Ok, Here we go. Im going to try to give you some good info. While i think most give you some good advice about stretching, Pilates, acupuncture, etc..etc.., It sounds like your Surgeon decided on Fusion surgery. There are alot of people who are against this on this site because they didnt have a good experience. Once a Surgeon decides that you need surgery, it is probably because you are having some nerve root impingement or will be having those types of issues soon. Otherwise spine surgery will not be an option, and injections and physical therpy will almost always be the only option. I wish I would have had my fusion from the begining. I had a l4-5 laminectomy march 2010, another on April 2010 because of reherniation, blood clots, drop foot, etc...etc..(Bad surgery from Bad surgeon) this might clear up your question from my experience on being able to stay in the army. I know there are ways around everything. After my two surgeries I was informed that I was no longer retainable under AR 40-501. I could have finished my enlistment, at the time I was 8 years active, but when it came time to reenlist I was no longer retainable, because of chapter 3, im not sure exactly what it says word for word, but they touched my nucleous pulpous (the disk between the vertebre) so therefore was no longer retainable. I am in a star MOS, and had everyone from my BN commander to my platoon seargent fighting for me. I was sent to WTU in August 2010 to go through the MEB. I just want to add here, that this has been the best experience of my life. This my HOR, and am happy I was sent here, it has been great with everything from my Company to nurse Case manager to all my Doctors. Ive excepted the fact I can no longer serve, and wasnt sure how the WTU was going to be. I went to see a neurosergeon in Feb 2011, and I was pretty messed up from the last two surgeries. In march 2011, I had a 2 level ALIF.(Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion) with the SynFix device. L4-5-s1 I am currently 5 months out and am still hurting a little with doing certain things. But I am 1,000,203 times better than I have felt over the last two years. The healing process for me has just recently started ( what the docotrs call the bone growth after the fusion). Mine has taken a little longer because of the two prior surgeries. I have about 12 months left of recovery time. It is a long process, you just have to be ready for it. Hopefully you have a chain of command that is going to be ready for it too. They will expect you to be back at work 3 mos after surgery. You will not be ready. You are going to have to remeber that you will have good weeks and bad weeks. When there bad, they are bad. Istill havent been back to work yet. I just received my 199, and am currently waiting on orders. While I think you can say you feel great within a year and work the system, and probably stay in, i dont want you to be surprised if the MEB you. Fusion surgery is something that will be with you forever and you will almost certainly never be able to hump a load, or do battle drills, or basically deploy ever again. While I know there are a few that have been able to do this, if you were to track them 3 years later, I say most are out or going through the MEB process now. Desk job for rest of career? Why not? If you can pull it off. Just hide all you medical records from your retaing NCO or officer. Now dont be to nervous going in to surgery. We all re, just try to stay calm. when you go out, next thing you know, you will be out. You will wake up in extreme amount of pain. They will be injecting you with shots of morphine until you get to your room and put on your pump. Once you are in your room, on your pump, and in your bed, hopefully with family around, it will be comfortable, and you just go throught the process. Prob 4 or 5 days. What bothered me the most was the Foley Cathedar. I talked my way out of it the first two surgeries but not my fusion surgery. Once you are out of hospital and back home, Im assuming with your wife, or some family that will be able to stay with you for a month, you just have to heal, take care of yourself, watch everything you do. Thos efirst 3 months are crucial to recovery. You cannot do anything yourself for first month. i would not recommend it. I do recommend that you get a raised toilet seat, and a shower seat ready for when you get home. I hope this helps, and ill pray for you. Just try to be positive. You will have so many up's and down's during recovery.