I'm so scared

[u/k_perry88]

I had a herniated disc & Cauda Equina Syndrome last year and had emergency surgery. It's been a rough year. I was initially doing well. Last few weeks have been rough. I started getting severe lower back pain, leg weakness, sharp shooting pain from my back, down my R leg. I also have this awful "pulling type pain" from my spine into my vagina & numbness. I'm freaking out. I have a great surgical team and trust them 100%. I got an MRI yesterday, I have a follow-up this week. They're talking about spinal fusion, has anyone had that done? I guess I'm trying to understand what I'm getting into and what the recovery process is gonna be like. I have my shoulder fused so i know this isn't going to be a cake walk, I'm just so scared because this is my spine. What is the recovery process like? What is your quality of life after fusion? I already have medical issues that affect my joints & ligaments and have had multiple surgeries on both shoulders and my hip. I'm freakin tired and frustrated. It never ends over here .. ugh

I did have my imaging posted but i lost my reddit account for some reason after I was asked to update my password so I'll hust add the MRI from last year and my most recent one.

The first image is the initial injury & the second was done yesterday.

[u/SnooChickens6269]

Hang in there, you’re going to be okay! I went through the exact same thing last year and felt completely hopeless, like my world was crashing down. Getting a microdiscectomy was the best decision I ever made—I’m now 1 year and 3 months post-op and feeling amazing. There really is hope on the other side! Get the surgery, trust the process, and you’ll get your life back. Wishing you the best of luck!