I have had spinal disectomy in L5S1 and L4L5 Training, walking and every day living does pose some problems long term. But heavy lifting has been a godsend and careful use of AAS more than likely will help your condition. I know it helped me but I didn’t have the bone fusion.
From personal experience and I haven’t found any research to back up my claim, but I also had very high test levels and after the operation and for 2 to 3 years later they remained in the 200’s for a 26 year old man! I also ran into so much problems because my estrogen shut up from all the cortisone injections, fat gain and other chemicals that got injected into me during all the years (long story). For me AAS brought me back “closer” to who I was before.
That said the first thing you need to assess is your current level of expectations. When we have been athletes, or extremely active and suffer a life altering injury things change. We want to just pick up and start where we left off, but that is not the case.
Sorry to be the one telling you this, but your years of being careless are over. You will need to pay attention to the way you walk, the way you sit, stand and everyday tasks will be “conscious”. Breathing, eating and sleeping will take a whole new meaning (if you don’t know already). Before I started weightlifing again I could not sleep. In my operation they had to cut through my left lumbar muscle and the atrophy made relaxing that area impossible. Pain, cramps and a tingling sensation would come over me and wake me up every 30 min. It was a living nightmare and I don’t understand why I put up with it for so many years. Finally I tried to seek help but all they said was “swim more” or “do more walking”.
Finally out of sheer desperation I bought a walking machine and started a starvation diet with walking for 2 hours every day and lost over 70lbs of fat! but I looked like a concentration camp victim. Then someone mentioned that using machines and fixed cables would eliminate the pressure on the vertebrae and the added muscle would help me bend down and sit down properly on the toilet. However the machines did not feel right and could not accomodate my individual needs because of the fixed path.
So I started doing free weights with some local guys who wanted to give me a hand. I still remember doing squats with bodyweight only and falling after the 5th rep! After a while that became easy and soon I was using the bar only…my determination paid off and after 10 years I am doing OK, Deadlifting, Squatting, Benching, OHP and Rowing fine with some decent numbers. Some days there is pain specially if I have to stay sitting for 4 hours straight, but most days I almost forget it. I sleep now like a young kid and even have dreams from time to time. I even go jogging without irritating my injury.
However there are changes and you need to listen to your body and become your own coach. There will be times when you can lift like a teenager and others when all you can do is some hyper-extensions and take a warm shower. You must learn to listen and be in tune to your body.
As for your operation, I have close contact with 2 persons (guy and girl) with that kind of operation and the pain was diminished but not completely eliminated. The guy was too chicken to do any free weight exercises after the surgery so he stayed with his pain and taking medications. The girl I met because of my old powerlifting friends and went on to have a very successful powerlifting career and is now retired but still lifting.
We tend not to talk about that topic, but whenever it rises she, like me suffers stiffness and pain from time to time but nothing like what we experienced before the operation and during the recovery. So take this not as an admonishment but as a real life example that there is light after all this pain and you too can regain control of your life.
First things
-
Seek medical attention and do 2nd and even 3rd opinion as to wether you MUST get the operation or not.
-
If there is a slim chance that you can gain muscle and fix that problem without limiting your quality of life then try it out and see where that takes you.
-
OTOH if you are determined to have the operation know the risks and the sucess rate and the rate of recurrence. That is one thing that is not often talked about in medical circles for joint injuries.
-
If after doing all this you are decided to go through the operation start cleaning up your diet and loosing any fat you have.
-
Once you get the operation jump back into your diet and try to stay healthy eating habits, plenty of protein, moderate carbs and moderate healthy fats. As soon as they give you the go to move start rehabbing with the physical therapists and if they recommend swimming try to do it as soon as the stitches come off so you can regain mobility. Don’t be extra aggressive since these type of wounds heal from top to bottom.
-
Focus on regaining mobility first and complete range of motion. Also be careful since the lumbar often makes for favoring one hip or one leg, which in turn makes favoring the opposite shoulder and arm. This is very important that you correct that before you embark on lifting any weights. Once that is established move over to bodyweight exercises with special focus on a back specialization routine consisisting of exercises that don’t aggravate your back but help you strengthen it.
-
Let time run its course and when you feel somewhat recovered try (if you are set on it) of some Test with Deca. I favor the deca because it helps lubricate the joints and helps with bone minerals. However most people get erectile problems with it, you are forewarned.
Everything will be good and keep your chin up my friend!