I saw a neurosurgeon yesterday who told me I have severe spinal stenosis along with a bone spur and a disc protruding into my spinal canal at L2/L3 which is causing me extreme pain. My spine is also "unstable" from L1 to L4. The neurosurgeon said I need to have some type (I can't remember the exact term) of LAMECTOMY in order to open my spinal canal up to relieve the pressure on the nerves going down my lower back. (I had a spinal fusion 10 years ago at L5/S1). He said if I don't have this done even a small fall or a mild car accident will put me in a wheelchair. I already have some nerve damage. In addition, he said I will be in a wheel chair in a "few years" if I don't have this procedure done. This neurosurgeon is highly rated and before I saw him I happened to see a video of the procedure he was talking about by another doctor.
My question is this: Who has had this procedure done and what was the outcome? Did it relieve your back pain? Once you healed from the surgery were you able to do things you used to do? How long was your recovery period? Do you recommend this procedure? What are the pros of this procedure? What are the cons of this procedure? Anyone have severe, unwanted side effects from this type of surgery that you haven't been able to have fixed/reversed. How long did you get relief from your pain? Would you recommend this surgery? Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and tell your experiences.