Has anyone suffered from lumbar spinal stenosis? Did you have surgery?

@oveanlover1224 Welcome to Connect. I know it is daunting to receive a diagnosis and surgical plan that doesn't sound like it has great potential for pain relief. Another consideration is loss of function. With severe lumbar stenosis putting a lot of pressure on nerves or the spinal cord, what are the functions that will be damaged if the spinal cord is not decompressed? Did your surgeon explain what your future may look like if you do not have spine surgery?

No one wants spine surgery, and I understand that as patients, we want some kind of guarantee, but a surgeon can't usually promise that. They don't know how much damage has already happened and when is the point of loss when the nerves simply die and these functions are lost. It may be the ability to walk or bladder or bowel control and that may be permanent and unfixable with surgery later. Sometimes because of the damage, a patient still has pain even though surgery removed the compression, and there is also the scar tissue from the surgery that can become tight and cause pain. For that, a physical therapist can probably help with myofascial release to stretch out tight tissue.

If you become disabled, are you prepared to live life coping with the disability? There may be a cost for caregivers or nursing aides if you are unable to function on your own. Insurance doesn't usually pay for a service like that, and there may need to be modifications to your home. My parents were both in wheelchairs, and I was saddled into being their caregiver and basically had to give up my ability to earn a living to take care of my aging parents. There is a lot to think about. I know it is hard to surrender to the loss of what your abilities used to be before your spine condition started to take it away, and having to make a choice when you are unsure of what the outcome will be. That is a tough choice for anyone, so take a deep breath, and learn all that you can.

Lumbar surgery is more involved and as you've been told, has a lesser statistic for success. Your doctor may define successful surgery differently from you. They won't promise you will be pain free. I had cervical spine surgery (which is a lot easier) and my surgeon didn't promise that either. I do know that I am grateful to have had the choice to avoid the disability that would have been my future. To make a well-informed choice, you do need several surgical opinions. Sometimes they do a laminectomy to ease pressure on the cord; sometimes a fusion which is a harder recovery. It depends on what the structural problems are that are causing the compression and weakness.

You can always state the suggested plan here for discussion with other members who may have had similar experiences. Your experience will be different from others because patients don't have the same degree of spine conditions, the same health issues in addition to the spine issues, age, or pain tolerance. You do have to take your best guess as to what you think may help you the most as it is your choice on what you do for your future. Not choosing surgery, is a different choice all together, and you need to understand that too and the risks it may bring and how soon. Your surgeon may not be able to answer that specifically, but they should have seen cases and have general knowledge of what may happen in your future without intervention. Please understand that I'm not trying to shock you, but to be to be honest. I do wish you the best possible outcome.

Be careful with Advil. Follow the directions very closely. I ended up in the hospital with extremely high blood pressure and one doctor called it a "mini" heart attack.I won't have it in the house anymore.

WOW thank you for your frank honest opinion on having surgery! I have read so much on fusions,,, I am soo sry you are still having issues and pain!

WOW, that was possibly the most thorough, honest, and complete answer I have ever seen. Amazing. Telling it like it is. Kudos and good on you. ★‡♥‡★

Thank you so much for your words 1 neurosurgeon said lamenectomy with fusion the other said hemilaminatomy with medial facectomy???

I have SEVERE lumbar stenosis L3 L4 L5 with slipped discs!I have seen 2 neurosurgeons now and they both say if I have surgery I only have a 50/50 of it being successful WTH! seriously what kind of odds are going through such a major surgery for maybe nothing maybe worse with the knowledge that adjacent syndrome is most likely!!!So as of now I live in CHRONIC PAIN can only walk for 2 minutes at a time! I am a 62 year old woman who was a athlete and played tennis my whole life competitively!all I take for pain is advil as it does not really work flexeril doesnt work great,, and LYRICA was just prescribed and I just had ANOTHER INJECTION!AVOIDING surgery for now all there seems to be are complications! If ANYONE has any other pain medications to suggest it would be SOOOO greatly appreciated:) SRY for this long post,,, if you read it THANK YOU with my heart! cheers 🙂

I have SEVERE lumbar stenosis L3 L4 L5 with slipped discs!I have seen 2 neurosurgeons now and they both say if I have surgery I only have a 50/50 of it being successful WTH! seriously what kind of odds are going through such a major surgery for maybe nothing maybe worse with the knowledge that adjacent syndrome is most likely!!!So as of now I live in CHRONIC PAIN can only walk for 2 minutes at a time! I am a 62 year old woman who was a athlete and played tennis my whole life competitively!all I take for pain is advil as it does not really work flexeril doesnt work great,, and LYRICA was just prescribed and I just had ANOTHER INJECTION!AVOIDING surgery for now all there seems to be are complications! If ANYONE has any other pain medications to suggest it would be SOOOO greatly appreciated:) SRY for this long post,,, if you read it THANK YOU with my heart! cheers 🙂

Basically learning to move without excess curvature of the spine. Search online onder the name and you’ll find explanations better than I can provide. I’ve avoided surgery myself.

Don't expect immediate miracles after surgery. Although, my acupuncturist walked out of the hospital and has not experienced the pain and challenges I've had. Looking back, I think I was born with the predisposition. I can't rave enough about the combination of acupuncture and lazer. I understand that both reduce inflamation. Whatever it is, it works for me. It's almost like I've never had spinal stenosis.

Even if I experience some pain, it is nothing compared to what I used to experience. Another thing I've noticed recently is that I have much more clarity in my thinking processes. I can do things now without thinking about it. This includes simple things. I didn't realize how much pain had affected me.

I also have spinal stenosis in L5 -S1 also with an bulging disc. I have the pain down the rt buttock and tingling and numbness of the 5th metatarsal and foot. Recently had epidural injection. Will look into the Gokhale method. Just wondering if you did in person sessions?