Injured Betty....I had a diskectomy/lamenectomy in Aug 2001 and did great afterwards and probably would not have had to have the fusion (in April 2002) had I not taken a bad fall and messed things up in my back. After I had my diskectomy/lamenectomy I was fully recovered and back doing all the things I did prior to having surgery. I was off of all pain pills and back at work full time. Then I fell in March 2002 and had the fusion a month later. Since I had my fusion, I have not done so well. I am on more pain medication than I ever wanted to be (tylox, lodine and ultram plus zanaflex and flexeril for muscle spasms). I just had another MRI done on Wednesday and waiting to see what the doctor thinks we should do from here. Unlike many here, I have never been sent to PT or PM. I used a swimming pool for aqua therapy on my own, but was never sent by my surgeon. My original surgeon kept me pretty much immobile for the first month after my surgery and then x-rays were done and I was taken out of the irratating back brace and put into a back cast that I wore for what seemed like an eternity. I now have a different doctor and hope that she will be more aggressive at trying to find and fix the problem instead of "just treating the pain." I have several friends that have had diskectomy/lamenectomy surgery and have never had any other problems since then. My uncle had diskectomy/lamenectomy 10 years ago and he has no pain and no problems. I guess there are the few out there that get lucky and then the rest of us that are doomed backwise. As I have said before, different people respond differently to treatments.
Did this answer any of your questions?...........Good Luck!!! Keep Smiling!!!

Tammy