Grade III L5/S1 Spondylolisthesis- HELP!

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I'm 26 years old. When I was in 7th grade and starting to try out for sports, I was complaining of back pain all the time. Went to doctor and found out I had this condition. My mom soon found out that she also had it.

At the time, Dr. told me he did not recommend surgery bc it would take away a lot from my life (I guess bc I was so young).

However, i learned to deal and cope with pain with advil. I tried PT and personal training to strengthen muscles, etc, etc, etc. Also tried a chiropractor...yikes...

Obviously, none of this has had much of an impact. Until yesterday, no doctor has pushed surgery as my only option. I went to check up on things (went to orthopedic dr.) and he only recommended surgery.

I will be having a CT myelogram sometime soon and then I will speak to the surgeon about spinal fusion.

I'm a little scared and have no idea what this will mean. Will I have screws in my back? They told me recovery will be 3 months. I'm a teacher.... can I work still? Will I have full mobility? Has anyone found that surgery didn't help at all?

I know, a lot of questions, but I'm a tad scared! Any help, advice, tips, etc. are greatly appreciated. I already decided to see a spine specialist before committing to surgery.

Thanks!!!
 
Hi!
I am 19 years old and have the same condition and also have complete disc degeneration between L4-L5 and L5-S1. I experience pain and tingling/nurabness at all times in my back and left leg. I went to two world renowned spine specialists in NYC and was told that spinal fusion was inevitable and would ultimately lead to a better quality of life. They both said that I can wait and do it later as long as I can deal with pain, but eventually, their experience has told them that I will require it.

Their advice was that since I am young, as are you, recovery is much easier and shorter, and the sooner I do it the better. I am going to go in May when I am done with school. I guess for me it works because I will have all summer to recuperate and don't have to worry about a job or having someone help me because I live with my parents. I see that you are a teacher, that time period might work great for you as well. I know that I can't give advice as to how my recovery went, but I am a nursing student that will be expected to be able to work in a hospital come August. Both specialists told me that this would be possible.

As far as the surgery itself, depending on your own body, the surgeon will either go through the front and back, or from just your back. Most likely there will be hardware that secures the vertebrae. This will be covered with bone graft that, once set, will form a bone cage and contribute to stabilization. Because the spondy is so low, changes to mobility and range of motion are minimal. All of this info is coming from the two doctors that I saw.

I'm not sure if this helps, but I literally was where you are just a few weeks ago. Once I finally made the decision to go through with this, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I finally know that one day I'm going to be able to get through my day without pain. Maybe that's what you need. That's good that you are looking into a specialist, he/she will be able to help you make your best personal decision. Best of luck!
 
Hey,
Im 23 and last year I had a spinal fusion at L4-S1 with 2 roRAB and 4 screws. This is due to severe grade 3 spondylolisthesis. It was the best thing that I have ever done. Six days in the hospital and it was hard for about 2 weeks. After that it only got better. I had it 3/20/09 and by the end of April 09 I was driving. 7 months later I was working as a surgical tech at the cleveland clinic so YES you can work. It doesn't take long to get back to your old self. I have some limits on my range of motion but nothing that causes me problems in my everyday life. The best part is NO pain (very limited) from the bone graft site. Hope this helps!
 
I am 42 years old, mother of 2, and on August 22, 2008 I woke up one morning and could not stand or walk without severe nerve pain all down my right buttock, inside thigh and calf and arch of my foot. No warning, just woke up this way. So began an intensive round of chiro, physio, massage, accupuncture....3 months later ct scan diagnosed a grade 1 spondylolysthesis at s1/l5 and a grade 2 at l4/l5. About 8 months later, same symptoms started up in the left leg as well. I've been having the cortisone, multi-facet injections...they make my life manageable but only last 2 to 3 months. Recent flexion/extension x-rays have shown both spondys are unstable, and there really is no option other than fusion. I'm new to this board, and so many people posting on here have been posting for years, i'm excited to see several people beginning this journey at the same time as I am. I see lots of comments about nerve damage...I asked my neurosurgeon, and he indicated that as long as i continue to get full relief from doing anything (for me its sitting or lying down) that that is one really good indication that no permanent nerve damage has been done. I get scared, but basically am a positive person and have decided that once I decide I'm ready to go for this, I will have a successful outcome!
Sorry if i've rarabled, have been waiting to jump in with my first post for awhile and just want to type type type...it's easy to feel alone sometimes, isn't it?
 
I agree I've have done wonderful. It's been a year and it's like it didn't even happen. I too could not sit or stand for more than 10-20 minutes at a time. I know how you feel when you said that it was ruining your life. Here I was 22 thinking my life was over I was in so much pain all the time. This surgery saved my life. It is just amazing how much better you feel RIGHT after the surgery. The first thing thing I said is "I'm not in pain!" Surgical pain yes but that constant stabbing, nagging pain that would never go away was gone.
 
Hi girls, I am 55 and just had a 360 fusion on l3-4 due to an accident at work. I was terrified of having this surgery because of the things other people went through. I finally decided to have the fusion because I could not walk or sit or stand for more than 10 minutes at a time. It was ruining my life. This past January I finally had it done. I have a terrific doctor whom I love and trust a lot. I am 2 months post op and never thought I would feel this much better. What I am saying is to really consider this surgery if you really need it for it does help almost everyone with spondy. You guys are so much younger, it will take no time to recover. Good luck
 
Thanks for all of the encouraging responses! Since my first post I did go through with surgery on January 7th- it was supposed to have been Deceraber 17th, but was postponed due to bloodwork.

Like many of you said, I feel great! I'm still sore in spots, but my doctor says that's normal several months out. They fused 3 levels and used 4 roRAB and 8 screws. My surgery took 6 hours as opposed to the 3 I originally heard. He didn't correct my slippage, but rather cleared the compressed nerves and locked my spine into place.

I have been exercising for a few weeks now- eliptical and walking. I tried a fast walk/trot the other day and it made me a bit more sore than normal.

All in all I'm happy I had it done now.

I do have another question- my husband and I want to try for a baby within the next year. Did any of you have concerns about pregnancy after this surgery? If so, how long were you told to wait?

I think my doctor used the BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) and there is not a lot of info out about it. I've heard to wait at least a year, but there have been no reports or studies done with the protein on a developing fetus.

Anyone have any insight?

Thanks for your replies!!
 
I'm glad to hear you're doing so good! Its amazing how much better you feel. My dr also used the BMP and told me not to get pregnant for at least a year b/c it can cause birth defects. I'm not trying so it isn't a problem but he just really stressed that so I would wait that year.
 
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