Spondylolisthesis

I had this operation nov. 5th 2014 . I am getting better and feelings are coming back in my feet . I won't lie , it is hard but worth it . It takes the pressure off your nerve and stabilizes it so it won't happen again . It is worth it but like I said hard . I would talk to someone about some anxiety medicine . I had depression right after the surgery but that is normal . You just have to realize this will pass and you'll be better off when you heal .You have to rest, take it easy and try not to reinjure yourself during the healing process . Feel free to ask what you want .

Hi tasha. I had a spinal fusion in 1992.  It wasthe best thing i ever did. It gavevmevbbasck my life. That was a longtime ago and I can imagine that the 

Procedure is very different now.  But I would say go for it  

Hi Tasha. Patricia here. I live in the US and had a Posterior L4-L5.Laminectomy and fusion ("modified" per the neurosurgeon). The. difference between you and I seems to be age, which gives you an advantage as I am 66 But very active. My surgery was 5 hrs and I was in the. hospital for 4 days. I am now 12 weeks post op and nearly back to normal......but I will be honest, you have a child that you aren't able to run.

around after. I am a recently retired bedside Ortho surg RN and am very glad that I had two attentive daughters and a brother that took care of me for the first 2 weeks. I had to send my little dog home with one of my daughters as I was not able to bend over to hook her leash to collar. That part went on for 4 weeks. You will be able to shower when the dressing comes off. You did not say what level your surgery will be but my scar is 3 1/2 inches long and is located about the same distance above the tailbone (coccyx). You will not be able to lift, twist at the waist , or bend. My lifting restrictions were not over 10 lbs for 6 weeks and not over 15 lbs until 3 months. I was able to drive at 4 weeks only because I was able to find a swivel seat cushion online that allowed me to get in and out of the car w/o twisting. I found it very uncomfortable to have to stand in place for more than a minute or two and that lasted for 11 weeks.. Hopefully your son is old enough to get up onto whatever you are sitting on by himself so you won't forget your restrictions and reach for him. I forgot. My surgeon did not let me sit for 2 weeks. A grabber or two will become your bff. And Although I did not have my surgeon's permission to, I wore my back brace at night..it reminded me not to twist when changing positions.

I truly hope all of this is of help to you. Like you, I was in so much pain before surgery. Every time I stood up to take a step would take my breath it was so painful. I walked bent forward and only for short distances. And, now I have my life back again. I was wheeled out of the recovery room with a big smile on my face...no pain for the first time in 13 months. You can expect to begin feeling like your old self at 3 months, but give yourself a break and do exactly what they tell you to do And you will make it there. Your family helping you during this time will be invaluable.

good luck and speedy recovery. If I can do it at 66, you certainly can too.

Patricia

I'm happy to read so many positive posts re; spinal fusion surgery.

I have spondylolisthesis at L5 and was told, in 2008, that fusion was my only option. I declined that option - because all my research revealed an unacceptable failure rate and further disablement. My then GP supported my decision not to have the surgery. 

I suffer constant pain that has severely hampered my mobility (but it gained me a Blue Badge) and limits my sleep. I don't have young children. Well, I'm 58. I've had to accept that having put my life on hold for nearly thirty-five years, while I raised my sons, just at the time when my younger son had become independant and I should have begun to find some freedom, do those long-put-off walks, my spine began to tell me that I couldn't.  I have to accept that all that CAN be done for me IS being done. 

I have to take the maximum permitted (safe) dose of Co-codamol and Gabapentin every day - just to be able to be mobile at all. They often don't ease the pain. But I've discounted fusion surgery. It's far too risky for me. I have a major cardiovascular condition that means there's a huge risk of my having a stroke and/or respiriratory arrest under the anaesthetic.

I struggle on, not taking the maximum does of my drugs, unless I absolutely HAVE to.

My elder son died just over two years ago. Very late-diagnosed cancer. He died exactly a month after being given the diagnosis.  His ashes are interred in the local cemetery. It grieves me that I can't make the walk to his grave.  It's uphill all the way from our house. And I simply can't make it. I don't drive; I have to depend on my husband to drive me to my son's grave. 

I have nought but admiration for all who've been through the surgery, for those who are facing it.  But it's not for me.....

