I reached a point where I could no longer walk due to sciatic pain in both legs due to spinal degradation from primarily abusing my body in sports.. Had a couple single level fusions as well as laminectomies. Had a 7 level fusion T11 to S1. Opened front and back with cages, crews, and 2 days of surgery. I was in so much pain, I really didn't care if I lived or died. Took me a good couple months to learn how to walk again. Surgeon said the numbness in my leg may or may not come back, but is fairly common. Thanks for that doc. It didn't come back. 5 years later, my right leg is still numb. My mobility is pretty well compromised, but at least I'm not in constant pain and can walk, but never will be able to run, bicycle or racquetball ever again. I keep thinking technology will eliminate the need for this barbaric surgery, but really haven't seen anything yet. I would just be very careful not to rush into this unless absolutely necessary. I can still feel the screws and occasionally get a bolt of lighting down my leg nerves, but am not taking anything for pain other than a couple of Tylenol to get through the day and nights. Go to the gym 3 times a week for treadmill walking and machine upper body and legs, no twisting or weight on the spine. Kicked my ass good, but I'm still kicking back.
I just had this surgery 1 week ago today. I was in full spinal compression with leg paralysis, I could barely stand..... my surgery was 4 hours by 2 surgeons. So a week later I can tell this will be a long road to recovery, not just a couple weeks. I stand and walk around the house the sit and stay comfortable. The annoying back pain is gone which is a plus and my legs are strong will all the feeling coming back to them. Anyone getting this surgery just plan on sitting and taking it easy for a few months.
Had 6 fusions from L 1 , L 2. L3, L 5, S 1 with cage placements, scoliosis, stenosis, spondylolothesis and spondylolitis, herniated discs x3 and 4impinged sciatic nerves which made legs so numb I could hardly walk. Super spinal surgeon. 10 hour surgery, moved to Skilled Nursing after 6 n patient days. Had back spasms but got specific medication for spasms, along with pain med. Home from skilled nursing 6 weeks post op, gradually more active, and able to even do short drives. Off ALL pain meds by 8 weeks post op. Felt on top of world ashadly been that pain free and able to manage for myself for about 3 + years! Had incredible spinal surgeon, and feel wonderful! Interventions, procedurs and and techniques to address spine issues have advanced so much. Find a good spine surgeon you feel confident in, and check out how other patients perceive his care! Fely like whole new person! Don't be fearful!!!
16yrs ago I had my L5-S1 fusion. Now I need L5-L1 and possibly T-12 fused, plus I have all the things you mentioned as well. I've had all the Spinal Epidural Injections and RFA'S because they no longer work. They no longer help. I'm scared of the long term affects if the surgery doesn't help. I'm scheduled to have scoliosis testing done to make sure that my spine is stable enough to withstand a Multiple Fusion. Did you get second opinions?
@@jacquelinemartin4559 Hi, can I ask you how old are you, what is your weight? What if during these 16 years of fusion l5 s1 you did regular abdominal and spinal exercises? regards
Please do I had TLIF and it's been very painful just got discharged today had my tube from drainage removed, my nerves in my right leg keep twitching allot n it's painful getting into bed and off is very difficult for me , only got discharged with Tylenol n Codeine which I feel I need stronger med plz keep posting find your videos are very informative Thank you
Marta 58 do you still have Baclofen and Gabapentin from before? My surgeon says I can take this after surgery. My a/p interbody disc fusion L5-S1 is in 2 weeks
This is literally breaking my heart reading you guys stories. I have scoliosis arthritis runs in my family.Did not know.Started having unbearable to live with problems at 32 yr.Unbearable pain at 43 yr. Thought all I had was arthritis.At 57yr doctor keeps telling me how extremely painful back surgery is.L3,4,5 spinal fusion.L3 collapsed disc. I’ve went from not living but just existing and 100% pain. To as soon as I came out of recovery no pain meds.Nothing.100% pain free.
This will be my 7th and hopefully final spine fusion and repair . Quick history. I was shot down during Vietnam and spent 12 months learning to walk again. for over 45 years I have had to have numerous repairs to my back and neck. All that aside this one will be the most invasive and I am sure the most painful. They have had to open the disk space several times in my lower back as well as fuse a disc one time. People you need to know that there is no one fix all for everyone. I am told that one of the side effects of back operations is not only possible nerve damage and stiffness, but also bone spurs that can develop as in my case. This time they are going to have to remove 3 "discs" and fuse the back of me with a "cage" often referred to as a ladder also. The disks will be removed, other spurs shaved off and then a system of screws and rods will be inserted to hold my back in place for a distance of 6 inches. Please do your home work before undergoing any procedure like this. It is extremity invasive and you are going to need weeks of recovery time. When I was young and dumb I followed the requirements to start with. but as the operations went on I got cocky. After the 3rd operation I was told for the first week I could walk to the end of my driveway (5- feet), the second week I could walk to the corner (250 feet about) and the 3rd week I could walk around the block. Like I said I was dumb and living on a ranch I was out horse back riding before the end of the 2nd week.DO NOT DO IT!!!!! I have more than paid for it over the years. Finally as I stated at the start you need to be sure of the operation you are receiving and the benefits TO YOU! My first operation was a Laminectomy, where they just shave the bad part of the disc away. Followed 4 years later by a Laminetomy also known as a fusion and finally I am having a cage put in to fuse the entire lower spine. Please be sure before you do ANY ONE of these of the benefits to you and how your future might look. An example is if you do #2 will you have a better result than operation #1 or #3. Or to just go straight to a cage? It will save you a lot of operations but you need to do you. In short do your homework and may god bless and you do well
sweetheart thank you for not scaring the hell out of us, excellent presentation, im going in for surgery in 8 days from this post, God bless you , thank you. ive been suffering for yrs. with these issues , looking forward too the surgery.
Had L4-5 fusion 10 years ago and was fine suddenly my leg had shooting pain back to the same surgeon and I blew out L3-4 which is common after fusing an area above and below No relief for a year. I could barely walk some days. Same surgeon diagnosed me with a form of scoliosis called kyphosis where my spine was leaning forward and I was popping all the discs. Another invasive surgery he put two rods in. They missed a bleeder and I ended up having another surgery within a month. I was never the same. Weak legs all the time and I fell. Fractured my lower spine and bent the rods. Again another invasive surgery with two more rods. Recovery was up to a year. I’m in so much spinal pain every day that I’ve thought about just ending it all. I’m Catholic and I’d rather not burn in hell for eternity so that’s off the table but I did honestly consider it. CT scan tomorrow for my one year check up and we’ll see what’s going on if anything or am I supposed to live like this forever. Financially I’m ruined mentally I’m ruined my relationship with my wife is broken. She just doesn’t understand how I feel physically. All I can say it do everything to take care of your back. I was lifting weights and never slowed down as I got older I just thought I was invincible. Hard lesson to learn the hard way
Had L4-L5 done in July 2018. It’s been a living hell ever since. Injections didn’t help. Can’t get any prescription pain meds. I’m a professional martial arts instructor/school owner and I wish I had never done this! Check into prolotherapy before you have surgery. It’s new, but it’s worth trying before surgery. Before I go out on the mat I take 4 or 5 Advil, 5 to 6 grams of Kratom, and I slather capsesin all over my lower back and hips. It helps, but I’m still not living any quality of a life.
Sorry to hear that Roger , please consider consulting with Euro drs. , and discuss the possibility of a revision surgery to an artificial disc ADR. With only one level involved if you would have done ADR you probably would have little to NO restrictions now. You might be damaging the levels above and below the fusion. Good luck ADR SUPPORT.COM
I had my spinal surgery just over a year ago at the time I felt something was wrong pain was so bad I couldn't move ,felt as though I had been tazerd a year on I'm still in awful pain and walking is agony ,it affects my breathing ,I hardly sleep and basically im now housebound ,its hard I was always walking before this all came about.
J. Roger Cavanaugh Wow!! So sorry for what your going through,I had spinal surgery 7-16-2020 I have 2 screws in my lower back 1 rod I'm in pain all day I need meds. How does the Kratom work? And where can I look for this med? anything to help ease this ?;)$' pain,I I shouldn't have had this done!
Well thanks for talking about the experience you have with the sergury.i am going for the send sergury by december 2 2019 but i was ready two sergurys years ago , one in 1991 and the otrher one 2011 the first is a laminoctomy and the second is a disectomy plus fusion so right now go for L3 L4 L5 after car accident.thanks again for your information and i well you doing alright after your sergury.good luck
How are you feeling currently? did you have impinged nerves that ran into your toes and feet?.....Did you try nerve blocks or cortisone prior to your surgery?...God Bless, I pray for a full recovery for you...
