Just found this thread.
Good Luck to the OP.
I had a laminectomy at the L4-L5 level in January and it failed; I was one of the very small percentage for which the procedure made things worse. I do NOT blame the doctor at all and I did follow post-op instructions. I was just one of the ones with shitty luck and a shittier outcome. By May we knew something had to be done or I would have ended up on disability for life. I went up to the Minnesota Spine Institute and had a fusion of L4-L5 the 6th of June. I struggled mightily for about 5 weeks with inflammation of the sciatic nerve on my right side. It got to the point I could just barely walk. Then... BOOM, it just plain went away. Literally, one Friday night I was in extreme pain even getting into bed and Saturday morning it was gone. Still have a lot of stiffness and ache, but damn. Even my outlook on life in general has improved.
Things can get better and I sincerely hope they do for you.
My doctor in Mason City I still recommend was Dr. Bhangoo and the doctor up at MSI was Dr. Hansen.
Seriously, I'm hoping good hopes for you.
Greg