Hello Tasha,

I empathise with what you are going through.  I was diagnosed with a grade 4 spondylolisthesis in 1996, and like yourself I was told I was probably born with it..  I had just had my second child and unfortunately he had special needs, so I put off having the operation to concentrate on his needs. In 2005 I couldn't stand the chronic pain any longer and it made me feel very depressed.  My Son was of an age where he could be cared for by grandparents etc, and I decided to go for the op.  I had a spinal fusion of L5/S1 and decompression, as my leg was becoming weaker and weaker.  I was told if In had left it any longer I would end up with a permanent foot drop.  

Yes the fear of the op worried me, but I knew it was necessary.  The first night after the op was pretty horrific for me (I was put on the high dependancy unit as my body went into schock when I came round); but after that I made really good progress with a lot of physio.  My family and friends said that they had never seen me walk so straight.  I wish I had gone for it a lot sooner, as it did improve my quality of life.

Unfortunately I have a problem higher up in my back now, needing a further fusion, but I have no major concerns about the op as I know only too well the feeling of suffering with agonising pain, and if the surgery can relief that, then so be it.

Good luck

Hi Tasha! 

 My name  is ky and I have spondylolisthesis in my L4 and L5

i was diagnosed in 2008 at age 6 and had a spinal fusion in L4 L5 and S1 with it all screwd into the left side of my pelvis.I had the surgery in December of 2013 and as of December 2014 I have been totally 100 percent pain free! I spent 6 years living in pain for my childhood and I was constantly doubling over and crying and not being able to participate in any activities what so ever.no PE or running with other kids or doing things at summer camps, it was petty rough.i wore a back brace for a year and finally when I had grown enough,I got surgery. I have to admit I was scared at first being only age 11 I don't regret it for a moment. I was in the hospital for 7 days and though recovery was long and brutal it was DEFFINATELY worth it !!!!!i think you should get the surgery for sure even though I am a kid and I don't have adult responsibilities, I pushed my self hrough recovery and was able to walk with support two days post op.I was scared out of my mind but sick and tired from the pain. I love little kids and I have a little sister and I was back to playing with them and picking her up 4 months post op. For the first 2-3 months I could not lift over 5 lbs. but I felt so strong being pain free and able to walk without screaming every step( this was literally my everyday life I went to the nurses office everyday just to lie down on a heating pad which served a bit of relief.)you will NOT regret surgery if it means living pain free. I had a very extensive strand of spondylolisthesis that not many people get at all in fact it is very uncommon so your symptoms may not be as bad but you should in my opinion get the surgery! I can't believe how much it helped

Hi Tasha - you poor lamb and espeicailly with a son.  I was diagnosed with grade 2 Spondy 2 years ago and I've had 2 lots of root nerve injection (failed) and one lot of some other injection (also failed) - I do these without sedation and it's not as bad as you think.  So I pleaded for surgery and got it but it was cancelled 2 weeks before, in November last year.  I couldn't walk in a shop without leaning on a shopping trolley, walk across the kitchen to tidy (I've 3 children) and had to bend over to release the pressure every few hundred yards of walking (not a pretty sight!). So op cancelled, I decided to give my spine a little helping hand.  I've been doing Pilates in a small group 3 or 4 people with exercises modified for me to allow for when it hurts (don't do that exercise - do this one). NOW...  I walk the dog 2 miles every morning - without bending over.  I walked round Venice last week - slowly - very very slowly - but with manageable pain.  I take a couple of ibuprofen every so often but no other pain killers - and I've had a go with them all.  I'm not pain free.  But the level of pain is greatly (massively) reduced to being manageable/tolerable and every so often I feel like I'm walking on air - because it doesn't hurt at all!  I'm on my own so the surgery thing would have been a nightmare with 3 children.  But Pilates made a difference within 3 weeks.  It's gentle (you're laid down a lot of the time) and it's about strengthening your core - back and tummy muscles and helping with balance.  So your spine isn't doing all the work.  I don't carry extra weight, and i don't do anything overhead (paint ceilings etc).  I go at my pace and I sit for my job.  But if I walk I hold my tummy in and try to clench backside and pelvic floor.  Last year I crawledd and wept my way to surgery date - it was all I could focus on.  Now I wouldn't have surgery.  I pay £10 a week for an hour.  Like the root nerve injections and all that - Pilates may not work for everyone, but if it gives you even a little relief - try it.  2 or maybe 3 sessions and you just don't know.  I've got a washboard tummy and a backside that 's getting higher by the day (it's practically a hum on my back now) and I'd never previously done exercise - at all!  I'm 50!

Whatever happens and you may already have had the surgery - wishing you the very best and a big hug.  It hurts and it's not fair.  xx