ow :(

Glad it worked out for you!! Best of luck in recovery.

That is great to hear jason.
Good luck with your recovery!
:chairdance:

Isn't that the truth.
While I don't want the Canadian system to mimic the US system, where it's purely about profit, our system is broken.

Walked like 7km today, pretty good, incision area just getting swollen now so tomorrow I suspect I'll be pretty stiff.

All in all though, no big deal :)

10 day post-op update.

Was off pain meds after three days, only took half-dose in the morning and before bed, really didn't "need" to take them as I certainly wasn't suffering.

Pretty minimal pain in general up to this point, small indicator of residual nerve pain if I move to far in a strange position but thats to be expected, limited forward flexion of this spine, apparently this is common and I can expect it to take a few months to loosen up.

Did some bodyweight squats and lunges, pull ups, rows etc. today and really other than limited range of motion on squats everything was fine - keep in mind my core is locked up the entire time, I don't let my abs relax as that would load the spine up :s

If anyone else on here has a known or unknown back issue, get an MRI and try some PT/Yoga, if it's still fucked or worse after 3-6 months don't hesitate to consider surgery, there are a lot of horror stories online, don't believe the hype.

:nyan:

1 month later and I couldn't be happier, I sleep like an angel, can sit in a chair for extended periods of time, and 99% pain free living a normal life.

Gradually increasing the activity level and stretching, will push a bit harder after 60 days has passed, I'm not totally convinced the incision area has healed.

+1 for surgery.

Just over 6 months post op, my outcome has basically been perfect.

I did have some tightness in my mid-back with limited forward flexion for a few months, this wasn't really an issue that affected my daily living as it was only noticeable when I was stretching etc.

Back in the gym now, lots of core work, no heavy squats, no dead lifts. Sometimes I do feel like I am perhaps missing a little bit of spinal stability, mainly on forward squat jumps etc. but I am able to skateboard/snowboard again - with any luck I will injure myself in the next 3-6 months :)

Summarized, surgery was an excellent choice for me - never once did I have pain post-op that was comparable to the pain I had pre-op.

total cost?

Approximately $13,000 for the patient review and procedure + $5,000 for my travel costs (Airfare + 4 nights at Fairmont Pac Rim)

Edit: As an FYI, post-op physio instructions were minimal, the surgeon just told me to walk as much as possible and limit the time I spent seated. While I was provided with a few pages of suggested PT, the surgeon expressed to me that these exercises were more appropriate for an older/fatter patient who probably couldn't walk very far (IE: <1KM).

Glad you had a good experience, and happy you're doing well, man! To reiterate what's been said, private is a great option for those who can feasibly afford it.