Discectomy - After the Operation

[Pompal 09.]

Hello all,
I had my L5 - S1 on 26th Feb (about 7 weeks ago). I started back at work yesterday and am 'phasing in' this week with a view to getting back full time next week.
I'm feeling great and have no more pain in my legs. My back is still a little weak and I'm not really lifting anything heavy or bending too much yet.

As for the recovery:
first 2-3 weeks I spent mostly lying down on my back. I had some very basic excercises to do twice a day (Neural stretches and core/pelvic floor) with 2 walks a day - started with literally 3-4 mins and built up to 2 x 50 minute walks by week 6.

Not really needed any pain relief apart from the odd ibuprofen now and again. Got a really intense burning sensation in my back when I had done too much bending/sitting. I think I may have delayed recovery a little by doing too much around week 4-5. By week 6 I was thinking that I was no where near ready to return to work. But the last 7 days have been amazing and I've really come on loads. I even walked to work this morning and am going to walk home later.

I saw the phisio yesterday who gave me loads of pilates excercises to do. He said it was unlikely that I'll get back to running half marathons but you never know how well it will heal. Full healing could take up to a year. He also said I could start cycling so I will build that up over the coming weeks.

So to sum up...

7 weeks on I am pain free and getting my old life back and it feels great.
If anyone is wondering if they should to opt for surgery then I say go for it. My experience has been really positive. Luckily I've had a really supportive wife and 2 beautiful kids to keep me going. Good luck everyone!

 

[Cougar]

Thanks Melza for the tips!..I'll let you know how i get on!

 

[xfesyuxmirxiunegx]

Hi all

Just an update. It has been almost five weeks since my op and I still have no feeling in my left leg or foot following my L4/L5 op. The physio has said it should have returned by now. I am due to see my neurosurgeon this Friday for a follow up since my op so will keep you posted.

I am also now having pains in my back where I used to have them before. I am still on all of my painkillers including the oramorph and MST. I am often awaken through the night with bad pains in my leg and back and the urge to pee. Talking of that I seem to have lost the ability of 'pressure' when peeing, with just standing there and letting it happen of its own accord, so to speak.

Anyone else of similar disposition?

On a brighter side my Springer Spaniel is loving having me around all day!

 

[orioninkc]

How long was your nerve compressed before you went to surgery?

 

[Natcho]

I have found this forum very helpful, friendly and full of useful information so I thought I should contribute, hopefully it will help others! Some of this might be stating the obvious to those in the know. Thank you to everyone for the all the fascinating posts and experiences. From summarising all of the postings, my own research and experience then I hope to be able to input on the big question if you should have the ‘op or not’ debate.
Here is a brief synopsis of my history and the outcome, hopefully it will help others make decisions in panicked times.
Mid Jan I suffered a L5/ S1 prolapse whilst doing some routine weights at the gym, I was very fit, active, healthy , strong minded etc. I knew it was bad as my buttock, leg and foot went numb instantly.
After seeking lots of advice from chiros, physios and one of London’s top spinal surgeons it was decided I had to have the op. Luckily it was very clear as to why I had to have it so this is where hopefully my advice/ experience will help.
-A numbness (or pins and needles) in your foot/ leg or bum is not good, this is a red flag that you are a case for potential surgery.
-If you have trouble with your bowels/ bladder then you need to get an op asap (this is cauda equina syndrome as documented elsewhere on here).
-If you have loss reflex in knee or ankle jerk then this is another clear sign of more serious damage.
My scan revealed I was a radiological cauda equina case, i.e. a massive prolapse (to quote the surgeon). Unfortunately despite my beliefs and principles about surgery I had to get the op done asap to get rid of the further risks and to try and restore my nerve damage and linked lack of muscle recruitment. I could not do a heel raise at all and my calf muscles stopped working. My glute (buttock!) muscle has stopped working which meant it started to drop down.
10 years previous to this I had an L4/L5 disc bulge which did not require surgery (despite a surgeon at the time telling me I did). I fixed it with the help of physios, chiros, Pilates, being fit, swimming and gym work, whilst it was never 100% I could live a relatively normal life by working around it. I crucially I never had numbness or nerve damage with this one. It will take a while but you can recover with good advice and a committed mind!
The key lesson I have learnt and want to pass on is if you have numbness and nerve damage act sooner rather than later. A fellow patient at my physio has severe muscle wasteage (a withered leg) because he waited 18 months to make the decision. Every case if different and this forum is a wonderful resource for research.
I hate hospitals, ops, painkillers etc but sometimesyou might find there is only one route to follow once going through the checklist of symptoms.
I will try and document recovery info too.
I hope this helps and happy to pass on any other advice when online.

