@rstaunton my pain stopped because the disc fell out and the vertebrae did its own fusion by growing together! The nerves were completely crushed. Same thing with the left leg. Do you have no back pain? In any case I got my life back! Waking up from surgery was an immediate improvement without question I could turn over without the imposing weight on my back. You will do GREAT going in as athletic and strong as you are in your recovery will be GREAT. You do have to give it time. I have had multiple joint replacements and they all take the same amount of time to recover. There is no getting around that you are having major surgery and your body experiences that trauma and needs a couple months to heal itself and get back in shape. The opioid was very helpful for overcoming the surgical pain and being mobile, doing my exercises and rehab and getting back into the swing of things. I am a street artist doing Chalk large Chalk arts in the street and after all of my surgeries (except the cervical spine fusion surgery because I had TWO in one month!)) fusion I was back in the street doing Art at 5 months from age ages 55 to 67. Without my surgery, I would’ve had to end my street painting career. My only advice is to have an orthopedic surgeon who you trust and love. Because I have degenerative disc disease and we agreed to do only a small part (L3 to L5) so I can get up and down in the street. I knew I was going to have to go back for more eventually. I’m probably about at that juncture again 8 years later at 69. What I inherited is genetic. So when I look at my ancestors, I am breaking all the rules and living my best life. I wouldn’t take back my surgery for anything! I just wish I could’ve gotten there faster. I hope that’s positive enough. It’s honest. I am no longer afraid of surgeries because I know the outcomes are liberating. They are a pain in the ass though! Hey, that’s almost a pun!
Oh, I forgot to mention the pain in my leg – yes the pain was gone, but the nerves in my case didn’t completely heal properly. They were crushed beyond the capability of getting back to 100%. I take iron and B12 and a lot of it, and it gets rid of the neuropathy pain. And exercise. It’ll take a couple years at least to figure out what you can expect from nerve damage as nerves regenerate over 10 years. So if your doctor thinks that the pain in your leg is caused by the compression and that’s what he’s going to alleviate I’m sure you’ll get 100% relief but if there’s the kind of numbness and tingling and itching that goes down to your foot, that might be a different kind of situation. Yes all my pain was gone, but the dysfunction might be due to other things in addition to the lumbar release you experience from surgery. Good luck if you have any further questions you can always ask.