r/spinalfusion

I (24F) finally got approved for surgery!!! Verbatim from my doctors portal its a "fusion spine lumbar oblique lateral interbody posterior approach with instrumentation and decompression".

While it's definitely nerve wracking I'm super excited!! I know it will be a long road to recovery but I would much rather deal with the pain of healing for a significant chance to get my life back.

I tagged this under needs advice mostly because I'm curious as to how other peoples day-to-day experiences went right after the procedure. Any thoughts are helpful and much appreciated!

Following up on my original post since I don't think I was clear. The SPECT CT is a nuclear medicine scan overlayed by a CT scan of the same area. This was ordered after several injections including bi-lateral lumbar 2, 3, and 4, bi-lateral medial branch, SI joint and facet, which provided no pain relief. The SPECT CT will show which areas of the spine are metabolically "active" suggesting where there is ongoing bone/joint stress or degeneration. An MRI/CT itself will tell the surgeon which areas look abnormal, but the SPECT will show the exact anatomy responsible for the bone turnover/activity. Has anyone had one of these scans and was it helpful to your surgeon in determining what surgery to have? Thank you for your help.

I just want to take a moment and thank the wonderful citizens of Reddit. I have ACDF C5-7 tomorrow (after Harrington rods T5-L1 many decades ago). I really appreciate everyone that has taken the time to share their experience(s),helpful tips, etc. as a patient and/or caregiver. Over the last few months, I’ve been able to read, educate myself, and prepare thanks to y’all. It’s been an emotional roller coaster, but this too shall pass. 🙌 I have a wonderful family that’s taking care of me, a brilliant surgeon and team, and a whole lotta people praying for me.

Hey there fellow community, just wanted to make a post of my experience and healing journey.

I'm a 60 yr old male and had my XLIF 8 months ago and am glad I got it down, but the recovery is definitely an on going up and down process to be honest.

My surgeon told me it would be a realistic 18 months to truly feel "better", but that is so subjective right? What is better just depends for each individual.

What recently frustrated me is that my right leg has become super weak, and I developed 24/7 pins and needles in my right foot. It was so bad that I ended up in the ER due to having falling twice at home. (I live alone fyi).

So, I went in for an MRI with contrast and the Radiologist's report shows distal nerve clumping and the indication of Arachnoiditis.

When I met with my spine surgeon his view of the report was a complete 180 from the findings of the radiologist. And he told me it's just part of the healing process and there's nothing he could do.

My question is this: because there is no structural issue and the surgery did go ok, should I get a 2nd opinion with a Neurologist of Pain Management doctor? Because this is now more of a nerve issue.

Tomorrow I meet with my PCP for an appt. and I'll ask what he suggests.

Happy Sunday and thanks for reading.

Patrick in Seattle ;-)

Hi redditor buddies. I've seen many surgeons and some of them don't like that. There is one who I am leaning towards going with because he is suggesting a smaller surgery for me given the fact that I've had chronic lumbar stenosis were almost 10 years. I'm 74. He explained what procedure he thought would be the best for me based on the fact that my l4-05 disc is almost completely obliterated. The only place I have spondylosis is it l3-l4 and that's where he would fuse. The rest he would go l3 to l5 laminectomy and no fusion except at l3-l4. When I had a few more questions he seemed annoyed and said he's explained it a few times. Any suggestions on how to get the answers I want from him without creating a tense situation? I know two people who had very good surgeries with him. Thanks for any ideas .

I have a family member who had a failed spinal fusion surgery in the Los Angeles area. Has anyone else experienced this and what were your next steps? Please, kindly understand, I’m looking to hear only from those who have suffered bad outcomes and hear their stories as I’m hoping to learn from others in a similar situation.

If you had a positive outcome, I’m very happy you did.

Thank you in advance for understanding. I’m open to receiving DM’s, but in my opinion I also think open conversation can possibly help others.

Im 48 and about 3 months out from an acdf c4-6. My spinal cord was severely compressed at two levels. I was never really in pain but was having dizziness and that's what led to finding the stenosis.

Now I'm having on and off tingling/slight numbness in my left arm that wasn't there before. The dizziness stayed persistent but I went to an ENT and preliminary tests indicate a possible vestibular hypofunction on one side. Im getting the full testing on Tue but the home exercises they prescribed seem to be helping- although I do think my neck situation is an aggravating factor in the dizziness.

Anyways, to address the title- I experienced an abrubt drop off in sexual performance about 3 yrs ago. I kinda thought it was just changes that come with being in my mid to late 40s but I've always been a fit guy so the abruptness of it was a bit confusing.

After finding the cord compression, Gemini said it can affect performance but i couldnt really nail down anything conclusive and was somewhat hopeful but there's most definitely been a great improvement. Has anyone else had a similar experience?