sqlgirl

I had my spine fused 18 years ago for severe scoliosis. 2 rods, 2 hooks, 6 screws, and most of my mid and upper back immobilized. I can give you some long term perspective. I felt intermittent pain, occasionally severe, with the changing of the seasons for the first five years or so, but I do not anymore. I had to learn my mobility limitations, but once established, they have been no trouble: I can do yoga and run for distance. By being generally aware of my back I have managed to steer clear of the injuries my friends and family have experienced over the years from heavy lifting, etc. I have excellent posture and it is occasionally commented upon. Firm pressure on the screws and hooks at the top of my fusion causes them to grind and catch gently, which has a nails on chalkboard effect for other people, but I cannot feel a thing: there is literally no sensation and it is harmless. And that is just about everything. Best of luck to you!

Not OP, whose experience will be different. My upper spinal fusion allows me to bend in the lower back, but I cannot move the upper, beginning almost exactly midback and ending just below my neck. It's not the bending I notice, though - it's twisting. I cannot, for example, reach to get something from the seat behind me in the car. Also, though I long ago learned to carry my shoulders evenly for visual purposes, my left shoulder naturally falls a couple inches lower than my right. This has caused difficulty in random things like properly holding a violin or a shotgun, but much less than if I had never had surgery.

In the area around my house there are several lights that periodically get "stuck" in one configuration. For example, green lights for the major roadway, reds for the intersecting road and left turns. I've personally waited up to 15 minutes before giving up. What could be the cause of this and is there anything that can be done to trigger a change?

Partial fusion 19 years ago, piping up to say the same. Somewhere around 67 degrees corrected to 35, no long term complications. Plus, I have great posture! Good luck to you.