Hey Mark, Im 4 weeks post op spinal fusion and a laminectomy where I live-no one really has ANY idea what my operation and recovery details. Your blogs are really helping as it's the only thing I can use to relate to. If you'd like to facebook me please do. Would be nice to chat and relate to someone who's been through it.To know there's some light at the end of the tunnel. Just look under Christiana Griffith and my city Adelaide. Happy New Year and thanks for your bogs :)
I am 51 years old and heading to Spinal Fusion surgery in the next weeks. I have had spinal surgery before and it was rough. This, with the hardware is a very scary thing to me. I have battled this pain since 2003 with pain meds and injections. I also weened myself off of the meds and found that with percocets the pain got so much worse. The brain has a way of getting that drug. I do feel you may have overdone it with the high intense workout. Take care and thank you for sharing.
Hello I'm sorry to hear that it's not better, even though this was posted 3 years ago. I was wondering if your surgeon suggested walking on a daily basis? This really helped me. Hope things have gotten better.
I'm sure your intense work outs are what caused your problem. I just had a 3 level fusion L2 to L5 on Jan 29. Then I had a second surgery Jan 31st to add rods and screws and straighten my lumbar spine. . I'm following my surgeons directives totally.
I actually went through 7 rounds of injections prior to surgery with no luck. I am hoping that for some reason they may work now. I am still waiting to see the doc. Will definitely update you guys
I just had a L5/S1 Fusion I had a Grade 3 slippage. It was really bad. The surgery was a miracle for me. I am back to being active again and I have been working with my physical Therapist and she helped me a lot with strengthen my core. Surgery gave me a second chance. I took Vicodin for 3 days after I got back from the hospital, after that, just extra strength Tylenol.
I'm in the same situation. I'm fifteen months since my surgery I still hurt and I'm using pain medication. I don't know if anybody's told you this or if you've done any research but those muscles that they cut if they use traditional back surgery method do not reconnect. What happens is the muscle loses its blood flow then it gets weaker and dies then it turns to fat and then it turns to scar tissue. So don't expect much improvement. Your muscle have been damaged and they will not recover. Surgeons are now realizing how important back muscles are and how important they are to support the spine. It's now up to you, as I was told, to get used to your new normal.
Continue: I am considering a fusion as my doctor offered right from the beginning but wasn't able to give me good enough odds that it would work. I was so happy at the few beginning weeks of your surgery that I was feeling that after the implant was removed I'd go ahead with the fusion. Dare am I now thinking twice. Can you make it a point to update the post to be a bit more current to see what changes your going through. Thanks...Eugene
Continue: post laminectomy surguries in the past I underwent MANY spinal injections and decided after lots of research to have a dbl lead spinal cord stimulator implant. This was a question I would of had back at the beginning of your post if this was an option too you? Well, I had the implant and this Thursday I'm having it removed. I had the trial stimulator prior to the implant and had good luck. With the implant I have MORE pain in other areas in addition to the original pain.
The fact that you were doing P90x prior to surgery would have been a big red flag. I am a spine surgeon. I try very hard to avoid fusion surgery. Anyone who can run a marathon or do P90X before surgery is at risk for not being able to to do it afterward. If someone barely function they have little to loose. But doing P90X is far from not being functional. Obviously I don't know the details of your case.... This is a general way I approach things.
+Irvin Sahni Thank you, your logic just helped me to make this decision. I am in pain, but I can dance, run, walk, sometimes I cannot bend, but I am full functional with pain. I am going to wait. Thank you
@Emmy P .. tough call. Maybe you should who knows. Just make sure its a good doctor. Would it be a spinal fusion? I kinda need surgery myself. Spinal fusion. But i understand why my doctors want me to exhaust all my other options first. Seems kinda risky. They're not God
Hi Mark, - please post and let us know good or bad - we are here to support. I had considered surgery due to the pain caused by my L5/S1 - Spondi -Grade 2 slippage, But for now I am laying-low. I've learned that stretching could cause more damage to scare tissue and irritate muscles. New Info, Fasia Release therapy has indeed helped -tight hamstrings and messages to loosens back musles. Please look into this and see if it could help you in some way. Take care.
Thanks for the update. It's been a week tomorrow since my fusion. I don't want to discourage you, but I've had all the injections prior. None worked for me. I say try it, they may for you. Please keep us updated.... Joe
Hey Mark - I have been watching your story on and off over the last couple of weeks...just saw this last one. I am on track for L4/L5 fusion in the next 30-60 days...this is all 18 months post auto accident. I think what caught my ear on this one was the fact you said you had the surgery in Houston (which is where I am). I was wondering who did yours and if there was anything you would have chosen/done differently if you were to do it all again. Best wishes and thanks for the diary. - Hyde
Hey Mark, I see this post is back in August/2012. I'm wondering how things are? I've watched and followed your process and feel your pain as I'm going through most of the pain as you. I underwent a L5-S1 decompression in 1989 which went excellent and here I go again in 2012 with the same a L4 through S1 decompression surgery. This time I went two months of pure pain free where I like a fool lifted a snow blower and then the nightmare begins.
