Looking at having a L5 fusion in the near future. Dr says he'll go in from the abdomen/waistline. Looking for real world feedback and experiences. He said I'd be out of work for 6 months and will be able to lift no more than a gallon of milk for at least a couple of months. Please share your experiences good or bad. How bad was the pain? How long before it subsides? Thanks for any insight

Hope you get some good info here but I think your time and effort would be better spent in researching your surgeon's background. My close buddy was crippled for life by a 'simple' lumbar fusion. He was 56 and in darn good shape. He was morally and ethically opposed to comping out and I know he didn't milk the work claim. About 18 months later, Calif State Workmans Compensation Board struck the doctor off the list of qualified surgeons, because of other botched procedures. Hope I'm not scaring you off, you are living through hell now probably, but do your homework before they cut on you.

Wife's last back surgery. They went in from her right side. Can't remember what vertebrae it was but this was her 3rd lumber surgery. In 3 months or less she was walking 3+ miles a day and grocery shopping, laundry, etc.

It was a new procedure for, usually they just go in from the back. Pain was minimal compared to other back surgeries.

Good luck

My wife had a ten level fusion of the entire lumbar and I think either five thoracic or four thoracic and one sacral to correct a 32% curvature of the spine. It was that or a wheel chair. She has no pain in that region now but T5 and 6 bear most of the work now and she deals with daily pain there.

She recovered pretty quickly. Was in PT for three months. She was retired so cannot speak to how long before returning to work. I did a lot of vacuuming for a few months. Now she goes until she hurts and then rests a while. Methacarbomal when it really bothers her. She has to sleep with a bed wedge. She feels despite all that it was better than the rest of her life in a chair.

L5/S1 in 1995 and L4/L5 in 2015. The 1995 version was primitive compared to today. Had 23 pieces of titanium buckled in along with a graft off my pelvis and some dead guy bone. Got better after a while then got worse. Scar tissue collecting around the hardware. Removed all the bolts and screws, trimmed the scaring in 1997 and got better again. Was using pain meds till early 1999. 2015 trip wasn’t so good. It stopped the damage but I still had a lot of pain. Used meds way longer than I’d advise. Gave them up little over a year ago and just let it hurt. It’s finally improving and I’m getting better at managing and adjusting.

It’s no picnic but comes a time when there’s no choice. If I’d not had either surgery, today I would have a hard time walking I’m sure. As it is I can’t complain. It’s the birthdays that are killin me now:)

I hear you Flintlocke. My Dr/surgeon is very well renowned and respected. Top surgeon anywhere close. I'm very confident that I'm in good hands. I'm 47 and have a pretty physical job and lifestyle. I was hoping for a disc replacement but he said no way would it hold up. My initial herniation was 20 years ago and I re injured it 3 years ago. I've had numerous epidurals and facet injections and take too much meds and I'm over it. I hurt every day and must pick my battles and quite frankly I've got(hopefully) too much life left to live. All the steroids make keeping weight down almost impossible and exercise is pretty much out of the question. I'm just ready to be healthier and get back to living minus juggling meds and injections.

Yep, been good for about 20 years. I got my life back.

I had mine done about 10 years ago February. Lower back, can’t remember the exact vertebrae #’s, the work was done from the back.

By the following October I was dragging a moose (by myself) down a mountain side in Western Wyoming. “Knock on Wood” it’s been great for me…..I’m hoping for another 25 or so years of good liv’n! memtb

If going in from the front it will heal easier.

I have had 3 and they all had to be done from the back.

This was back in the 80's and things have gotten better,more refined.

Wished mine could have been done from the front.

I would seek multiple opinions if in your situation.

i had fusions on 4 and 5 done with plates and 12 screws too , was a tuff surgery 6 inch cut on back side / 12 inch cut lower stomach area , had some complications 1 1/2 years ago better now. i had to wear a hard plastic body cast for 6 months 24/7 and walk a mile in a.m. and a mile in P.M. every day, good luck,Pete53

Plainsman, Dr said it's way less invasive from the front and hardly any muscle gets cut really improving recovery. I'm scared to death as I've never had a major surgery but I'm also ready to get this behind me and start the healing process. Hopefully a few months in I can drag out my Ruger M77/22lr.

I did my homework picking my Dr. I've seen all the MRI's and Ray Charles can tell it's not gonna get better.

S1, L5, L4 in 2014. saved my life as far as I'm concerned. Hurt like hell fo the first 3 weeks after that I quit all pain meds and powered through, I was off work for 5 months.

As was said be damn sure of your doc and listen and i mean listen to every word the man says.

