[Maria]

I don't know how old your father is however I think that's he's doing quite well in his recovery to date based on the recentness of his surgery. 3 months out is not that that long ago with regard to the nature of the surgery.

The activity level sounds good and I am sure that withdrawal from pain med plays some part in his symptoms though people differ in terms of withdrawal and also depending which meds. I would think even if he didn't come off of pain meds completely that wouldn't be so unusual either.

Re working .. after an open discectomy at L5S1 which isn't as big a surgery as a fusion at that level it took me 3 months to get back to work part time and I was in my late 30's at the time. My job was as a clinical coordinator/Nurse Practitioner however I mostly did paperwork the first few months upon returning to work again at only part time and at the 6 month mark I returned full time to work.

There are the expectations for recovery that the medical world has for a person and then there's reality and what I think you're seeing is the latter although I think your father sounds like he's very much on schedule with a decent recovery. Expectations should not dictate that he overdo or push himself into a recovery mode that he might reinjure himself with or feel uncomfortable with (creating more pain).

His legs.. is there a color change by any chance? Is the color of both extremities normal such as before surgery (that is if all was normal before surgery in both legs/feet re color/circulation/etc). Can he tolerate his trousers against his legs and sheets upon his legs and such? Have you mentioned to the doctor what he is experiencing? Does wearing a warm thick pair of socks help alleviate that sensation? Just wondering if it's there's some circulatory type of thing going on or something else perhaps. All in all that he can stand on his feet and help your Mom out, take walks daily and such and tolerate it all well without creating more pain and in fact having his meds decreased and seeming to tolerate it all bodes well for him. The sensation he's feeling could be just part and parcel of the fusion recovery process (speak to his surgeon on this).

For years post my 2nd back surgery I had what I considered ice cold feet feeling so much of the time .. always needed my feet warmed up except in the heat of summer. Then again I had what was known as neuropathies in both legs so had some odd sensations related to nerve type of response but no circulatory problems.

Recovery from a surgery such as this and withdrawal from pain meds and such can have a lot to do with the energy level factor. If your father was cleared medically before surgery with no major health concerns then I would imagine he's still healthy and just recovering at his pace re energy and such.

It never hurts to bring these questions up to the surgeon or his general practitioner and see if there is any further diagnostic testing that might be performed.

Wishing your father the best with his continued recovery and please ask as many questions as you'd like and return and let us know how your father continues to progress!