u/BrokenBlueButterfly

I’m only 6 and a half weeks post fusion so I know it will be a while, but I’ve realised I may not be able to do what I want once I know fusion is successful and I’m allowed to move more freely. I have a disabled child so I’m unable to work. It’s been 13 years since I had a “real” job. I’ve had my spinal injury for 6 and a half of those years. I’m a 45yo F.

I grew up watching and helping my grandfather restore antique furniture as his business, and I loved it. Over the last 20 years I’ve transformed a lot of the furniture I owned, and then when I wasn’t able to work due to kiddos illnesses, I turned to hobby rehab, getting pieces off FBMP or even random pieces left out on the road, restore/flip and sell it on. I’ve thought I’ll do that again as a side income stream around my caring duties once my spine had healed. But I have doubts I’m going to be able to lift, be bent over sanding, using power tools etc

Has anyone gone on to do physical work after having a lumbar fusion? If so, how long after your fusion could you start/get back to it? I was slow rehabbing 2 pieces before my surgery that are still waiting for me in the garage. I go in there and see all my tools and those pieces of furniture and I’m desperate to get back to them.

Im sorry in advance how long this is.
I’m 11 days post L5/S1 ALIF. I’m 45F Australian. 6 years ago I was in the best physical shape of my life, extremely active, probably a little too thin but I was recently divorced and happy with myself. I bent down to pick up grass clippings that escaped my mower catcher and I didn’t come back up. I had dislocated the L5, it had slipped over the S1 and the disc went splat crushing nerves. A few weeks after I started physio and chiro. 2 days before the chiropractor visit I had a scan they requested. Had the adjustment with blinding pain etc and 2 days later had another scan requested by my Dr to find the splat disc had a lovely big tear. So from March 2020 through to May 2026 that tear didn’t heal, not even a little. Over the years with PT, OT, hydro etc the vertebrae corrected but stayed slipped, I developed DDD, stenosis, and more symptoms including burning legs and feet, patches on my legs with zero physical sensation but deeply burned, and the hair on my legs stopped growing to probably halfway up my calf. I couldn’t walk upright, couldn’t walk more than 4-5 mins without sitting, couldn’t sleep more than 4 hrs and on more pain meds than the pharmacy could keep up with.

I was in hospital for 8 days, I had regional blocks and a ketamine drip and a hydromorphone button thing for 7. Released with heaps of meds again, including Hydromorphone - 5 tablets. Targin, tramadol, gabapentin, baclofen, Valium.

So here we are. I thought I was in pain before! I have severe sciatica in both legs to my knees, my feet burn, I have a massive throb in my spine - all 10x worse than before surgery. I can’t lay on my right side at all, everything starts to spasm. If I lay on my back the throb is too much. I can’t sit for long, after 2 mins the sciatica gets too much and it feels like my legs are on fire but I’m still sitting often. I can’t sit in a reclined position at all. So I’m laying on my left side and just dealing with my stomach pain which is nothing in comparison but have all the other pain, just maybe x9 instead of x10. I’m walking around the house for a few mins as often as I can, but I’m just in hell. I have a heat pack on my back 24/7 which has caused burns. Even after taking all meds available to me the heat is the only thing that touches the deep throb in my spine. I can’t shower for more than a min or 2 as I can’t stand or sit without screaming. Ironically, perfected the log roll straight up and have zero issues getting up and down, it obviously hurts but it’s easy compared to everything else.

Is this going to get better? What positions helped you all in the early weeks? I was told to expect pain, it’s a major surgery etc but I sleep 2 hours, cry 6 hours, sleep 2 hours repeat. It’s so disheartening after reading comments from others that all they needed was paracetamol within days of surgery and walking 10-30 minutes straight.