That is excellent news. I hope it all continues well for you - and thank you for keeping us up to date. Even for thos of us who have not been through what you have done it is good to hear of success stories.

Well done

Week 11 up and down

Hi guys
It's really good to read micro success updates. I'm now in week 11 and was feeling great at week 9 and was due to come off pregabalin tablets. Pain in leg was around 10%. I then went for a power walk including x2 60 second jogs on physio advice and put myself back. I've been having terrible sciatic pain again in my right ankle and calf about 60% and am still on the tablets plus ibuprofen and ice. Was up to 7hrs a day at work but down to 4 again now.
I get so frustrated and want my active life back but only seem to manage 20 lengths swimming at present. I started acupuncture yesterday so will see how that goes. Also going to try and find out if there's any group Physio in the derby area I could go to as think it sounds really good.
Thanks for the updates it really raises my spirits on a bad day!!
Chantelle

Week 4 for me

Great news - Consultant said it's OK to drive so I feel 'normal' again!

No pain at all though so I am very grateful for that but I still have huge difficulty walking on an incline, lots of stops after a few steps because I have no energy but on the flat I am fine. My dead nerve in left calf and foot is still making walking a slower process than I would like.

I'm thinking of buying a cheap exercise bike on Ebay to get the leg moving - is this a good idea? I'm walking a good 1 mile plus a day but I could do odd bits of exercise during the day/evening in front of the TV..

Indigestion/reflux still bothers me at night after weeks of laying flat but Gaviscon tablets work the best.

Week 4 concerns

Hi there
Great posts from microsuccess and good to hear your progression, plus Chrissie you sound like you're doing amazingly! Well done on the no pain and no more paracetamol, hope your strength gains improvement too.
I'm 4 weeks post op tomorrow and not doing as well as I'd hope. I know why this is. I went on holiday with my husband and 5month old on a holiday that had been booked prior to all my pain nightmare. We went to Lanzarote which was a 4hour flight. I was very uneasy about going but after surgeon and physio saying I was ok to go and huge (but unintentional ) pressure from my family (my parents and in-laws saying it was just what the 3of us needed!) I decided to go. I know it wasn't wise and I took it very easy once there but the flight was awful. I stood most of the time but the standing for so long brought on pain and was in agony by the time I got home last night. I've got upset at the fact I tried to behave like all was ok for everyone else but very worried I've set myself back.
I don't think I've done further long term damage as pain not like pre op and does improve after lying down which it didnt pre-op. painkiller wise still on 6paracetamol and 2 ibroprofen a day and 1 amitriptaline at night but concerned still on this much at 4weeks. Plus my leg lift is no better and still can only raise it 30%. I feel so anxious that I've been stupid going on holiday. I think my family now think I'm fussing and don't get how the pain is like this still they keep saying 'well is it as bad as before the operation?!' When I say no they tell me not to worry and I need to get on with things. I desperately want to and feel upset that trying to by going on holiday for a week has set my back.
I'm sorry for going on but I guess I'm wondering if after a few days if taking it easy may help get over that horrid journey. I realise this operation was no quick fix and need to work hard at getting rid of this damn nerve pain. I see the physio on wed for the first time since the op so hopefully she can help somewhat! (Just spoke to her on the phone 2wks ago). Thanks for listening so my stresses!!!

Week 21

I've hit 5months and 1 week and 1 day:)

Well I've been super busy with work the last 6 days and done very little physio, stretches, swimming, jogging or infact anything. Usually I would be annoyed with myself and Im suprised I didn't do something about it but literally none stop work work work.

Anyway Im not quite understanding it but I've had zero pain sat, zero pain walking and zero pain driving. I spoke with the physio this morning and she said its probably the rest actually doing me good. I have until now been doing 3-4-5 days physio a week none stop for over 4 months.

I only put this on here as an inidication that sometimes less is more with this injury. I will be going back to my regime from sunday and will assess the difference, but for now im happy that maybe this is nearly it. Although I am more resigned to this being a peak and I will be soon feeling a tiny bit of pain in return for my week reprieve:)

Great news microsuccess. It must be amazing to feel you are getting there now! although, Ill miss your posts and progress updates! nerve pain is so odd, the fact you have done less may have done you good for a bit . The break of exercise must have done you good, after doing so much physio for months! It's all such a fine balance isn't it. I woke up this morning with less nerve pain than normal (not zero pain but less!!) - so I'm learning to embrace the small successes before the next dip comes along!
Take care and do let us know how you get on!

