Anyone who has had back surgery or a Doctor please help. Very difficult decision to make.?

I am recovering from back surgery (fusion, laminectomy, nerve decompression) for grade 1 spondylolistesis (L5/S1) with a great deal of nerve compression. I have had the injections, three times, along with physical therapy but they only partially worked. I have possible nerve damage from the compression (over a very long period of time), and I have alot of burning pain and numbness, but time and physical therapy will tell. Hopefully it goes away.

I have heard about this type of fusion. There are different ways to perform a fusion surgery, they can go in from the front or they can go in from the back. In my case they went in through my back, and I have rods and screws stabilizing my L5/S1, and I am fused from L4 to S2 for more stability. If they just fused the affected vertebrae where the slippage has occurred, the spine would be unstable, and more problems could occur. This is why they fuse four vertebrae. You can expect to spend a little time in the hospital, and you will probably have to wear a rigid brace for a while to keep your back straight, so that the fusion can heal properly. You can expect to be on a walker for a while.

I am just shy of a month post-op, and my neurosurgeon has continued to remain confident that I will recover well, and will be able to regain my active life after I have recovered. He is saying this even though I am having to take Neurontin for the nerve pain in the right leg. All of my problems have always been right-sided.

So far at this stage, and because of the brace, I am waiting for the incision to fully heal, so I can start physical therapy. I feel pressure and some pain when I don't have the brace on. I have to keep it on unless I am in bed. I get around well on my walker. I can even move around without it, but it makes my leg burn, and the doctor told me to stay on the walker at all times. I get around this well just after one month post-op!

The doctor says I can return to work with physical limitations within three months. I should be able to resume my active life and enjoy my roller coaster enthusiast activities within 6 months. Again, he seemed very confident.

However, your spondy and slippage are more severe than mine was. The worse the slip is, you are likely to have more narrowing in your spine. Your surgeon will also be using a different approach for your fusion surgery than mine, so your recovery times and such may be different.

When considering this, think of your quality of life now. You can't get around, and you are in pain all of the time. That is how it was for me. I could barely walk without pain. Pain would shoot into my leg and foot all of the time. Sometimes it would feel as if invisible insects were biting me. I would have episodes of intense back and buttock spasms.

Talk to your surgeon about the benefits, and also the risks. I decided on surgery because I need to return to my regular position at work which requires alot of standing. I got sick and tired of the pain and sciatica. I simply want my life back, and hopefully this surgery can do that for me. It might do the same for you.

All of this sounds very scary, I know. I was terrified. All of this talk about rods, screws, grafting, and such left me with a sick feeling in my stomach. He did explain what the purpose of the hardware was for, and told me that it was likely that I could be active again. He also said I had a great deal of nerve compression and that the problem was going to get worse rapidly due to the instability of the L5/S1. As much of a wuss as I am, I decided to give it a try.

The time spent in the hospital will be a little rough. You may be given a patient activated button to release pain medication. The first few days are NOT fun, I am not going to lie to you, but that is what that button is for. I slept much of the time, and could barely even SEE the TV in front of me. Just keep pushing that button, and don't worry, you cannot overdose yourself. There are safeguards in place. You will likely have a brace custom made for you, and the first time or two getting up will be painful, but it will get better. They will give you some extra pain medication those first few times getting up. The sooner you do it, the better off you will be in the long run. I am a wuss when it comes to needles, medical stuff, and pain. The whole hospital probably heard me yelling, but I didn't care. I was out of that bed.

Getting around is easier and easier every day. The doctor can't give you any exact statistics, because every patient is different. Your doctor is also planning to take a different approach than mine did. My doctor says that this will help me, and I put faith in what he says.

You have no options left, and you will probably benefit from the procedure. Do it now while you are younger. If you wait until you are older than surgery may not be possible or may not help you.

You will need a great deal of help post-op. I did not realize how much help I needed until after the surgery. You will regain your independence slowly. Be sure there is someone to watch over you for a little while when you get home, if you have the surgery.

If I was you, I'd do it. It is hard at first, but it gets better. I am saying this and I am only just under a month post-op! I am already seeing changes, and the brace makes me forget that I need support sometimes. I can't wait to get back up and going again!

Good luck to you, with whatever choice you make.

-Edit: Y answers keeps cutting off the end of my answers, sorry about that!

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Anyone who has had back surgery or a Doctor please help. Very difficult decision to make.?

I have a grade 2-3 spodylothesis at the level of L5 S1. There is also severe spinal stenosis at that level. (For lay people,my 5th lumbar vertebrae has been displaced approx 35-40% forward and the space for my spinal cord has been narrowed). Needless to say, this causes me great discomfort and pain...

Yes you do have the right to refuse a medical procedure at age 16, but you'd be an idiot to do it in this case. Your parents want what's best for you, and what's best for you is to have a working hand.

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