Weakness in legs and feet from spinal nerve compression

I have lumbar stenosis at L3-4 and L4-5, diagnosed after 3 months of pain and increasing weakness in my feet. I am having decompression surgery in a couple of weeks. My pain - going from my lower back, down through my butt and thighs (on both sides) was excruciating for 3 or 4 months. It's still there, but has become much more manageable.

However, the tingling, numbness and weakness in my feet and lower legs has got worse, and I need crutches to walk even short distances. I am very unsteady on my feet and cannot balance without support.

I'd really appreciate hearing from others who've had decompression surgery, and had these neurological issues, whether the surgery helped and their neurological function came back. If so, how long did it take for function to be restored? I already had some nerve damage in my left leg, from a herniated disc and bone spurs at L5-S1 pressing on my sciatic nerve. By the time I had surgery for that, 12 years ago, some of the nerve damage was permanent, and eventually I needed to walk with a stick most of the time - but I could walk for a mile or so. Now I can barely go a quarter of that, very slowly, on crutches. It has been life-changing for me. My husband has had to take on all the household tasks I can no longer do. We're both in our 70s and he has a heart condition, so this is not ideal.

What have your experiences been with decompression surgery and nerve damage? Thanks in advance.

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