[runner]

Cathy,

I am having ADR.

There is an adjacent segment underneath L5/S1 and that is your SI Joints. Unfortunately, from what I have read, fusion puts a lot of loading pressure on the SI joints. If you have SI joint dysfunction, you basically have a problem.
I have a history of having problems with my SI joints. They do go out of place and can cause SI joint pain.

Also, although, they do not say there is much motion at L5/S1, there is some motion and motion-preserving technology is the best available right now for the patient that meets the criteria.

I spoke to my physical therapist today and he agreed with me.
Also with fusion, there are potentially more problems. Fusion will take longer to recover from and then you might need an additional operation to take out the hardware. I have a fair number of friends who have needed their hardware removed. That is one more surgery. One person I know had fusion and one level didn't fuse. That person also had the BMP used in the fusion, work too well, and encapsulate her nerve roots.

From all my reading, fusion overall success rate ranges from 50-60 percent. Now, some people do perfectly well with fusion. I think I made up my mind if this was going to come to pass that I would want ADR if available, when I met two people waiting for injections at the surgery center last month. They were husband and wife and he was there getting an ESI, I believe. He had two-level fusion and still had major problems with gait, mobility. She also had had a two level fusion but had a spinal cord stimmulator put in.
Their doctor was the same doctor I have. That opened my eyes.
I have a problem but it is not related to the disc I have.
Wow, you are having surgery pretty soon. Yeah, as much as you can pre-plan ahead the better. I didn't go as far as b-day cards though. I think people kind of realize that you have your hands full with your recovery.

The most surprising thing after surgery is how stiff I was. I couldn't put on my own socks. It was quite different. Now, I can put on my own socks now but I am still not as limber as I was before surgery.
I wish someone had told me how you might feel after surgery. You realize that you can not bend, lift and twist (BLT) but you don't expect your muscles to be different.
But, boy waking up from surgery and having the pre-surgical pain gone and waking up with no numbness in my legs, that was priceless.

Take care in Germany.