My Microdiscectomy Journey

Hi , I just had a microdiscectomy on L4L5 . Ive been looking for a forum where people talk about thier experiences afer they surgery . All I have been reading is people post op 2 or 3 weeks out . Then they seem to never post again . I would like to know detailed info like week by week updates . For examples things that you were able to do and not able to do . When they were able to go back work ? Go on vacations ? Go to the gym ? So this is why I would like to share my story . To help someone who may be going through the same thing . My back pain started in April 2013 . I had pain that would radiate from my lower back to my buttocks . I've had back pain before but this one felt different . I would tell myself that the pain would go away . 4 weeks later I was still in pain and finally I decided to go to urgent care . They told me that I had pulled a muscle on my back and was causing me sciatic pain . They prescribed a muscle relaxer and pain killers . Two weeks later my back pain went away . But my legs started to feel weak especially my right leg . A few days had past and the pain on my right leg gradually had increased to the point were it hurt so bad that it made my cry . I went back to the doctors and they said i might have a herniated disc so they gave a steroid pack that i was so pose to take for 7 days A week later my pain was was the same . Then the doctor scheduled an MRI . They found out I had a really bad herniation . My right leg had lost alot of strength by now and i was referred to a neurosurgeon . He told me that I had really bad drop foot and if it kept going that it would only get worse and the damaged could be irreversible . So he scheduled me for a Laminectomy the next day . June 27 , 2013 i was operated. And released the same day . As soon as i woke up after the surgery my leg pain was gone . But felt sore on my lower back . I have an incision on my back about 2" wide . The first day i was able to walk around in the house . I need assistance when I shower and washing my hands as i cant bend to use the sink . As for pain I started to feel a little of pain on my right leg but nothing excruciating . My pain was maybe a 2 out of 10 . I took a few pain killers the first three days but then stopped because I felt that I didn't need them anymore . I sleep fine at night and wake up in the morning feeling better every day . 7days post OP i started to walk around the neighborhood block walking one block and gradually increasing the distance . After my walks i feel a little better but tiered . I am able to get in and out of bed fairly easy now . Still feels uncomfortable to sit down . So i try to avoid sitting . I am not allowed to sit for more than 20min 3times a day . No car rides . I am on day 10 And I am feeling better as each day passes by . I will be posting again soon . By the way I am 28yrs old male . I Work in construction

Post Edited (PieNic) : 11/27/2013 8:07:46 PM (GMT-7)

Hi PieNic and welcome to the forum. Sorry I somehow missed your post. Although I've multiple spinal problems I have not had any surgery to date for those. I know many here have and will jump in here to say hi and welcome you and should be able to share their experience with their post op days.

Again a big welcome to Chronic pain at HW.

Hi PieNic, it sounds like you are progressing well from your surgery and you seem to be doing the right things. Walking is the very form of exercise especially after back surgery. I am impressed that you are walking a mile already. However, I read where you pushed it a little over the mile & decided to back off of that for now. Good for you for listening to what your body was telling you. When recovering from a surgery like yours it is always best to listen to your body. So many times we will start to really feeling better & then do things we shouldn't. All that does is knock you backwards after all the hard work to get to where you were. I think its just human nature to push ourselves sometimes. I am not sure what sort of work you do, but if at all possible do not push the return button too soon to return to work. When that time comes you want to be able to physically do your job and not run any risk of setting your recovery back. That is another one of those things that happen, people get bored being at home & think they feel well enough to go back to work. First day back in a few short hours they realized they messed up by coming back too soon. Yes, sitting does put a lot stress of the back that is why you are restricted right now from doing a lot of that.

Is this pain something new or was it there before surgery? If its something new maybe you should put a call in to the drs office & speak with the nurse. She can talk to the dr and let him/her know what is going on. Sometimes this will happen a nerve gets to acting up for whatever reason. Sometimes the dr will put the patient on a steroid to get the nerve to calm down, I don't think it can be called a failed surgery this soon because you are still pretty fresh from surgery. Things may look healed on the outside but that does not mean they are healed in the inside yet.

I am glad to see you post recovery. The reason you have not found much info about this type of surgery is generally once a person starts to feeling really good, rather than hang out at a chronic pain forum they are out & about starting to live their life again. I can't blame them for that at all. We love to see success stories here, it gives a lot of hope to others. So please keep us informed on how you are coming along.

