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Almost 3 weeks post op 2 level lumbar fusion

Posted , 6 users are following.

angie42070
angie42070

Hi all, I'm now almost 3 weeks post op and cannot believe the difference. 

I had two prolapsed discs due to DDD, spinal stenosis and a compressed L5 nerve root. I've been undergoing spinal injections and epidurals for 5 years for severe sciatic pain in my left leg. I am 48 and always exercised when I could, after the surgery ( 5 hours) I came home the next day. I was up and walking after 24 hours and after 3 days no longer needed pain relief. 

I woke up in the recovery room with the sciatic pain gone completely and have just been left with a numb little toe and loss of sensation down my left outer calf. 

I sleep better now and can lay on my back. I had a PLIF and 6 screws with two bars, I have a 6 inch incision which has completely healed, I can feel the hardware but it's not painful. . I do everything myself around the house and use the squatting position so as not to bend. I've just started gentle exercises to get my muscles moving and to stop muscle cramps. 

I know everyone is different but the surgeon thought I would have problems due to the amount of pain relief I needed daily to cope, and I don't need any at all now. I'm enjoying building up my walking times and have not needed any walking aids for the last week. It's definitely worth considering if nothing else has helped. 

4 likes, 25 replies

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  • nik890
    nik890 angie42070

    Posted

    Hope you are still progressing well Angie :-)  I had my first injection yesterday in the S1 area and I am hoping this will help me up until my fusion in September.  Did you find the injections got rid of the pain or just helped a bit?  Mine is somewhat better today and I can certainly walk easier but still have some pain 
    • angie42070
      angie42070 nik890

      Posted

      Hi Nik, all going really well thank you. 4 months now since the operation and I'm back to normal. No pain, exercising although yoga is interesting due to having as much flexibility. 

      The injections worked well for me in the beginning but I had them for 4 years before the operation and towards the end they gave little relief. 

      Hope this injection for you works well 

    • nik890
      nik890 angie42070

      Posted

      The injection worked well but my surgery is this Thursday. Just feeling quite scared today. So glad it's all well with you
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