Hi, my name is tim190! Has anyone had decompression surgery for Spinal Stenosis?

tim190

Hi, I've been diagnosed with spinal stenosis and have been referred for decompression surgery. I'm concerned about the complications. does anyone have any recent experience of this surgery? Regards, Tim

Remina

A close friend of mine had decompression surgery recently. She was struggling for a very long time with spinal stenosis, she could barely move around her own home anymore and would often fall asleep on her sofa instead of going upstairs to bed at night due to the severe pain, she was on so many strong pain medicines, it was a real struggle for her.

Earlier this year she decided to do the surgery, she's in her late 70s though and was initially quite worried about getting the surgery done due to possible complications, luckily the surgery went well and she's very happy with the end result, her mobility has increased massively, she goes on long(ish) walks again and she never mentions being in pain anymore like she used to be.

So thankfully her experience as an elderly individual getting the surgery has been a very positive one with no complications or troublesome after-effects, though every person's experiences are different of course.

tim190

tim190

Hi Remina, thank you for you reply. I'm glad to hear your friend is doing well. My GP has told me I need surgery after seeing my MRI. I'm 70 years old, walk 6-7000 steps each day, attend a weekly exercise class but my left leg is numb at night and I often have pins/needles during the day. Physio is useful, so I am trying to decide whether to put up with the symptoms or have surgery, which can have awful complications .