Anyone here had back surgery

[hunting270]

Just had back surgery for spinal stenosis in March.

[drwilliams]

In 2009 I had L5 and S1 fused, was up walking not an hour after surgery and was off work for 3 months,couldnt pick up anything over 15 lbs. If I had to do it again I would in a heartbeat

Same with me. I had L4 L5 S1 fused last Tuesday in Bryan. The first day sucked with pain and the next day I was fine. Got up and was walking within 4 hours of waking up. Stayed on the hospital for the night because of a bleed and came home week ago today. Fought it for 16 years and finally got it done. I'm off for 8 weeks as of now could turn into 12 weeks and can't left anything over 10lbs. Id do it over again in a heart beat.

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[Shane]

My wife had a microdiscectomy last year. It went well, and recovery was just a few weeks. Pain and numbness were gone immediately. She still has some pain here and there, due to the disc being degenerated. But the piece that was bulging and pressing on the nerve is gone.

My brother-in-law has had several back and neck surgeries. One of them was the one where they gutted him and worked on the front side, and then flipped him over and worked on the back side. The spine part of the surgery went well. Long recovery for that one. He also had some trouble with twisted guts after that too. He eventually got over it and says it was worth it.

[Puggy625]

I had a 4 level ALIF 360 about 4 years ago. Missed 6 weeks of work and don't regret it one bit.

Dr. Ludwig Orozco in Rowlett at Texas Brain and Spine did mine. Highly recommend him. Send me a pm if your interested in talking about what to expect after surgery.

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[dope hunter]

My dad has had 4 total back surgeries with 2 of those being from ruptured discs...the past being a 360 from front and back. He was 61 then and 63 now and his back has healed up nicely. He was very worried about the surgery before, but now is very glad he got it fixed.

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[Hughiam]

ive had 4 at L4-L5. microdisectomy, then a partial fusion(40% failure rate but insurance wouldn't cover the full). 1 year later full fusion. 1 year later the wedge moved and I had the hardware on the left removed. Ive also had a fusion at C2-C6. Go see a neurosurgeon, not just an ortho. My recovery times varied from 4 weeks to 10 days.

[bowhuntz]

Thanks everyone for the info. I will be reaching out to you with questions after my visit tomorrow.

The TBH group is awesome! I appreciate everyone!

[Matt_C]

choose your surgeon carefully...

[Dusty Britches]

Texas Brain and Spine Institute is the only way to go for any type of back surgery. They are basically a chain of specialists throughout Texas.

I had back surgery many years ago and I was laid up in bed for 5 days then slowly increased activity. 2 months later I was 80% and spent the rest of the year recovering that last 20%, which is pretty normal for most surgeries.

If you need surgery, find some people you can train to help you while you are down. I did and it was a huge relief knowing the important stuff was taken care of.

[double bogey]

I have had 3 major back surgeries, not for injury but to remove tumors. I can recommend 2 neurosurgeons in Dallas and Plano.

And yes, see a neuro, not just an ortho.

[PlanoDano]

Don't put it off until the disk penetrate the nerve sheath. You will end up with a whole new understanding of pain and probably some lost function. Went through 30 years of least invasive surgeries before getting the 360. 30 years of protecting my back at all cost - After 360 10 years ago I am dead lifting and squatting 6 plates regularly with my surgeons blessing. 315 lbs as an old man. I wish they had done that in the beginning.

[JES]

I’ve also had the L5/S1 fusion after doing everything to avoid the major surgery, my adivce is same as others, go for the fusion and be done with it. Walking is the best therapy you can do post-surgery. I was off work for almost 6 weeks. The day I got home I was only able to walk about 20 yards, with a walker, after a few weeks I was walking 10+ miles a day. Me and the old folks walking at the local park, had a group of old ladies I saw everyday, they were cheering me on as I got better and better...

Save all your MRI reports, get the disc and keep it, take that to several doctors and get different opinions. I couldn’t find a neurosurgeon that didn’t want to cut on me ASAP and they all recommended just a micro-discectomy, very pushy towards just doing it. Finally found a doc that sat down , explained to me in detail what was going on, what was the likely continued issues I would have, etc. They never pushed surgery, in fact said it should be the last resort. They recommended I wait until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I was already at that point. Best thing I’ve done, game changer for me. Fully functional, except when I overdo it or haven’t kept up my core strength, who h you’ll need to do after you have this done.

Good luck.

[bowhuntz]

Doc said I do need the 360. One disc is basically gone (bone on bone) and another that is severely herniated. He asked if my back was manageable before this last episode and I said yes. He said he thinks he can get me back to pre recent injury with PT and injections to get me through this hay season, and deer season. I am going to try to do that if possible. I know I will eventually have to get the surgery but I am so freaked out now being off work with all the stuff that's going on and I would be in trouble if I couldn't get enough hay up to get me through the winter this year. Not to mention I don't want to take the chance of being side lined during bow season....

Thanks to everyone for the advice and wish me luck on getting through another season of this!

[Puggy625]

I had my surgery in Feb and got drawn for Hagerman the same year. Scouted many days with lots of miles walked and hunted HARD for 3 days in Dec. The recovery ain't no joke at first, but after a couple of weeks, you'll be wishing you hadn't put it off.

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[meathunter]

I have surgery scheduled in about 11 days. Mine is pretty serious and the Dr. is telling me 7-10 in hospital, 1 month bed rest, 3 months of rehab 3-4 days a week and should feel pretty good in about 6 months. They will have to go in from 3 separate angles. They will start by going in through my stomach, then roll me on my side and do what they need there, and then go in through the back. There will be multiple surgeons and should take 4-6 hours. Pretty dang nervous about it. I guess I said, “ Hold my beer and watch this” too many times. Wouldn’t change a thing.