[Terry]

Paula

Same story as mine and my MRI looks very similar though my S1-L5 was totally collapsed.

Went through the epidurals, facet injections. Waste of money in my opinion. Got no relief from any of it.

The surgery is 14 weeks out for me now. Still have some distraction pain that kicks in regularly. The pain is very manageable and nothing compared to pre-surgery.

They can put you on Neurontin or Lyrica to deal with any long-term nerve pain. My personal favorite is Lyrica which acts more towards the damaged nerves rather than acting globally like Neurontin. Many can handle the side effects of Neurontin, I could not as I am very medication sensitive.

It looks like you have done your homework and have a good plan of action. You are so young to have a fusion. I am very athletic and everyone I knew who had a fusion at your level and wanted to be active was miserable with a lot of pain.

I am very pleased with my decision so far. I turn 50 on February 27th and feel as if I got the best birthday present I could have ever gotten. I am putting my discs to the test regularly. We got 25" of snow the weekend before last with a lot of snow on top of that since. I have been snowshoeing constantly since. Did a 5.5 mile hike in the woods yesterday and have a long hike scheduled for today. The real test will be if I can put my 2,000 miles on my bicycle this coming season. I am looking forward to it. The pain level is so much lower now I feel like a constant miracle.

Trust God, your caregivers, and the support of the people here to see you through.

Take care Paula.

Terry Newton