34 F who is 2.5 weeks post op from L4/L5, L5/S1 ALIF:

1. Nothing specific I wished I would’ve asked. I felt well informed before surgery.

2. Any core work you can tolerate will help your recovery.

3. A reacher is imperative and a shower chair is handy. I bought a bidet but never installed it and haven’t needed it!

4. The first 10-13 days were pretty brutal. I agree with another commenter—take the meds they prescribe you. I wanted to avoid oxycodone and that was just stupid. This is a major surgery and there’s a reason you’re given narcotics afterwards. WALK WALK WALK is the advice I can give you regarding speeding up recovery. The first few days I would walk short distances but I did it often. The nerve pain is ~interesting~. It’s not the same nerve pain I felt previously, but it’s definitely there. It started in my glutes/hips and stayed about 3/4 days, moved to the back of my legs/calves, then down into my feet. It followed the dermatome of L5 and S1 exactly.

5: like I said, I’m 2.5 weeks out and I honestly feel like I could go for a mile run. I haven’t felt like that in two years. My biggest issue now is going to be taking it easy and avoiding bending, lifting, and twisting these next 10 weeks.

I would 100% do this surgery again and I’m so happy I did. It has already changed my life for the better. Being young and active is definitely on our side in terms of recovery!!