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While I did not have any discs removed, I did have degenerated discs that became so bad, that it became adult onset scoliosis.  I had two rods (ea. about 15" long) put into my back, a steel cage wrapped around my spine and a whole lot of (somewhere around 26+) bolts attaching the cage to the rods and to my tailbone.  Before the surgery I was getting what felt like electric shocks down my legs and butt all day and night.  After I woke up from the 9 hr. surgery, there was instant relief.  One of the first things I noticed was there was no more jumping, or electric shocks.  It took about 3 months before I could return to work and considerably longer to feel somewhat normal again.    I had a wonderrul neurosurgeon and I would, and have recommended doing it to others.  There are things you must remember to be careful of afterward (no lifting anything over the weight of a milk carton, no bending, no twisting), but on the whole it was well worth it.   There is still some achy manageable pain but nothing like before.