I did get a very small amount of pain relief from the surgery, for which I am grateful, just not nearly as much as I had hoped for. That has only happened a few times now since the surgery, so that is the one thing that is improved. The recovery is pretty painful - my pain was worse than before surgery for several weeks, and you will need a lot of help at home with 2 small kids. I froze many meals ahead of time, my husband was able to take a week vacation when I came home from hospital, and several friends helped us out by bringing meals, etc. If you decided to have the surgery, make sure you will have help at home for at least the first couple weeks - you won't feel like doing much.
Fusion surgery is a last resort.
Best wishes to you - and again, welcome to the board. All rights reserved.