I've never felt this bad in my entire life. I am now facing another surgery, in January. This time my Neurosurgeon will do an XLIF procedure. He says that I have a new herniation at the L2 level, and I have loose screws at the L3 level. The SI joint pain that he said I had did not end up being SI joint pain per the Pain Management Physician who gave me 2 steroid injections directly into the joints with no relief. I continue to tell the Neurosurgeon where my pain is, pointing to the areas on my body directly in front of him, and it's like he just doesn't get it. Plus I have ribcage pain - he doesn't know what that is all about either. I have continued pain across my lower back (L) to (R). He says this XLIF procedure will reduce my pain. I'm not so sure to be honest. So now I will have to begin the recovery process all over again from Day 1. My greatest fear is that this just isn't going to end, and it's going to be one surgery after another and I still will be in pain -----