hi I am so new not sure where to start need feed back please... I have had pain in back,legs ect for 4 years gone through pain mang pt ect... i have had 4 opinons over the 4yrs here is where I am my doc is Dr. Timon, south lake texas, he wants to do a anterior and posterior lumbar fusion. 360 4 hour surgery... I am scared but tired of my life standing still I want to live again! My pain is caused by nerve damage ,stenosis, herniated disc & i have torn disc from L3-4 to s1 , my L5 s1 is the worst I have had all the test 2 disograms OCHHHH my pain is the worst in low back, down the back of legs calves,hips, pelvic, feet you know what I mean .. pain meds i have tried them all right now I am on Fentynal Patches 50mg oxycode 10 mg I tried oxycotin and bc I am a recovering addict i am very careful with my meds it ihas been hard ... so any advice , any help is so welcomed I really want to learn what I need to know and be ready.. hope to here from yall soon Dawn:)

Hi dawn, welcome to the boards.

the board is kinda quiet on weekends so dont worry of you dont see many replies till monday.

there are two sticky threads at the top of the board you should check out, one is "post surgery tips" and the other is "less stress on your back around the house." both have some good stuff in them.

as far as using pain meds and recovering addiction, just be sure to take then exactly as prescribed and you should be fine. theres a big difference between abuse and legit pain relief.

any fusion surgery is scary. dont be afraid to ask your doc (or us here) any questions you might have. the more you know the better you will be.

there are also a couple of recent threads you should check out that give both the pros and cons of surgery.

"positive outcome"
http://healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=497635

and "was surgery worth it?"
http://healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=494563

Welcome to the boards, Dawn! I have had two fusions and they were both done from the back so unfortunately I can't answer about the anterior/posterior/lumbar 360. There are several people on the board who have had this surgery and I am sure they will chime in soon.

Having surgery is very scary and we all have gone thru it but try as much as possible to prepare yourself ahead of time by doing a slew of grocery shopping, making and freezing meals ahead, and shopping for some lounging clothes.

We love to chat so please come to the board often and join in the conversations. Read old posts and remember that we are here if you have any specific questions or concerns.

I had a two level anterior/postieror/lumbar fusion with donor and harvest bone graft. Hardware at the two levels. My surgery was 7 1/2 hrs with a 8 day stay. I am now 19 months out. My advise is to learn the morphine pump right away. I wasn't doing it right and wasn't getting anything from it. By the time I got it right, they took it away. LOL. Have a walker ready, they will get you up the day after surgery. I had surgery pain, but the leg pain and back pain from before surgery was basically gone. They wanted my meds down to a min. so the drugs would work in the hospital. In my case they didn't have to worry. I only take Norco. I tried oxy, methodone, Fentynal patch, morphine, and demerol. I am allergic to all oral class 2 drugs. I get either hives or worse. I have almost quit breathing and had my BP go way up and have spent two times in the hospital over drug reactions. Just have faith that ever thing will turn out o.k. Take care and keep us posted.

Dawn, i know where you coming from. It is scary. But we are here for you, people, who went thru 1-3 surgeries and more and we can share some information with you which may help you in a future recovery.
Just brose thru all threds and you will find a lot (i mean a lot) of information can be useful to you. And it is very -very important, trust me. I wish to know about this board and people on this particular board before my surgery. I thought i learn a lot before - but only now i understand that you never know enough.
And also, for your moral support, for your piece of mined - come here and you will always meet people who is willing to share, comfort you and it is kind of easier to go through a tuff time together with someone who goes thru the same thing.
As of pain level after surgery - it is varies for everybody, but it is not an easy recovery. Also it depends what exactly will be done during the surgery and how fast you heal and for how much damage is done for all the years we suffer. But everybody survives it, just need to be patient and to have a positive outlook.
I am sure you will be OK, good luck to you and if you have any questions - we all here to help.

Hi, Dawn and welcone to the boards, like one of the post said the board can be a little quiet on the weekend but on monday alot will be on. How are you feeling at this point? Are you ready for surgery? There is some info on post surgery tips on the top of this page I hope you find helpful. You take care and once again welcome.
Rachel