Good luck.

L4 & L5....
Here shortly going back in to do L2 & L3, fused to L4 & L5.....

My doc is a handgun shooter and wouldn't let me even shoot a 22 pistol for 6 months.

I had an 8.5 hour surgery that fused L3,4,5 as well as had to open my spinal canal as it was choking my spinal cord. Dr. went in from the back. I have very strong solid bones and I was walking the next day. Definitely very sore.

I have the S-1,L-5,L-4 fused and skip 3 and 2 needs to be secured.

Told them that when i got tired of taking meds and the shots quit working i hope to not being worried about it.

It should go well.

I was worried on the first one and when i woke up i had a long talk with my self.

It was the first time for surgery for me.

I carry 8 screws and 18 inches of wire with me all the time,i even have the old screws they pulled out when doing the second operation.

Docs advised me to wait till I'm older.
Reason being my docs say I tolerate pain well which I have told em I do anyways.

Big thing I was advised was by bracing the Lower thicker weight bearing vertebrae it cause wear on the upper less thick ones to bear weight they ain't made for.

Deal with pain...
Everyones sense of that is different and also activity may help some people or it may aggravate other.

Got it all...
9mm bulged disc, it burns once in awhile no biggie.
The hip and l5 and one on top of that or what ever it is bone on bone 0 cushion disc left.
The stenosis stuff.
The high grade arthritis.
The encapsulated pinch nerve bundle like the 3rd one up ???with sciatic pain down the left leg with the dead leg feel at times from that.

Docs have said what you got going on would cause others agony but everyone is different what their pain is.

I take 1 aleve a day.
Pretty active and still limber at 59.
Not overweight.
Some day when I'm 70 or 75 it might help me to get some surgery or a fusion.
But if I got mobility at that age and the back ain't fugging me.
I wont go under the knife.

24 yrs light Infantry pack mule.
Your mind grows accustomed to pain and ya just live with it and it dont bother some.
Biggest thing is activity level my whole life seems to overcome it all for me.

Unca suga pays me a little for the back stuff.
But he pays way more for my jakked up knees and shoulders.
A blown out and repaired LS diaphragm and bell rung a few times too many hearing schit.
Hernias x2.


I'm basically a old wore down pack mule with bad joints now and cant hear worth a fugg either.
🥴🥴😆😆🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️😆😆😆
But the pain scale stuff is subjective to the individual
What one person has could be really bad to someone else with the same stuff.

Dr said as soon as they wake me up from surgery they'll make me walk first thing, ugh. 2 nights in the hospital one bowl movement and one flight of stairs and I can go home. The part I dread the most is relying on others to do for me. I'm looking at it like a 6 month reset on life. I plan to refrain from alcohol for 2 months prior and at least that long afterwards and getting reacquainted with some local greenway trails.

L4&5, went in right at the spine, pain was mild compared to the pain before.

Do the PT and avoid the pain meds as best you can.

Mine was busted and had been for years, so straightening out perfectly wasn’t going to happen.

Best thing I ever did.

Renegade thank you for your service. I experience the dead leg thing daily. Lots of sciatic nerve pain radiating down my right leg occasionally the left when it's really angry. When I mentioned that I was worried I'd simply be moving the wear point up the dr said you actually did that a long time ago as I'm basically bone on bone. I take gabapentin and methacarbanol daily and the occasional oxycodone. Even when the pain is at it's worst I'm stubborn(smart?) enough to forego the opioids just so I don't become dependent. I'm sure everyone that's replied to this thread knows as well as I do pain meds don't stop pain. I sincerely appreciate you fellas giving me your explanation and experiences. Steve, I've done several months of PT back in 2019 when I reinjured my back and just finished another month to hopefully avoid some insurance pitfalls. Don't even get me started on insurance, ugh.

The meds are useful when used in the right way and in a timely fashion.

I quit taking mine when i know that i have nothing going on just to see if they are helping me or i am taking them because it has been a long time.

They don't make the pain go away they just give me a little room so that i can live a life a little better.

It has been a work in progress and i hope it will continue for a while longer.

Get at least another opinion. Or two or whatever you need. It's way too important to make the decision based on info you've given here.

What does the mri show? That is, why the need for the surgery? Are there other options?

I've had it done and the symptoms and signs and future of what was going on were what made me want it done.

The postoperative pain was memorable.

Yup didn't take any pain meds. bout 14 years ago. work out 5 times a week and get by.I'm full of arthritus spelling. back fused 1 hip replaced knees are going. Just try to keep trucking. 74 yrs. old

Sorta. I had a car wreck and fractured my back from T7-T12. T12 exploded. I am fused from T8-L3. This was in 2019 and I am starting to use a walker some now. But, I had a ton of damage so it is not the same at all.

