Degenerative discs- had laminectomy on my way to fusion

Following Gokhale Primal Posture method may help by evening out stresses and pinching of discs.

I am 80 years old. Carpenter all my life, abusing my body and certainly my back.
Thirty years ago I had a fusion S1 - L-4. Very successful up to recently. Had another fusion
up to L-3 nine months ago. I am doing great - the most important thing I believe strongly is
keeping the body in motion - walking every day and stretching.
They wanted to fuse me up to the T-1 but opted to try this less invasive approach and I am very
happy and mostly pain-free. The problem with fusion - the discs above tend to give problems and
pain because of deterioration - I am old but will continue the best I can - good luck.
Peter-Paul

@peterpaul thanks for the reply. 30 years worth of activity sounds like a successful result from your S1-L-4. I’m leaning toward the S1-L4 at this point. My surgeon can’t/won’t say how much nerve damage I have is permanent. That’s fair enough. If I can get another 10 years of farming activity under my belt, seems worth the surgery. Being smarter with my duties is an absolute. On the good side, there is a lot of room for improvement on that front.

@tpw Welcome to Connect. I am a cervical spine fusion patient, but many members have talked about laminectomies on here and that it can lead to instability. I think it is pretty common that the next step a surgeon would advise would be a fusion. There are also artificial discs that allow some spine movement, but I don't know if they are approved as a re-operation for a laminectomy, but worth asking about.

I have to agree with your surgeon about finding better ways to do the heavy lifting even if you have to use some equipment to do it. A rehab physical therapist may be a good source of that information about how to modify your physical activity so perhaps an evaluation prior to surgery would be a good idea. Once you are a surgical spine patient, it makes sense to do what you can to reduce pressure and forces pounding your spine. Twisting is an activity that can rupture a disk if it is weakened and you won't be allowed to do that during recovery after surgery. A disc in my neck ruptured while twisting when I was stretching, and it ruptured into the spinal canal causing bone spurs to grow and it all pushed into my spinal cord over time. That was about 20 years after a whiplash injury with the changes that happen with age and you are in the same age bracket with me. Discs dry out and shrink a bit and any weak areas can open up and cause herniations. After a fusion, there is more stress on the other spinal discs, so care is advised. I'm not sure if you are lifting heavy hay for animals, but there has to be a way to use power equipment for that if it fits through your farm layout. Do you have other workers to help and assist?

FYI, while I was recovering after my fusion, I was trail riding my gaited horse at a walk which was great therapy for core strength with my surgeon's blessing. That has been better than any physical therapy I have done during the warm months of the year. I see no reason to ride a horse that trots and jar my spine. The discs are your shock absorbers and I don't want to wear them out.

I had laminectomy in October along with L4/5 fusion. Doc appointment on 13 Jan (12 weeks) and then hopefully PT for about 8 weeks. Healing so far, but pain without a walker. Core strengthening is needed I think.

Had a lumbar laminectomy in 2002; a lumbar 2-level fusion in 2016; and a "minimally invasive" cleanout of the fusion area Oct. 2025. This time, the operation did not get rid of the pain. I chose that in lieu of upgrading the 2-level fusion I had to a 3-level...Now, I wake and am in pain left leg as soon as I get out of bed and stand; but it decreases after walking a mile, sitting half way for a few minutes, and the rest of the day is manageable. I can sit just fine. I think my sleeping position may be a cause...Surgeon may do a third MRI (One pre-op, one post-op, and another soon to see if there is an issue in the spine. I have realized--Back health and structural integrity, in many, even if surgically addressed successfully over the years, gradually degenerate. Best one can do is to get surgical help, keep body weight under control; eat and sleep well, and go to the health club, walk daily, if possible. And hope for good luck...