I had same thing plus SAcrum fusion. Was doing fairly well considering the pain. After a month I fell.Now my whole right side hurts like hell! In SI joints and right hip. They did xrays and said everything ok but a lot of bruising. Screws and rods in place. I sure hope I heal right. Boy back surgery not a picnic at all. I’m on diazepam and Vicodin. Right now.
Interesting, thank you. I have just had L4 and 5 fused and something else done. No idea what as no letter/record. No physio was thought necessary. I hired my own overbed pole when at home as much needed. I did think of diazepam because of back spasm but didn't have any. 10 days down the track and walking quite a lot. Taking Gapapentin and paracetamol and tramadol. Over head pole was better than morphine
I go into surgery Aug.2nd 2023 retired athlete turn trainer for 38 years I’m 68 now fitness has been my whole life , I hear so many horror stories still not shure if I’ll go through it but my limping & pain when I walk is real. I also go for radiation for cancer after back surgery.Thanks for your video.
@papotaino - You may be interested in a follow up video I made a couple years ago (ua-cam.com/video/T_-keEX5oJ8/v-deo.html ), which describes a bit like what you mentioned. Soon after I starting my physical therapy, following the surgery, I was diagnosed with cancer. Later I went through chemo and radiation treatment which ultimately reduced the cancer enough that surgery was able to make me cancer free. Since that time I have made the continuation of my physical therapy (walking) a major part of my life. To this day I still have sciatica symptoms, but much less than before. The symptoms only occur if I walk slowly and only after walking for 15-20min. The symptoms are mild and I found (for me) that simply standing in place for a minute or less, that the symptoms went away. I know the decision is not an easy one to make. For me there was a lot of pain/discomfit following my surgery, but within a couple of weeks it stopped and over time the residual sciatica symptoms diminished to where I am now.
I'm 17 days out from L4, L5, S1 fusion. It's amazing how much better I feel. Pain in the hospital was very intense. The iv steroids in the hospital were a game changer. Things do get better! Today, I went about 24 hours w/o pain meds. Taking things 1 day at a time.
I had this same surgery done in 2005..I was in unbearable pain for like 3 months..it took me 6 months to walk on my own without a walker or cane....some of the worst pain that I have ever felt in my life. ..I am left scratching my head with how well he handled the pain and walked so soon after his surgery ....The advancement in surgery technique must of advanced in the year this guy had his surgery done compared to when I had mine done...that could only be the explanation
Or a better surgeon as well. Many don’t stop to think about the quality and experience of the surgeon. Delicate and experienced hands can make the difference between severe pain and or moderate pain. A lot of results are dependent on the surgical team and technology and gear too.
Appreciate the narrative, I have a TLIF coming up, a fusion of L4 and L5. I've been putting this off for a long time but am having too many problems now to put it off any longer.
I have had this same surgery exactly w\i struments and i couldnt walk right after ,i douldnt walk when discharged 5 days latr ,and here it is 3 years later and still cant stand or walk nnow its only gotten worse and developed new numbness/pain in a different part of my spine I have never had any pain and was told my surgeons suregry was perfect and i cant be helped by anyone to go back in narcotics .I had Minimalky Invasive L4,L5,S1 Decompression Fusion w/Instruments.Spasms as well constant and severe enough to make me call an ambulance and go to the E.R.I was nevr told spasms were a side effect ,as well as severe cramping in the lower abdomen so bad it k icks you to your knees as well as severe nerve pain in the front of my thighs and sciatica which i still have 3 years later after 3 stints in physical therapy , occupational therapy , physio therapy.and scare tissue higher up in my spine .Dont get me wrong this type of surgery is great as long as its a 1st or even 2nd for a revision,but when I have had 6 previous open back surgeries and have alot of scare tissueas well as arthritic damage and does not suit a patient with my history and I regret Ever Agreeing to this specific type of surgery.! Im Happy you are feeling better as time goes on and Im sorry you too are dealing with severe spasms and pain.
I had 5 budge discs L2-S2 with complete numbness in my legs and feet my surgeon said he was surprised i hadn’t gone paralyzed which was my biggest fear but assured me I would be ok at this point. We did a 5 level lumbar disc discestomy and spinal decompression. No hardware or screws thankfully they just shaved down the discs. It was about a 5 hour surgery as well and it has been the worst pain I’ve ever done through. One leg had helped with the numbness but the other one is still bad actually kinda got worse lol but I already had a bone that stared to grow I’ve the disc and stated a natural fusion itself. I’m thankful i didn’t do a fusion but that’s probably my next step if I want another surgery. But this was bad enough from what I know I have the same limitation as someone who has the fusuon surgery just no hardware. No BLT for 4 months. It’s hard mentally more than anything, my pain is controlled through medications but some days I feel like shit taking all these pain meds and just sitting around it’s a real head game. I know I can’t be the only one fighting these demons. I know mentally I’m not addicted but my body had become slightly dependent on them and I stopped taking some of the stronger meds they gave but now I feel the full pain effect so it’s a lose lose situation. I hope everyone dealing this this gets better I know in my situation I’ll forever be disabled and I’m only 27 which is another thing I have to deal with mentally it’s very hard.
Thanks for the info. Be very I teresting if US put together addl follow-up video post6 & 12 months.... to see if worth it / how normal you get. Seems not so simple or easy
I’m looking at my third fusion at L1, I’m fused from my sacrum to L2. They gave all been really bad because of the pain. I hope my goes as well as yours did
Please don't do this unless its really really the last option.I'm over a year from having this operation,I felt they wouldn't do this op if the outcome wasn't successful. I am more or less housebound now and I used to walk everywhere dog walk for hours and I suppose I was thinking I would get my old lifestyle back again.im not saying it didn't need doing it did I was just thinking I would be pain free and back to normal im afraid this is my normal now .
@@dianerichards2693 I am so sorry to hear your story. You were able to walk before the surgery, are you still able to walk? Are you in a lot of pain? I was suffering from low back pain while sitting for years. Then my condition worsened and I lost my ability to walk. I was in a wheelchair for a year, with excruciating pain. I decided, after trying every other therapy to take a chance on surgery. I had a two level spinal fusion 4/5/1. Now I can walk again. I am just 3 months out, but the pain is much, much less and bearable. I may never be pain free, but it is much better. I have heard some people may take as long as 18 months to heal completely. Prayers.
Just read a piece abt > 2 level fusions saying not a good idea & likely complications later on, I’ve had 2 fusions & 3 decompressions- now fused l3-s1 in agony & had a terrible 30 years since all this started! I was 23 & had all those surgeries done in space of 4 years! I took 18 months to recover from final fusion but I never lost pain. Now I need left SI joint fused but no guarantees so v concerned- perhaps recent surgical techniques have improved but I wasn’t allowed to moved for5 days let alone get out of bed (they did log roll me ) I had morphine pump & im injections as epidural failed on second one! I’ve been left on morphine, diazepam, gabapentin, nefopam, paracetamol, ibuprofen, oral morphine for break through pain & have stomach issues due to meds so ezomeprazole & bowel issues - IBS, constipation- med induced. B12 deficiency & anti emetic- now hve crutch, walker & wheelchair as can’t walk far. Overall- fail! I was previously very active, cycled, skied, tennis etc &was slim, I remained slim til a few years ago when things deteriorated worse, but I’m doing my best to lose weight- my pain was just as bad at v low weight I’m 5’9.5” have all physio therapy, osteopathy, trued chiropractor who said worst back ever! Also steroid/anaesthetic injections into joints & nerve roots but nothing helped! I’m bent over so constant back spasms which I had before left bent! My doc said too much surgery to soon & left with nerve damage & now osteoarthritis-Soz for essay & 🙏🏻 you recover! Don’t wait til too sore til you take meds ! Take care 💙🙏🏻
I just had T-11 to L-2 laminectomy and spinal fusion and am 11th day post op and still have loads of pain especially in my legs and yep I also get the bad spasms. My doctors gave me on around the clock muscle relaxers. I was on oxycodein but had to stop as it made me vomit which was hurting my back and I was scared it’d mess things up. It’s going to be a long recovery but I sure hope things get better. Thanks for sharing your journey!
I kept a diary of my recovery, more detailed during the first few weeks and less so there after. In some ways if helped me make it though the recovery process as I was enlightened by lessing of pain and the affects of the physical therapy. Not sure what your doctor/therapist recommended to you, but for me walking as much and as often as I did was a big part of the process. I hope you also start to see light at the end of the tunnel soon.
