I’m so sorry to hear you’re facing this decision without much support. I will pray that support finds it’s way to you because you’ll need it & you deserve it!
Here’s my thought’s as far as the surgery, I put my surgery off for too long (due to financial concerns) and I now have irreversable damage to my lower extremities especially my right foot, called Neuropathy. It’s caused weakness, numbness and excess pain due to lack of blood supply to those areas. I would just suggest not putting it off too long.
Going back to work in 2 weeks? I’m sorry but that is going to be very difficult to do. Maybe there’s a short term disability plan that can be put in place for you, if not through your work, possibly through the Dept of human services office (social services). Just a suggestion, I honestly don’t know what resources are available in the different states. But it’s not unrealistic that you could be out of work from 2-6 months recovering. I was off work 9 months from diagnosis to surgery and then my recovery time. I hope this some how helps you. God bless!!!

I had a spinal fusion and laminectomy (L4-5), followed by more surgeries...at present, I have an implanted pump. I think it's my 4th one. I just tell myself that I would be in more pain than I am if I hadn't undergone all the surgery, PT, month in rehab, all the injections because I just don't want to truly know that it was all for nothing. I remember them getting me out of bed and into a chair on the morning after I had the fusion and it was major. I thought to myself, "why did I do this?" It's basically been a sh*t show ever since. Now, I don't know whether any of it helped or not, but I do know that if my pain was any worse I would go insane. The key to surviving it seems to be movement. The longer I stay in the same position, the harder it is to move and the more it hurts. I have my dog and I KNOW she has to be walked, therefore, I KNOW I have to get up and walk, too. I keep on going to work. I just keep going. Yesterday I had a pump refill, and I saw, as always, people in the waiting room who are far worse off than I am, so I give myself a kick in the butt and keep going. I just keep going...

@A MyChronicPainTeam Member Another option to think about (which my pain management doctor suggested when I mentioned going to see a neurosurgeon about surgery) was get a second opinion, and try a spinal cord stimulator to postpone surgery until absolutely necessary. I have a bulging disc but it's not compressing the spinal cord (unless it's changed) so surgery is in no way an option. Get your MRI report and read it yourself and look for words such as spinal cord impingement or compression, neural foramina nerve root compression, etc. If you don't understand a word, google it. and find a write-up that includes text and diagrams of the spinal nerves..

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A MyChron...

I had surgery 3 weeks ago. Laminectomy and Fusion. I feel 100 % better. The surgery was not bad at all. My only problem is that I feel so good, and want to do stuff I cannot do, die to lifting, bending and twisting restrictions? 3 more weeks, and I will be living my life again, pain free.

G,Day Hindsight is a great thing if I could wind the clck back I would rather live out of a pain bottle than have back surgery again .Don't do it .?
If I knew then what I know now I would rather live out of a pill bottle .