Replies to @dennymt I feel your pain. I also was very active pre-fusion and post I have been…

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Spine Health | Last Active: Jan 14 9:48am | Replies (34)

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@solom174

@dennymt I feel your pain. I also was very active pre-fusion and post I have been in very great pain from fusion with no end in sight. I was told originally I would be recovered in 4 weeks; and while I have no nerve damage, it is now over 5 months and no relief from the impact of the fusion surgery itself. It feels like I have a lump of cement in my spine, with rods sticking in it, pain everywhere around it in upper back, numb painful muscles around it, inability to lie on my back, and mobility and flexibility loss. Good luck is right.

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Replies to "@dennymt I feel your pain. I also was very active pre-fusion and post I have been..."

slowgo | @slowgo | Nov 30, 2023

I'm so sorry to hear you are not getting relief from pain after your surgery. Thank you for sharing your experience and advice.

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heisenberg34 | @heisenberg34 | Dec 1, 2023

I had L5-S1 fusion a little over 6 years ago. I had injured my back after a ski fall. The pain increased over the next year. I was finally directed to a marvelous neurologist who put me on a cocktail of drugs (tramadol, gabapentin, diclofenac potassioum, and diazepam. It took me a few days to acclimate to the side effects of the drugs, but after that, I felt 100%
better, I was back to cycling 30 to 40 miles a week, hiking, and working around the house. I did have an occasional bad day when the pain returned (not as bad as the original pain). I wasn't satisified with what I had gained, so I was directed to an orthopedic surgeon who ordered another MRI (my third one in less than two years), Interestingly, he said that the scan showed spondylothesis at L5-S1 (even though previous scans revealed nothing of the sort). That was early in my pain journey, so what did I know? He recommended fusion. So, I said "go ahead". Surgery went fine. Four months later, I had more pain on my "good days" and worse pain on my bad days. If I knew then what I know now, I would have gotten second, even third opinions, and other radiologists to interpret the MRI images. No way I would have that fusion again. I am still much better off than many that I see on this site, so, I feel blessed for that.

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