@annie1 Annie, my mom with severe osteoporosis has a DEXA scan of -4, and I see your lowest DEXA number is -3. The spine DEXA for you says -2.4 which is close to the score for osteoporosis that starts at -2.5. I can understand why the surgeon is concerned. From what I've read this can change for the worse. Only your treating specialist knows if your scores are changing for the better and how to interpret them for your care. You bone quality could be moving toward better or worse and has to be monitored because if you were to stop treatment for osteoporosis, it likely would begin to degrade again according to what I've read on Mayo's website. I've also read that if bone were to crumble after spine surgery, that may make the problem un-fixable.

I believe that when my mom broke her foot and her pelvis (when she fell on the kitchen floor) that her foot probably fractured when she stepped on it and caused the fall. She didn't twist her ankle, but just lost her balance and fell on her side which fractured her pelvis in 3 places. Several years later she had a spontaneous spine compression fracture in her lumbar spine. I hope that gives you a frame of reference for possible risks associated with DEXA scores. My mom does use a wheelchair, and doesn't have weight bearing exercise now because she can hardly walk. She has arthritic deformity in her feet.

Are you having difficulty walking? With the uneven gait due to spinal stenosis, I was wondering if that affected your ability to do weight bearing exercise that is beneficial for bone building? I know you like swimming, but that doesn't help osteoporosis as much because you don't stress the bones with added weight and pressure during movement.

In searching Mayo Clinic information I found that smoking, alcohol use, thyroid problems, steroid use, and some medications can contribute to thinning bones. I did find this interesting article describing regenerative medicine research at Mayo to try to fix thin bones in spine patients. At the end it has links to the labs and departments doing this research. I don't know what is possible today for patient treatment or if this is just an experimental stage, but you may want to look at this. Here are some of the links I found interesting.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/neurology-neurosurgery/news/optimizing-bone-health-before-complex-spinal-surgery/mac-20542607
https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/endocrinology/news/new-tools-to-predict-fracture-risk/mac-20430573
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tuesday-q-a-treatment-for-bone-disorders-focuses-on-strengthening-bones-slowing-bone-loss/
Jennifer

By the way, I went to a surgeon who was totally against doing surgery, even though he is a surgeon.
So I asked what his recommendation was for my future progress and this is what his nurse practitioner said,

By having patients work on their core strength the symptoms of spinal stenosis are controlled. Increasing core strength will give the support the spine needs. In addition, the pain management portion helps alleviate the pain associated with spinal stenosis.
I have severe lumbar stenosis. Is this to be believed ?

If my comment comes up twice, I briefly left the page and it was gone!
It sounds like you have found an excellent surgeon. A minimally invasive laminotomy is about 90% effective and has about a 6 week recovery rate. There is less damage to the muscles around the bone with this procedure. A laminectomy is open surgery and the incision is 2 to 5 inches long depending on the number of levels involved.
A laminectomy does not bring the spine back to its complete normal functioning and flexibility. A small degree of stiffness is usually present and usually remains life-long.
The T-score numbers on your latest DEXA look good. The Reclast treatment appears to be helping you. Doing a minimally invasive laminotomy shouldn't be a difficult surgery for you.
I chose to do my surgery because I had no quality of life and the pain was overwhelming me. I had to give up dancing, gardening, bike riding, long hikes and skiing. I was only sleeping 3 to 4 hours per night in my recliner. I couldn't lie in bed in any position. I couldn't walk to the end of my driveway and my husband was doing our grocery shopping. I had to sit on a chair to cook. Working on your core strength is important and you will need to do that the rest of your life. There comes a point though when the exercises and pain management won't be enough to help you. It sounds like you are either close to or at that point. I was in physical therapy for two years without much success and then a disc ruptured and the pain was unbearable. Most back surgeries are elective. Your doctor has offered a surgery he feels will help you but you are the only one who can make the decision to have the surgery. Good luck to you...

It's my understanding that if you are not taking warfarin or other anticoagulants and haven't been drinking excessive amounts of chamomile tea daily, you shouldn't have a problem with excessive bleeding. As long as the doctor knows that you have been drinking the tea, he/she will be prepared deal with any bleeding that might be present. I would not drink any before your surgery but you can safely consume 1 to 2 cups daily as long as you don't have an allergy to chamomile and it doesn't interact with any medications you are taking. Follow you doctors advice about use after your surgery. Chamomile does have mild blood-thinning effects.

What is the name of that again ? They gave me Robaxin, but it is not working and also a semi opiod I think.

I have a big question, I have been getting rides in a car already, one week after my surgery and realize maybe that isn't smart, but I just got one today. I hope I'm not messing up my recovery. Can anyone answer that ? Also is it ok to pull in my Abs while sitting ?

I am eight days post op after a laminotomy at L-3-4. Is it safe to pull in my Abs while sitting ? My personal trainer/pilates teacher gave me a gentle exercise I do while sitting which engages my Abs. I pull my heels back towards til I feel my hamstrings working and my Abs lift up a little. Does anyone know if this is safe after the surgery ? As I said I had a laminotomy at L3-4. Thanks

I have painful cramps in my calf muscles, My diagnosis was Lumbar stenosis and I had minimally invasive Laminotomy surgery (not Laminectomy) on March 1 for it. I had a good response in most areas, I stand up straighter, I can stand longer and walk longer but now the cramps are returning only four months after the surgery, I don't know if it's "the nerves healing" a line the PA for the surgeon gave me about this, but I am wondering if the surgery did not completely stick. Does anyone out there have leg cramps from lumbar stenosis and what helps it ?

Has anyone had a Laminotomy to relieve pain on the spine??? Was it successful?

I've had a spinal stenosis for five years. My MRI shows that it's getting worse. Pain is sporadic. No loss and strength thus far. My doctor tells me I'm a candidate for a laminotomy He said that post laminotomy that it's usually 4 to 7 years out from a fusion. But not always. My father had a laminectomy in the 90s and he lived to be in his 80s without a fusion. Is there anybody out there that had a la anatomy in the past and has been able to go decades without needing another surgery?