I’ll see it “he told you so.“ I suggest if you love your surgeon you follow his advice. It took me 20 years to find Prince charming and it took me two seconds to decide on the surgery! The problem was that my desk fell completely out, and the vertebrae fused themselves together! I had done my own free self surgery! The problem was that the nerves exiting the spine were crushed in the process. My surgeon couldn’t guarantee the outcome of the nerve damage. It can take 10 years for the nerves to heal themselves. I understood that the fusion had to be part of the surgery because of the weight compressing one spine in the lower lumbar of L3 L4 L5. I also understood that the trade-off we were making was that eventually the outside levels would suffer stress and I’d be back for more surgery. But during that time I was doing a very physical art form pavement art in the street very large 9‘ x 12‘ street paintings in a weekend. I was able to get back to work and get my life back and I could sleep at night. I could exercise during the day and I had a quality of life that I was denied Because I had a fearful Neurosurgeon who thought I wasn’t ready for spine surgery. So for 20 years I suffered and then when he said there was nothing to do because I wasn’t ready for Spine surgery. I said fine. I’ll go home and just take the narcotics. That’s when he sent me to the orthopedic surgeon and the orthopedic surgeon freaked out and said I need surgery immediately. I said fine do it. That was 2018. I almost died in my surgery from an unexpected pulmonary embolism. I stayed in critical care for two weeks.( hey it was a great way to get out of the holidays and going to a subacute rehab facility! Plus, if you’re ever near Ucsd, they have the greatest cafeteria supporting the hospital Ever!) too bad my taste buds were numb for 10 days out of the two weeks! Since then I ended up having two cervical spine surgeries in 2023 back to back. I had already had my hips replaced in 2012 in 2014 before I got to the spine surgeon for my back. I look at other people who don’t do the fusion when it is recommended and I shake my head because they are never going to be as good as I was made hole by the fusion Surgery. But people don’t wanna listen to the advice of good doctors and they are talked out of good medicine by Internet B.S. , And they are swindled by snake oil salesman who promised them they can fix their backs. I understand I was swindled out of $6000 by a snake oil salesman for some traction therapy. It worked great for the three months, but I would’ve had to live in attraction machine for the rest of my life. Better to have the surgery with the World‘s most amazing orthopedic surgeon and get back to your farm. I got back to my street painting. If you want to get your life back, have the surgery and discuss honestly with your surgeon. What’s in store for you the rest of your life. I had this difficult discussion with my surgeon this fall as we looked at my collapsing back around the surgery. I’m almost 69 years old and he said I have four years in which to figure out if I am ready for another surgery on my lumbar. Maybe I should rephrase that to say if “we“ are ready for another surgery. He said after age 73/74 recuperation might be a problem, so best to do it before then if we find the back has deteriorated to the point where the exterior areas need attention. Good luck and I hope you do it sooner rather than later. My nerve damage to my left leg did not entirely regenerate itself– however in many ways, things are still on the move. The numbness comes and goes, and I just discovered that extra B vitamins and iron lesson the neuropathy quite a bit in my left ankle top of foot and left side of my leg. Some of the stuff you just get used to after so many years. Good luck with your decision. I’m on the.” just do it” side of things if you love your surgeon!

I am 72 and survived a serious MVA in 2008 which caused fractured T3/5/7, 3 ribs, punctured lung, multiple abdominal hernias and broken foot. I had laminectomy on L4/L5 in 2017 due to stenosis and sciatica pain down both legs. Recovered totally in 6 weeks, no subsequnet pain until May 2020 when I fell flat on my back walking down stairs at home. Fractured T11 (kyphoplasty) and displaced L4/L5 which required fusion in Oct. 2020. Healed 100% in 6 mos. Now L3 and S1 failing, but not causing chronic pain. Widespread bone spurs (both shoulders and knees and cervical spine). I go to a gym six days a week, treadmill walk 2 miles and use resistance weight machines. Daily movement keeps me going.

@loriesco Hello and happy new year. Your story is amazing. Could you let me know who your surgeon (and hospital) was?

@ccchang I am UCSD. Anyone in the Spine orthopedic department is amazing! My particular surgeon is Dr. Zlomislic. The hospital is located there on the campus in La Jolla. It used to be called the Thorton hospital, but now they have broken it up to service the various departments - so it may be called the Jacobs Center.
Happy new year and a healthy one to you too!