Spinal fusion w/pelvic fixation (T-3-pelvis), having trouble. Ideas?

I'm having a pelvis to T3 fusion next week and am afraid of the 2 day surgery and that it won't work. I currently have scoliosis in my lower back and neck and terrible sciatica. Neurosurgeon is confident he can help me but I'm scared

@kennys1957 I’m hoping for surgery as you in the near future. Standing and walking any distance is not possible anymore. Numbness in lower legs but the worst is the pain around my midriff and lower belly is the worst. It’s like someone has a wire around me and is twisting it tighter and tighter. I do exercises every other day for my back in bed and also flossing exercises daily (these help to keep the nerve loose) which does help. If this surgery doesn’t give me relief from pain I’m going for MAID! Will keep updating.

I know this fear and this pain so well! I'm so sorry you guys are walking through this! Tues I will be 9 months post op. I turned 60 this year and prior to surgery the pain was getting the best of me. I could not walk more than a mile without having to stop. Standing for lengths of time was getting difficult. Sitting for any length of time and I could not sit still. Sleeping through the night had not happened for a couple of years~. Chronic pain was the constant. It was eating away my life. So surgery was the option I chose after trying every other conservative treatment. I knew it was going to be a doozy, but I didn't plan for a year of recovery. Get that through your mind that you are going to be recovering for a full year. That means put off any plans that you are going to rush through this, or pass Go and collect $200 before a year is up. I know we all read about the people returning to their pre-surgery routines of lifting, running, dancing, climbing mountains, etc. - those are nice and wonderful to think of, but I think that ended up sabotaging my need to rest, recover and plan for the light recovery my body needed. I pressed too hard too soon and that is not what my body needed. Strengthen lightly, walk conservatively, and protect the fusion at all costs. Switching to this plan has felt better mind, body, and spirit. This is going to be a long year. Get through your brain and allow for it to be a year of healing. 365 days of you caring for yourself in such a way that you heal in ways you had not imagined. My surgeon was wonderful, but did not convey this idea to me. I wish he had. I wish the mental aspect of this process would have been tended to as much as the fusion part. Or even the pain part. This is the area I would stress more. All that to say, if you move forward with the surgery, prepare your mind for a year of recovery. This surgery is a mind, body and spirit experience. Wish you all the best.

I know this fear and this pain so well! I'm so sorry you guys are walking through this! Tues I will be 9 months post op. I turned 60 this year and prior to surgery the pain was getting the best of me. I could not walk more than a mile without having to stop. Standing for lengths of time was getting difficult. Sitting for any length of time and I could not sit still. Sleeping through the night had not happened for a couple of years~. Chronic pain was the constant. It was eating away my life. So surgery was the option I chose after trying every other conservative treatment. I knew it was going to be a doozy, but I didn't plan for a year of recovery. Get that through your mind that you are going to be recovering for a full year. That means put off any plans that you are going to rush through this, or pass Go and collect $200 before a year is up. I know we all read about the people returning to their pre-surgery routines of lifting, running, dancing, climbing mountains, etc. - those are nice and wonderful to think of, but I think that ended up sabotaging my need to rest, recover and plan for the light recovery my body needed. I pressed too hard too soon and that is not what my body needed. Strengthen lightly, walk conservatively, and protect the fusion at all costs. Switching to this plan has felt better mind, body, and spirit. This is going to be a long year. Get through your brain and allow for it to be a year of healing. 365 days of you caring for yourself in such a way that you heal in ways you had not imagined. My surgeon was wonderful, but did not convey this idea to me. I wish he had. I wish the mental aspect of this process would have been tended to as much as the fusion part. Or even the pain part. This is the area I would stress more. All that to say, if you move forward with the surgery, prepare your mind for a year of recovery. This surgery is a mind, body and spirit experience. Wish you all the best.

