u/Agitated_Tower4115

Had my ALIF 4/20 so almost exactly 4 monrhs ago. I've had to take steroid packs twice because my exact pre surgical pain came roaring back. I just ended a pack of steroids like a dang month ago.

But the past few weeks I've has pretty much zero pain.

Yesterday, we had to drive out for one of my post ops (ive had 2 and 3rd is dec 7th). I noticed a bit of pain.

Well, today its PAIN - its at a 6.

My neurosurgeon told me yesterday its fine to have the same presurgical pain off and on but he thinks in the end, i wont be in pain. Then he literally said in the same breath that I might always have pain, just not as bad as it used to be. He reminded me i had a full collapse and was bone on bone at l5 s1.

Who the hell here has the same exact pre surgical pain that flares off and on?

He cleared me to go back to work. ROFL. sitting is my nemesis. I sit to work. Ive been working remote. At least I can lay down anx stuff here.

This is freaking me out about this pain. Expect flares? What?!

I see a lot about it taking months for the nerve pain caused by surgery to leave, but i haven't run into anyone saying they still have the same presurgical pain post surgery!?

Did everyone just wake up from surgery out of pain?! No? How long did it take presurgical symptoms to go away? (For you?)

I had ALIF on April 20th. For 3 to 4 weeks, I had zero pain. Then it crept back in. So basically my identical pre surgical pain came back, its just at say a level no higher than a 3 or 4 instead of 10++++.

Some days I barely have any pain.

But the fact that my identical, IDENTICAL pre surgical symptoms are still holding on is scaring me.

My doc put me on a steroid pack around week 7. That helped for a few weeks and here we are at week 12 going into 13 right back in pain again.

Please everyone tell me this is still early and that I will be fine. I cannot imagine my pain coming back to the level it was before. I just can't!

I can't leave my job just yet. I just had surgery last month and my boss is letting me work from home. When I had surgery, HE reduced my hours. He told me to work any hours just as long as it was all the hours he set for me. First time I turned in my hours, he calls and said "smooth these hours out. Work m-f 730 to 1230 .I did just that and lo and behold, he calls me ALOT. Its never DURING work hours, its always after.

I've mentioned it to him 3 times now and yesterday I got a bit snippy with him and said "am i working the right hours because you seem to think I'm full time when YOU reduced my hours". He said no- I just wanted to tell you this.

Him doing this makes me not want ty i work there anymore. Ive been applying.

I had an ALIF at l5 s1 three weeks ago. When I woke up, the pain was gone. A week in, I got some nerve pain back in my feet. I had that pre surgery. I chalked it up to over doing it. But since that time, the nerve pain has intensified. Now its up my calves and shins just like pre surgical.

I keep feeling like my ALIF failed.

Anyone have this and it go away and now they are fine?