Hi shahram. I just saw your comment. Hope you see my msg and reply me. It will help us a lot Really wanna know why you had so much surgeries? I mean what issue you have got with these surgeries and what kind of surgeries these were?
Have almost the same surgery about three weeks ago just had a implant and L4 L5 L3 this was my second surgery in three years so I know how hard the pain was just terrible but the best pain relieve is palexia l am feel better now you can lose a lot of blood that is on of the reasons you can feel weak
God bless you to increase your health. My son had his and it's not going well. Research iodine and health. Much of the pain I found was caused by receptors being blocked by the food and liquids contaminates
Where was this surgery done. Sounds like a horrible experience. I had the same but was treated much better by medical staff and none of the spasms or cramps.
Your Dr should have given you a Muscle Relaxant for the spasms...Flexeril or Robaxin! I am seeing a Neurosurgeon next week about my spinal stenosis.. It is bad at L3-L4. I had laminectomy way back in 1978 on L4-L5 and survived that! It just keeps getting narrower and narrower and I lose the ability to control my body and fall. It is time I trust someone to fix it! 😢
Have you tried back patches? I had my 360 surgery about 2012. I've also have continually back spasm pain. I found some back patches, been using them ever since. Also a heating pad releases the spasms...
I had lumbar 3 caged fusion I'm very strong guy been in top of roofs for 35 year but this surgery is painful very bad but you remember family and friends needs you and you will make it be tuf
God bless you and thanks for the info. I was going to fuse L3-4-5 Canceled the 1st surgery went to a second doc. He wanted todo the same thing. He came highly recommended was going todo the fusion with him. The week before scheduling the 2nd surgery God revealed something I near heard of Vertiflex Superion. Canceled 2nd surgery decided to go this route. From the time I called the office to the time I had the surgery and it's been 5 days post OP was less than 2 months. Had all my MRI's about 2 years of injections and not being able to walk more than 5min with pain in butt and right leg. Haven't worked for 6mons. After surgery walked out when I woke up. Sore from two 3" cuts in my back. Some leg pain and butt pain when I do to much. This surgery want work for upper back nor S1.
Just had back surgery for a herniated disc pinching me so hard I lost the ability to move or walk from the pain. The recovery is scary now that I'm home. my whole body is sore.
I had a lamenectomony of L3 and a fusion of L4-L5 in January’20 after continuous pain I went in for another fusion of L4-S1 and I also had a loose screw which was removed and enlarged in June’20 well here we are in February’21 and still no relief I’m very frustrated too say the least
I had my L 3 4 and 5 fused on December 21 2018. I was raking leaves one day and the next day could barely stand or walk. I had to hold on to my wife to walk. I could not empty my bladder. I went to the emergency room and they gave me pain meds and did a sonogram of my testicles because of the urination problem. They found an inconsequential cyst on my left testicle and said it was probably nothing to worry about. I had pain shooting from my right buttock through my right testicle and down to my right shin when I tried to urinate. I could not get into a position that allowed me to empty my bladder. I went home and two days later was back in another emergency room due to the same terrible pain and not being able to urinate. I went upstairs to my back doctors office and they could not see me for more than a week. When I finally saw him, he sent me to the ER again and told them to admit me. I was catheterized and they drained over 1000 ml of urine from me. the neurosurgeon aka my doctor did a CT scan and booked me for surgery the next day. He said I was in bad shape but not in those words. I had a herniated disc and arthritis around my previous back surgery. I am well on the mend now and will see my doctor again on February 5 2019. I took pain meds the whole time I was in the hospital but barely needed them. I took them to ward off any pain. I never took any pain meds at home after discharge on Dec 26 2018. I have only pain when I move certain ways and things but nothing bad at all. About 13 years ago, I had a discectomy on L4 and 5. Good luck to you. My doctor was Peter O Holliday III in Macon GA at Charter Northside Hospital.
I noticed a few things you said in this video seem to indicate you are in Canada. ( physiotherapist instead of physical therapy and cm instead of inches) Am I right to say this is a Canadian surgery experience?
Larry - You would have to travel a bit further to the East. I am a US citizen living in the Netherlands for the past 28 years. My back surgery as well as cancer surgery the very next year we all done here in the Netherlands. I am grateful that I live here due in part to the wonderful health care system they have. Yes, I pay more in taxes, but my health care cost are very low with no so-called 'copays' and a small yearly 'own risk' to pay.
Sorry you have painful back spasms. I hope the cease for you. Thank you for your story. I am possibly looking at surgery as I have tremendous back pain and down my legs due to severe stenosis. Wishing you continued healing. How are you doing now?
Well, without going into a large amount of detail on my back history, this is the approximate timeline: Age 51 - Sever back spasms requires medication and physical therapy. Pretty much over after 2 weeks Age 52 - Many physical therapy visits due to recurring back issues Age 52.5 - Some chiropractor visits Age 53 - Over period of about 6 months had many chiropractic visit to specialist in spine tensioning, with hopes of improving disc spacing Age 53.5 - First real sciatica symptom starts. Could be due to specialized treatments. Age 59 - Second sciatica symptom starts Age 59.9 - Third sciatica symptom starts Age 60.3 - MRI to get details for planned surgery Age 60.6 - Operation
Does not seem easy!! And it depends on what hospital staff.. are and behaviors and doctors and insurance.. your experience is not what other humans will feel or go through.. i am happy you video it.. but i think you have share your experience but not let it be a experience for ALL.
@Tracy Lynn sorry to hear that hang in there God bless and get well soon. My back fusion was a year and half again and I don’t regret it at all but I can still remember the first two weeks after surgery
@Tracy Lynn I hope you have help at home and the best thing they gave me was a toilet seat riser that was a life saver I had a hard time getting down that low on a toilet my wife help get me dressed so I didn’t have to worry about that but it will get better main thing is make sure you walk little at a time your muscles do the craziest things ever relearning how to stabilize but in two weeks you will feel better stay out of a recliner they are no good for a back surgery I hope you get some sleep I know you will be on your way in no time
As I have mentioned in the videos the majority of the sciatic symptoms went away, but no all of them. Enough of the symptoms went away to allow me to be active. As with you I have recently had a few bouts of muscle spasms which I have been working to manage by keeping it up with physical therapy exercises.
@@rizkymuthazany1198 it’s been 14 months now. No pain but I do get stiffness if I sit to long. Every once in a while I feel a pinch where the screws are. It also caused arthritis in my hips. The doctor explained that to me but he used a lot of medical terms. So I still don’t understand how that happened.
I had L3 L4 L5 AND S1 Rods its been a little more than 4 and a half months and im still in terrible pain when trying to walk . Sleeping is miserable. Wish i had never did it
I may have this same surgery very soon. I have L4/5/1 M6-L by Spinal Kinetics implanted in Germany in 2014 and was in a trucking accident that displaced L4/5 and some of the bone is compromised. I hope you are ok now and can do an update sometime. Cheers! I am interested to know how your mobility is now and also pain and spasms.
No leg pain is not a side effect ir symptom if this surgery ,as well as severe back spasms,or limiting your ability to walk .Im so sorry i wish it was just all a bad dream because i k ow what i go through now just to get up and and get to the bathroom let alone walking a distance unassisted .
Freddy - I suggest you look at my latest video I posted a couple years after my last video. This video more or less describes the continuation of my recovery to its fullest: ua-cam.com/video/T_-keEX5oJ8/v-deo.html
Sarjah - I am doing fine. It has been over 5 years since my surgery. I still have minor sciatic pain in my leg when I do a lot of walking (>4Km), but it is minor. Even with the little pain, just standing in place for 30s or so and it goes away. It is much better than before my operation when I could not walk or stand for more than 5 minutes without being in a lot of pain. All I can say about the surgery, for myself, is that is was well worth it. Yes, there is a bit of recovery from the surgery and I think it is different for everyone. It was a bit of a struggle for the first few days, but soon enough the pain/discomfort became manageable and soon after that went away altogether. With all of the walking I did as a means of physical therapy, it has become one of my favorite hobby's. I wish you well in your upcoming surgery.
@@john1956c Thankyu sir, I am in much fear , especially from muscle spasms. So you are free from that now? When I fractured my disk they were really bad for awhile. They wanted to replace my disk but that involves blood loss that I am not willing to replace. So. I am stuck with fusion & they are doing the disk above & below with the rods & screws because of my weak spine. So they said I can be paralyzed without the surgery, maybe I would be better off with no severe pain for life? Thanks Sarajah
I try to be as detailed as possible and to provide what I hope is useful information to those which have to undergo this type of surgery and recovery. If you don't like it, look elsewhere for your information. You comment is not appreciated.