@karenoharmon
Hi Karen! I have been off this site for a few months because other things going on in life, but I’ve been thinking about you and wondering how you are healing😊
What you said here is absolutely perfect! It says it all.
I am now 20 months postop and finally making good headway on the skin nerve pain. I think the last time I updated you, my physical therapist was starting to break apart the scar tissue and it was helping. She isn’t trained in myofascial release, but doing a lot of similar work as I first learned from @jenniferhunter
The past couple months, she has been working deeper along the incision line where the surgery scar tissue grew, and it is releasing pressure on the nerves across my back. She starts out with ultrasound treatment, and then goes into the muscle/scar work.
So yay! Great news that pants don’t hurt my back and that I can use the back scrub brush in the shower without it hurting. And the numbness is completely gone. And of course, none of it compared to the pain that I had before surgery. All of that is gone and it’s so wonderful to be able to work on the ranch and hike and ride bikes and have a normal life again!
So how are you doing? Are you making progress with your skin nerve pain?
I recently saw a couple people post the same symptoms on a Facebook spine surgery group, and I’ve tried to share my experience with them too. It doesn’t sound like it’s that common, but has more to do with the fact that our bodies grow a lot of scar tissue.
Wishing you the very best!
Sherry

@karenoharmon
Hi Karen! I have been off this site for a few months because other things going on in life, but I’ve been thinking about you and wondering how you are healing😊
What you said here is absolutely perfect! It says it all.
I am now 20 months postop and finally making good headway on the skin nerve pain. I think the last time I updated you, my physical therapist was starting to break apart the scar tissue and it was helping. She isn’t trained in myofascial release, but doing a lot of similar work as I first learned from @jenniferhunter
The past couple months, she has been working deeper along the incision line where the surgery scar tissue grew, and it is releasing pressure on the nerves across my back. She starts out with ultrasound treatment, and then goes into the muscle/scar work.
So yay! Great news that pants don’t hurt my back and that I can use the back scrub brush in the shower without it hurting. And the numbness is completely gone. And of course, none of it compared to the pain that I had before surgery. All of that is gone and it’s so wonderful to be able to work on the ranch and hike and ride bikes and have a normal life again!
So how are you doing? Are you making progress with your skin nerve pain?
I recently saw a couple people post the same symptoms on a Facebook spine surgery group, and I’ve tried to share my experience with them too. It doesn’t sound like it’s that common, but has more to do with the fact that our bodies grow a lot of scar tissue.
Wishing you the very best!
Sherry

@sherrym25 It sounds like you’re doing great! I agree that loosening scar tissue helps so much. I work on my own physical issues with scar tissue. I broke my ankle 6 years ago and to keep the joint moving correctly, I need to loosen scars from the surgery. It used to cause my ankle to collapse in pain until I figured out that scar tissue was causing the joint to get tight and compressed together. I work on my neck too to work out muscle tightness and stretch.
I’m glad to hear from you.
Jennifer

I echo Karen's response. I am 18 months out and would do it again in a heartbeat T12-S2 but I work at it every day to stretch and strengthen. It simply takes time for full fusion and to get back little by little to your new normal life. I had a set back of my own making with a bicycling accident. Luckily my spine was ok. I can stand in line, stand to cook, walk 4 miles plus, rode my bike 75 miles this week! But it is a journey and step by step. Good luck and reach out for support. I set my house up room to room so I could reach things on my own. Raised my W/D. Pick up sticks in every room and car. Love my $35 swivel seat to use in my car and dining room table from Amazon. I had a stool riser and an secure bed grip and a squirt bottle for water while recouping was really handy. Tamra

@karenoharmon
Hi Karen! I have been off this site for a few months because other things going on in life, but I’ve been thinking about you and wondering how you are healing😊
What you said here is absolutely perfect! It says it all.
I am now 20 months postop and finally making good headway on the skin nerve pain. I think the last time I updated you, my physical therapist was starting to break apart the scar tissue and it was helping. She isn’t trained in myofascial release, but doing a lot of similar work as I first learned from @jenniferhunter
The past couple months, she has been working deeper along the incision line where the surgery scar tissue grew, and it is releasing pressure on the nerves across my back. She starts out with ultrasound treatment, and then goes into the muscle/scar work.
So yay! Great news that pants don’t hurt my back and that I can use the back scrub brush in the shower without it hurting. And the numbness is completely gone. And of course, none of it compared to the pain that I had before surgery. All of that is gone and it’s so wonderful to be able to work on the ranch and hike and ride bikes and have a normal life again!
So how are you doing? Are you making progress with your skin nerve pain?
I recently saw a couple people post the same symptoms on a Facebook spine surgery group, and I’ve tried to share my experience with them too. It doesn’t sound like it’s that common, but has more to do with the fact that our bodies grow a lot of scar tissue.
Wishing you the very best!
Sherry