@elizamoore
I had L3-L5 decompressed and fused in August 2024. I still have some healing to go and understand it can take a full year. There are some nerve sensations and stiffness but I do not have what you have (had neurogenic claudication before my surgery which caused pain/numbness/weakness from lower back to feet but this has improved significantly).

I don’t blame you for not wanting to do another surgery yet. I would do more digging to find out what is affecting and compressing your zl5 nerve on the left. Is it pinched at the root by scar tissue, bone growth/osteophyte, or is there a new disc bulge/herniation at L4-L5 which is not pressing on L5 nerve root? Would the revision surgery be at L5-S1 or would new decompression/fusion at L4-L5 be needed? When you get fusion, there can be issues with levels above and below.