Oh yes, my wife is fine and is a beacon of light. She has hekped me a lot. We know the sex of the baby. My wife bought all the clothes and baby items before my op. Not long to go now

Hi,

Today was a relatively bad day. Since Friday I have boticed some deterioration and todaybit was quite evident. I am now having similar symptoms to the ones I was having before my disc prolapse but other than long periods of walking, I don't think I did anything thay could have caused a prolapse. However, I am as people know here, prone to pa ic attacks but this one is justified since my symptoms are still pretty bad.
Anyway, I started my day OK. I got up, got dressed, walked for arpund ten minutes and then had breakfast. I then walked for twenty minutes in my living room and then went up for a rest. I did my physio and then went to see the doctor at the surgery. She looked at my dressing said there was a little pus and blood. It was right at the bottom of the incision and they redid the dressing. While I waited to be seen I walked in the surgery (which was empty - only me and my Dad were there). I went home, ate some fruit and walked again, and I always walk for much longer than ten minutes. I then went to bed which is when I felt the tightness in my right hip. I cannot be sure if this is the same feeling I had before the surgery, and even in my panicky thinking, objectively, this feels more like some kind of muscle strain because I think I am walking way too much. I was never given proper instructions as to how much I should be doing but if I have indeed fatigued the muscles it will take some time to settle down. I phoned the hospital ward where I was after my discectomy. I had originally tried to speak to the physio who saw me after my operation but he was not available ( he had finished for the day). I then phoned the ward where I was. The nurse had no specific advice but she put me through to a Doctor who was available. He said that I should have worn mu corset. I can understand the reasoning but it is so hard to walk while wearin it due to my curve. It actually makes my posture worse and stresses my hips and I do wear it the right way. The Doctor said the diac prolapse normally happens as a result of wear an tear and recurrent disc herniations usually lccur at a different level be ause the other discs see more stress. I was worried I had been overdoing theings and said I did not know how much I should walk, rest, sit. Sitting causes srress to mu lower back. I can't spend my time alternating between walking and sitting. It is hard to do so. The doctor said that if I felt my body was getting fatigued the I need to slow down. I think I must. However, I hope my original symptoms do not return. The doctor felt that sitting witbout the brace and walking would not have caused the disc to prolapse again but he was a little noncomittal in his answer. He kept emphasising wearing the corset, implying I may have caused some damage since the spine is 'wobbly' after spinal surgery. I do, however, believe my symptoms have been aggravated by the amount of walking. I did not do anythig especially dangerous. It may take me a few days to get back to where I was before I started walking. If things revert the way I was after being discharged in a few days, I would be relieved a d will rethink my recovery. If things do not get better, and start getting the way they were pre-op, then I think only another MRI would co firm if I have done any damage. I think slowing down is important, but it is also hard since I usually like spending time walking around and I hate being immobile.
One thing I have learned is that people often think of surgery and visualise the time they are recovered. The problem is, in between there is a lot of pain and anguish, and in my case, no certainty that the op was a solution. The antalgic scoliosis was the source of my pain. The cause of the antalgic scoliosis was the disc prolapse. The disc has been remobed but the curve remains and this means my body still experiences similar symptoms. Steaightening my body will take a long time and I think, as long as the disc does not prolapse again, I don't think my problems will gp away in a hurry. The stress is going to the wrong muscles and jojnts and this causes a lot of fatigue and mobility problems. I will try slowing down for now because I think I need to prepare for a slow recovery and a long rehab. Everything will take time, and I now have to try and pace myself better. If I continue to be hasty I may end up causing myself more harm. I will keep posting but if people do not like my attitude towards recovery, please do not leave mean messages. I knkw you all want me to get better but I wrote here to deal with my anxiety as much as anything else. Everyone is different, and if I am having difficulties during my recovery, I should be able to work my way through it by writing here. This may be a type of therapy and I will continue to write. I thank everyone who has previously commented and I wish everyone the best. We are all united in our struggles.

Hope - Type all you like - it may be cathartic for you...

You obviously need help of some form that people here may not be able give - some have tried. I mentioned Bowen yesterday, which may help realign fascia in a gentle way, and correct the leg length difference (I know it can be done). On the other hand, IMVHO your anxiety is verging on obsession. You could/should consider a mind therapy such as hypnotherapy, which might help you subconsciously deal with your 'panic'.