Take care.......Susie

Pie,

I think you are doing very well for someone only 3 weeks out of surgery. Perhaps your young age is helping you there. Sounds like you are recovering very well, happy for you.

Yeah, boredom sets up our minds to wander to the negative, I find it far better to keep myself and my mind as busy as I can. The less I think about my situation, the better.

Hope you continue to do so well.

Enjoyed reading your journey so far.

David

Pie from what you have described things with the nerve pain have improved a great deal with your surgery. That is so encouraging especially since you can tell that much difference. You could be right about the nerves waking up.I have heard others say the very same thing after surgery.

Yes, you are way ahead of most if you are walking two miles a day, again don't push yourself a lot & listen to your body. Its great that you can walk that much a day as long as you are not over doing it.

Keep us posted on how you are doing.....Susie

Sounds like this operation was something you really needed and I'm so glad things thus far have been so very good for you! I hope you continue to improve each day, many many well wishes and take it easy still and do not push to hard yet...Prayers...

WEEK 6 UPDATE

Hello Everyone ,

I had my six week Dr appointment yesterday . They checked my arms & legs strength and for numbness . Everything check out good . My restrictions are pretty much that same no bending or twisting no lifting more than 8 lbs . Car rides can be up to 3 hours & do lots of walking. My next check up will be in 5 weeks . After that I will start 3 weeks of Physical therapy for Work Conditioning . Hopefully by then I will be ready to go back to work .

This past week was the best week so far . My Sciatic pain is 98% gone , once in a while I will get a little reminder . The numbness is all gone . My right leg is still weaker than the left leg but slowly improving . The only pain that I am feeling is in my back from the surgery. Mostly sore muscles and stiffness which is improving every week . I am able to sit for up to 45 minutes before I start to get uncomfortable . I am still going on my morning and afternoon walks averaging 3 miles per day . Life is slowly getting back to normal and things are getting easier to do .

I'm a fellow back surgeon patient, so let me share, from the source, you are doing awesome. As I'm reminded here, listen to your body, don't be too eager to get going too soon (I have the same personality type, always wanting to push it when I'm feeling well, but I pay the price). I rely on PT to rein me in, and I'm thankful for that.

You're doing great, and it sounds like even better than great!

Keep up the good work and let us know how you're doing.


Be well,


Sookie

Good to hear things are coming along for you. But, I think you are probably sitting too long & need to lighten up on that. Sitting puts an incredible amount of stress & pressure on the back, may be why the sciatica is trying to kick up. Two hours is really a lot, I would knock it back to 45 minute intervals & gradually increase the sitting time. You said you are walking 3 miles a day and getting burned out. How are you doing this, breaking it up or one long walk. If you are doing one long walk, why not break it up in to two walks.The headache sounds horrible.

Glad you posted to let us know how you are doing. Take care....Susie

I have had four level fusions (L1 through L5), 48 stitches worth of reconstructive surgery, decompression, bone grating from my pelvis, bone marrow grafting, titanium cage, screws, pins, and then had a total hip replacement (my 2nd) 6 months later.

I, too, am responding very well to my back surgery. I put it off as long as I could, I delayed the inevitable, I postponed (and procrastinated). Before surgery I had a lot of intractable back pain, I had sciatica down one leg so bad I couldn't bear any weight, I'd buckle. I felt like I was walking on rocks. And my left lower limb was numb and had foot drop.

Now 8 months after surgery, I have no back pain where the actual fusions are, the sciatica down the right leg is totally gone, I no longer feel like I'm walking on rocks, and my lower left limb is now hyper sensitive and fit full of neuropathies as the nerves regenerate.

It's a good day when I can walk around the parking lot, it's a great day when I can make it the whole way around the block. I still get tuckered out easily. Forms of sitting tend to be comfortable if I can brace myself (always use arm rests and foot rests to press against to stabilize)

I am so happy that I got the surgery done. Good days, less good days, but a very happy patient.


Sookie

Hello and so good to hear from you. Sounds like there is inflammation going on if the Aleve made you feel better.Please be sure and discuss this with the dr,. Could be the nerves still waking up is something to think about as well. It will be interesting to see what the dr thinks about this right leg feeling sore.

