454

Your x-rays look remarkably similar to mine. I'm very happy you are doing well. My fused vertebra saved me from being paralyzed and stopped relentless pain.
Eric

 

[scootr]

I'm back to my daily floor exercise again. I have 5 bulged discs identified 30 yrs ago. My goal is to avoid the surgery altogether. My 2 sisters, my brother, my mother all had back surgery once or more. All say they found improvement through surgery. GL to you all.

 

[WM75Guy]

Great to hear you are doing so good. Chronic back pain sucks. I recommend not putting off surgery if needed. I am 1 year post-op from my L2-L5 laminectomy. MRI shows good improvement of stenosis. Being able to tolerate exercise plus diet control has allowed for weight loss, 55 pounds in 6 months, which helps as well. Pain is down to a dull ache at times which will hopefully improve as time goes on.

 

[John0829]

I have had two fusions surgeries back in 2009 and have never recovered. Majority of the work was cervical and one of the two plates they put in to hold the cage presses against the esophagus causing me to choke on all but the softest food. He11 I even choke on scrambled eggs. Then there is the chronic pain 24/7, I can kinda take the edge off of with drugs but I hate how they make me feel so I try to avoid them as much as possible.

The surgery did stabilize things, importantly the spinal cord which is a good thing but the other... Anyway I am happy for anyone that has the surgery and it helps.

Being the hateful person I am I just wish the idiot that hit me with the semi had to endure the stuff I do daily.

 

[BravoXray]

Your x-rays look remarkably similar to mine. I'm very happy you are doing well. My fused vertebra saved me from being paralyzed and stopped relentless pain.
Eric

The doc told me that I was less than a year from being in a wheelchair. Like you, the operation stopped all the debilitating shooting pains down my legs. He thought that I might regain the feeling in the outsides of my feet in time, but so far I can't really tell a difference. The thing I wish most would return is control of my right calf muscle, but I'm not holding out much hope for that. I developed "dead foot" or "drop foot" as far back as 2010, and walk with a limp, so I figured the damage to those nerves was too severe to heal. But who knows, the body can do amazing things some times.

 

[BravoXray]

Great to hear you are doing so good. Chronic back pain sucks. I recommend not putting off surgery if needed. I am 1 year post-op from my L2-L5 laminectomy. MRI shows good improvement of stenosis. Being able to tolerate exercise plus diet control has allowed for weight loss, 55 pounds in 6 months, which helps as well. Pain is down to a dull ache at times which will hopefully improve as time goes on.

I've lost a fair amount of weight beginning a couple of months before and since the surgery, down to 220# from 266#. BP is down too, as is resting pulse. I try to walk 1 to 1.5 miles 5 days a week to help keep the weight off. My goal is 190-200#, about what I weighed when I graduated from high school. It'll be easier when the friend that lives here moves into her new house in a month or so, as she cooks and bakes continually and doesn't seem to understand that I just can't consume the amount of food that she does and still stays thin. She easily eats twice to three times what I do. Disgusting.

 

[oosik]

Back in the good old days. My boss had some form of spinal fusion. We always said it probably came from one of his evil ways. He chased everything in a skirt. His operation did not change his ways one bit.

 

[dodge man]

It’s nice to hear your surgery was a success and you’re doing well.