Spinal Fusion Sugery on 4/14/2022. Spinal Fusion L2 - L5; Decompression of L1 above L2 - L5. That was on a Monday through the Rothman Institute. Surgeon told me Tuesday Morning that i had pinched nerves and Stenosis through my lower Back. We'll see how my recovery goes. They told me 4 - to 6 Months; with up to a Year to fully Recover. I'd love to return to Work
@@chandrishsharma56 ; Very Good; thanks for asking. I can walk straight now; meaning im not slightly hunched over when i walk. The whole Operation lasted approximately 3.5 Hrs. Everything went fine. I would advise you to follow the Post Op instructions for Physical Therapy; and they'll most likely give you exercises to do at Home. Follow. Them. Religiously. Also; i dont know where you live; but get the Top Rated SPINE SPECIALIST where you live. Do NOT go to just a regular surgeon. Go to one that is Top Rated; and SPECIFICALLY deals with Spine Surgeries. Go Luck in what ever you decide to do.
Hey you guys, I would try doing acupuncture. I had a Flexicore artificial disk L5-S1 in 04 and had good luck with acupuncture afterwards to loosen me up. It does a great job at getting you back to 100%. Hope that helps!
Hey man, I had cervical fusion about 3 months ago & i feel your frustration. I didnt expect miracles but I didnt expect to almost be in more pain. I like you, dont want to take pills, i just try & deal with it. Did you ever do the injections? I also feel the pain the muscles, dr says the surgery took but the constant pain in my muscles is about making me crazy.
Hi Mark, I am having my C6-C7 in 4 days and I am wondering how long you will be in bed recovering from the surgery? When can you walk and get back to life? What was your injury and how did you do it? Any advice? How long were you on pain meds for as well?
if i try to lay down on the couch or the floor its hard to get up sometimes its a weird feeling i have when trying to get up it's like my lower back is week and all the blood is rushing down there but once im up and going it's fine its just when i relax the muscles and try to get up it hurts so bad. i stay fit i go to the gym about 4 days a week and can bench 245 + it surprises people and my dr that i can do that but at a cost i still have to deal with the pain. thanks for sharing .
I have my second surgery in September 2019 but now is March 2020 and I have pain again just like before, the difference between you problem is I didn’t comeback to work out and nothing so I don’t know what I should do it .
Im three months L5 S1 spinal fusion lamenectomy how can i lose weight in my midsection im very limited at the moment i go bike riding and walk in pool but i need to lose weight my surgeon has told me that gaining weight will cause problems with the fusion
Hey Mark....Percocet is oxycodone. I feel your pain man. Do yourself a favor and start coming off those drugs now. It only gets harder the longer you take them. I will put out a new video update this week. I have been going through a lot over the past 3 months so I will update everyone real soon. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Well yes is a very little pain I live in Indiana so in winter is more painful I think because is colder but I don't run I do different exercises like bike or elliptical or the stairs but when I m in the gym I don't do T bar or squats and my DR. Tell me I need to be very careful so no more running so is we need to be smart and astey off thins the is not good for you hope you get better 👍
Hey man I'm sorry to hear that I'm 32 years old and I am probably will have a back surgery in one month so I'm scary buddy so I hope I can go and do everything I can to see a physical therapist after
+Miroslav N Hello I have one year of my surgery and I have no pain but I think I will never be 100% i m not work out like I was but no more pain pills for me so I m happy because the medication for pain was very bad for me but I feel much better. I hope you are ok thanks buddy 👍
You had someone cut open your lower back, cut through layers of skin, fascia, muscles etc... and then two months later it hurts. I would say that's prime time for some lovely scars to start forming. Better keep that back moving, stretch out that scar tissue. I wouldn't be seeking further surgery. Best thing for lower backs or in particular everyone is to keep moving keep strong. Good luck, I hope 3 years later it is feeling better.