Deff. Don’t believe these people who tell you don’t be fearful or scared, no matter who your surgeon is there’s always room for fear.not everyone will recover the same,not every surgery will go rite.trust me scared as hell about my l45 , l51 s1 fusion with bone graff.
Eric - I think it is best to keep comments like that to yourself. Many surgical procedures come with a certain amount of risk, but it doesn't mean you need to be scared about it. Being scared about it can only lead to stress, which is not helpful to yourself. Telling others to be fearful is not very nice and they don't need unqualified comments like this prior to having this type of surgery.
Sorry but no, again simple plain English everyone has the rite to be scared, not everything goes according to plan, so don’t try to mad it so black and white,like it a walk in the park. I have the rite to be scared fearful for my major surgery bone graph and fusion.Again not everyone recovers the same not every recovers as fast.So that being said we can end it hear keep your comments to yourself.
@@ericmedina4002 - Apparently you never watched my videos which describe in detail my operation and recovery. It is NOT a walk in the park, but you don't have to be afraid. There are so many competent surgeons out there that have been doing this successfully for a very long time. If you would spend the time to watch others that have posted videos or comments about their surgery and recovery I think you will find the vast majority are happy with the results. Yes, this is not a painless process, but for us that elected to have the surgery done knew what they were getting in to. Telling people that they 'should be fearful or scared' is not helpful. It does not project a positive approach to this where the end result can mean the end of a lot of pain for many of us.
I am neurosurgeon,,, and today 8th after operation,,, I was taken for surgery urgently,,,,I never felt sick,,,pain spasm in sit of fusion that pain strong enough that tears goes by itself,,was prying to God to help me ,or finish my life
My care (both pre-op & post op) was excellent at Mercy Hospital. I knew exactly what was going to happen before it happened. Whoever this guy is needs to man up. My historical pain is going away and my surgical pain is also going away 7 days post op. He likes to hear sound of his own voice.
I had L2 L3 L4 and L5 fused had a urine tube in a week and the tube in the wound for bleeding was a week . They kept me in a facility over a month, 5 months since surgery and I still have hip pain and my left front thigh is numb
Sir how are you today? How's your pain? How's your spasms? How is the quality of life now? I'm looking at a 3 disc spinal fusion. I am very Apprehensive about having this surgery. I just know 1 day. My legs are gonna give out and they won't be able to walk again. And then at that moment that's irreversible. So I would be confined to a wheelchair. I have a very active life. If grandchildren meet, I drive to Visit 5 Hours Away. The other ones are seven hours away. So, all and now, how do you feel, sir? If you don't mind me asking? My hope is that you are doing OK and that you're living your best life. If anyone else happens to read this comment and he's been to this situation, please felt free to reply.. I'm trying to do my research and make an executive decision. Is my surge in told me to put my affairs in order to make a will? Have that all in place there are no guarantees with this spinal surgery. I even got a second opinion that doctor said. The first doctor is the best doctor in my city that can do that surgery. And he's remarkable is what my second opinion doctor said. So anyways, thank you for sharing your story. I really do appreciate hearing what other people have to say about this. I know my surgeon did. Tell me that once they start surgery on my back. That before I know it I'll have my whole spine I'll be fused. Because Once they start operating on your back It seems like the operate on it quite often according to my surgeon. With the 3 fractures that I have in the bone spurs. Be in a grammy is The best thing in the world. May surgeon and team of doctors say that I have the spine. I'm a ninety year old person. So many vertebraes that are completely degenerated in faucets. That are completely gone that it's gonna be a complex surgery. Because they're gonna have to find places to anchor screws to whatever that means, i'm not quite for sure.. I just know that he told me that my whole life is going to change.. I didn't know any of this before. I got a new car and now I can hardly get In-N-Out of and I aint bought a new bed for my bedroom. And it's too high off the ground for me to get in and out of it after a surgery. My goodness, I just have so much going on that. I just don't know what to do so. I've come to UA-cam like I hear. A lot of other people do to try to find. How other people have felt going through this procedure. To everybody on this post. God bless you all and if you're struggling. Just know that you don't have to struggle alone. there's people out there Who would cheer you up. So if I could be encouraging. If you're struggling please just keep shine in. Please just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Every stumbling block that you come to turn it over and use it as a stepping stone.. Keep Shining ✨️ 🙏🏻
First off I have to say that my comments are the result of my results of my symptoms before and after surgery. Each person that undergoes surgery like this will experience there own outcome. Basically, one size does not fit all. This is my journey and each of us experience his/her own. It has been 7 years since my surgery. My recovery did not take too long. Yes, it was a few months, but it was not too long before the major pain abated, where I got to the point where the overall sciatic pain became less that what it was before the surgery. Eventually it became much less, but not completely gone. When I say not completely gone I mean that I do have, from time to time, some sciatic symptoms but nothing like what I had before. For me I think the surgery was a big success and that it gave me back the possibility of having a more normal life style. Currently, I am a fanatic to walking, where I do as much as possible whenever the weather is good. The last two years I have done 1,100km's (each year) worth of my so-called powerwalks, which help me to maintain a good healthy condition. At 67 years of age I consider myself lucky to be this active.
I reached a point where I could no longer walk due to sciatic pain in both legs due to spinal degradation from primarily abusing my body in sports.. Had a couple single level fusions as well as laminectomies. Had a 7 level fusion T11 to S1. Opened front and back with cages, crews, and 2 days of surgery. I was in so much pain, I really didn't care if I lived or died. Took me a good couple months to learn how to walk again. Surgeon said the numbness in my leg may or may not come back, but is fairly common. Thanks for that doc. It didn't come back. 5 years later, my right leg is still numb. My mobility is pretty well compromised, but at least I'm not in constant pain and can walk, but never will be able to run, bicycle or racquetball ever again. I keep thinking technology will eliminate the need for this barbaric surgery, but really haven't seen anything yet. I would just be very careful not to rush into this unless absolutely necessary. I can still feel the screws and occasionally get a bolt of lighting down my leg nerves, but am not taking anything for pain other than a couple of Tylenol to get through the day and nights. Go to the gym 3 times a week for treadmill walking and machine upper body and legs, no twisting or weight on the spine. Kicked my ass good, but I'm still kicking back.
I just had this surgery 1 week ago today. I was in full spinal compression
with leg paralysis, I could barely stand..... my surgery was 4 hours by 2
surgeons. So a week later I can tell this will be a long road to recovery,
not just a couple weeks. I stand and walk around the house the sit and stay
comfortable. The annoying back pain is gone which is a plus and my legs are
strong will all the feeling coming back to them. Anyone getting this surgery just
plan on sitting and taking it easy for a few months.
I need to try letting a Dr try to open up my canal ...All I can do NOW is sit...sooooo😢
Sounds like your surgery was a success. Who was your surgeon ?
Had 6 fusions from L 1 , L 2. L3, L 5, S 1 with cage placements, scoliosis, stenosis, spondylolothesis and spondylolitis, herniated discs x3 and 4impinged sciatic nerves which made legs so numb I could hardly walk.
Super spinal surgeon. 10 hour surgery, moved to Skilled Nursing after 6 n patient days. Had back spasms but got specific medication for spasms, along with pain med. Home from skilled nursing 6 weeks post op, gradually more active, and able to even do short drives. Off ALL pain meds by 8 weeks post op.
Felt on top of world ashadly been that pain free and able to manage for myself for about 3 + years!
Had incredible spinal surgeon, and feel wonderful! Interventions, procedurs and and techniques to address spine issues have advanced so much. Find a good spine surgeon you feel confident in, and check out how other patients perceive his care! Fely like whole new person! Don't be fearful!!!
16yrs ago I had my L5-S1 fusion. Now I need L5-L1 and possibly T-12 fused, plus I have all the things you mentioned as well. I've had all the Spinal Epidural Injections and RFA'S because they no longer work. They no longer help. I'm scared of the long term affects if the surgery doesn't help. I'm scheduled to have scoliosis testing done to make sure that my spine is stable enough to withstand a Multiple Fusion. Did you get second opinions?
@@jacquelinemartin4559 Hi, can I ask you how old are you, what is your weight? What if during these 16 years of fusion l5 s1 you did regular abdominal and spinal exercises? regards
can I ask who is ur surgeon?
I'm having the same surgery L1-S1 fusion 3 laminectomy and three cages Aug 24 23 I'm 67 years old 240 lbs I'm scarred to death
@@markschwartz4761 How did your surgery go?
