Hi Lori,
I am 26, and also recently discovered I had spondylolisthesis. I was about 16 weeks pregnant (over 3 years ago), when I started getting back pain, sciatica etc. Everyone said that it was normal because I was pregnant. I discovered 18 months later that I had congenital spondylolisthesis with a slipped disc which was probably causing the back pain etc. Most people recommend conservative measures to try and help with the pain. Chiropractors may also try to help (but didn't help me). I was told that I would eventually need a spinal fusion to stabilise the spine, or the disc may slip further. I was also told that if I wanted any more children, that I had to have a spinal fusion, or be on complete bed rest. So I decided to go with the fusion. I had the spinal fusion L4-L5-S1 1 year ago today. They were only going to fuse L5-S1, but decided to also fuse L4 when they were in there, to stabilise it further. It is a big operation, you cannot do much when you have it. You may need to have up to 6 months off work. I took 5 months off work, and studied some more whilst lying down. Now I work at home, and can do a lot of work lying down with a lap top. It is still hard to sit or stand for really long periods of time, as my back aches. I don't have the sciatica that I had before the operation, so that is a bonus. I was told it may take up to 2 years for the nerves to heal properly as it wasn't properly diagnosed (i.e. the slipped disc) for quite awhile. This may obviously be different for you. It is different for everyone, there are a lot of succesful fusions, particularly with the sophisticated technology that they have at the moment. If you have the surgery, it should be a last option. Try everything else, that is what everyone recommended to me. At least then if you have the surgery, you won't have regrets that you didn't try other things first to try and help your pain. If you do have the surgery you need to be as fit as possible, so do what you can now, particularly if this is an option for you. Most people are surprised that I had to have a fusion at my age, I think they are normally done in people that are older, when their backs 'wear out'. All the best with your decision. Take care, and God Bless. Mim
P.S. My operation was about 9.5 hours, they normally aren't this long though. They were trying out some new computer equipment on me. They also fused an extra level than they were going to. I didn't need a blood tranfusion, even after this long operation. So even if you have an operation, you may not need a transfusion!
spondylolesthesis
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