I know it is a painful surgery! I have had 2. But it will probably be better since medical technology has come a long way in 17 years. The hardware they use is different, they can make smaller incisions (my first fusion was 10 months ago, and my grandma had one 10 years ago. Her scar is WAY bigger than mine.) They have new methoRAB to help you heal, like putting donor bone or your own bone in the spot that the disc was. (I guess I don't know how your surgery was done, but I will tell you about what they do now anyway). They inject stuff in there to aid in the fusing process and my surgeon told me it works 95% of the time. With my second fusion, which was 10 days ago, my surgeon injected my own bone marrow in there. Now a days they make you walk a ton. I have to be walking a mile a day by 6 weeks post op. Walking helps you fuse. You would also do physical therapy, and possibly wear a brace. I am wearing a brace- have to for 3 months- and it prevents bending and twisting and keeping the fusion from moving.
Do you have leg pain (sciatica)? You have to be careful because you can really do some permanent damage if you don't do something about this. My first surgeon did a wack job on my first fusion. When they cut me open 10 days ago, my screws were so loose that they were literally about to pop out. My surgeon was amazed. And the first surgeon also left alone a bad disc that other surgeons, doctors, and all the radiologists thought it was bad. Because he left it, I have permanent nerve damage. I actually lost control of my bowels the night before surgery. Of course with my surgery 10 days ago the surgeon took the thing out and tried to fix it and the scar tissue as best he could, but I still probably have permanent nerve damage. When I woke up from surgery my whole left leg and foot were completely nurab. Most of the feeling has come back, but not all of it, and that leg is very weak. It shakes if I stand still.
Sorry to blab and go on and on, but you should really go to an ortho or neurosurgeon and get some options. You don't want to live like this forever do you?
