Contemplating L5 S1 decompression and fusion surgery

@vijay26 please call 988 if you are thinking about suicide now.
Spinal injections are not bad. I felt no pain during my first one and some pain during the second one but that was because my condition worsened.
My second injection was in Nov. and it is still working. The doctor said I can get three a year.
Please see a therapist and get additional help for your depression.

In response to "I am wary of permanent nerve damage without surgical intervention." This is an important consideration. For reasons of my own I put off diagnosis and treatment as long as I could, for years. In the meantime, degenerative disk disease and stenosis eventually led to permanent nerve damage in the spinal cord. In the end, crushed nerves to the legs exiting between vertebrae sitting atop one another with no disks between them was the result. What did this mean for me as a practical matter? Numbness and intermittent "pins and needles" in the feet, weakened muscles in the legs, I look like a stroke victim when I walk, and I have to ask for wheelchair assistance in airports because I cannot mange walking long distances. Recovery from surgery can be challenging. Surgery cannot undo permanent nerve damage. No surgery I have ever had on any part of my body ever made me "as good ass new" (and I have has a few), but in this case the decompressions and fusion seem to have arrested the progression of the disease, helped me to be more comfortable, and as a bonus gave me back about two inches of my height 🙂 For whomever is reading this, if you have been warned that permanent nerve damage without surgery is a possibility please take that warning seriously. Permanent damage is more than a hypothetical.

I had a discectomy in 2023. In 2024 I had severe pain in my left glute area. Ended up having L3-L4 fusion. Pain disappeared immediately. In 2025 I started having a lot of pain in my right lower back, thigh, and shin. Woke up New Year's day and I couldn't lift my right foot [foot drop]. L5 was the problem so that was fused also on 1/21/2026. Got some movement back but no guarantee it'll fully recover. Don't wait too long. Nerve damage is life altering. Good luck.

I had L5/S1 fusion in May of 2025. The doctor had no choice but to operate but MRIs also showed that I have T12-L4 varying levels of degenerative disease and bilateral SI joint degenerative disease.I waited too long to see a neurosurgeon and the L5 vertebrae completely collapsed and was sitting on top of the S1 vertebrae, compressing nerves at L5 and S1. My SI joint on left was fused last November and I’m currently waiting for the right SI surgery date.

Don’t wait! I have permanent nerve damage because I waited over 3 years! Once I recover from the SI joint fusions, I will be getting a spinal cord stimulator to hopefully help we the nerve damage and pain down my legs into my feet. Get a second opinion if you would feel better, but please don’t wait like me! I can’t sit/stand for longer than 15 minutes and sleep is spotty … I get up every 1.5 - 2.5 hours bc of nerve pain. And, I’m on narcotics and muscle relaxers and nerve pills! You are young! I don’t think you want to have forever damage and pain! Please don’t wait!

@pauly61 I had a MicroDiscectomy in March 2001 after suffering for 2 years. As soon as I woke up the leg pain was gone. One month later the pain was back. The disc herniated again and the surgery was repeated in 9/2001. The leg pain lingered for a number of years. Fast forward to 6/2014 and I had to have spinal fusion at L4L5, TLIF. Fast forward to 8/2025 and I’m back in the same boat. New MRI shows total compression of the nerve and since I had 2 surgeries at L5S1 that is now in need of fusion. I saw the surgeon yesterday and he said he needs to extend the fusion which involves removing the upper rod and screws and extending them an additional level. That would be done through the old incision. To repair the L5S1 he would go through my abdomen. He said I could do that another time if I choose. I have another opinion on Monday. I have unrelenting leg pain. I know the longer I wait the worse it will be, I’ve been down this road before. When my friends complain that their back is aching, I tell them I would give anything for just a backache and that I would gladly trade with them. Unless people go through this and I’ve been dealing with this since 1980 they have no idea what pain is. I was 26 years old when I started having problems with my back. Back then they put you in traction in the hospital. I spent 22 days in traction. I’m almost 72 and I’ve been dealing with this too long. And there’s no end in sight because both my thoracic and cervical are no good either. My mom waited too long, which was not her fault and she ended up with permanent nerve damage. I feel for anybody who goes through this because it’s been unrelenting for 45 years for me. I just wanna go out and not have to look to see how many benches are available for me to sit down. On top of dealing with this, I have Sjogren’s disease and I have Grovers disease. None of this is fun, but I deal with it the best I can.

@jan2783 I know what you mean. The pain wears you down mentally and physically.

I had L4 -S1 fusion and laminectomy Oct 27 2025. I am still in recovery. I have nerve pain in both legs and currently taking Lyrica to control it. I was taking Gabapentin for 4 months and it wasn't helping that much. I am also taking light doses of painkiller. I believe I am getting better but it's a slow Road to travel. The jury is still out on whether or not it will be successful. The neurosurgeon says 6 months to a year. Well I certainly hope that it gets better. I was having medium to heavy sciatica pain but nothing like I have experienced since the surgery. There are days I think I should not have had the surgery. The surgeon as well as a second opinion agreed that I should have the surgery. I don't know if this will help you but I thought I would let you know my story

@1christopher
Good luck in your recovery. I am where you were at and am still pushing off the surgery. My worst fear is that it makes it worse being self employed and sole income producer.

I think surgeons favorite answer is 6-12 months.

@vijay26
You should probably go to a pain management doc. He will move your legs around to see where the nerve pain is coming from and test your reflexes etc. I would maybe try an epidural or nerve blocks, then get a good PT who will do some body work - massage and relax muscle spasms, give you appropriate exercises to do and give you a home exercise program. If you can get in a warm pool, move around, do some stretches or just walk in the water it will help. Maybe the doctor will suggest some decompression sessions- traction. A great chiropractor will help. Mines does decompression on a table that bends and can open up your spine. Don't give up yet.

Hi VJ,

Spinal injections are very dangerous. I have had nine of them. You are not supposed to have more than four per year, but my spine doc did eight within six months. When I read the limit of no more than four per year, I immediately stopped them. Three years later, a different spine doc insisted on doing one, and I said "no" and explained why. He threatened not to help me further with my spine unless I did the injection. I caved and have lived to regret it, daily. It was done at the hospital by a radiologist, using fluoroscopy. He hit a nerve, and I screamed. He dropped the needle and ran out of the room. Never saw him again. I have had to live with this severe burning pain. I had a slipped disk at L5-S1 and had surgery with another spine surgeon who fused the vertebrae. The drawback is that "fusing" does not allow any surgeon to return to correct any spinal problem. I still have severe sciatica that cannot be fixed because that surgeon "did not know how to fix it". Tread slowly, my friend. Get several opinions before doing surgery.