I will probably do another video in the near future to go though the progress I have made and where I am at the moment
Please do I had TLIF and it's been very painful just got discharged today had my tube from drainage removed, my nerves in my right leg keep twitching allot n it's painful getting into bed and off is very difficult for me , only got discharged with Tylenol n Codeine which I feel I need stronger med plz keep posting find your videos are very informative Thank you
I'd like to hear about how you are doing now. I have to get similar surgery soon and I am nervous. Thanks
Marta 58 do you still have Baclofen and Gabapentin from before? My surgeon says I can take this after surgery. My a/p interbody disc fusion L5-S1 is in 2 weeks
0lllpppp⁰
How are you now?I'm in uk 🇬🇧 I'm 61 I due to have a spinal fusion l4 l5 with a cage I'm terrified ,was nerve pain gone?
This is literally breaking my heart reading you guys stories. I have scoliosis arthritis runs in my family.Did not know.Started having unbearable to live with problems at 32 yr.Unbearable pain at 43 yr. Thought all I had was arthritis.At 57yr doctor keeps telling me how extremely painful back surgery is.L3,4,5 spinal fusion.L3 collapsed disc. I’ve went from not living but just existing and 100% pain. To as soon as I came out of recovery no pain meds.Nothing.100% pain free.
How ya doin'??🙏
This will be my 7th and hopefully final spine fusion and repair . Quick history. I was shot down during Vietnam and spent 12 months learning to walk again. for over 45 years I have had to have numerous repairs to my back and neck. All that aside this one will be the most invasive and I am sure the most painful. They have had to open the disk space several times in my lower back as well as fuse a disc one time. People you need to know that there is no one fix all for everyone. I am told that one of the side effects of back operations is not only possible nerve damage and stiffness, but also bone spurs that can develop as in my case. This time they are going to have to remove 3 "discs" and fuse the back of me with a "cage" often referred to as a ladder also. The disks will be removed, other spurs shaved off and then a system of screws and rods will be inserted to hold my back in place for a distance of 6 inches.
Please do your home work before undergoing any procedure like this. It is extremity invasive and you are going to need weeks of recovery time. When I was young and dumb I followed the requirements to start with. but as the operations went on I got cocky. After the 3rd operation I was told for the first week I could walk to the end of my driveway (5- feet), the second week I could walk to the corner (250 feet about) and the 3rd week I could walk around the block. Like I said I was dumb and living on a ranch I was out horse back riding before the end of the 2nd week.DO NOT DO IT!!!!! I have more than paid for it over the years.
Finally as I stated at the start you need to be sure of the operation you are receiving and the benefits TO YOU! My first operation was a Laminectomy, where they just shave the bad part of the disc away. Followed 4 years later by a Laminetomy also known as a fusion and finally I am having a cage put in to fuse the entire lower spine. Please be sure before you do ANY ONE of these of the benefits to you and how your future might look. An example is if you do #2 will you have a better result than operation #1 or #3. Or to just go straight to a cage? It will save you a lot of operations but you need to do you. In short do your homework and may god bless and you do well
Did the ejection cause the damage or a rough landing?
،
sweetheart thank you for not scaring the hell out of us, excellent presentation, im going in for surgery in 8 days from this post, God bless you , thank you. ive been suffering for yrs. with these issues , looking forward too the surgery.
How are you?
How are you now
How did your surgery go
Yes.... How are you??
Glad I found your videos. I am having a L3, L4, and L5 fusion later this month
I have had this surgery this guy is strong much respect
Had L4-5 fusion 10 years ago and was fine suddenly my leg had shooting pain back to the same surgeon and I blew out L3-4 which is common after fusing an area above and below
No relief for a year. I could barely walk some days. Same surgeon diagnosed me with a form of scoliosis called kyphosis where my spine was leaning forward and I was popping all the discs.
Another invasive surgery he put two rods in. They missed a bleeder and I ended up having another surgery within a month. I was never the same. Weak legs all the time and I fell. Fractured my lower spine and bent the rods. Again another invasive surgery with two more rods. Recovery was up to a year. I’m in so much spinal pain every day that I’ve thought about just ending it all. I’m Catholic and I’d rather not burn in hell for eternity so that’s off the table but I did honestly consider it.
CT scan tomorrow for my one year check up and we’ll see what’s going on if anything or am I supposed to live like this forever.
Financially I’m ruined mentally I’m ruined my relationship with my wife is broken. She just doesn’t understand how I feel physically.
All I can say it do everything to take care of your back. I was lifting weights and never slowed down as I got older I just thought I was invincible. Hard lesson to learn the hard way
I am so sorry to read this… hope everything gets better. Prayers 🙏🏻
Had L5 S1 fusion back in 04. Now for you, you are looking good and talking fine. Good luck
Had L4-L5 done in July 2018. It’s been a living hell ever since. Injections didn’t help. Can’t get any prescription pain meds. I’m a professional martial arts instructor/school owner and I wish I had never done this! Check into prolotherapy before you have surgery. It’s new, but it’s worth trying before surgery. Before I go out on the mat I take 4 or 5 Advil, 5 to 6 grams of Kratom, and I slather capsesin all over my lower back and hips. It helps, but I’m still not living any quality of a life.
My spine is slanted and have a bulging disc. doc wants me to see about getting surgery. very worried about it.
I'm about to have this procedure done but I'm really worry about getting worst
Sorry to hear that Roger , please consider consulting with Euro drs. , and discuss the possibility of a revision surgery to an artificial disc ADR. With only one level involved if you would have done ADR you probably would have little to NO restrictions now. You might be damaging the levels above and below the fusion. Good luck ADR SUPPORT.COM
I had my spinal surgery just over a year ago at the time I felt something was wrong pain was so bad I couldn't move ,felt as though I had been tazerd a year on I'm still in awful pain and walking is agony ,it affects my breathing ,I hardly sleep and basically im now housebound ,its hard I was always walking before this all came about.
J. Roger Cavanaugh Wow!! So sorry for what your going through,I had spinal surgery 7-16-2020 I have 2 screws in my lower back 1 rod I'm in pain all day I need meds. How does the Kratom work? And where can I look for this med? anything to help ease this ?;)$' pain,I I shouldn't have had this done!
Well thanks for talking about the experience you have with the sergury.i am going for the send sergury by december 2 2019 but i was ready two sergurys years ago , one in 1991 and the otrher one 2011 the first is a laminoctomy and the second is a disectomy plus fusion so right now go for L3 L4 L5 after car accident.thanks again for your information and i well you doing alright after your sergury.good luck
Thank you for the input.
Thank you for sharing. It's very helpful. Hope you are well.
Thank you very much for your detailed information.
Thank you. Getting ready for fusion.
PLEASE look up ADR SUPPORT FORUM .COM , before you fuse !
How are you feeling currently? did you have impinged nerves that ran into your toes and feet?.....Did you try nerve blocks or cortisone prior to your surgery?...God Bless, I pray for a full recovery for you...
thank you sooooo very much for doing this. I'm scheduled for this in a couple of weeks. I hope i am making the right decision
Interesting n good info n gonna have surgery next month
I had same thing plus SAcrum fusion. Was doing fairly well considering the pain. After a month I fell.Now my whole right side hurts like hell! In SI joints and right hip. They did xrays and said everything ok but a lot of bruising. Screws and rods in place. I sure hope I heal right. Boy back surgery not a picnic at all. I’m on diazepam and Vicodin. Right now.
Interesting, thank you. I have just had L4 and 5 fused and something else done. No idea what as no letter/record. No physio was thought necessary. I hired my own overbed pole when at home as much needed. I did think of diazepam because of back spasm but didn't have any. 10 days down the track and walking quite a lot. Taking Gapapentin and paracetamol and tramadol. Over head pole was better than morphine
I go into surgery Aug.2nd 2023 retired athlete turn trainer for 38 years I’m 68 now fitness has been my whole life , I hear so many horror stories still not shure if I’ll go through it but my limping & pain when I walk is real. I also go for radiation for cancer after back surgery.Thanks for your video.
@papotaino - You may be interested in a follow up video I made a couple years ago (ua-cam.com/video/T_-keEX5oJ8/v-deo.html ), which describes a bit like what you mentioned. Soon after I starting my physical therapy, following the surgery, I was diagnosed with cancer. Later I went through chemo and radiation treatment which ultimately reduced the cancer enough that surgery was able to make me cancer free. Since that time I have made the continuation of my physical therapy (walking) a major part of my life. To this day I still have sciatica symptoms, but much less than before. The symptoms only occur if I walk slowly and only after walking for 15-20min. The symptoms are mild and I found (for me) that simply standing in place for a minute or less, that the symptoms went away.