 

[Daniel]

Hi Torq, I think we will all agree with the sooner rather than later....its just getting someone to treat it sooner thats the problems! I suppose it depends on where you live...I'm in a quiet place with a large population of elderly folks so the orthopaedic clinic is continually booked up. I suppose hospitals have to spread services where they are most needed. I think its tragic when you hear so many people on here struggling without help, its such a scary situation to be in when you don't know why you have so much pain. Being able to walk is suddenly a very precious gift you don't want to lose.

I hope you continue to improve..and that you're leaving the wieghts alone for a while.

 

[confused.]

Thanks Melza, very kind of you, also your posts have been a great help so big thanks. Yes the weights are now a distant dream! I agree it is a minefield and your location is very important. One thing I noticed from trawling the posts on the forum was that people who indicated symptoms of cauda equine were bumped up the list quickly, as the docs seem to of course take this more seriously.

Post op the glute and leg muscles are beginning to work again and the sciatica is really being beaten. I am now able to support my weight on the front of my foot which is amazing considering where I was before. The nerve pain (the electric shock sensation) is diminished vastly.

The only issue is the latest incredible severe muscle spasms and really agonising pain that I can't seem to beat. I’m in the pool now each day doing rehab kicking exercises and have physio loads but the seizures cripple me without being able to stop them. It would be great to hear if anyone else had this and if they managed to shift it. I would be interested to see if there is any advice out there on flair ups and how to beat it! My posture went banana shaped until the surgeon prescribed loads of pain killers to calm everything down. If this was out the way I would be more confident of full recovery in the quoted 18 months.
Best wishes to everyone.

 

[pmehnuraizqiscejy]

You seem to have gone through the same thought processes that all spine pain sufferers go through, let me qualify that, spine pain sufferers who are serious about believing in and finding a way back to as near as possible,
a full recovery.

You clearly have a determined nature and a methodical approach to your research. Your use of (so called) alternative therapies does you credit and again confirms your determination to improve your life without causing collateral damage.

But, it's time to face facts, you, like many of us here on this forum, are chroniclly ill and by putting off any decisions regarding corrective
surgical procedures will probably result in deterioration of our conditions and possibly even catastrophic failure.

I think we all agree, that the sooner the intervention the better chance of recovery, the fact that you have tried a lot of non-invasive therapies with limited success over a long time now, would hopefully confirm in your mind the ugent need for action.

I am sure, that by now, everyone on the forum, knows 'my' preferrence for minimally invasive, endoscopic, laser spine surgery (MISS) over all other types, but if you don't have private insurance cover to pay for the most cutting edge procedures available in the UK, there are other posters on the forum who have had GREAT RESULTS from standard NHS & private spine clinics. The trick seems to be, finding which Surgeons care enough about the long term clinical outcomes of their patients to limit the collateral damage synonimous with standard surgery.

Scour this forum and find posters with similar ailments and who have had excellent results from their Surgeons and see if you can be referred there yourself. Hopefully you can find one quite local to you.

Best wishes and the best of luck.



SPINELF

 

[Sarah ?]

Hi

I was suffering sciatica for around 5 years, but the severe pain came on on the 13th December 2009 when I was unable to get out of bed. The pain jsut got so bad I just lay on the floor for almost three months before my op. I was on (and still am) oraphmorph and MST.

TT

 

[Erika]

So, based on some experiences and doctor's recommendations, allow yourself and your nerve around 5 months for recovery.

 

[Cole Caldwell]

Thanks SPINELF!

I have been suffering with the onset of severe pain post L5/ S1 discectomy documented on the forum. Just found out today via MRI I have discitis (an infection of the disc) post surgery which explains the exterme pain and seizures/ lack of ability to walk (this weekend). It is in it's early stages.

I will need an op on Friday apparently to clear the infection with possible risk of a spinal fusion.

Not great news.

Wondered if there were any positive recovery stories of discitis?

 

[LAgirl]

oooh, thats a new word to me on here! And more surgery!.... I hope it works out okay for you. Sorry I can't help on disc inflammations! Good luck.