Waiting on DR response to question. I was told I need L3-L5 fusion five years ago and looking for an update since procedures appear to have change significantly over the last four years. Currently on pain meds that are less effective over time. Looking for additional info based on real world experience

I had a synovial cyst form in the spinal canal compressing the spinal cord, extraordinary pain. They went in through the rear opened up a 8" hole. So much arthritic bone they removed the disc between L4 & L5 and put in cages with bone matter so it would grow together. Also used 4 screws holding two pins in place. Took 7 1/2 hours. The surgeon had me up and walking the next day and every day after several times a day. I was sent home on the 4th day and started walking 3-5 miles a day. Hurt very much but I took nothing stronger than Naproxan. The operation was on June 26 and I was able to bird hunt from October 1. I did a primitive biathlon in January and February. Painful process but you've got to get and stay mobile. Do not lift more than a gallon of milk in weight. A great deal depends on the surgeon's skill level, your weight and you ability to suck it up and do the exercises.

Are you waiting for a doctor to answer some question here on the Board?

Not me, but my 24 year old daughter had 12 vertebrae fused together back in March 2022. I can’t remember from where to where, but it was like L5-T3. She has a rare genetic health condition, and one of the symptoms was really bad scoliosis. They had to correct it as she had been wearing a back brace most of her life and also the consequences of not treating the scoliosis was huge. She was in the hospital for 9 days.

She had it rough for the first month or two. Said the worst part of the whole last 6 months was weaning off the various medications as they were really messing with her sleep and digestive tract. They would give her pain meds, and she always tried to take half the dosage as she hated the consequences of the meds.

She was back to her work as an RN in June and is so glad she had it done. She can’t ever tie her shoes again, clip her toenails, or bend over if she were to see a $100 bill on the ground, but is glad she had the surgery. She is getting married in November.

Get 2 more opinions (IMHO). I had a highly regarded surgeon tell me I had degenerative disc disease and had to have L3-4-5 fused. I was pretty young with little kids and a tough job so I declined. Lived in chronic pain for 5 years, eating 12-16 ibuprofen per day. Got bad ulcers due to the ibuprofen. I stopped taking Vicodin after seeing myself taking 12 of those per day and not being able to crap. Steroid injections, PT, chiropractors, the works.

Long story short, saw a different Dr and he laughed at the previous diagnosis. Did a microlaminectomy as an outpatient. In the hospital at 530AM and out at 2PM. I was pain free the next day and have been good ever since.

Had surgery on my lower back, it's better than nothing but not by much. My neck surgery ended up being a great success, only negative is the lack of movement. My advice is to get at least three opinions before you let someone practice on you.

I have had two back surgeries. Doc went in from the back in 69.They were not doing many fusions back then.Second one was in 07. Thru the side and back. Cage, screws, rods, cadaver paste in the cage.That one really hurt like hell It will hurt like hell when you wake up, then all those nerves they push around wake up and it will hurt worse for 2-3days and get a little bit better each day for a few weeks. Now days with this opioid epidemic,they are stingy with that stuff.

Yep they get you up right away. They don't want you in the hospital any longer than necessary. Unhealthy place to be and insurance companies push it.

4-6 months recovery is about normal. What they don't tell you is that you will be restricted for life in lifting anything over about 40 pounds and you better follow all instructions. 50-60 % of back surgeries are back under the knife within five years because of that.

After full recovery ,you need to continue with PT and and exercises forever to keep your back muscles in shape.

I am due for my third, but won't do it.. Farm life does not fit in with the restrictions.

I had to have an L5-S1 fusion in 2004. Prior to the surgery, the doc asked if I was done having kids because when they go in from the front, they often screw up a nerve required for sex. I informed him that he would be going through my back and staying away from that nerve. I left the hospital the day after the surgery and felt pretty good about everything. Phone rang one day and I rolled over to grab it and experienced some pretty excruciating pain. Everything was down hill after that. Tried every physical therapy they had, every injection available but my back was just hosed.To this day, my back is garbage. Never know what is going to trigger a spasm or pain. Every time I go to a doc, they either want to put me on pain meds or pin my sacro-iliac joints which I am not a big fan of. I have just learned to live with it.