Hey Mark,
Im 4 weeks post op spinal fusion and a laminectomy where I live-no one really has ANY idea what my operation and recovery details. Your blogs are really helping as it's the only thing I can use to relate to. If you'd like to facebook me please do. Would be nice to chat and relate to someone who's been through it.To know there's some light at the end of the tunnel. Just look under Christiana Griffith and my city Adelaide. Happy New Year and thanks for your bogs :)
I am 51 years old and heading to Spinal Fusion surgery in the next weeks. I have had spinal surgery before and it was rough. This, with the hardware is a very scary thing to me. I have battled this pain since 2003 with pain meds and injections. I also weened myself off of the meds and found that with percocets the pain got so much worse. The brain has a way of getting that drug. I do feel you may have overdone it with the high intense workout. Take care and thank you for sharing.
Hello I'm sorry to hear that it's not better, even though this was posted 3 years ago. I was wondering if your surgeon suggested walking on a daily basis? This really helped me.
Hope things have gotten better.
Thank you so much for making these Videos they are very helpful... im so sad that you are in so much pain
I'm sure your intense work outs are what caused your problem. I just had a 3 level fusion L2 to L5 on Jan 29. Then I had a second surgery Jan 31st to add rods and screws and straighten my lumbar spine. . I'm following my surgeons directives totally.
I actually went through 7 rounds of injections prior to surgery with no luck. I am hoping that for some reason they may work now. I am still waiting to see the doc. Will definitely update you guys
I just had a L5/S1 Fusion I had a Grade 3 slippage. It was really bad. The surgery was a miracle for me. I am back to being active again and I have been working with my physical Therapist and she helped me a lot with strengthen my core. Surgery gave me a second chance. I took Vicodin for 3 days after I got back from the hospital, after that, just extra strength Tylenol.
Myla Snyder
My dad
I'm in the same situation. I'm fifteen months since my surgery I still hurt and I'm using pain medication. I don't know if anybody's told you this or if you've done any research but those muscles that they cut if they use traditional back surgery method do not reconnect. What happens is the muscle loses its blood flow then it gets weaker and dies then it turns to fat and then it turns to scar tissue. So don't expect much improvement. Your muscle have been damaged and they will not recover. Surgeons are now realizing how important back muscles are and how important they are to support the spine. It's now up to you, as I was told, to get used to your new normal.
Continue: I am considering a fusion as my doctor offered right from the beginning but wasn't able to give me good enough odds that it would work. I was so happy at the few beginning weeks of your surgery that I was feeling that after the implant was removed I'd go ahead with the fusion. Dare am I now thinking twice. Can you make it a point to update the post to be a bit more current to see what changes your going through. Thanks...Eugene
Continue: post laminectomy surguries in the past I underwent MANY spinal injections and decided after lots of research to have a dbl lead spinal cord stimulator implant. This was a question I would of had back at the beginning of your post if this was an option too you? Well, I had the implant and this Thursday I'm having it removed. I had the trial stimulator prior to the implant and had good luck. With the implant I have MORE pain in other areas in addition to the original pain.
The fact that you were doing P90x prior to surgery would have been a big red flag. I am a spine surgeon. I try very hard to avoid fusion surgery.
Anyone who can run a marathon or do P90X before surgery is at risk for not being able to to do it afterward.
If someone barely function they have little to loose. But doing P90X is far from not being functional.
Obviously I don't know the details of your case.... This is a general way I approach things.
+Irvin Sahni Thank you, your logic just helped me to make this decision. I am in pain, but I can dance, run, walk, sometimes I cannot bend, but I am full functional with pain. I am going to wait. Thank you
@Emmy P .. tough call. Maybe you should who knows. Just make sure its a good doctor. Would it be a spinal fusion? I kinda need surgery myself. Spinal fusion. But i understand why my doctors want me to exhaust all my other options first. Seems kinda risky. They're not God
Hi Mark, - please post and let us know good or bad - we are here to support. I had considered surgery due to the pain caused by my L5/S1 - Spondi -Grade 2 slippage, But for now I am laying-low. I've learned that stretching could cause more damage to scare tissue and irritate muscles. New Info, Fasia Release therapy has indeed helped -tight hamstrings and messages to loosens back musles. Please look into this and see if it could help you in some way. Take care.
Thanks for the update. It's been a week tomorrow since my fusion. I don't want to discourage you, but I've had all the injections prior. None worked for me. I say try it, they may for you. Please keep us updated.... Joe
Hey Mark - I have been watching your story on and off over the last couple of weeks...just saw this last one. I am on track for L4/L5 fusion in the next 30-60 days...this is all 18 months post auto accident. I think what caught my ear on this one was the fact you said you had the surgery in Houston (which is where I am). I was wondering who did yours and if there was anything you would have chosen/done differently if you were to do it all again. Best wishes and thanks for the diary. - Hyde
Hey Mark, I see this post is back in August/2012. I'm wondering how things are? I've watched and followed your process and feel your pain as I'm going through most of the pain as you. I underwent a L5-S1 decompression in 1989 which went excellent and here I go again in 2012 with the same a L4 through S1 decompression surgery. This time I went two months of pure pain free where I like a fool lifted a snow blower and then the nightmare begins.