 

[ick N]

hi all,

just been diagnosed with L4/L5 (i think) prolapsed disc. gonna apoligise now for the life story, but i really need some friends who know what im going through.

so it all started with pain in my left hip,just a slight twinge when sitting or standing last spring, then when i stopped work(student nurse), for an unrelated reason, in june it got worse (doc said it was going from long hours walking to almost none) and i had to rest in between sitting and standing so my hip could take my weight, which was supposed to go away after a few weeks/ when my body got used to the change. then after a lonnggg flight to cali,usa to visit my mommy, got to working out and exercising with her wii(loved it,lol, got my own now and cant use it) and the pain receded so it was just that little twinge on sitting and standing again. then got back mid september after another long flight and two days stuck in a canadian airport and a weeks rest and it was bad again. i had pain whenever i walked more than 200-300 yards and i stared getting pins and neddles/ numbness in my left foot and the pain whenever i was standing or walking. so by this time its november and i go see my doctor. he gives me cocodamol and says rest and come back in 3 weeks if its not better. so 3 weeks later it's worse. i can barely walk to the shop round the corner and im limping in the moring and by the end of the day. the doctor gives me more of the same pills and sends me home, next day it hurts to stand the pain is all down my leg. im limping,can barely walk and leaving in two days for cali again for xmas. so i go back and see a different doctor and first thing he does is order an xray and give me stronger pain meds and an anti-infllammatory. when i asked for crutches, he sent me to a&e and there i waited 2 hrs and alot of pain later for them to tell me that although i could barely walk, i couldnt get anything to help me with it and they sent me off to hobble home alone. next day the meds are working but i need a wheelchair at the airport and all the way until i get to california.
for the next 3 weeks, im limping and hobbling at the end of everyday but the meds are working and i dont need the wheelchair on the way back. a few weeks later and i get the xray done but am still waiting on the results and meantime i cant leave the house but can still manage cooking and stairs. so its mid january and the only time im not in pain is when im flat on my back and the doctor thinks its hip bursitis. at this point thers no pain in my back,its just the hip and leg area but i cant sit upright at all. i get an cortissteriod injection and two weeks later and i cant get out of bed or turn over without pain, the xray showed nothing so i was referred to an orthopedic specialist. 3 weeks after that im on solpadol and using a wheelchair and i get a exam and referral for another xray. when a week later i have to have a house call from the gp, because i cant brethe through the stabbing pain in my buttock and leg, i get amytriptaline and its changed to an mri. im probably getting the timeline wrong here but there were weeks inbetween the times i left the house and i never went downstairs or out unless i couldnt avoid it. mri two weeks ago and today im told i have a slipped disc and will almost definatly need surgery. now ive been pretty much house and bed bound since the middle of january and am willing to try almost anything at this point. im also scared s***less. ive never been sicker than a chest infection and never had anything more than a needle in me. anyone know anyone whos had a discectomy at the norfolk and norwich? looking for good stories too, and maybe a time estimate from this point to fully functioning? im only 23.and this is scary.help please. sorry if ive left things out,feel free to claify anything with me, im online most days, be nice to find people to chat with while im stuck in bed 24/7. maybe 23/7. i sometimes get downstairs for dinner and can manage the stair once or twice a day. its only when i have long trip out like today that my back kills me and ive been unable to get a wheelchair,so.

anyway, dont feel you have to read it all, unless like me youve got nothing but time,lol. thanks all, lisa x

 

[wbehwuecixmihvebu]

Hi Lonely Lisa - really feel for you, I started with sciatica in August 2008, GP gave me painkillers which didn't work and then sent me for physio in January 2009, think the physio made it worse because then they didn't know what the problem actually was, first i was told mechanical back pain, then i was told possible sciatica, then I was sent for an x ray in April 2009 and then a extended scope physiotherapist who said it might be a muscle problem in my buttock!! after that physio didn't work and all the painkillers i was on still wasn't working i was sent for MRI in August 2009 at cumberland infirmary in carlisle. they diagnosed slipped disc at L4/5, but when i saw the surgeon he said they'd misread the MRI and that i also had spinal stenosis which is when there's bone that's also interfering with your nerve and needs to be chopped out!! Finally had operation in Blackpool (as no surgeons good enough in Carlisle!!) in February, still off work - although it is getting better slowly, when i do get pain its worse than before the op, had my follow up last week with a different surgeon! who pulled a face when i told him i still had pain and suggested it was just scar tissue and it should recover - otherwise i'll have to have another MRI !! Sometimes I wish i'd never had the op, but then i try and be positive and tell myself that given time it WILL get better and i WILL be pain free - i just have to be patient! please try and be positive, i don't know about you but i feel like i've just been left to get on with it for weeks on end - wasn't even given any exercises to do when i got home and am told physio won't help! anyway i've gone on for long enough - cannot sleep tonight due partly to gammy leg but mostly to snoring husband! take care xx

 

[Glutburger]

Hi Lisa, I know everyone will sympathise with your sorry tale but, as red has confirmed, this is all standard procedure with back problems. When my L5 L6 disc started seriously playing up physio gave me some exercises to do, my hip had swung out of line and the disc had to be 'pushed back in again'. I spent over 3 months almost paralysed with pain, and I was stupid enough to carry on with the exercises! The pain only eased off when another physio told me to stop as the nerves in my arms were going crazy. I understand why its difficult to diagnose a disc problem but does a diagnosis really have to be a long and painful struggle in darkness. Thats what is seems like anyway, and telling a doctor it really really hurts is a total waste of time too.

