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@lisamedanic Good morning! I had a T11 to L4 fusion ate the Phoenix Mayo Clinic in December 2024. My surgeon did an amazing job with my back. The staff had trouble managing my pain and the most frustrating thing for me was that by the time a doctor came in to see me, change the medication, get it from the pharmacy, and then to me….it was late afternoon. The day shift doctors and staff would then go home. Then I would take the medication, it wouldn’t work, and then I was left to suffer through the night because the on call doctor wouldn’t make a change. I was there 9 days and experienced this cycle almost every day. I wrote a detailed message about all of this and submitted to HR with the hope it would help someone else.
I understand that my body was part of the issue with my resistance to almost all of the drugs but I also believe that with my pain level, a doctor/PA should have made the round to my bed earlier in the morning so they could give me the new medication and be able to monitor the effectiveness before they all left for the day.
Other than that, the staff was attentive and the food comes from their cafeteria and was restaurant quality in my opinion.
I found that if you use the search bar and type in different words, you can find a lot of discussions that might answer some questions. Let me know if you have any questions for me. 😊 Sherry
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@sherrym25 What is life like after Multi-Level Lumbar Fusion. This is my AI summary and comparssion of my latest MRI & CT
Overall Impression
Combined MRI and CT imaging demonstrates advanced multilevel degenerative and post-surgical changes, with critical adjacent-segment disease at L1–L2, chronic nerve injury (arachnoiditis), and multilevel foraminal stenosis. The CT confirms severe bony narrowing and fusion integrity, explaining persistent and progressive radicular symptoms.
Key New & Confirmatory Findings from CT
L1–L2 – MOST SIGNIFICANT LEVEL
Severe central canal stenosis, CT canal diameter: ~5–6 mm (confirms MRI measurement), Moderate to advanced bilateral foraminal stenosis, Contributing factors (best seen on CT):, Ligamentous and facet overgrowth, Disc bulge with mineralization, Osteophyte (bone spur) formation, Represents adjacent segment degeneration above prior fusion.
CT strongly confirms MRI impression of severe L1–L2 stenosis and clarifies that narrowing is largely bony and structural, not just soft tissue.
L2–L3
Mature arthrodesis and ankylosis, Prior laminectomy, Canal well decompressed, Moderate right, mild left bony foraminal narrowing
L3–L4
Mature fusion across disc and posterior elements, Residual deformity:, ~9 mm lateral subluxation (right → left), ~5 mm anterolisthesis, Bony canal narrowed to ~7 mm, Moderate to advanced right foraminal narrowing, Left foramen well decompressed
CT shows fixed structural narrowing despite fusion, explaining persistent foraminal symptoms.
L4–L5
Solid anterior and posterolateral fusion, Residual anterolisthesis (~9 mm), Mild canal stenosis (~8 mm below fusion level), Foraminal spaces reasonably decompressed
L5–S1
Vacuum disc phenomenon and spondylosis, Advanced left foraminal stenosis, Mild–moderate right foraminal narrowing, Mild–moderate subarticular recess narrowing (right), CT confirms osseous foraminal compromise, especially on the left, Thoracolumbar & Upper-Level Findings (CT Adds Important Detail)
T10–T11
Moderate right and moderate-to-advanced left foraminal stenosis, Canal ~8 mm, Bridging osteophytes and disc material into foramina.
This level can contribute to truncal, flank, or atypical nerve pain and is better characterized on CT than MRI.
Other Important CT Findings
No evidence of discitis or osteomyelitis (important given your history), No acute fracture, Atrophy of paraspinal musculature (notably left psoas), Lumbar scoliosis convex left (Cobb angle ~18°), Partial fusion of left sacroiliac joint, Spinal cord stimulator intact and appropriately positioned.
I'm facing Multi-level Spinal Fusion T12-S1, needless to say I am scared to death. Not so much about the surgery but what is life after going to be like after. This morning, I was in extreme pain just to put something in the oven. I drop a pill, same results. Will I eventually be able to drive? My husband died in Feb 2025, I had heart attack in March 2025. I am trying to adjust to a life alone with multi-chronic conditions and knowone to pick up a pill from the floor for me. Yes, I am afraid of the surgery and the recovery but I will have medical professionals and caregivers for the 1st few weeks, but what is life after that going to be like. That is what frightens me the most.