Discectomy - After the Operation

[bond]

Hi Everyone,

I have had a recent and modest improvement in my back and Sciatic Pain (L4L5 herniation). Since early Jan I've gone from level 7 - 8 constant pain, walking / hobbling with crutches and no flexibility to my current condition of level 3-5 pain in top of right foot and back of thigh but no longer needing crutches, limited to 500m (I was on crutches for 3 months) plus the beginings of flexibility. I have stopped work and Im doing intensive Physio / Pilates under one to one guidance.
...So, I think my condition is improving at a reasonable-ish rate although I cant function "normally". I have a discectomy scheduled on feb 10th, I have considered cancelling and taking my chances with continued physio. My main worry is if I dont have the op but then don't continue to improve then I'm months and months away from another chance at the op and I'm prolonging the damage to the nerve! I would very much appreciate anyones opinion... If you were showing signs of improvement, however slight, just prior to your op, would you risk it and cancel your op or would you 'grasp the nettle'?
I feel like I should give my body a chance as it is trying to sort itself out, maybe the herniation is shrinking? but Im concerned about damaging the nerve further when I have a chance of the op.

So Glad to hear of the recovery stories. Take Care, Al

 

[a-z]

Dear Alistair, if your disc is herniated then it isn't going to get better no matter how much Physio you do. I had mine done nearly 3 months ago and 16 months after my problem started, my muscles and nerves are still recovering and I think that is due to the long wait. The op will free up the movement in your legs and will, eventually, make your exercises worthwhile. I suggest you have the op and get it done with, but only you can make the final decision.

Best wishes, whatever you decide to do.

Melza

 

[bwzscgsa]

Hi Alistair
No-one can make the final decision to have the op but you. Listen to all the advice and make your decision based on how you feel. You have the right to as normal life as possible and the op will probably be the best way forward. Physio does not cure a herniated disc, only time may but not always. I had a microdiscectomy 7 months ago and am doing great. I am not 100% pain free or back to full strength. I am back to teaching 15+ exercise classes a week so my op was a definate success. I would certainly have the op again if needed. The recovery is not quick and you have to be patient but the chances are it will be succesful. If I was in your position I would not cancel the op unless I was completely pain free the day before!!

All the best to you in your decision, Sure you will make the right one

Take care
Fitbird
xxxxxxxxx

 

[- gail -]

Hi Alistair i agree with the others the best thing i ever did was have the op if i didnt have any other medical conditions i feel i would be able to do so much and to not have that awful sciatic pain was a wonderful feeling ,it is at the end of the day a decision only you can make but my advice would be go for the op ,before the op i was having intense physio and even my physio advised me to and see consultant as she said i would never be free from the pain.After i had my op the consultant told me the disc had really damaged the nerve and had i left it any longer i could have damaged the nerve alot more .
Let us know what decision you make good luck claire x x

 

[EloriMino]

Hi Alistair,

Glad to hear your pain is under control. Are you still using the oramorph?
When i was waiting for my op, i was able to just use my crutches periodically and thought 'Great!'....but someone pointed out to me that it didn't mean i was better, just that the painkillers were doing their job.
My pain hadn't gone, it was just 'masked' by all the tablets, and the dreadful oramorph.
My doctors said that if i didn't have the surgery, that i was running the risk of further damage and so was better to operate then, rather than leave it longer.

I am about 10 weeks post-op now, and am not pain free, but loads better off than I was. I can get around without the aid of crutches, and just use tramadol and paracetamol for pain relief....got off the other horrid stuff thankfully!!
Also, i have been back at work for 3 weeks. On very light duties, but its good to be back, i was off for 5 months and got very bored and quite depressed.


Its your decision at the end of the day, but your surgeon or GP should be able to give you advice about this.
I went for it, and don't regret it at all.
Hope things work out well for you, all the best,
Ali

 

[kelleygaither2000]

Melza- Glad to hear things are looking up for you with your employers. I've got my meeting on the 4th with HR, manager & union rep followed by an apt with occfy health Dr! Will let you know how it goes.
Alistair - as the others have already said, only you can make that final decision. Even when I consider the problems i've had I would still do it again.
As for my recovery folks I still have a few problems but i'm pleased to say the Lyrica seems to be kicking in. I still can't get into the bath & struggle with socks & shoes but i'm keeping up with the daily stretches as much as I can post tramadol (some days I can only hold for a second or 2 but I do what my body allows) I'm seeing my consultant again on the 10th & he'll make the decision then as to wether another MRI is needed. Fingers crossed, touch wood & all that
Ali - Glad to hear your back at work & alls well
Tracey xx

 

[? Mrs. D?]

Hi Tracey, my big meeting is on the 11th Feb...I went in for the appeal stage, just because they made me so angry. Don't know how it will go but keep briefing myself on being assertive. It's all a learning curve for me. Good luck with yours, and don't let them knock you down!

