Anyone Have Lumbar Fusion at L1,2 and L2,3?

[gwin]

Hi:

I am interested in hearing from anyone who has had some form of minimal invasive Lumbar Fusion(s) at L1,2 and L2,3 and what their experiences were with doctors, recovers, etc. I have seen quite a bit about others experiences with lower level lumbar fusions, but not much a L1,2 and L2,3. Thanks!

Gwin

[dalhousie]

Hi Gwin - I had an ALIF at L1/2 in 2005. It wasn't minimally invasive though - I have a 6 1/2 inch scar across my back (even though it was an anterior approach). I had a titanium cage with BMP & also a rod with 2 ?pedicle screws. I had advanced degeneration & the bone was very prominent at L1/2 so my surgeon put a rod & 2 ?pedicle screws in to try to straighten it up & make it less prominent. It has made a little difference but the bony area at L1/2 is more prominent than the rest of my spine. To gain access to the disc in that area my surgeon removed a rib on that side & ground the bone down & put it in the cage.

I have a very poor record of bone healing (that's why I had BMP) & it didn't show any sign of fusing (on plain x-rays) 'till I was a year post op. At 2 years post op it had fused anteriorly & has stayed at that.

It took me about a year a half before I felt good & had a good fitness level. I didn't have post op physio back then & was left to my own devices. I was told if it hurts don't do it! Immediately post op I was very stiff & wooden in my movements but techniques have much improved now & especially with minimally invasive so your recovery should be much easier & quicker than mine was.

I was told it's an unusually high level to have DDD at & it was the bane of my life for 12 years. Have you been told why you have DDD at that level?

If you want to know anymore just fire away.



PS. I've been good since my fusion - went to the gym three times a week, did as much walking as I could fit in & started doing a degree. My latest problem at L4/5 (for which I had ADR last year) is unrelated to my fusion op as they are several discs apart.

[gwin]

Hi Ruth:

Thanks for the information. you mentioned it took 2 years for you to fuse anteriorly, I take that to mean you only partially fused? Do you feel the open back part was harder than the anterior entry part of the surgery to recover from?

I have consulted 8 doctors, 2 in person and 4 via phone and /or email after they viewed my uploaded MRI and X-rays. 2 suggest no fusion, just decompression, even though I have no disks left, just bone on bone at L1-2 and L2-3. 1 suggested stabilization hardware at those levels. Stenum said I was a possible candidate for ADR's. 4 recommended fusions at those levels. 1 suggested fusion all the way from L1 to S1. 8 said I was not a candidate for ADR's due to too much damage, arthritis, etc.

All agreed that decompression was needed, but the opinions vary greatly as to what levels, etc., so I am very concerned that there is no consensus regarding what needs to be done about this. I will keep up the search, but have to do something very soon due to nerve damage from the stenosis.

Take care,

Gwin

Hi Gwin - I had an ALIF at L1/2 in 2005. It wasn't minimally invasive though - I have a 6 1/2 inch scar across my back (even though it was an anterior approach). I had a titanium cage with BMP & also a rod with 2 ?pedicle screws. I had advanced degeneration & the bone was very prominent at L1/2 so my surgeon put a rod & 2 ?pedicle screws in to try to straighten it up & make it less prominent. It has made a little difference but the bony area at L1/2 is more prominent than the rest of my spine. To gain access to the disc in that area my surgeon removed a rib on that side & ground the bone down & put it in the cage.

I have a very poor record of bone healing (that's why I had BMP) & it didn't show any sign of fusing (on plain x-rays) 'till I was a year post op. At 2 years post op it had fused anteriorly & has stayed at that.

It took me about a year a half before I felt good & had a good fitness level. I didn't have post op physio back then & was left to my own devices. I was told if it hurts don't do it! Immediately post op I was very stiff & wooden in my movements but techniques have much improved now & especially with minimally invasive so your recovery should be much easier & quicker than mine was.

I was told it's an unusually high level to have DDD at & it was the bane of my life for 12 years. Have you been told why you have DDD at that level?

If you want to know anymore just fire away.



PS. I've been good since my fusion - went to the gym three times a week, did as much walking as I could fit in & started doing a degree. My latest problem at L4/5 (for which I had ADR last year) is unrelated to my fusion op as they are several discs apart.

[dalhousie]

Hi Gwin,

Thanks for the information. you mentioned it took 2 years for you to fuse anteriorly, I take that to mean you only partially fused?

Yes, I've only fused anteriorly. It does say a solid looking anterior part fusion on my scan report. I asked my current surgeon (not the one who did my fusion but the one who did my ADR) about the consequences of only fusing anteriorly & he said that was the most important part to fuse as most of the body's movements are flexion-based. He tried to reassure me that as far as he was concerned I was fused.

Do you feel the open back part was harder than the anterior entry part of the surgery to recover from?

I hope I understand you right here but I didn't notice much difference. I wouldn't have known I had my abdominals disturbed apart from bad abdominal bloating post op but I do have IBS. (I only have 1 scar from my fusion op which is across my back).

My ADR surgery involved a 3 inch scar running down from my navel which is less than half the size of my fusion scar. I must say though my fusion scar is extremely neat.

I don't envy you making a decision from such conflicting opinions. How is the average non medical person expected to decide with such differing proposals. I hope you can find a specialist you trust & have confidence in. I live in the UK but I presume you are based around the USA.

If you were fused from L1-S1 would you have much flexibility? After my fusion I don't notice much stiffness. It's mainly when I do things involving repetitive bending like drying off my car when I've taken it to the car wash. My specialist said that there isn't much movement of the spine at L1/2 as there is lower down say at L4/5 so would be less likely to get adjacent segment degeneration - how true that is I don't know.

Good luck with your research & decision making.