I'm having spinal fusion next week for the area from L3 to L4. {64 years old and in good health otherwise}
I certainly didn't want to have surgery, but after a really bad fall about 9 months ago, I have no choice but to do something; right now I can still do things around the house (mow the yard, etc...), but I really pay for it if I do any type of heavy work, such as lifting, shoveling, and most other types of yard work that require bending and effort.
But then again, my back hurts from mild to severe every day anyway.
My question is this: I was sent a short video by the hospital where the surgery will take place, and the video begins by
talking about one's back pain and all the things most people try before they find it's something serious (PT, exercise, losing weight, acupuncture...), In other words, besides telling me how the surgery was done, the video, in my opinion, started with the premise that the relief of the back pain was paramount with patients with back problems.
Then, at the end of the video, one is told the major effects of the surgery, possible problems, and how it normally affects most people. The ONE thing I didn't understand was the statement that this procedure might only minimally reduce pain; they used something like if pain were rated at an 8 before, one might expect a 5, or even 6 afterward (this is after complete recovery). The pain is one of the major reasons I'm having this surgery done; I realize that a pain scale may not necessarily be linear (possibly a 5 is 4 times less pain ??), but still, I'd surely hope for a lot more improvement that those figures.
One other question I have: is there ANYTHING besides Vicoden that is prescribed for pain ? I really don't like taking it, as it doesn't seem to work that well, and it often upsets my stomach. I understand if one takes another drug, it can only be taken so long anyway also before it a tolerance is built up to it; unfortunately, that's one problem that I have, and many doctors don't understand it, is that I have a high tolerance for almost any drug I can think of. I do not want to have to live on drugs, but they are a necessity at this time. Is Tylox, or other strong drugs every prescribed for short periods of time ? Surely something else has to work better than Vicoden !
I'd appreciate any input from those who have had similar surgery, or anyone knowledgeable in this field.
Please ask any questions if I've left anything out, or some input is needed. Thank you.