Had mine done on 10/26. L2 L3. Sore but doing much better. Hang in there!
This is why I’m putting off my surgery - suggested by an orthopedist and two neurosurgeons - as long as they keep prescribing percocet for me.
I have pain but no functional loss yet. sensory and motor function are good.
My wife went though multi-level laminectomies w/ partial disc resection 3 years ago.
She took 6 weeks off work. Started physical therapy about 5 days post-op, would walk the length of our street (couple hundred feet cul-de-sac) first with a walker, then a cane, finally unassisted.
She’s regained most of the function of her foot extensors (foot drop was the “tell” I picked up on, initiating the surgical consultation and surgery scheduled about 8 weeks later due to PT, consultations, insurance approvals, etc.), and still has pain controlled with Tylenol only.
Godspeed, keep us posted.
Had it done about 9 years ago. Worst part was having to lay on staples that they used to close the incision. Used pain meds for 3 days then quit them. Otherwise followed instructions and healed just fine.
Ended up with some scar tissue this year that was taken care of with ablation.
Mrs. Kolb had this surgery back in June with excellent results. The most frustrating part for her was limited mobility and restricted activity during recovery (no twisting, no lifting anything over 5 lbs, etc). She is doing great, every day is better than the previous one. Running her own physical therapy program and exceeding the doctors’ expectations. My recommendation is to not expect much at first and keep your spirits up. Turn off the TV and read books. Go outside, weather permitting, and enjoy.
I keep putting mine off. I have L2/L3 spondy and a torn L5, so I need full fusion. Curious if you had any numbness before surgery and if they think it will go away after recovery.
Regardless, good luck and hope you bounce back quickly.
I would probably take it easy for a couple more days.
Good luck.
Be prepared for depression to set in. After every invasive medical procedure I have had, depression sets in a week to ten days later. Just knowing that, helps me deal with it.
Also, TAKE THE PAIN MEDS! Don’t make your body allocate resources which are needed for healing and recovery, to having to deal with pain, too. Better living through chemistry!
Hope it turns out well of course. All I find is a low success rate for these surgeries in the literature.
I keep wondering what the mean time to failure is for these body parts. My feet have been numb for years, outside toes usually. Still go when I need and want to. The major malady seems to be ever present peroneal tendonitis. If aspirin or ibuprofen will kill you I’d be dead already. Likewise lack of complete sleep.
Everyone is a bit different, so I can only speak to my experience. Mine was due to car wreck and included a broken femur with rod and pins and some other party favors. I now have a piece of rib and a steel cage with what I lovingly refer to as deck screws in my back.
I am blessed to get around very well now and actually lift 40-50 lbs bags at times, but in a VERY methodical manner. I've learned my limits albeit they're not as bad as I thought they would be nine years ago. That took time.
As I started writing this I saw I was likely just repeating the things your doc and physical therapists have told you. Basically have patience, be a good patient and things should get better. Yes, it starts slow. My first day after surgery (with help of two men) was back brace on, stand up, one step, sit down, lay back down and rest. On day two I sat in a chair for 30 minutes.
Here's the visual I have for this:
If you can imagine taping a small pipe to the middle of a fishing rod, that's your back now. The middle part doesn't bend, so the areas above and below the pipe will get much more stress when bending/lifting/twisting.
Some suggestions:
Take Care
14 months out from a L2 - S1 fusion. It gets a little easier every day. The pain will diminish. Don’t skip the PT or the pain meds and whatever you do don’t fall! I’m 69 years old and I was actually able to play 9 holes of golf (long game sucks, have to learn how to twist again)in August and Went scuba diving last month. My daily walks are approaching a mile.