Week 23

Ok, so Im nearing the half way point of the 1 year myself and the physio set out as the time period for a substancial recovery:)

I just thought I'd chip in a glimmer of hope to those sports persons out there that think post surgery that is the end of their active lifestyle.

Swimming - I never was a great swimmer but posted a 38min swim for 64 lengths (25m pool) 9 days ago. Considering that was 1hr = 24 lengths (broken into 4's) at week 14 I'm a happy man. I've found no downside to swimming. The only caution I would add is pushing off from the wall in the early days as all the pressure goes through the spine. Tumble turns aren't something I do so I can't comment there.

Running - I have had to take this very slowly. Walk - Walk/Jog - Jog - Run. I am now confident jogging out 10km (on a daily basis over 5 days max so far) in 1hr 15min. I know that probably isn't quick to some people but my comparisons are only to myself who posted a 50min 10km time in 2009, so nearly 6 months post Op Im happy, and I've got more in the tank (Im just not pushing it, it'll come im sure)

Gym - Hit and miss. Cross trainer is a negative for me. Static upright cycle 30-90mins, seated cycle 30-90mins. In both cycling cases as its indoor the boredom got the better of me. BUT i was feeling slightly uncomfortable at the hour mark, that maybe because I have never really cycled till now and it may be just the muscles not being used to it. Weights wise I am repeatedly told not to exceed 25kg directly through the spine, so I go up to 25kg but dont exceed it. The simple workaround is not to do squats, I can do everything else, bench press, preacher curl, leg raises, hamstring raises etc. One word of warning, and I have put it down before...NO PULL UPS!!! The physio explained it ages ago and the upshot is while the body is stretched the muscles tighten and put pressure on the spine, even more so than just standing upright.

Contact sports - Sadly a no go at present. I could envisage football not being a massive drama in a 5 aside indoor setup, just because tackling is minimal reducing your fall rate. Kicking the ball is a cautious activity and I have tried post Op, maybe a few months away yet for me. Rugby - Doubtful at present due to the tackling = 80kg+ smashing through my spine, but again I know people return to contact sports including rugby so its certainly not a no go I assume. I think the trick here will be get to a point you can sprint (I can now for 80metres) and factor in how you feel, im guessing until sprinting without pain occurs then don't rush back to contact sports.

Non-Contact - I tried badminton last week, I probably missed 60% of what I would usually reach but I was cautious so I didnt mind. I was stiff after it but a 10min lay down squared me away. I tried squash alone just to test my movement about a month ago, as its a sport dependent on making the other person sprint, twist and bend to aukward return shots Im going to avoid it for the forseeable. I only tried this for fun but crown green bowling with my dad, randomly because you walk often, bend in the correct manner and handle only slight weight I found it quite nice. I know people will laugh but it got me outside for 2hrs and I didn't think about the pain/it didn't get above 1/10.

Anyway I hope someone gets something out of this. I will endeavour to keep up my ramblings:)

Week 25

Hello people,

Well 2 weeks before Christmas and I don't have a great deal of issues.

As an example I sat on the train from Edinburgh to London at the weekend, before then going for a meal and a night out. I then returned home the next day. NO PAIN. I cannot tell you the difference I've had since month 4 but I'm not going to get lazy. I have dropped off doing as much exercise only because of physio orders but come the new year I will be right back in the thick of it.

Its the season to be coughy!!! I watch people sneezing and coughing constantly and know all to well that prior surgery and in week 0-now I still get caught out with sneezes that cause pain. So there's 2 ways for you to get round this:

1) If laid down roll onto your comfortable side (for me my right as had surgery left side). Bring your knees slightly up into a loose fetal position. When the sneezes comes its 80% less pain for me.

2) If standing bend the knees and lean forward slightly. Its the same position as laying down but standing.

My second bit of advice is for those in the early stages post recovery week 1-12. DON'T get dragged into going out drinking all over christmas. Try and let people know what you have gone through and lower their expectations of what you are capable of. I know friends/family will be asking you to go out or visit for meals etc. Thats great from a social point and for getting you back to normal but just recognise the difference between being mobile (walking, stretching etc) and just going out. Without doubt sitting takes the longest to achieve and after that standing still for prolonged periods. Just be cautious that you dont have a few to many and end up sitting for 2-3hrs in the same spot...I did it once and regretted it for 2 weeks!!!

