AZmark,
Had to have mine done 2-3 years ago. Pain after was nothing compared to the pain prior. I hope you have researched your cutter extensively. The first thing I asked Doc, was how many of these have you done. He replied "over 1,000". I checked with some other folks who'd had the same procedure, with any number of drs, and some of them had real horror stories, including almost complete immobility. This doc seemed to have a lot of good reports.
Your first year will be rough and you will experience some pretty bad days. I used OTC painkillers instead of the Rx crap. I see you are semi-retired. Let your family take care of you and don't try to be a hero. Lift carefully and do your PT exercises. Not hard - just constant stuff.
I had two rods installed along side of the spine. The part with the fusion never bothers me but the attachment points of the rods get cranky once in a while. Couple of weeks ago I took a load of ceramic tile into my gunroom to re-do the gun room. Slipped on some snow/ice and twisted my hips. Been paying for it ever since. Stupid stuff like that will cost you - don't do it.
Best of luck to you and keep us informed about your progress.
