Well, I finally had the back surgery yesterday and it went quite well. Came home today. I'm in a great deal of pain from the actual surgery but the other pain in my legs and hips seems to have disappeared. That's what the goal was all along.
I will be seriously limited in what I can do and where I can go during the next four to six weeks. Then I can start to do some of the things I'm used to doing around here. Well maybe not building outdoor kitchens and flagstone decks but there's always something to do here.
My surgeon said he found nothing else of concern besides the three areas where bone was pressing the nerve bundle (L3 L4 & L5). He performed his magic over a 2½ hour period. It's called a lumbar laminectomy to correct a condition called spinal stenosis. In my case, he thinks it was caused by genetics, but the condition is fairly common although less severe in most people. The surgery success rate is from 95% to 100% depending on where you look. If you have the condition you should certainly consider the surgery before you damage your nerves beyond repair.
I just took two more of the pain meds and my next stop is bed. I hope I can sleep non-stop until tomorrow. Probably not but at least I can take more pills if I need to.
It's nice to live in a country where treatment is available. I couldn't stand much more of the pain that was constantly at level six or higher all day, every day. I'm really looking forward to each and every new day from now on.
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