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← Return to Journey from foraminotomy to ALIF (Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion)
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Journey from foraminotomy to ALIF (Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion)
Spine Health | Last Active: 6 hours ago | Replies (36)Comment receiving replies
Hi @marcd2k - you are not alone. You may notice that I moved your post and combined it with this existing discussion on foraminotomy, because I thought it might be beneficial for you to be introduced to members who have discussed the same:
- Foraminotomy: Has it helped with pain? Major surgery? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/foraminotomy-1/
If you are replying by email, click on VIEW & REPLY so that you can read through some of the earlier messages and meet some of the other members talking about their or their or their loved ones' experiences.
Fellow members such as @profevl @jlssurplus @morkat may have some input for you on foraminotomy and potentially how it would compare with your lumbar fusion that you feel you've never had the chance to fully recover from due to other spinal challenges. @jenniferhunter also may have some thoughts to share.
Glad you've gotten to connect with @gently.
What would you say worries you most about recovery, @marcd2k?
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@lisalucier Hello, Lisa, thank you for your reply. And also for the combining with other posts, I will be looking at the other replies to see what everyone has said.
The biggest worry I have is that I do not feel I have fully recovered from my first surgery back in November. This muscle cramping has kept me from getting my strength back, and I went from 165lbs down to 150lbs currently. I've lost mainly muscle in that 15lbs, as I was already pretty lean prior to surgery.
Now, if I have a second surgery, and a second 6-weeks of No Bending, Lifting, Twisting, I'm worried about really falling behind in recovering. Especially after a spinal fusion, I do not want to have scar tissue build up to the point it affects me moving as normal as I should be.