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Doctor recommended l4-5, l5-s1 fusion. What'll my life be like?
Spine Health | Last Active: 6 days ago | Replies (38)Comment receiving replies
@heyjoe415
You are so lucky. I had a laminotomy at L 3 4 after almost 6 years of stenosis when all the surgeons were saying I needed fusion I refused and finally found one that would do the laminotomy only. The only problem is that it didn't last. In fact the pain I had only went away for about 2 months. Then came back. Now they're saying I have to do the fusion to get rid of this atypical pain which is throbbing in my calf muscles after I walk even if it's very short distance like from the kitchen to the window. I am afraid of the fusion still but just throbbing is driving me crazy. The only thing that helps me is oxycodone and I don't know if I could stay on that the rest of my life. Any feedback? I'm fairly strong in my core but I don't actually spend that much time on it every day. I go swimming once or twice a week and do physical therapy once a week. I don't know if good compression I have would be helped at this point even if I did core exercises 3 hours a day.
Replies to "@heyjoe415 You are so lucky. I had a laminotomy at L 3 4 after almost 6..."
Hi Annie,
Just checking in to see how you are doing.
All the best.
Joe
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Hi Annie,
Sounds like you went through what I went through. Although my laminotomies are still holding, thankfully.
I'm so sorry for the pain you are experiencing, likely due to your sciatic nerve beng squeezed from the stenosis you mentioned.
As for whether a stronger core would help alleviate the pain, I suggest asking your surgeon and if possible, getting a referral to a PT.
My surgeon tells me my strong core muscles are all that stands between me and lumbar fusion. The laminotomies worked once but can't be repeated. If I developed sciatica now, I'd need fusion surgery, and I'd like to avoid that.
And chronic use of oxycodone comes with its own set of problems, including tolerance and constipation.
See if your surgeon believes you can be helped by PT. I'm sorry I don't have more encouraging news for you Annie. As for me, as much as I'd like to avoid fusion, I'd do it if it meant relieving chronic sciatica pain. I've been there, as you are now, and it is very painful.
Please let me know what you do. (In the meantime, I'd try applying ice to your lower back, not heat. The cold could temporarily relieve some of the inflammation around your sciatic nerves. Has your surgeon suggested an epidural, an injection of cortisone into the affected area? This usually helps with a bulging disc. It likely would not help with stenosis.)
All the best Annie.
Joe