Taking the Next Step

Almost a year to the date after this all started, hopefully this is a step towards the end. In early July I will be undergoing a combination ALIF/PLIF procedure to set things back into place. The requirement on the first week of recovery is to walk 30 minutes a day. I cannot remember the last time I went for a 30 minute walk. Painful or not I look forward to it.

So why ALIF/PLIF? There are tons of options for getting this fixed. The initial thought from the first surgeon I saw was to do a PLIF only. First off since I am male and fertility is a concern he did not want to do an ALIF. I understand their concerns. While the risk of of that complication is low (4% of total, only 1% of which does not resolve within two years,) they still hate to tell the news to one out of every 25 they do. However I want to get back to being active, and the less muscular disruption the better. Having seen many people in my career with failed back I am willing to take some additional risk to assure a better life in the future. While I have full confidence in the skill of the surgeons and all of their research, the less they do the better, and with the ALIF/PLIF combination they do the least manipulating, cutting, grinding, and drilling. Yes there's an additional incision, but skin heals quicker than bones. As for the infertility, I'll take my chances. There's always the option of banking some for future use.

I will update this blog as my recovery continues.