 

[Pleifna]

hi alistair...just want to echo what everyone else has said. it's a tough decision! i had on and off sciatica for 7 years and turned down an op 3 years ago and the pain went away. however last april/may, the pain got so bad that surgery was my only option. i think this was because the disc had herniated/burst, as opposed to just poking out and squashing the nerve (prolapse). i still had good days and bad days, but only because of lots and lots of painkillers. i was able to go privately and had the operation in august. i honestly believe my quick recovery is thanks to the speed at which i had the op - this minimised the nerve irritation and damage and consequent scarring.

let us know what you decide!! good luck xx

 

[mindwarp]

Alistair, what concerns me about your current situation is the phrase: ' I can't function "normally". ' As you would have seen on this forum, the challenge of functioning normally is a highly sought ideal. For me, that was what was behind my decision to have surgery. I wanted to know whether surgery or non-surgical options would give me the better chance of functioning most normally. I was advised by my Neurosurgeon that my chances of improvement were limited without surgery. I could continue walking in pain limping, and with foot drop, being unable to sit down for more than half a second, being unable to work or do anything at all really......... or try something else (surgery).

I wouldn't say surgery is easy or a decision to be taken lightly. It may not be the answer to all of the problems but it might just get you some of your life back.

 

[Sarah Jade]

Hi Ali

i have a feeling you mentioned you had a swelling at your op site. Was this the case? I had a swelling 8 weeks after surgery which I was put on anti-biotics for as they thought I had picked up an infection. The big swelling went but I still do suffer with a small swelling most of the time. It's not painful unless I tap it then it hurts. DI you ever find out what yours was and has it completely cleared up? I asked the doctor about it but he dismissed it but i'm worried about it!

Any thoughts please?

THanks
Lots of love
Fitbird

 

[rescue member]

Thanks very much to you all for your advice, I appreciate hearing the common theme from people who have been through it all. I have had a good think and I reckon I may have been over optomistic about my current condition, also with perfect timing my pain has returned to high levels over the last 24hrs... decision made! I have my op on the 10th Feb, I will let you know how I get on. My target is to be of some use when our baby is born in the summer.
Again, many thanks for all your advice.

Ive steared clear of the auromorph since reading some of your experiences, Im working my way through the alphabet of Pain killers instead.

Take care, Al

 

[Kernhertus]

Hey fitbird,

My swelling took a long time to go down, but thankfully now its gone.
I was about 4 weeks post op when it got so big that i was packed off to hospital. The doctor thought it might be a dural tear, but it was a haematoma, which is like a little internal bleed under the wound. He said he didn't want to touch it and it would go down by itself, it was really painful, and i had a little swelling for some weeks afterwards, but as i said its gone now and i am 10 weeks post-op now.
I showed it to one of my surgical blokes and he too said it would disperse and re-absorb back into my body.
Keep a watchful eye on it, and if you get headaches and/or nausea, go and see your GP as soon as you can. Thats what they monitored me for as i had those symptoms as well as the swelling.
Hope this is of some help to you hun

Alistair, you don't know how happy i felt when you said you had ditched the oramorph. Withdrawing off that was one of the most horrific things i have ever experienced! Did any of your doctors tell you that you might have ended up hooked? They failed to tell me that bit, but were happily to keep shovelling it down my neck!!
I hope that from somewhere from A-Z, that you find something that helps!
Good luck for your op mate, and even more for when the wee one makes an appearance!!! How lovely, two 'Healthy pages babies'!!! You and Olli, how cool!!

 

[lgelmurqiwlistemb]

Hi Ali, Oramorph is definately off the menu! the last thing I need is an addiction problem. I was first given Oramorph during an emergancy call out, the doc said 5ml every 4 hrs or as often as you need it!!! not a word of caution. Im now taking Arcoxia, Its hard to say if it helps or not, I try to switch the pills Im using as much as possible. Roll on february 10th!!

We go for our 20 wk scan on March 5th, hope to be up and about by then

Have a good weekend everyone, take care Al

 

[?kittylover?]

Hi ali
thanks for your reply. will certainly keep an eye on it. Glad all seems to be going well for you after your op. the recovery is so slow though and it seems like we take 1 step forward and 2 back all the time. Have you started any pilates classes yet? My back feels so strong and mobile but still have some flexibility issues in my leg. Nothing serious and am prepared to live with it and just be thankful that's all that's wrong with me now! I have been told to treat my back as normal now but it's so hard to do that as i'm still scared it will happen again or i'll do something and will bring on the pain again! I suppose that's normal after what we have been through. 8 months of pain is enough to make anyone cautious.

Anyway have a class to teach in a bit so bye for now and take care all of you dear people.