I know the decision is not an easy one to make. For me there was a lot of pain/discomfit following my surgery, but within a couple of weeks it stopped and over time the residual sciatica symptoms diminished to where I am now.
I'm 17 days out from L4, L5, S1 fusion. It's amazing how much better I feel. Pain in the hospital was very intense. The iv steroids in the hospital were a game changer. Things do get better! Today, I went about 24 hours w/o pain meds. Taking things 1 day at a time.
I had this same surgery done in 2005..I was in unbearable pain for like 3 months..it took me 6 months to walk on my own without a walker or cane....some of the worst pain that I have ever felt in my life. ..I am left scratching my head with how well he handled the pain and walked so soon after his surgery ....The advancement in surgery technique must of advanced in the year this guy had his surgery done compared to when I had mine done...that could only be the explanation
Or a better surgeon as well. Many don’t stop to think about the quality and experience of the surgeon. Delicate and experienced hands can make the difference between severe pain and or moderate pain. A lot of results are dependent on the surgical team and technology and gear too.
Appreciate the narrative, I have a TLIF coming up, a fusion of L4 and L5. I've been putting this off for a long time but am having too many problems now to put it off any longer.
GL with your recovery. Had L4 L5 fusion Tuesday...3rd back surgery first fusion. I also kept pushing mine off but glad i went through it.
@@Scobieone111 how are you??
@@clementinarodriguez3077 39 years old. Just had my 6 month checkup couple week's ago
@@Scobieone111 how do you feel today ?
@@nataliestokes6380 I am still fine. I baby my back and just don't do any heavy lifting.
I have had this same surgery exactly w\i struments and i couldnt walk right after ,i douldnt walk when discharged 5 days latr ,and here it is 3 years later and still cant stand or walk nnow its only gotten worse and developed new numbness/pain in a different part of my spine I have never had any pain and was told my surgeons suregry was perfect and i cant be helped by anyone to go back in narcotics .I had Minimalky Invasive L4,L5,S1 Decompression Fusion w/Instruments.Spasms as well constant and severe enough to make me call an ambulance and go to the E.R.I was nevr told spasms were a side effect ,as well as severe cramping in the lower abdomen so bad it k icks you to your knees as well as severe nerve pain in the front of my thighs and sciatica which i still have 3 years later after 3 stints in physical therapy , occupational therapy , physio therapy.and scare tissue higher up in my spine .Dont get me wrong this type of surgery is great as long as its a 1st or even 2nd for a revision,but when I have had 6 previous open back surgeries and have alot of scare tissueas well as arthritic damage and does not suit a patient with my history and I regret Ever Agreeing to this specific type of surgery.! Im Happy you are feeling better as time goes on and Im sorry you too are dealing with severe spasms and pain.
I had 5 budge discs L2-S2 with complete numbness in my legs and feet my surgeon said he was surprised i hadn’t gone paralyzed which was my biggest fear but assured me I would be ok at this point. We did a 5 level lumbar disc discestomy and spinal decompression. No hardware or screws thankfully they just shaved down the discs. It was about a 5 hour surgery as well and it has been the worst pain I’ve ever done through. One leg had helped with the numbness but the other one is still bad actually kinda got worse lol but I already had a bone that stared to grow I’ve the disc and stated a natural fusion itself. I’m thankful i didn’t do a fusion but that’s probably my next step if I want another surgery. But this was bad enough from what I know I have the same limitation as someone who has the fusuon surgery just no hardware. No BLT for 4 months. It’s hard mentally more than anything, my pain is controlled through medications but some days I feel like shit taking all these pain meds and just sitting around it’s a real head game. I know I can’t be the only one fighting these demons. I know mentally I’m not addicted but my body had become slightly dependent on them and I stopped taking some of the stronger meds they gave but now I feel the full pain effect so it’s a lose lose situation. I hope everyone dealing this this gets better I know in my situation I’ll forever be disabled and I’m only 27 which is another thing I have to deal with mentally it’s very hard.
Danny I am 59 but I totally relate to your issues. I had surgery 8/23/23. When was your surgery and are y off pain meds
Thanks for your insight on your surgery. I am 68 and have an L3-S1 fusion coming up soon. Really nervous about it.
Hi Jeff. How are you and did you go for your fusipn?
Fusion
Update?
Thanks for the info. Be very I teresting if US put together addl follow-up video post6 & 12 months.... to see if worth it / how normal you get. Seems not so simple or easy
I’m looking at my third fusion at L1, I’m fused from my sacrum to L2. They gave all been really bad because of the pain. I hope my goes as well as yours did
How are you feeling today? Glad you had the fusion? Pain free?
Thank you for the video. I might be able to get this surgery one day.
Do not do it
Please don't do this unless its really really the last option.I'm over a year from having this operation,I felt they wouldn't do this op if the outcome wasn't successful. I am more or less housebound now and I used to walk everywhere dog walk for hours and I suppose I was thinking I would get my old lifestyle back again.im not saying it didn't need doing it did I was just thinking I would be pain free and back to normal im afraid this is my normal now .
@@dianerichards2693 I am so sorry to hear your story. You were able to walk before the surgery, are you still able to walk? Are you in a lot of pain? I was suffering from low back pain while sitting for years. Then my condition worsened and I lost my ability to walk. I was in a wheelchair for a year, with excruciating pain. I decided, after trying every other therapy to take a chance on surgery. I had a two level spinal fusion 4/5/1. Now I can walk again. I am just 3 months out, but the pain is much, much less and bearable. I may never be pain free, but it is much better. I have heard some people may take as long as 18 months to heal completely. Prayers.
Just read a piece abt > 2 level fusions saying not a good idea & likely complications later on, I’ve had 2 fusions & 3 decompressions- now fused l3-s1 in agony & had a terrible 30 years since all this started! I was 23 & had all those surgeries done in space of 4 years! I took 18 months to recover from final fusion but I never lost pain. Now I need left SI joint fused but no guarantees so v concerned- perhaps recent surgical techniques have improved but I wasn’t allowed to moved for5 days let alone get out of bed (they did log roll me ) I had morphine pump & im injections as epidural failed on second one! I’ve been left on morphine, diazepam, gabapentin, nefopam, paracetamol, ibuprofen, oral morphine for break through pain & have stomach issues due to meds so ezomeprazole & bowel issues - IBS, constipation- med induced. B12 deficiency & anti emetic- now hve crutch, walker & wheelchair as can’t walk far. Overall- fail! I was previously very active, cycled, skied, tennis etc &was slim, I remained slim til a few years ago when things deteriorated worse, but I’m doing my best to lose weight- my pain was just as bad at v low weight I’m 5’9.5” have all physio therapy, osteopathy, trued chiropractor who said worst back ever! Also steroid/anaesthetic injections into joints & nerve roots but nothing helped! I’m bent over so constant back spasms which I had before left bent! My doc said too much surgery to soon & left with nerve damage & now osteoarthritis-Soz for essay & 🙏🏻 you recover! Don’t wait til too sore til you take meds ! Take care 💙🙏🏻
Thank you for your advise. My op is tomorrow morning. Regards E E. SA.
I just had T-11 to L-2 laminectomy and spinal fusion and am 11th day post op and still have loads of pain especially in my legs and yep I also get the bad spasms.
My doctors gave me on around the clock muscle relaxers. I was on oxycodein but had to stop as it made me vomit which was hurting my back and I was scared it’d mess things up.
It’s going to be a long recovery but I sure hope things get better. Thanks for sharing your journey!
I kept a diary of my recovery, more detailed during the first few weeks and less so there after. In some ways if helped me make it though the recovery process as I was enlightened by lessing of pain and the affects of the physical therapy. Not sure what your doctor/therapist recommended to you, but for me walking as much and as often as I did was a big part of the process. I hope you also start to see light at the end of the tunnel soon.
If you need the oxycodone please ask about adding the drug ondansetron (Zofran) to help with the nausea. It can be a game changer.
I have had seven surgeries and I do not recommend this at all folks
Hi shahram. I just saw your comment.
Hope you see my msg and reply me.
It will help us a lot
Really wanna know why you had so much surgeries?
I mean what issue you have got with these surgeries and what kind of surgeries these were?
Going in for my 4th surgery getting frontal and back to fixed l4+5 plus s1
I take Tizanadine for all of my spasms. Though it makes me very tired so I take it at night. You may want to ask your Doctor about that.
Have almost the same surgery about three weeks ago just had a implant and L4 L5 L3 this was my second surgery in three years so I know how hard the pain was just terrible but the best pain relieve is palexia l am feel better now you can lose a lot of blood that is on of the reasons you can feel weak
How are you now?
