How long did your XLIF surgery take

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guy484

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Just a general question to those that got the XLIF surgery. How long did it
take them to do a one level fusion? On the internet it says it only takes 1
hour to do a fusion.

It took them 4 hours to do mine and wanted to find out if that's normal.

Also when they woke me up I couldn't move my legs and feet. Is that
normal as well? It took 2 days before I could barely move them around and
3 days before I could get around with a walker.
 
mine took 4 hours and my left leg was fine but my right leg was really bad hope this helps take care...Kellie
 
My XLIF was scheduled to take four hours -- two to put in the cage, two to flip me over and put in 4 screws and 2 roRAB. According to the surgeons it was a textbook operation and I was done in three. Forget all that Nuvasive talk about it taking an hour and you walking later that night; that might be the rare case with no hardware, but it's not typical.

I was pretty heavily drugged for a couple of days so movement was limited but I could definitely move everything. There was a bit of weakness in the thigh but nothing like what I expected, since they have to slit the psoas muscle. What I did get was a swath of nurabness around the hip and down the outside of my thigh. I'm now 6 months out and I still have the nurabness -- although everything else feels great.

They've said the nurabness wasn't unusual but should be gone in 6 weeks to 6 months; later they said it could take up to 18 months or may never go away.

One surgeon who I consulted with but didn't use told me he felt the thigh issues with the XLIF were "grossly underreported."

Still, my recovery was so smooth, I'd do the XLIF again, in a heartbeat.

Overall, how are the symptoms that brought you to the XLIF?
 
I had a plif/with harware and my neuro told me prior to surgery that it would take approx 4 hours...after, while in recovery, I was told i took over 8 hours.
Iam now 70 days post and i havn't taken or needed any form of pain meRAB since week 2 post.
Maybe those extra hours where of benifit...
 
My surgery was done Oct 16,2008. My life has been hell ever since. I wonder what it would be like to be pain free. I went in walking and came out unable to lift my left leg. I feel this will never be over. Don't give up on disability. Everyone said don't expect to get it after they deny u you will need a lawyer. Well that didn't happen. I was approved first time. So don't give up.
 
hi Vlaud,

My condition hasn't gotten better. My hips are always hot and painful. My wife finally snapped that I'm disabled and can't work-sleep-function.

Surprisingly I was approved for Social Security Disability on the first application, which is rare. The sad part is you can not receive Social Security Disability right away and must wait 5 months after getting approved before they will pay you.

We've drained our savings and it's all gone. No home, living with the mother in law. Wife is mentally collapsed over this. KiRAB also suffering. I wish I could function so I could go apply for Food Stamps. The wife won't even do it and is taking it hard.


I wouldn't recommend the XLIF surgery to anyone.
 
I had it done (XLIF) on Dec. 6, 2010. the surgery was about 6 hours. I was walking that night and out of the hospital in 3 days. I was off all pain meRAB in 4 days and feel absolutely fantastic. My fussion was done on L4-L5. I was back to work full time in less than 2 weeks.
 
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