Much love
Fitbird
xxxxxx

 

[Mz. Devilz]

I'm confused about what health professionals describe as 'recovery'. I might be 3 months post op now and already injured myself doing normal stuff....well, putting up a curtain pole and hanging curtains on it is normal for me anyway. Really fed up with stretching several times a day, even if it does seem to help. And then the back strengthening exercises! I spoke to a nurse from work, she had the same op a few years ago and told me she still has problems with nerve irritation, does it ever really end?

Still don't know what plans Southampton have for me, I phoned the consultants secretary who assured me she would find out and let me know....and then silence. I could chase her I suppose, but really can't be bothered at the moment. How much chasing can a woman do? Quiet boys!

I might sound bleak but am actually feeling pretty optimistic. After suffering sheer torture with this dieting stuff my weight has managed to reduce by about 4 pounds, I was beginning to think it would never go! Only another 7 to go and I shall be happy. Really need to exercise more but the nerves get so irritated if I do anything too ambitious. Also cut down on drugs apart from anti inflammatory and a Diazepam at night. I asked whether I really needed the Amitriptyline now as it didn't seem to do anything, the doc informed me that it wasn't a pain killer but an anti depressant. It's for people suffering chronic pain and apparently helps the body resist a slip into depression. Did anyone else know that? She advised me to keep taking it, one a night, until I'm completely cured. So that's why I didn't jump off the cliff!

Really good to have new babies arriving on here, you'd better keep us posted on developments boys. Can't find it in me to envy you though.

xx

 

[lo_mcg]

i have never heard that about amitryptaline melza... i knew it was an antidepressant, although prescribed in much higher doses than 5-10mgs a day when used to treat depression. apparently there is some shady research somewhere that says amitryptaline helps with neuropathic (nerve) pain. it never did anything for me other than knock me out at night. and diazepam had the same, if not better effect - i took that in the morning though.

with all the scary stuff about oromorph being addictive, i feel i should mention that diazepam is extremely addictive and the need to increase the dosage all the time because of building a tolerance is equally relevant. plus GPs seem to think of diazepam as a cure-all sweetie. there are so many people who i work with who are addicted. i don't mean to frighten anyone...i was on 2mgs a day of diazepam and came off it easily, but i think we should know what we are getting ourselves into!

am loving pilates fitbird...thank you for the tip!

take care all xxx

ps...apologies for mis-spelling all the names of drugs...why are they so complicated to spell?!

 

[The Blonde Bird]

Drugs names are deliberately made complicated to justify the high wages of Dr's Jess! I agree about the Diazepam and had to fight the Dr for my last prescription, only because they don't have an alternative for releasing the muscles in my neck. Luckily I only take them when the muscles get too tense and I'm ready to pass out....I'm now down to one a night. I really do sound like a drug addict don't I.

Would really like to try Pilates but not sure how my upper back would cope with the moves, I've never done that type of exercise before. I'm considering going to a class just to observe, what do you think Pilate girls?

 

[Modestic]

My wife is on 75mg of amitryptaline for head aches. She has a damaged nerve in her neck after a motor bike crash about 12 years ago. she tryed to come off them but she is finding it very very hard because of the side affects.

Our 20 week scan is on the 9th of March. I will be very nervous.

Has anyone tryed to do any running yet. I have been told not to do anything more than 10 minutes at anyone time. Even better would be to do 1 min walk then 1 min run. I tryed to run the other day but my hips hurt after a while.

@fitbird. I stretch for about 40 min every day and i have a good range of movement in my legs. I still get nerve twitching when i do too much and sometimes i get a spicky pain in my legs if i do alot of leg weights.

Cheers

Olli

 

[mgm]

I'm doing 'clinical' pilates. It's done on machines (very similar to the sorts of machines you see at the gym but without the weights, you can alter the resistance though). My physio showed me how the machines work over two sessions, wrote me a program and now I go in a do it by myself. I find this is really helping.

I've also been going to a separate class which is a mixture of pilates (no machines), yoga and the Alexander Technique. I am getting more flexible but still have a lot of problems with my right hand side (the op side of course). I used to be very very flexible and now I am pretty inflexible. Boo. Hopefully given time some more flexibility will come back. I do as much as I can in the class but not to the point of it getting painful.

We've just had a week where each day has been over 43 degrees (about 110F). Maybe there are some additional benefits exercising in sauna like conditions.

 

[DofssmupFoogs]

hi everyone, i would like to know if anyone else who has had a discectomy is suffering with more pain after the op than before. i had the op on 10th july, 2008, and now have more pain in my legs than i did before. now have to take morphine, diazepam and paracetamol. has been so bad at times i have not been able to walk, not been a good time, was hoping the op would improve the pain. would really appreciate some advice from anyone who has been or is going through the same. family and friends been really good, but do not know what it is like to actually be going through this, sorry for sounding really down but after suffering from pain for almost 2 years it gets to you, as i am sure you all know. please could anyone give me any advice or any excercise tips to help me get through this, thanks, tracy r.