I really would encourage you to change your forum name. It makes me feel sad whenever I see it.

Hi,

Nothing much has changed since my last report. I had a shower today and my wound is slowly healing but I need to keep it covered up for a few more days. The actual incision does not hurt, but the muscles beneath and on the sides are tender and I sometimes get stiffness and spasms. I have been trying to take it easy for a little while and I think that may be helping. I still think it will be a while before I can go out. I know I said I walked outside my house but that was just my road. On good days I was able to do that walk with a bit of struggle before my op. However, I now know thag recovery takes time and I am trying to be patient.
The major issue is thay my right hip muscles were extended and stretched over several mo ths when I had my prolapse. This means when I stand my balance goes towards the left side and the right leg takes a lot of weight as I walk. This really hammers my right knee. I think as my strength begins to return and I can walk for longer periods, these imbalances may start to reverse. Objectovely and logically, they should. The body develops these imbalances for the sake of protection and comfort. Now these imbalances are the source of discomfort anf the body will compensate. To expect this to happen in two weeks following surgery is unrealistic. I will try and increase my walking times again in a few days because I don't want too much scar tissue to form. The key thing is to avoid walking beyond comfort levels. This time I will be more careful. I still reserve judgement on the auccess of the surgery until the incison swelling, pain and stiffness settles because only then would I be able to judge how much better I am. I may not report back for a few days.
I think post operative frustration was the main cause of my anxieties over the last several days. Even though I was quite unwell before surgery, I had gotten used to living within my limitations and bed rest was no longer necessary. I can't sit or syand for long because the tiredness creeps in so I get bored and anxious more easily. However, recovery takes time and there is no use getting frustrated about that. I will just have to wait it out like everyone else, avoid doing anything stupid, and just continue with the advice of the physios. I am going to try and spend my time watching movies and cartoons in between walks. Lets see what happens in the coming days.

Hope - Type all you like - it may be cathartic for you...

You obviously need help of some form that people here may not be able give - some have tried. I mentioned Bowen yesterday, which may help realign fascia in a gentle way, and correct the leg length difference (I know it can be done). On the other hand, IMVHO your anxiety is verging on obsession. You could/should consider a mind therapy such as hypnotherapy, which might help you subconsciously deal with your 'panic'.

I really would encourage you to change your forum name. It makes me feel sad whenever I see it.

Hi Jabba

I don't want to sound mean I don't think it is cathartic and actually for any new members looking for advice on back issues having a member who won't listen to the advice of those of us that have been through the same must make this whole topic seem pointless. If I put on here everything that runs through my mind at times about being disabled it would help no one and I would think would be extremely depressing. If however I had loads of people trying to help and I ignored everyone who had taken the time to post messages it would be my own fault if everyone got fed up of listening. Keeping a private journal would be cathartic as I am sorry to say no amount of anyone posting in this case will make any difference it seems.

I am not having a go at you Jabba, I just wish the back pain part of this site could return to being what it once was, a place to seek advice and accept it, a place to meet others like ourselves and make friends and finally a place where we all enjoy coming to catch up. We all at times need more support but this shouldn't be somewhere to keep our daily fears as who is this helping?

Wend x

Couldn't agree more wend. I sent u message just felt like I was moaning a bit too much xx clare

Hi Jabba

I don't want to sound mean I don't think it is cathartic and actually for any new members looking for advice on back issues having a member who won't listen to the advice of those of us that have been through the same must make this whole topic seem pointless. If I put on here everything that runs through my mind at times about being disabled it would help no one and I would think would be extremely depressing. If however I had loads of people trying to help and I ignored everyone who had taken the time to post messages it would be my own fault if everyone got fed up of listening. Keeping a private journal would be cathartic as I am sorry to say no amount of anyone posting in this case will make any difference it seems.

I am not having a go at you Jabba, I just wish the back pain part of this site could return to being what it once was, a place to seek advice and accept it, a place to meet others like ourselves and make friends and finally a place where we all enjoy coming to catch up. We all at times need more support but this shouldn't be somewhere to keep our daily fears as who is this helping?