I had L5-S1 fused back in 2009. It was done from the backside. Surgeon inserted a piece of some sort of ceramic matrix material between the vertebra, cadaver bone beside them and the whole shebang screwed together with pedicle screws and rods. It was done on August 30th. I went back to work in January. The first few weeks after the surgery were hell from the muscle spasms. I had to wear a back brace for 90 days until there was enough healing done that the bone grafts would be solidifying, didn't want anything moving post surgery. That took care of that wrecked disc permanently. The rest of my spine has deteriorated since including the cervical which actually is in worse shape than the lumbar area. I need three fusions in the neck but I'm delaying having it done until absolutely necessary. I am allergic to getting cut on.

I've had four spinal fusions, one in 1973 took 7 hours 19 minutes, primitive methodology, incredibly long recovery. I've had two more "additions" to the first. Each took about 1 hour, recovery about 6 months. One in cervical spine fused 7 and took something under 2 hours. Recovery was again about 6 months.

Recovery means vertebral fusion is completed, surgery being as healed as its gonna get. I was able to move around within days, and was getting on with life in about 6 weeks.

My non-cerivcal fusions entered from my back NOT my abdomen or anywhere else, all of them.

Email, preferably, or PM sent.

See if the Doctor does artificial disks. I've had three put into my neck. Minimal recovery time and I still have full range of motion in my neck. I had an L5/S1 fusion years ago and I was out of commission for 6 months and still gives me some pain many years later.

Take a look at this website: https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/treatment/artificial-disk-replacement-in-the-lumbar-spine/

Is this an orthopedic surgeon, or a neurosurgeon??

Also, get a second opinion.

Folks do great with cervical (neck)fusions. Lumbar (lower back) fusions?? Those folks seem to have issues/continuing pain/later surgeries at higher/lower levels a LOT.

A fellowship trained spine surgeon would be my choice. That's a year after a full ortho or neuro residency. And a doc who does only spines and does a lot of them. It's not too unlike flying jets, hours count, experience counts. And those specialists generally know the latest tricks and techniques. You don't generally find that level of expertise out in the boon docks, but in a major medical center. As mentioned by others, do your homework. With back surgery, you generally get one bite at the apple for a successful surgery.

IMO, the anterior approached cervical fusion is pretty well perfected.

Back surgery, on the other hand, can be more of a crap shoot. As you've seen from these posts, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. To me, back surgery for proven leg pathology, that is, loss of muscle mass, loss of function, weakness, leg pain documented to be from the back, are all good indications. Back surgery just for back pain, often the patient still has back pain post op. And, then there are the second, third back surgeries, on and on.

DF

L3 L4 L5 went through the front and the back probably would be crippled now if hadn’t done it due to nerve loss. Lifetime of young horses and mechanical work. Took about seven months to get back to work. Like Rene said pain is a personal thing some do better than others. Stood and shuffled around a bit after waking up. No opioids after the first 24 hours just Tylenol. Walked as much as I could stand which was at least thre to four times the second day. More after that. My gut didn’t wake up well at all and had to stay in the horse pistol until thing got moving well which was about four days but I walked the halls a lot until my guts came back to life and was able to eat solid grub.

For me the worst part was the dead digestive system barfed a couple of times and with all the cutting they’d done that was highly entertaining. They were giving me a bunch of different pills to take up until then which didn’t help at all with the nausea and told them I wouldn’t take any more just put me on liquids and get my guts back to life. So I just walked a lot. Getting back on my feet quickly made a lot of difference. At home I used a walking stick only mostly to get up and down and navigate stairs and walk outside.

Bottom line get back on your feet ASAP

L2-L5 in 2011. Surgery was ok and first four weeks were agonizing but was playing golf badly five months later.
A year later I developed an infection in the L1 and adjoining discs. Reacted to the antibiotic and went into shock, coma for five days. They would never say the infection was caused by the surgery but it was more painful than the surgery recovery.
PICC line for five months, hardshell brace for six. Other damage during the treatment and have compromised kidneys, severe nerve damage in feet, and my bottom line is I don't know if I'd do it again.
The whole thing is a result of polio in 1951.
Since then, one new knee, a stent, aortic valve and a pacemaker.
A twinge in the back gives me the willies.
If one can delay or avoid surgery, I think it is a good thing. I couldnt.

Both side lamanectomy. Right side always hurts. Found an excellent neuro surgeon, he did a sixteen hour fusion from L3 through S1. Tried to fix the pain in the right side. It’s better than it was before. That was in 2016. Two anterior cervical fusions because the first one in 17 did not fuse. Same surgeon did another anterior four lever fusion on Monday, on Wednesday he did a twelve hour posterior cervical fusion. That was two years ago almost. It’s better than it was.
Diet and exercise are your salvation.