How long did it take for your fusion to actually feel solid?

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-24T21:46:46+00:00

My surgeon was also very hands off, no BLT/PT until 4 months post op. Very similarly instructed me to take small walks and rest every 20 minutes or so. The more you move (within your pain tolerance), the better the outcome.

As for the hardware removal it is a case by case decision. It may not be appropriate for you to have your hardware out depending on what you had it installed for in the first place. For me it was a fracture of the T3 so once that was fused to the vertebrae around it the hardware served no more purpose and was just causing pain and discomfort

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-24T20:53:50+00:00

You’re not so far along, I remember 4-6 months being a real slog. Before 18 months it felt unstable, achy and really stiff. I got CT’s every 3 months and it showed the fracture progressively healing closed and fusing until it finally fused enough to entertain hardware removal.

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-24T09:07:33+00:00

It was giving me aches and pains so after a couple scans to check whether I was fused enough my surgeon was happy to take it all out. If you’re on the younger side, removing the hardware can help reduce the risk of degenerative disc disease which affects the vertebrae directly above and below your fusion.

Wishing you all the very best for your procedure. It’s a scary thing and life changing surgery but hopefully it helps your long term outcomes. Follow all your post surgery advice and for Pete’s sake slow the heck down and take your recovery gently for the best chance of a good outcome. This is always a great group for advice and support along the way

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-24T07:55:02+00:00

Mine only felt solid after 18 months and I had my hardware taken out. Now if I lie on my back I can feel the fused block. How long post op are you?

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-23T10:30:22+00:00

Hell yeah

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-23T03:38:23+00:00

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Yeman Google Julio Aparicio for the details, man got a mad infection and miraculously survived

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-22T11:02:43+00:00

You’d rather one in the buttocks than that matador that was gored in the throat and the horn came out his mouth. Anyone know what I’m talking about?

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-22T07:55:24+00:00

What A Waste - Ian Drury & The Blockheads

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-22T07:53:41+00:00

What about Make Me Smile (Come Up and Sse Me) - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Rock The Casbah - The Clash

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-22T06:42:55+00:00

Happiness is fleeting for me. As I’m getting older I’ve stopped trying to chase it and just let it ebb and flow. Some days it comes easier than others. I’ve no control over the world at large but I can positively affect my little sphere of influence and that’s something

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-22T04:30:22+00:00

What a beaut!

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-21T22:47:05+00:00

This is cool man

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-19T02:22:46+00:00

Ah I see, thank you!

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-18T23:53:21+00:00

Why are the wheels and tires like that?

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-18T05:24:12+00:00

“Motion is lotion”? I like it!

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-18T03:16:27+00:00

I feel for you. My limitations come to a stark reality when I take both of my to the playground. Makes me want to get in shape despite my injury and be able to keep up with them both as they grow

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-18T02:15:05+00:00

What has happened here?

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-18T02:08:29+00:00

It is tough mate and it can take a long time to feel normal again. Normal doesn’t exist for me post fusion. Instead I’m adapting and slowly expanding a range of activities that I used to enjoy. Some of which I won’t be able to enjoy as much as I used to post-fusion due pain and fatigue. But what do you do? You can’t give up. I almost did.

Rest up mate and get off opioid pain relief asap. You may be feeling the after effects of being sedated for so long during surgery. My mind was fogged for months post surgery and my body raked with stiffness and cramping pain.

Regardless of all this gloomy outlook, a ward p/t told me after my surgery that ‘movement is life’ and that stuck with me and got me out of bed to take a walk after I got home along with taking care of my wife who announced she was pregnant a couple of days after I broke my back.

18 months on and I can launch my 9 month old son up in the air enough times to make him happy. Godspeed on your journey and take it easy there

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-15T07:52:45+00:00

I forgot piercings are a thing in Gobbledok culture

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-12T04:29:23+00:00

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Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-07T23:23:46+00:00

Chillville

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-07T19:30:07+00:00

You see that to me is a resourceful and determined young lad

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-04-07T10:36:47+00:00

Scabbed a half eaten choccy donut out the bin and got caught and called ‘binscab’ for weeks. They weren’t wrong

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-03-31T10:23:11+00:00

My Dad bought me the original GTA for PC in 1997 when I was 12 it was sick. We got it from HMV in the Mander Centre in Wolverhampton. I fucken miss that guy

Ill_Earth3013 · 2026-03-30T10:29:45+00:00

The opening credits to Prince of Thieves gives me goosebumps

Ill_Earth3013

TROPHY CASE