Wend x

I totally understand where you are coming from and you are not being mean. Have to say that I have given up reading certain posts completely. No point, because, as you say, advice isn't taken, which is why I think it is beyond physical and is now a psychological problem. My OH lives with chronic back pain, and has done since childhood, and I read all your stories with total admiration for how you all cope and just get on with your lives.

hi jabba

see what you mean yes we get on with our lives, but wend said this forum is a chance to moan but when people are asking for advice and are ignoring you that's a different matter it's ok to moan because some of us are going through the same pain day in day out but we need to stay positive most of us on here want to hear what problems we are facing like me im facing fusion on tuesday wend has had fusion and she has been here for me giving me advice that i appreciate it seems to me that this forum has got out of control the last few weeks people including myself are actually thinking twice about having a moan on here but that's what's it's here for as family and friends listen but don't understand the pain and the emotional pain,

clare x

too much info !

hi there, i totally agree with you three, one posting on here is like an in depth essay!, its just to much info, and every little thing is microscopically analized, it just gets boring, it would take 'till midnight to read it.yes lets have a moan and say how we feel, but also enquire how others are. even i've had a few moans but not to the point where it goes on for a long spell.

daveyam

Hi Everyone,

I have decided this will be my last post. After reading the last few posts, it has been made abundantly clear that I am not welcome on these forums. There is a clear inference that I not taking the forum's advice, fixating on negativity, and not offering anything useful. I apologise if user's of this forum have found this to be the case. It was certainly not my intention to come across this way. I was genuinely anxious and sometimes I still have very depressing moments. I felt writing here was a way of dealing with the anxiety, and contrary to what some people have said, I always appreciated the advice I received. I especially want to thank Clare, Wend, Brillo, Microsuccess and Tashanie. However, it would appear I come across as being more of a nuisance than someone needs support.
I wish everyone the best. Clare has her op tomorrow and my thoughts will be with her. I hope you make a full recovery. Wend is looking for a second opinion and I hope the doctors get to the bottom of it. Microsuccess is continuing to improve and I hope he stays well. Em offered me tremendous support and I am grateful for every reply. Daveyam, you helped in ways you will never know. I hope you find some relief.
I am nowhere near recovery, but I see no point in writing here anymore because I am obviously annoying people and my constant need for reassurance (something that actually helps me regain some perspective, if not anything else), has also been misunderstood.
Before I go, there is one last point I think I should make. When one considers surgery, there are generally too kinds of stories on web forums - those that had bad results and those who had ridiculously good ones. Statistically, you should get better if you have a discectomy but I feel recovery does take longer than many would have you believe. It is better to think of recovery as a long term thing because that way you do not have any realistic expectations to go back to mountain climbing four days afterwards. I also think the truth regarding success of the surgery depends not on how quickly you recover but how much time you give yourself to improve.
I leave everyone in peace. May we all find some relief and regain some happiness. Adios muchachos.

hi
sorry if that's how you feel, i hope you really recover well, and thank you for your well wish for my fusion tomorrow x

Hello Again,

I have received a number of private messages from a number of forum users: brillo, microsuccess, daveyam. They have asked me to return to the forum for an update.
I will keep this brief. If you rear my previous posts on this forum I have described the process through which muscles realign. The process is painful and treacherous because as your muacles stretch back out they get very sore and fatigued. This can lead to a reression of your posture. Make no mistake, if you develop antalgic scoliosis, it is a a very difficult thing to recover from. My physio said that some people take over a year to get back to normal because muscles atrophy and they do not immediately regain their syrength and mass and this is whar causes pain and discomfort to joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons. I did see slow but continuous progress in terms of postural improvement, but the sorness and stiffness is everpresent, as os linited range of movement, especially flexion.
My physio said intil neutral posture is attained the aches and pains do not settle because they are associated with the recovery of the muscles. By August my confidence had oncreased because even though I felt pretty bad I was looking much better and this gave me some reassuarance. However when my wife gave birth to our baby, I had to soend a lot of time standing (many hours - I have a condition where I shouldn't stand for that long), and I had not been very active since the surgery. As a result my feet got badly swollen and a pre-existing condition has caused a problem that has made me bed boind. This problem is likely to persist several more weeks. Obviously postural improvement did depend a lot on beong active and mobile, and being bed bound for suchba long time (since late August) may set back my recovery. It certainly bothers me and since I am unlikely to be actove for at least another few weeks, this is quite a concern.
Anyway, the good news is that our baby was born healthy and has brought joy to our lives. My wife had a traumatic childbirth experience and the poor girl did suffer. She is a greatand active Mum, but I think it will take time for everything to get back to normal. She is great with the baby and I hope I recover enough to enjoy fatherhood. So far the little one has brought so much happiness. In a year so miserable, our baby has made us smile.
I thank everyone who sent a pm. I will write here again with an update but as I am currebtly bed bound I will write back when this problem has subsided. The bottom line is I was seeing very slow improvement in posture but certain muscles are still caved in and they are hard to stretch out, and with my current period of immobility, I don't know when I will be back on track. I surely will write again. Take care everyone.

