[zfontana]

It's been eight months and 10 days since my fusion over the pro-disc. As of lately I've been making some progress. I've been bed ridden for a year and a half since my pro-disc surgery. I found I can sit and eat dinner without to much pain. I couldn't walk a half mile after the prodisc but after the fusion over the pro-disc surgery I can walk about a mile a day. I still have pain when sleeping but I can tolerate sleeping good 6 to 8 hours a night. Prior to surgery I would be up for days from the pain until I was so exhausted I passed out and most mornings I wake up crying in pain. I feel stable once again, presurgery I would lose my balance quite often which was very scary. My surgeon could not promise me a number on the pain reduction but his goal was to make me stable without removing the pro-disc but he will if im still not stable. So far my progress has been fair. It's nice to walk without agony. It's amazing that I can finally sit up what seems like no big deal was almost impossible. I know I'll never be the same as if I just would've had a fusion off the get go. But so far I regained back some of the things I took for granted. I had my x-ray images and Dr. seems to be happy with his work. I hope I still keep improving within the next year. I'm hoping that I fuse and if I do fuse properly or as well as can be expected with this type of procedure. I would imagine I'll even get better after joints stop moving. I'm just hoping there's no complications like bone growing over a nerves. My orthopedic surgeon was highly recommended and very creative. He also on our first meeting was stunned that a doctor would put a pro-disc in with the level of facet joint disease that I had. Prior to my pro-disc surgery I was never informed that I had moderate facet joint disease, not by my orthopedic surgeon or the MRI report. The sad part is I never would've risked getting a pro-disc with moderate facet joint disease. Regardless if my joints were not the culprit, I just would not chance it. I would imagine I'll have back pain the rest my life but going from a 10 hopefully after it's fused to a five or six I could live with. For now I will just have to enjoy the little improvements that have been made.