God bless you to increase your health. My son had his and it's not going well. Research iodine and health. Much of the pain I found was caused by receptors being blocked by the food and liquids contaminates
After six years, how are you doing now? Did you ever have to have another back surgery? Was your surgery done with an assisted robot?
Where was this surgery done. Sounds like a horrible experience. I had the same but was treated much better by medical staff and none of the spasms or cramps.
I've had 4 discectomies. I now have to have this procedure on these exact levels. Thanks for the info.
PLEASE look up ADR SUPPORT FORUM .COM , before you fuse !
Your Dr should have given you a Muscle Relaxant for the spasms...Flexeril or Robaxin! I am seeing a Neurosurgeon next week about my spinal stenosis.. It is bad at L3-L4. I had laminectomy way back in 1978 on L4-L5 and survived that! It just keeps getting narrower and narrower and I lose the ability to control my body and fall. It is time I trust someone to fix it! 😢
Have you tried back patches? I had my 360 surgery about 2012. I've also have continually back spasm pain. I found some back patches, been using them ever since.
Also a heating pad releases the spasms...
yes those work for spasms
I had lumbar 3 caged fusion I'm very strong guy been in top of roofs for 35 year but this surgery is painful very bad but you remember family and friends needs you and you will make it be tuf
God bless you and thanks for the info. I was going to fuse L3-4-5 Canceled the 1st surgery went to a second doc. He wanted todo the same thing. He came highly recommended was going todo the fusion with him. The week before scheduling the 2nd surgery God revealed something I near heard of Vertiflex Superion. Canceled 2nd surgery decided to go this route. From the time I called the office to the time I had the surgery and it's been 5 days post OP was less than 2 months. Had all my MRI's about 2 years of injections and not being able to walk more than 5min with pain in butt and right leg. Haven't worked for 6mons. After surgery walked out when I woke up. Sore from two 3" cuts in my back. Some leg pain and butt pain when I do to much. This surgery want work for upper back nor S1.
How are you doing now bro? The doctors are refusing to give me surgery because they say there is no guarantee that it will make my pain better
Thanks for my new mantra: it can only get better. My surgery is in 25 days.
Just had back surgery for a herniated disc pinching me so hard I lost the ability to move or walk from the pain. The recovery is scary now that I'm home. my whole body is sore.
Had the same surgery even after one mth still can't stand long without getting lower spine pain
I had a lamenectomony of L3 and a fusion of L4-L5 in January’20 after continuous pain I went in for another fusion of L4-S1 and I also had a loose screw which was removed and enlarged in June’20 well here we are in February’21 and still no relief I’m very frustrated too say the least
I had my L 3 4 and 5 fused on December 21 2018. I was raking leaves one day and the next day could barely stand or walk. I had to hold on to my wife to walk. I could not empty my bladder. I went to the emergency room and they gave me pain meds and did a sonogram of my testicles because of the urination problem. They found an inconsequential cyst on my left testicle and said it was probably nothing to worry about. I had pain shooting from my right buttock through my right testicle and down to my right shin when I tried to urinate. I could not get into a position that allowed me to empty my bladder. I went home and two days later was back in another emergency room due to the same terrible pain and not being able to urinate. I went upstairs to my back doctors office and they could not see me for more than a week. When I finally saw him, he sent me to the ER again and told them to admit me. I was catheterized and they drained over 1000 ml of urine from me. the neurosurgeon aka my doctor did a CT scan and booked me for surgery the next day. He said I was in bad shape but not in those words. I had a herniated disc and arthritis around my previous back surgery. I am well on the mend now and will see my doctor again on February 5 2019. I took pain meds the whole time I was in the hospital but barely needed them. I took them to ward off any pain. I never took any pain meds at home after discharge on Dec 26 2018. I have only pain when I move certain ways and things but nothing bad at all. About 13 years ago, I had a discectomy on L4 and 5. Good luck to you. My doctor was Peter O Holliday III in Macon GA at Charter Northside Hospital.
tmi
Im surprised they didnt give you muscle relaxers for your spasms.
Hi, how are you now, 4/29/2023?
How long did it take you to fully recover from the L3-5 fusion?
Great question, hopefully he answers
I noticed a few things you said in this video seem to indicate you are in Canada. ( physiotherapist instead of physical therapy and cm instead of inches) Am I right to say this is a Canadian surgery experience?
Larry - You would have to travel a bit further to the East. I am a US citizen living in the Netherlands for the past 28 years. My back surgery as well as cancer surgery the very next year we all done here in the Netherlands. I am grateful that I live here due in part to the wonderful health care system they have. Yes, I pay more in taxes, but my health care cost are very low with no so-called 'copays' and a small yearly 'own risk' to pay.
John, Would you do it again. I'm 69 looking at surgery nervous. John
Sorry you have painful back spasms. I hope the cease for you. Thank you for your story. I am possibly looking at surgery as I have tremendous back pain and down my legs due to severe stenosis. Wishing you continued healing. How are you doing now?
Do you have to sleep on your back afterward?
No can sleep on your side as long as you move as 1 unit.
Having my 7th back surgery in 3 weeks, at which time I’ll be fused from s1 to l1.... my complete lumber spine.
Are you OK? Did things go well?
Allan wimer how is ur back did u loose a lot of range of motion
Hi JC. really want to know that at what age you actually started to have back issues???
Well, without going into a large amount of detail on my back history, this is the approximate timeline:
Age 51 - Sever back spasms requires medication and physical therapy. Pretty much over after 2 weeks
Age 52 - Many physical therapy visits due to recurring back issues
Age 52.5 - Some chiropractor visits
Age 53 - Over period of about 6 months had many chiropractic visit to specialist in spine tensioning, with hopes of improving disc spacing
Age 53.5 - First real sciatica symptom starts. Could be due to specialized treatments.
Age 59 - Second sciatica symptom starts
Age 59.9 - Third sciatica symptom starts
Age 60.3 - MRI to get details for planned surgery
Age 60.6 - Operation
Does not seem easy!! And it depends on what hospital staff.. are and behaviors and doctors and insurance.. your experience is not what other humans will feel or go through.. i am happy you video it.. but i think you have share your experience but not let it be a experience for ALL.
How is your back doing?
how are you doing now ?
How's things now John?
The under estimated how much pain a person goes through having fusion surgery
@Tracy Lynn sorry to hear that hang in there God bless and get well soon. My back fusion was a year and half again and I don’t regret it at all but I can still remember the first two weeks after surgery
@Tracy Lynn I hope you have help at home and the best thing they gave me was a toilet seat riser that was a life saver I had a hard time getting down that low on a toilet my wife help get me dressed so I didn’t have to worry about that but it will get better main thing is make sure you walk little at a time your muscles do the craziest things ever relearning how to stabilize but in two weeks you will feel better stay out of a recliner they are no good for a back surgery I hope you get some sleep I know you will be on your way in no time
What type of surgery did you have XLIF ALIf etc I am planning on having XLIF surgery to fuse L4-L5
How are you doing now? I felt better for two years but now have more herniated discs and in a lot of pain. Muscle spasms are the worst.
As I have mentioned in the videos the majority of the sciatic symptoms went away, but no all of them. Enough of the symptoms went away to allow me to be active. As with you I have recently had a few bouts of muscle spasms which I have been working to manage by keeping it up with physical therapy exercises.
Are you ok now
did you have laminectomy also? I am having laminectomy/fusion to l3-4
Its Dec 12th 2020, Im haveing the same surgery as you Dec 14th at L4 and L5...How did your surgery go, how is your quality of life now?
I had my L-3 to L-5 fused. Still recovering.
How is it now? I'm likely to go to these surgery...
@@rizkymuthazany1198 it’s been 14 months now. No pain but I do get stiffness if I sit to long. Every once in a while I feel a pinch where the screws are. It also caused arthritis in my hips. The doctor explained that to me but he used a lot of medical terms. So I still don’t understand how that happened.
How hard was it to lay in hospital bed was it easier on your side or did it really matter? Thanks
In the first day, two days they want you to sleep on your back. To give counter pressure to the wound.
I had L3 L4 L5 AND S1 Rods its been a little more than 4 and a half months and im still in terrible pain when trying to walk . Sleeping is miserable. Wish i had never did it
Also I can't walk without a walker
I may have this same surgery very soon. I have L4/5/1 M6-L by Spinal Kinetics implanted in Germany in 2014 and was in a trucking accident that displaced L4/5 and some of the bone is compromised. I hope you are ok now and can do an update sometime. Cheers! I am interested to know how your mobility is now and also pain and spasms.
