I had my surgery on Tuesday ( April 18) and I was discharged on Friday . The first two weeks and all I did was lay in bed and walk around a little in a while then lay in bed again . It was in this first two weeks that the leg pain came on but after the steroid pack it disappeared . I am wearing a brace which I have to wear for the first three months until the soft fusion sets in . I can pretty much walk anywhere but I can't bend lift or twist so that kind of limits the movement . This Friday I'll have my first x-ray after the surgery to see if there's been any fusion going on . My doctor says that at about three months they start you in physical therapy for 9 to 12 weeks and then after that it's just practicing and stressing you're back to strengthen the bone . People can go back to work at six weeks if it is a sedentary job and maybe not so soon if it's in if it's something physical... more like after 12 weeks . Everyone is a little different though and everyone heals a little differently so everybody's pace is probably a little different . I'm talking about a fusion if it's not a fusion the recovery time is much shorter . When I had a laminectomy I went home the next day and really was back to normal within two weeks . As for myself I feel pretty back to normal except for the limitations put on me by the doctor with my movement .i just get tired out at night more than I did before. If the fusion has started to set then I'll be able to take the brace off part of the day. So that's all I know . My fusion was through the back some people have it through the side or through their stomach . The neurosurgeon you pick will probably be pretty accurate on how his patients recover . Some surgeons have different styles about the way they handle things some do not make patients wear a brace and some do . I came home with a boatload of pain meds but hardly used any . But that's me . Good luck!
Wow !!! You poor thing you have been through a lot I'm in Australia I've been toldsurgery isn't preformed through the stomach any more here they say the risk factor is to high of complications thanks for your input just trying to get other people's thoughts and experiences in recovery times for worst case scenario. You know one of the hardest things I've found is people don't know how mentally debilitating back pain (who haven't been there) it's hard to describe when you get up in the morning and best case scenario your not in pain for first 5 mins of the day and than all day night you struggle to move find a spot that's not so sore etc not telling you anything you don't know, that's why I like this page so much talking to people with experience it's almost like a counselling session 😂😂 the other thing I would like to ask everyone if comfortable in talking about it was how they hurt there back's in the first place, myself I'm a boilermaker and moved a boat around about ten yrs ago and slipped a disc had physio and chiropractors visits was fine after 2 weeks than about a year later slowly got worse and worse until where I am today always been involved in heavy lifting my hole life only 38 yrs old but 😜Well that's my story thanks guys x