I agree I would love to hear of a positive surgery as I am facing it myself next month.
Deb

I HAVE HAD 7 SURGERIES ON MY LOWER BACK.ALL OF THEM HAVE HELPED ME.I HAVE HAD SO MANY BECAUSE I RETURNED TO WORK TO EARLY,DID THINGS I SHOULD NOT HAVE AS SOON AS I FELT BETTER,ETC.MY ONLY ADVISE IS MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOD SURGEON.FIND OUT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.GET A 2ND OPINION,EVEN A 3RD!MOST IMPORTANT FOLLOW SURGEONS INSTRUCTIONS AFTER SURGERY-NO SHORTCUTS.DONT BE LIKE I WAS.GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sEAN

Four levels of lumbar disc degeneration two ruptured discs two herniated. All better after surgery to stabilize the spine with 8 screws and plastic tubing. No fusion just the device. I was lucky my surgeon did this without regard to payment. It is not FDA approved for this purpose, so I am one of a kind in the USA but I am 75% better in my spine.

I also had the same surgeon perform a two level cervical fusion with 6 screws and a plate. Very successful again.

For me the pain was so intense, I didn't even realize i had two tumors growing on a nerve in my shoulder. Once these surgeries saved me, I felt the shoulder and had that fixed. With that much pain though i was willing to try something my doctor only heard about and had never seen performed.

I had L4 L5 fusion 4 years ago and im glad i had it done have some bad days but very few,i have started some PT to keep up with everthing,if i sit around i get in trouble ,thats a NoNo,keep in touch

I had a fusion done in 2005 and it was successful. I'm now pain free 99% of the time !!!

i had a spinal fusion on my lower back 3 years ago last feb. i had 4 disc replaced and they took bone from my hip for the fusion. it has helped me a great deal. if i do lifting i will have pain at night. i cannot sit to long in one place for very long either or i get pain. sleeping is the hardest for me. it is hard to get comfortable because the back does not work the same anymore in that area. the only thing that scares me now is, the doctor said that above and below the fusion is now weak and i would have to have more surgery. i don't think you are ever "cured' of the back problems but at least can still manage with every day things in life.

Lasttime:

My neurosurgeon & ortho told me the areas above & below my fusion would be weak for some time but didn't say they would have to be fused or require more surgery later on. They said it was a risk before the fusion was stable, but became nominal once everything was set and my spine became normal for the first time in my life. Good luck to you =)

thank you mollie for the reply on the fusion. my doctor did not tell me that it would only be temporary. i sure would not want to go through it again. thanks!