Mid November I started having some back pain. Went to a chiropractor for several sessions with no relief so had a X-ray, discovered moderate multilevel lumbar spondylosis etc.and found a non-surgical Orthopedic doctor. With meds and and physical therapy, I was doing better in about a month but started going the other direction. He finally had an MRI done, found severe canal stenosis at L3-L4, moderate stenosis at L4-L5 and mild stenosis at L5-S1. He shifted me to a pain management doctor who decided to attack it with an epidural injection at L4-L5 in hopes the meds would move up the spinal canal and provide some relief. The hope was to get me to 65 and Medicare for a minimally invasive spinal surgery. Two weeks later with very little relief and moving in the wrong direction, we agreed on an epidural at L3-L4. It helped for 1-2 days. Severe weakness in the left leg, groin pain, incredible muscle spasms which wouldn’t release, electric shocks down the upper leg and he referred me to an orthopedic surgeon. I thought about it for a day, cancelled that appointment and made one with an Orthopedic Surgeon at Fondren Orthopedic / Texas Orthopedic Hospital (same organization where I had both total knee replacements). He looked at the MRI and results of the injections and recommended a lumbar laminectomy L3-L5. We scheduled it for a week out and in that week, the pain had also moved into my right leg. I was barely able to walk in the morning and the pain was intense in the afternoon and evening. I feel if I’d put it off a couple more weeks I would have been in a wheelchair. I had the surgery Tuesday morning, in addition to the severe canal stenosis, he discovered a cyst in L3-L4 which was increasing the pressure on the nerves. After the surgery, all of the symptoms and pain from pre-surgery are gone. The pain from the incision is minimal. For PT, I can’t bend or twist my spine and need to walk several times a day for the next 3 weeks and then will move to a stationary bike and hopefully swimming for the next couple of months. I was able to walk a mile yesterday and today. Hopefully I’m on the road to recovery and can begin to enjoy retirement in the next couple of months. Again, thanks to those who know me on Facebook and have been praying for me
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