Spinal Fusion Sugery on 4/14/2022. Spinal Fusion L2 - L5; Decompression of L1 above L2 - L5. That was on a Monday through the Rothman Institute. Surgeon told me Tuesday Morning that i had pinched nerves and Stenosis through my lower Back. We'll see how my recovery goes. They told me 4 - to 6 Months; with up to a Year to fully Recover. I'd love to return to Work
Hello I am contemplating surgery for lumbar fusion alif...how are u feeling today? Thanks
@@chandrishsharma56 ;
Very Good; thanks for asking. I can walk straight now; meaning im not slightly hunched over when i walk. The whole Operation lasted approximately 3.5 Hrs. Everything went fine. I would advise you to follow the Post Op instructions for Physical Therapy; and they'll most likely give you exercises to do at Home. Follow. Them. Religiously. Also; i dont know where you live; but get the Top Rated SPINE SPECIALIST where you live. Do NOT go to just a regular surgeon. Go to one that is Top Rated; and SPECIFICALLY deals with Spine Surgeries. Go Luck in what ever you decide to do.
Hey you guys, I would try doing acupuncture. I had a Flexicore artificial disk L5-S1 in 04 and had good luck with acupuncture afterwards to loosen me up. It does a great job at getting you back to 100%. Hope that helps!
Hey man, I had cervical fusion about 3 months ago & i feel your frustration. I didnt expect miracles but I didnt expect to almost be in more pain. I like you, dont want to take pills, i just try & deal with it. Did you ever do the injections? I also feel the pain the muscles, dr says the surgery took but the constant pain in my muscles is about making me crazy.
Any nerve damage? 24 seven my feet tingle and are numb. I’ve had back trouble since 1995.
Hi Mark,
I am having my C6-C7 in 4 days and I am wondering how long you will be in bed recovering from the surgery? When can you walk and get back to life? What was your injury and how did you do it? Any advice? How long were you on pain meds for as well?
if i try to lay down on the couch or the floor its hard to get up sometimes its a weird feeling i have when trying to get up it's like my lower back is week and all the blood is rushing down there but once im up and going it's fine its just when i relax the muscles and try to get up it hurts so bad. i stay fit i go to the gym about 4 days a week and can bench 245 + it surprises people and my dr that i can do that but at a cost i still have to deal with the pain. thanks for sharing .
I have my second surgery in September 2019 but now is March 2020 and I have pain again just like before, the difference between you problem is I didn’t comeback to work out and nothing so I don’t know what I should do it .
dont know if still having problems with pain but i heard of a treatment of injections called anti-tnf check it out maybe it could help
Did you think about going to laser spine institute?
this is my day 6 and i feel no pain at all...i am of tablets ...only taking panadol...i had l5s1 disc fusion
Thanks
Im three months L5 S1 spinal fusion lamenectomy how can i lose weight in my midsection im very limited at the moment i go bike riding and walk in pool but i need to lose weight my surgeon has told me that gaining weight will cause problems with the fusion
Thanks for the push. I just posted an update.
Mark
Thank you for your story!!!!
Hey Mark....Percocet is oxycodone. I feel your pain man. Do yourself a favor and start coming off those drugs now. It only gets harder the longer you take them. I will put out a new video update this week. I have been going through a lot over the past 3 months so I will update everyone real soon. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
oxycodone is generic for Percocet.
Well yes is a very little pain I live in Indiana so in winter is more painful I think because is colder but I don't run I do different exercises like bike or elliptical or the stairs but when I m in the gym I don't do T bar or squats and my DR. Tell me I need to be very careful so no more running so is we need to be smart and astey off thins the is not good for you hope you get better 👍
Hey man I'm sorry to hear that I'm 32 years old and I am probably will have a back surgery in one month so I'm scary buddy so I hope I can go and do everything I can to see a physical therapist after
+Miroslav N Hello I have one year of my surgery and I have no pain but I think I will never be 100% i m not work out like I was but no more pain pills for me so I m happy because the medication for pain was very bad for me but I feel much better. I hope you are ok thanks buddy 👍
You had someone cut open your lower back, cut through layers of skin, fascia, muscles etc... and then two months later it hurts. I would say that's prime time for some lovely scars to start forming. Better keep that back moving, stretch out that scar tissue. I wouldn't be seeking further surgery. Best thing for lower backs or in particular everyone is to keep moving keep strong. Good luck, I hope 3 years later it is feeling better.
Sr take the hard ware out I did it will make you better in Jesus name amen