Its a good idea to have the surgery, but make sure you follow the after care advice, make sure you get exercises to follow post op and try and stay positive. The op isn't as bad as the pain you have now (trust me on that), you're young and healthy and I can only see a positive outcome from your surgery. I hope you have someone to look after you when you get home though. And someone is always popping in here to offer comfort and advice when you need it.

Good luck!

 

[Marvel M]

hey thanks you guys, realise there are a lot of people with pain worse than mine and theres people with terminal illness too. I guess its mostly the waiting, have never been good at waiting,lol. i can mostly handle the pain, but while im like this and its already been awhile, my sister is having to take care of me mostly and she has a job and a four year old. shes my twin and we've always been there for each other but if this situation goes on for much longer im not sure how much more our relationship will suffer. depression runs in our family and though mine is severe more often than not, my sister can push hers aside and take care of her daughter. shes my twin so i know shell take care of me even when she doesnt want to and we are already sometimes impaitient and short with each other. i just really hope it doesnt get much worse because im not sure our relationship could take toilet problems! thanks again for the advice and taking the time to post.

 

[Chaosman]

Hi All;
In May 2007 I had disc decompression on L5/S1. Right from the day after the operation, I felt a very heavy fatigue and ach on my both legs like (like after heavy sport). They said its due to muscle weakness and will get better gradually. After nearly 3 years, still suffering from the same problem, even after 10 minute walk (or even with new pair of shoes or sitting for a long time), I'd get tired and later on the day will get extremely achy muscle and very often muscle cramp. MRI scans still shows L5/S1 & L4/5 disc protrusion, I was on Gabapentin for 3 months, no affect what so ever. I had few physio sessions, still no help. Is there anyone suffering from the same problem as me or I am the only one in world?! It's affected my life and I am tired of doctors and surgeons, could you advise me please. Regards

 

[Sweet Caroline]

Hey everyone,

I am a longtime member of this forum but not posted for a while!
Hey all who know me and hope all is going as well as is possible for you all!

For those who don't know me, i have undergone two L4/5 microdiscectomies in 2007 and 2008, and although the disc stayed in place the 2nd time, i am suffering from epidural adhesions (scarring of the sciatic nerve and also scar tissue adhesions around my L4 nerve root., along with degeneration of my L5 vertebrae.)

Update..... I am having a really bad flare up of chronic back pain and sciatica which landed me in hospital 2 weeks ago being pumped full of morphine, and am still on colossal amounts of painkillers along with long term use of oramorph. Not good.

My GP has written to mine and Melza's best mate Mr H, and am looking to get another scan. I am really scared my disc has gone again.

I really hope its not but something is really wrong, i suffer from 24/7 pain anyways but its excruciating man!!!!!!!

So, doom and gloom rant over, I love this forum, people are so lovely and supportive as everyone is going through pretty much the same thing in regards to chronic pain so understand everyone's predicaments.
My friends dont really understand, my fiance however, is just so lovely and gives me lovely hugs

Will be posting more, i miss you guys!!!!!!!!

TTFN, AliH

 

[Aktigoo]

Hi, I hope everything goes well for you. I had my discetomy 15th March and yesterday had my six week consultant check-up. He is really pleased and has discharged me. I go to physio twice a week and he is taking it quite slowly with me (which suits me fine). One session he just works on the spine and scar area to stop scar tissue forming - this is really really important and the 2nd session we do exercises. I do have very mild pain in my the calf of my leg but it is no where near like it was previously. I asked the consultant and he told me this is perfectly normal. I had a large disc removed and it had compressed the nerve for nearly a year therefore the nerve needs to repair itself and it will over time. So I am very confident, much happier, sleeping well and doing the exercises and everything I am told to do. No lifting and hardly any bending. I am also trying to loose some weight as well. I never never ever want to go through this again and will do everything I can to prevent it. Good luck to everyone and I can only go by my own experience and say I wish I had had the op 6 months ago. I am 57 yrs old and slightly overweight and really unfit!!!!

 

[Ava is Beastin!]

hi everyone,
just wanted to post a quick update because i haven't been on here for a really long time. i'm still going strong after my august 2008 op. have had a recent flare up of pins and needles and that familiar achy leg, but have put this down to stress and lack of exercise. my husband and i moved to the US last week and the last couple of months have been crazy with getting organised. we're only here til the end of the year, but it has been quite an adventure so far!
it's good to hear how everyone is doing. although ali and melza, my old friends, i am so sad to hear that things are still difficult for you. i will continue to wish and hope for you both.
take care all,
jess xx