Hi Tom
Speaking from my experience, my functioning pre surg doesn't seem related to outcome (yet). Meaning, I have read stories of folks on here who had more debilitating issues than myself, who had easier recovery. On paper, I did everything "right" - lots of exercise and Physio preop, weight loss, good diet, lots of mental prep....and while I had a very "easy" few weeks right after the op, I am now functioning worse (3.5 months out) than I was preop. I've been proactive in Physio and do as I'm told, but bursitis, distraction pain and other new issues are getting me. I still have hopes to turn the corner.
So...I think there is a random element. But, I feel personally had I waited even longer for surg, that things mentally and physically could've made recovery harder. Hope that makes sense.
Best wishes with your decision
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Canadian but not into hockey (even as a woman I'm a shame to the country lol).
Sporadic back problems for yrs.
Severe issues 2013. degenerative disc disease 2013, disc protrusion, mild stenosis. Epidural steroid injections, chiro, massage, accupuncture, too many meds to list, Naturopath, physio, occupational therapy, kinesiologist, counselling...
M6 Artificial disc replacement @l5-s1 Nov 2015, in Canada
June 2016 - still struggling...Physio, accupuncture, massage, counselling...
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