I had all three of my spine surgeries at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The spinal fusion, my last surgery was in May of 2020. You didn't give the date of your appointment in Rochester. I am assuming it will be soon. The first thing I would recommend is to have all of your records either sent to your doctor at Mayo or bring them with you to your first appointment. They will ask at the desk if you have brought any records and you can give them to the person registering you for your appointment. Have a CD of your images included in the files that will go to your doctor at Mayo. If you have had any recent physical therapy, spinal injections, or chiropractic care, massage therapy, dry needling or acupuncture, bring records from those providers also. All of these records will be added to your records before you see the doctors. They will then have time to review them before your appointment. They provide wheelchairs and I would suggest using one. The clinic is huge and you will have appointments on the 18th floor and on down to the subway level. They may want you to wear a mask and they do provide them but you might want to bring your own just in case.

One of the first doctors you will see will probably be a physiatrist. This doctor will assess your level of pain, and lead a treatment/prevention plan. He may also order more studies and then assess your disability or impairment. He may want you to have an injection to relieve pain if you haven't done that yet. If you don't get relief from a spinal injection, you need to let him know. Also, if you can't tolerate the steroids in injections, speak up and let him know. I have glaucoma and steroids raise the pressure in my eyes - not good! I don't do injections. He works with the neurosurgeon and orthopedic surgeon to help determine the level of help you may need. The physiatrist is a gate-keeper so try to do some PT, injections, water exercise, etc. before you go to Mayo if you haven't done that yet. You have to get past him to schedule a surgery. I had x-rays of my spine taken while there, a bone density imaging exam, a CT of my spine and a Fluoroscopic Injection which helps the doctor determine the source of your pain. My injection wore off within maybe 10 minutes. If it gives pain relief for a long period of time they will probably recommend you try a spinal injection before going forward with surgery.
My next doctor appointment was with my neurosurgeon. We discussed my tests and then had a consultation with the orthopedic surgeon. My surgery was scheduled and I returned to Mayo about a month later to prepare for surgery.

I had blood tests, a preoperative consultation, and a consultation with the orthopedic surgeon. Surgery was the next day. My ortho was head of the team, my neurosurgeon released the nerves and prepared the site for the orthopedic doctor and then he did the instrumentation. My surgery was at St. Mary's Hospital. I was in surgery about 6 hours all together. I had surgery on Wednesday and was released on Saturday. You may want to think about spending a few extra days in Rochester. We had an 8 + hour drive home. It was an extremely painful day for me. I was able to get out of the car and walk for several minutes every hour or less. If you are flying the walking could be difficult and the airport could be difficult too. You might want a pillow along with you to help relieve pressure on your spine and lower body.

Most of the hotels in Rochester provide free shuttle service to and from the clinic and hospitals. We always stayed at a hotel in the northern part of Rochester and close to the expressway. There were restaurants, gas stations, Walmart, Target and other stores close by. Our hotel had a private shuttle, which I liked. The Kahler Inn & Suites across the street, has subway access to Mayo Clinic which is very convenient. There are lots of wheelchairs available for free use in the clinic. Also there is shopping and a good cafeteria available in the subway level of the clinic. Extended Stay America - Rochester - North if you need to find a home away from home for several nights, a week, a month or even longer.
You will find everyone very helpful and very friendly in Rochester. Everything happens very efficiently at the clinic and it spoils you. I love going there for care. After surgery, you will have physical therapy, occupational therapy and lots of information for caring for yourself at home. You will be given a kit to prep your skin before surgery. You can go home with a front-wheeled walker when you leave the hospital if you need one. Don't take much to the hospital with you. I would think about wearing something loose and comfortable for several days after you leave the hospital. You don't want waistbands that will bind on your incision. For my incision, I had dissolving stitches. The steri-strips came off over the next several days. Also I had an appointment as follow-up with my family doctor that week after i left the hospital. No bending, no twisting, no lifting greater than 10 lbs. restrictions had to be followed for 12 weeks before I could gradually increase my activities.
I hope your visit goes well in Rochester. If you have more questions, please ask. ~ Wanda