GO BACK TO EUROPE THEY DO A LOT OF REVISION WORK FROM THE US. ADR SUPPORT FORUM . COM
Had surgery in 2015. Didnot do well got infection.not sure what she did. Had a wound vac for 3 months. Never again. Now my son to have b a ck surgery
I don't know English and recently I had spine surgery l4l5s1 sir what did you say don't understand sir🙏🙏
No leg pain is not a side effect ir symptom if this surgery ,as well as severe back spasms,or limiting your ability to walk .Im so sorry i wish it was just all a bad dream because i k ow what i go through now just to get up and and get to the bathroom let alone walking a distance unassisted .
How are you today.
How long could you sit after 8 days? Could you concentrate?
6/20 NEXT WEEK I AM HAVING MINIMAL INVASION L2 S1 . I thank you for your video.
Do you think that physically, you did do too much?
No, I always did as much as I could. I knew that the more I did now that the recovery process would go smoother.
How are you feeling now and how long did it take you to heal?
Freddy - I suggest you look at my latest video I posted a couple years after my last video. This video more or less describes the continuation of my recovery to its fullest: ua-cam.com/video/T_-keEX5oJ8/v-deo.html
I'm facing fusion surgery next Weds. How are you doing now? Sept 9, 2022 ? Thankyou
Sarjah - I am doing fine. It has been over 5 years since my surgery. I still have minor sciatic pain in my leg when I do a lot of walking (>4Km), but it is minor. Even with the little pain, just standing in place for 30s or so and it goes away. It is much better than before my operation when I could not walk or stand for more than 5 minutes without being in a lot of pain. All I can say about the surgery, for myself, is that is was well worth it. Yes, there is a bit of recovery from the surgery and I think it is different for everyone. It was a bit of a struggle for the first few days, but soon enough the pain/discomfort became manageable and soon after that went away altogether. With all of the walking I did as a means of physical therapy, it has become one of my favorite hobby's.
I wish you well in your upcoming surgery.
@@john1956c Thankyu sir, I am in much fear , especially from muscle spasms. So you are free from that now? When I fractured my disk they were really bad for awhile. They wanted to replace my disk but that involves blood loss that I am not willing to replace. So. I am stuck with fusion & they are doing the disk above & below with the rods & screws because of my weak spine. So they said I can be paralyzed without the surgery, maybe I would be better off with no severe pain for life?
Thanks Sarajah
@@john1956c thanks
May have to have this, 69 don't know what to do
Painful to listen to. Speed version please
I try to be as detailed as possible and to provide what I hope is useful information to those which have to undergo this type of surgery and recovery. If you don't like it, look elsewhere for your information. You comment is not appreciated.
4 days in the hospital? Are you a politician or someone famous? Everyone else is gone the same day or 24 hours later. Wtf
I need tamil sir 🙏
Deff. Don’t believe these people who tell you don’t be fearful or scared, no matter who your surgeon is there’s always room for fear.not everyone will recover the same,not every surgery will go rite.trust me scared as hell about my l45 , l51 s1 fusion with bone graff.
Eric - I think it is best to keep comments like that to yourself. Many surgical procedures come with a certain amount of risk, but it doesn't mean you need to be scared about it. Being scared about it can only lead to stress, which is not helpful to yourself. Telling others to be fearful is not very nice and they don't need unqualified comments like this prior to having this type of surgery.
Sorry but no, again simple plain English everyone has the rite to be scared, not everything goes according to plan, so don’t try to mad it so black and white,like it a walk in the park. I have the rite to be scared fearful for my major surgery bone graph and fusion.Again not everyone recovers the same not every recovers as fast.So that being said we can end it hear keep your comments to yourself.
@@ericmedina4002 - Apparently you never watched my videos which describe in detail my operation and recovery. It is NOT a walk in the park, but you don't have to be afraid. There are so many competent surgeons out there that have been doing this successfully for a very long time. If you would spend the time to watch others that have posted videos or comments about their surgery and recovery I think you will find the vast majority are happy with the results. Yes, this is not a painless process, but for us that elected to have the surgery done knew what they were getting in to.
Telling people that they 'should be fearful or scared' is not helpful. It does not project a positive approach to this where the end result can mean the end of a lot of pain for many of us.
So what you guys are all saying is cancel my surgery tomorrow because it sounds useless
That’s what I’m thinking. Terrifying.
I am neurosurgeon,,, and today 8th after operation,,, I was taken for surgery urgently,,,,I never felt sick,,,pain spasm in sit of fusion that pain strong enough that tears goes by itself,,was prying to God to help me ,or finish my life
How are you now!
My care (both pre-op & post op) was excellent at Mercy Hospital. I knew exactly what was going to happen before it happened. Whoever this guy is needs to man up. My historical pain is going away and my surgical pain is also going away 7 days post op. He likes to hear sound of his own voice.
Smells BS story here😂
What are you referring to?
Its bs
@@user-xs6th9xi2i - What is BS? My story? If you think so, then you are totally wrong. Please don't make comments here when you know nothing about it.
@@john1956c you dont fuse whole spine and sit 8 days later telling yall that its going great. Show the scars then
Try God he helps but very slowly and gradually. But no blood is spilled if you go the Jesus god route
I had L2 L3 L4 and L5 fused had a urine tube in a week and the tube in the wound for bleeding was a week . They kept me in a facility over a month, 5 months since surgery and I still have hip pain and my left front thigh is numb
Sir how are you today? How's your pain? How's your spasms? How is the quality of life now? I'm looking at a 3 disc spinal fusion. I am very Apprehensive about having this surgery. I just know 1 day. My legs are gonna give out and they won't be able to walk again. And then at that moment that's irreversible. So I would be confined to a wheelchair. I have a very active life. If grandchildren meet, I drive to Visit 5 Hours Away. The other ones are seven hours away. So, all and now, how do you feel, sir? If you don't mind me asking? My hope is that you are doing OK and that you're living your best life. If anyone else happens to read this comment and he's been to this situation, please felt free to reply.. I'm trying to do my research and make an executive decision. Is my surge in told me to put my affairs in order to make a will? Have that all in place there are no guarantees with this spinal surgery. I even got a second opinion that doctor said. The first doctor is the best doctor in my city that can do that surgery. And he's remarkable is what my second opinion doctor said. So anyways, thank you for sharing your story. I really do appreciate hearing what other people have to say about this. I know my surgeon did. Tell me that once they start surgery on my back. That before I know it I'll have my whole spine I'll be fused. Because Once they start operating on your back It seems like the operate on it quite often according to my surgeon. With the 3 fractures that I have in the bone spurs. Be in a grammy is The best thing in the world. May surgeon and team of doctors say that I have the spine. I'm a ninety year old person. So many vertebraes that are completely degenerated in faucets. That are completely gone that it's gonna be a complex surgery. Because they're gonna have to find places to anchor screws to whatever that means, i'm not quite for sure.. I just know that he told me that my whole life is going to change.. I didn't know any of this before. I got a new car and now I can hardly get In-N-Out of and I aint bought a new bed for my bedroom. And it's too high off the ground for me to get in and out of it after a surgery. My goodness, I just have so much going on that. I just don't know what to do so. I've come to UA-cam like I hear. A lot of other people do to try to find.
How other people have felt going through this procedure. To everybody on this post. God bless you all and if you're struggling. Just know that you don't have to struggle alone. there's people out there Who would cheer you up. So if I could be encouraging. If you're struggling please just keep shine in. Please just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Every stumbling block that you come to turn it over and use it as a stepping stone.. Keep Shining ✨️ 🙏🏻
First off I have to say that my comments are the result of my results of my symptoms before and after surgery. Each person that undergoes surgery like this will experience there own outcome. Basically, one size does not fit all. This is my journey and each of us experience his/her own.
It has been 7 years since my surgery. My recovery did not take too long. Yes, it was a few months, but it was not too long before the major pain abated, where I got to the point where the overall sciatic pain became less that what it was before the surgery. Eventually it became much less, but not completely gone. When I say not completely gone I mean that I do have, from time to time, some sciatic symptoms but nothing like what I had before. For me I think the surgery was a big success and that it gave me back the possibility of having a more normal life style. Currently, I am a fanatic to walking, where I do as much as possible whenever the weather is good. The last two years I have done 1,100km's (each year) worth of my so-called powerwalks, which help me to maintain a good healthy condition. At 67 years of age I consider myself lucky to be this active.
2024 Go to Europe if your considering spine surgery !!!!!!