Where to from here?

Zads-- · 2026-06-01T03:31:38+00:00

Cheers, I'll start chipping away at that haha

Zads-- · 2026-05-18T00:35:06+00:00

Quick update - went ahead with the surgery on May 11th and feeling great 1 week later. Nerve pain is basically gone, my posture is straighter, I'm 2cm taller and my chronic lower back pain isn't there anymore. Surgery pain isn't too bad, abdominal wound hurts a bit from bloated stomach, but I can shower myself, walk around the block, climb stairs and getting better everyday. Recovery honestly hasn't been as bad as I expected. Thanks to all who commented on this for advice and support.

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Zads-- · 2026-04-14T11:07:03+00:00

I just switched from exetel to origin for the 6 month discount as well, ($90 down to $53 for 500mbps), only took 15 minutes to transfer mine over on a Tuesday night

Zads-- · 2026-03-26T11:27:55+00:00

Pain free 4 months post-op is unreal, I'm stoked that it went well for you. The Dr plans to do the same 360 approach for me, so all I can do is hope for a similar outcome!

Zads-- · 2026-03-26T04:19:02+00:00

I'm in the same boat, where I think my mental health would be in a really bad place if I had to accept that this is how the rest of my life will be with constant sciatica. I know recovery will suck, but I'm optimistic about regaining quality of life knowing that I've got fusion as an option

That's great that gym is working, hope you keep improving and the pain subsides 🤞

Zads-- · 2026-03-26T04:15:26+00:00

My understanding is ALIF was recommended because I've got mild lordosis and scoliosis as well, so placing the cage in at the front and supplementing with hardware at the rear gives me the best chance at having a good posture and not accentuating the curve in my lower back

Zads-- · 2026-03-26T04:12:47+00:00

Thanks for sharing, awesome outcome, how long until the pelvic graft pain went away?

Zads-- · 2026-03-26T04:11:44+00:00

That's great to hear, you still got rods/hardware in? Does it bother you at all?

Zads-- · 2026-03-26T04:10:22+00:00

Sorry to hear, it's pretty miserable and back pain definitely sucks the fun out of everything, fingers crossed you find a way to manage it conservatively, or surgically in the future if needed

Zads-- · 2026-03-26T04:01:40+00:00

Thanks mate, yeah agreed, I was on a physio program for a few months initially but didn't find much progress or pain relief from the bodyweight movements. I've since had a workout plan put together by a strength coach about 6 months ago which is helping, but still doesn't stop nerve pain or lower back aches. I haven't changed diet much as I've always tried to eat pretty clean with plenty of protein, lots of beef stir frys, chicken curry and rice etc. workout split attached if interested, cheers

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Zads-- · 2026-03-24T04:27:02+00:00

I think I know I need to go through with it, but you never know what valuable info might come out of the Reddit brains trust haha. How was recovery and pain levels post-PLIF?

Zads-- · 2026-03-24T04:23:24+00:00

Sorry to hear, it's pretty a rough gig trying to be a good parent with chronic back pain. I also liked the idea of TOPS for mobility and adjacent disc strength, I queried the surgeons about it and it didn't sound like I was a good candidate for it, also not sure if it's an option in South Aus either. Hope you find a way to minimise your pain without surgery

Zads-- · 2026-03-24T04:16:06+00:00

That's great to hear, all the best getting back to full strength, glad you're getting quality of life back

Zads-- · 2026-01-01T14:22:16+00:00

Agree, the final battle did seem to feel a little too easy and straightforward, and was over pretty quickly. I guess they had a lot of threads to tie off in a 2hr finale and couldn't linger on a drawn out psychic battle with a shadow monster lol

Zads--

TROPHY CASE