L5 S1 Fusion ALIF

Hey, did you end up getting the surgery? I'd love an update. I have literally the same spondy as you - same location, same amount of slip and currently dealing with it for 7 years. I'm at the end of my rope and about to schedule to surgery. Love to hear if you're riding again and anything about your recover

I am in the same boat, L5-S1.  I have been watching videos on Youtube and it looks awful.  I was supposed to have it a few years ago but chickened out when they mentioned a catheter.

I have been dealing with this exact problem for 11 years. L5/S1, spondylolisthesis, along with the stress fracture that doesn't heal itself. It has forced me to give up moto and all other sports. I'm also considering the surgery, but I hear too many nightmare stories about fusions gone wrong. The surgeon I saw said that most people that have this issue don't end up needing the surgery and he recommended I start out with yearly injections. I plan on going that route first.

I finally had my surgeries in March 2021. ALIF at L5S1 on Monday and a laminectomy to remove bone spurs, arthritis on the following Wednesday. I made the decision to get off of the IV pain meds and go home asap on Friday. Poor choice when doctors won’t prescribe good narcotics these days. Sent me home on Friday with Tylenol 3 codeine. All that did was piss me off. I was in so much pain I didn’t sleep more than a few hours over the next 3 days. I was about to go mad in the literal sense. Finally got Hydrocodone of Monday and regained my sanity. 
From that point on the recovery was tough but not terrible. Definitely had to push through a lot of pain for several weeks to get your walking in each day. 
I was back on the job in 6 weeks as a chemical plant operator although in light capacity for another month.  Over 2.5 years later I believe I’m 90% better than I was before surgery.  

I need to add that my surgeon is confident that riding MX will not affect his artwork on my spine.

It looks like quite a curve in your spine.  I'm hoping that doesn't give you trouble.  Has the surgeon recommended anything to help correct that?

Whatever you end up doing, I'm hoping you, and rest on here are able to ride again.

I'm also interested in the outcome on your surgeries.
I have spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, combined with L5/S1 fusion.
They are discussing an ALIF at the moment, but I'm in big doubt.

For now I get pain treatment (PRF=PulseRadioFrequency), when they block the nerve that is pinched so I don't feel the pain anymore.
This was 9 months ago, and now the pain starting to come back.
I can do sports like Cycling/MTB/Tennis (low intensity) but I had to stop with running and motocross.
I turn 40 this year, and I want my old life back but I'm a bit afraid for the outcome of the surgery compared to the yearly pain treatment...

I’ve had the same issue where my L5 slipped off my S1 to the point that my left leg would loose feeling when riding and actually was loosing muscle. So ended up getting them fused almost 10 years ago now.

They pulled out my disk and put a cage to hold the vertebrae in place until the bone graph grew into place, which they took off my hip. 
I was back riding about 4 months post op. I was also 22 at the time and super fit. 
I raced one of the events of the national series over here in Australia about 6 months post op.

 
I have met people who tell me they can’t work after having the same surgery as I did, so who knows if I just got lucky or if it’s just in their heads. 

I’ve been riding moto/mtbs and pouring concrete with no problems since my surgery. 

This video is about the cervical spine, but I know they do a similar procedure on the Lumbar as well.  I'm most likely having the exact surgery in this video on my neck.  What I like about this technique is that whenever possible, they don't fuse the joint.  Instead, they clean up the vertebrae, creating room for the spinal cord, and where the nerves exit (and usually get pinched), and this technique doesn't disconnect the tendons, or remove a big part of the vertebrae.

They're able to do this using a tool that uses a similar technology that dentists use to extract teeth that are broken off below the gum line without damaging the gums.  Both tools vibrates at a super high frequency that will cut through hard materials like teeth and bone, but won't damage soft tissue like gums, skin, nerves or your spinal cord.  It allows the surgeon to get in close to the spinal cord, and clean things up.

I thought I'd post this since you're having trouble with a pinched nerve, and if I understand right, you've already had a fusion?  In the video, they talk about both of these.

I have no affiliation with this or any doctor.  Just as an engineer, what they're doing makes sense to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orrMu1rSUUU

If you're curious, the symptoms I had that have mostly gone away (around 80%), exactly match the symptoms of Brown-Sequard Syndrome with a vascular impediment.  Basically, I was paralyzed on my left side from my shoulder down, and lost the sense of pain and temperature on my right side from just below my chest, right up the middle.  And this happened without a major accident.  I believe I was a walking, ticking time bomb, and simply aggravated a neck injury from when I was a kid by turning my head too quickly to avoid something.  24 hours later, I was in the hospital, with the symptoms above.  I'm really just guessing what caused it.  I won't be riding again until this is fixed.