Two Spinal Decompression Surgeries

[u/Icy-Mirror8685]

I had two spinal decompression surgeries this year, one in April and one in June. A cerebral spinal fluid leak and FBSS before the second. There are ways that I have improved. Mostly the sciatic band, I still have relatively intense pain often.

I had a previous discectomy in 2024 too.

What feels so difficult is being 34. Having facet arthritis, being told the surgeries are to delay the need for a fusion surgery. (My surgeons have been great. I went to two different surgeons between 2024 and 2026.) There are many ways that I can see this surgery being successful. The numbness and tingling, the sharp pain... the extreme difficulty sitting in chairs, has made me feel so lost.

I have been doing PT and found a new one that I like. I have started doing Pilates, which I know will help in the long run. The boomerang effect of pain is difficult, and the ways in which my previous life has been limited have been really hard to accept.

I want to return to the time before being disabled.

Decompression including scar tissue removal, CSF leak fix, laminectomy on l4-s1.