L5S1 fusion/4-5 ADR New to the boards

[WentGin]

Glad to be here, would be great to connect with anyone with similar hybrid/hardware and learn their recovery. Also interested in people who experience chronic facet joint pain (arthritis) because they have very little space between their facet joints and their ddd has worn away the cartilage.. and what they have done to improve/manage this..


Feel free to ask me anything. 10mo out from hybrid surgery. I’ve done a lot, including nothing or very little intervention and just living within the means of my poor back for over a decade. I wanted to wait for the adr science to come back and develop as much as possible. Then I got a little ambitious (perhaps greedy) during covid, found a great surgeon and did the larger fix sept 2020 at 39yrs old while my metabolism was still half decent and a dream of entering my forties with the back of a forty year old rather than a 90year old. Maybe ski or surf eventually who knows.. but I certainty won’t be hauling sheets of plywood ever again. Missed out on a lot in my thirties, but also accomplished a lot, even with certain disabilities. main loss was being more physical with my children and being bed ridden so much in my early thirties.

With all the hardship, pain, etc etc that a cursed back has caused me, I would also say that I have learned to live a better life because of my back difficulty, it changed the arc of my life in ways that were ultimately very positive.


microdiscetomy L5S1 2008 L, 2014 R, (UCSF)
Anterior Hybrid: L5S1 fusion (scarlet AL-T spineart) 4-5 adr (active L) 2020
40 yrs old
170lb, 6ft
Male
Active
No meds, no nerve block, only PT and hiking moderate inclines.

[Harrison]

Glad you are doing better! How have you been since your last posts? How much pain do you have, if any?