PT is really beneficial as long as you have a good therapist. If you get one that is on the aggressive side, do not let them push you as that will only lead to trouble for you. Not saying this will happen but every once in awhile we run a cross this. If something increases the pain that means there is a problem so do not push yourself thinking that will help. Your first week may be a little tough but that is expected.

Keep us posted.....Susie

3 Months Post Op Update

A lot of things have happen since my last post 3 weeks ago. I am feeling a lot better. My back muscles have relaxed so much their not as stiff and sore feeling . I have stopped taking the Aleve pills I was taking daily since April when I first got injured. It’s amazing how great they were making me feel because when I stopped taking them I had a rough 3 days afterwards. I guess I still have some inflammation issues. I still continue to Ice my back at least 3 times per day. That seems to be helping out a lot. Pain really hasn’t been in issue. My sciatica is gone for the most part but still pops up once in a while in my right buttock area. I still can feel a little bit or soreness in my back in the incision area when I move certain ways for instance when I change my sleeping positions. I sometimes get this pain in my hip from time to time usually during walking. The pain is exactly where my hip rubs on my muscle or skin when I am in the walking motion. I told the P.A about it and she said that it had nothing to do with my surgery so I don’t know. Sitting down still doesn't feel comfortable I can still down for up to 1.5 on a comfortable chair with 3 breaks in between to stretch out .

I have been more active I am walking 6-7 miles per day. Also for the past two weeks I have gone swimming 4 times for 3 hours per session. My wife discovered this public therapy pool for me. The water is at 94 degrees and it feels so good to get in there. I am able to do some stretches that would be difficult for me to do on land. I am also not lying in bed a whole lot anymore. I am usually on my feet the whole day except for when I am icing my back or going to sleep. I didn’t realize how bad I had weakened my back form lying down most of the day. Now my back feels a lot stronger and I am not fatiguing as easily. Also I am able to pick things off the ground now with hardly any pain I even pulled some weeds in front of the house .FYI I Squat down to pick things up. I am doing a lot of the normal things like cooking, wash dishes etc.

I am still not at work. I was supposed to start tomorrow. I still need to complete the two weeks of physical therapy before I can go back. I wasn’t able to get an appointment till October 2nd. It looks like I am going be going back on October 17th. This is fine with me because it gives me more time to heal and get stronger. I like the improvement I have seen so far. I feel like I am 75% back to my normal self.

4 months Post Op Update

Hello everyone,

Before I begin I need to make a correction I didn’t have a Laminectomy it was a Micodisectomy. Some where I was told wrong or I got confused. I am Sorry. I wish I could change the title of this thread to My Microdiscectomy Journey .

I have seen a lot of improvement this past month. I am starting to do a lot of the things I use to be able to do before all of this happened to me. I have been hiking, bicycling, swimming, walking, and a little bit of jogging. I also completed two weeks of Physical Therapy five days a week and it helped out a lot. They taught me stretches and exercises to strengthen my core. I didn’t realize how stiff and locked up my back was. I gained a lot of my flexibility back and I am able to bend over and pick things up like I use to without having too much pain.

I was supposed to return to work on October 16th but I still don’t feel like I was physically fit. I still have a nagging pain in my back, hip, groin. So I made an appointment with the Neurosurgeon. He told me that I am fine and that it’s going to take time for the nerve to heal. It could take up to 18 months. He said that he sees no reason to order an MRI and if I am still hurting in another 8 months then he will order one. Told me to be more patient and scheduled me for more Physical therapy and extend my short term disability claim through Nov 18th.

I do notice improvement every week so things are still going in the right direction just really slow. Two weeks ago I did have to get back on the Aleve aka Naproxen. It’s amazing how well it works for me. When I am off of it I am in pain 3-4 out of the infamous 1-10 scale when I am on it 1-2 pain level. My wife thinks I shouldn’t stop taking it. I am worried about the side effects. So I’d rather bite the bullet. A lot of the pain I feel I think is muscular. Doesn’t feel like nerve pain. When I go to Physical therapy and they press on certain areas on my back they feel sore and tender. Especially near the incision and the few vertebrates above it. The hip and groin pain comes and goes usually when I do a lot of walking or when I first stand up after sitting for more than 20 minute.
I still got a long road to recovery. I feel like 80% percent there. Will I make it to 100% I don’t know I sure hope so. My next update will be at the ½ year mark. Hopefully with even better news