Oh dear, what have they done to Healthypages? So sluggish and horrible new interface. Oh well.
I am writing to say that my recovery has been very slow. I am still not 100% straight. There have been complications as I have a foot condition that causes me significant pain and when I have a problem with my foot it takes six-eight weeks. The worst thing about the foot condition is that it gives me a limp and as I am trying to straighten out, this limp does not make life very easy.
Generally, my back still gets sore and I feel tired. Forward flexion is limited, and if I stand after sitting for a while my back feels very stiff and it takes a while for things to loosen up. If I walk for too long, my body feels tired, and I still feel as if my body is not fully aligned correctly since the ribcage area still looks as if it is caved in.
I said this before and I will say this again. If you have antalgic scoliosis for over six months, and you have a discectomy, do not expect a quick recovery. Seriously. In my case, the disc was not causing much pain. My body was in the wrong position, and due to this severe deformity my weight was going to the wrong joints and muscles. This made walking and moving very fatiguing as increased activity made the symptoms worse, and straightening out was impossible because of the disc prolapse. After the surgery, you don't just straighten out. You have to do the physio but a lot of it is trial and error, and all of it causes considerable discomfort and muscle fatigue that is very disabling. The muscles shorten and lengthen when you have antalgic scoliosis. The way the list occurs also determines how you will straighten out. For months after surgery I tried various exercises to get better, and some of them are scary. I cannot help but think that doing these for many many months may cause the disc to prolapse again. People who have sciatica and nerve pain complain a lot about post =-surgical problems but as long as the surgery was successful, a complete resolution of their symptoms is the most likely outcome and you recover from the surgical incision within three weeks. I had zero incision pain and was walking the same day. I was still twisted and I am not sure if my body will ever find it's natural balance again. These things are not easy to resolve.
However, I will report again after my foot recovers and see where I am when it gets to the one year point.
I hope everyone else is doing great.

Hi,

It has been nearly two years since I had surgery. Anyone following this thread would know that my sciatica was not so bad. However, my back muscles deformed into an antalgic gait. This caused a type of functional scoliosis (not true scoliosis since the curve in this form is to protect the spine - my scan showed a straight spine but my muscles had locked me into a tight spasm).
I had this problem for around nine months, and I saw a chiropractor (I cannot recommend chiropractors, and I have written about this elsewhere), physics, and two separate surgeons. My disc prolapse at l4/l5 needed surgery because there was risk of further damage and permanent nerve damage, and I was also incapable of walking.
After the surgery, I was able to walk, but I have a foot condition which was exacerbated repeatedly and I was unable to recover smoothly. I did have a lot of problems and it was not a pleasant experience. The surgical pain was practically zero but the structures around my lower back have chronic ashiness. My back realignment is better but not complete. I saw a pain specialist because even with the tiny bit of the curve remaining, it causes pressure on my lower back and my muscles get quite fatigued. I was told by the pain specialist that the disc space changes can sometimes leave these sort of residual problems. The physio said it may get better, and so did my GP, but beyond the first 2 months, I have not seen any greater improvement to the curve. Ido look better but my ribcage is slightly turned inwards, but this is only noticeable when I take my clothes off. The bigger problem is that the slight curve does still cause some pain, and it usually increases with activity. However, as I have had repeated problems with my feet, the physio, a lot of which has to be done upright on your feet, could not always be done since I get a limp due to my foot problem. I hope that as time progresses small improvements continue to be made, but unfortunately, at this time I have a lot of problems to be able to say I have had a significant improvement in the quality of life, though I am grateful that the surgery worked. The complications I have had have had more to do with my foot problem. I can't flex forward as much and a bit of housework can fatigue my back, and if that happens I need a few days of rest. It is not a great scenario. However, the surgery accomplished what it intended and I am better off. When my feet improve and I have at least six months of stability, hopefully things will start to look much better, and I will report back. I still recommend the surgery because I think if a skilled doctor performs it, you will see a huge improvement.