Patient Success Stories

A Return to an Active Life After Lumbar Fusion

Jay R.
Patient
Indianapolis, IN

Jay and his family live in Indianapolis in a house that’s been in the family for several generations. Though his kids have grown, Jay looks back on a life in which sports and physical activity—whether on his own, with friends or with his wife and kids—have played a huge role.

Being active has been important not only physically and socially for Jay, but also mentally. When he’s not able get out and move regularly, it takes an emotional toll. “I need to be active, or I’m no fun to be around,” he said.

Because he’s been so active, he’s had his share of injuries; After battling back trouble on and off for years, Jay had gone six years with no significant problems when suddenly, while sitting on the sofa with his dog Agnes, his right leg went numb, became weak and wouldn’t wake back up.

He sought help from Dr. Mobasser at Goodman Campbell. “Dr. Mobasser sent me for an MRI and X-rays of my back to assess my spine,” Jay said. “It was a wreck. He said I needed to have this surgery, as I was developing nerve damage in my right leg. Dr. Mobasser made it clear that my condition was irreversible without surgery and would continue to get progressively worse. I was facing the rest of my life with a brace on my foot.”

Dr. Mobasser fused five vertebrae and freed up all the nerves being compressed at each of these levels. Having had some experience with knee surgeries, Jay was expecting a tough recovery, and Dr. Mobasser himself warned Jay that the recovery process from a multi-level lumbar spine surgery could be extremely difficult for the first few post-operative months.

His experience, however, was anything but difficult. “I feel incredibly lucky,” Jay said. “I never really had any pain. I sat right up and walked to a chair; I was walking the halls that same afternoon.”

He was in the hospital for less than two days. “The follow-up was great,” Jay said, “though it turned out I didn’t need it. They called once a week, just to make sure I was doing okay, and the next time I saw Dr. Mobasser was at my one-month checkup.”

“I’m back to living a normal life,” Jay said. “I’m biking, I’m walking, I’m playing with the dog. But you know, beyond that, it’s all the little things. Sleeping through the night. Getting dressed without having to contort myself. Even now, more than a year later, I’ll find myself doing something that used to be painful or difficult or impossible before the surgery, and it’s just such a relief to have that part of my life back. I credit Dr. Mobasser and Goodman Campbell with making that happen.”

Request an appointment online and we will guide you through the next steps.