GET SOME GRIP ON YOUR SHOES!!!. Its icey where I am and I know if it had been like this in week 1-8 post-op I wouldn't of been out walking nearly as much. You will want to stay active but its all for nothing if you take a fall so I suggest getting some shoe tracks (metal chains) or proper walking shoes. For me I've taken to a stick for now. I may well be feeling a lot better but Im not taking anything for granted.

Christmas is when people tend to be more cheerful and I would say enter into that mentality. Keep positive people:)

Microsuccess I really like your attitude and advice. Thank you for posting all this on behalf of all the back sufferers (which doesn't include me by the way - I just an interested spectator!) who visit this site. Back problems present huge difficulties for the sufferers and I'm sure your advice will help.

Go carefully and safely - and have a wonderful Christmas season.

Love and Light

Helpful Product

Hi, Just while Im sat here on it.

I was given an early christmas present from my brother today which is a coccyx seat wedge. Im now thinking I've been missing out in the post surgery recovery.

All it is is a wedged shaped piece of foam which tilts your hips forward to the 'neutral' position which the physio went on about religiously during my sessions. It says its 8 degree angle restores the natural 's' of the spine and relieves pressure on the base of the spine.

I've googled tonight and they aren't cheap, around £20-40 but I can hand on heart say while it feels odd like I want to slide forward off my chair, it feels quite nice. I tried it on the sofa and it fails to do anything but at the breakfast table (hard seat) I can feel a difference. 3 months ago when hard seats just felt brutal I wish I had had this.

Im not advertising you go out and get this hence no use of product names but It maybe worth for those with a physio nearby to ask if they have one you could try?

7 Months & 1 Week

Im aware there's only so many times I can say Im improving but its a fact. At just over 7 months post Op I thought I'd give some detail to those that are going back to work/already back at work post Op.

Travel:

I work from home so I don't commute. However I sold my car 2 years ago as driving with my sciatica was impossible. Im told by the physio this is due to the 'glide' of the nerve. Basically stretching the nerve when its compressed (when you change gear and stretch to push the clutch) equals pain. While I don't commute I have last month purchased a Renault Megane Automatic. The seat has to be slightly off 90 degrees and the drivers seat is softish. I did use a pillow initially for 2 weeks to work myself into driving. Anyway the difference between my new car and recent attempts to drive manual is sizeable. Its just less aggrevation. Im not saying change your car, Im just pointing out I find the automatic less taxing so deteriorates me very little even on long drives. For those that take the train in the early stages I would still say take a cushion. Don't be embarassed, if people wish to stare at you ignore them. If they knew the injury they'd soon quiet down. Equally for those that stand on the tube I would say don't stay 100% static for the duration of the journey, bend the knees or rotate your ankles. These both take strain off the lumbar area.

At work

As before I work from home and have my choice of seats. Initially I suffered the 'fear' of sitting and kept it minimal. But over the months I've gone from super soft seats to harder more office like seats. One thing thats made it easier is changing what I sit on. The physio told me to keep putting my bum on different seats to change the sensations it gets. This stops the brain going 'dont sit there, thats too hard, oh its time to move im hurting'. Also I have a seat wedge which tilts the hips and is fairly firm. Again it all makes the sitting experience easier and last longer. I CAN sit 3hr+ without moving (I saw the Hobbit last night!) in a cofy seat. The cinema has been my yard stick. I started with short films at week 16 and as your engrossed you forget the pain. Yes it can be sore on standing but that was then. Last night I sat 40mins to get there, watched 3hr 10min film and then came home - 99% pain free.
Anyway for those in the early stages back to work I found 20min sitting + 5min walk or stetch then 20min sitting was fine. At lunch I always go for a 30min walk to let some strain off my back. For those that stand regulary I would hope you find things easier than those that are desk based but similarly standing for prolonged periods fatigues so laying down at regular breaks I found good for recovery.
Tools to help at work: A soft cushion or wedge and a leg bandage. Use the bandage after lunch to give work leg a different sensation for the afternoon period. It definately for me reduced pain.

At home:

When you get in in the early stages of returning to work when the work day ended I felt tired, fatigued and slightly pained. AND I WAS AT HOME. It literally felt at 5pm when I downed tools that the pain shot up. For those of you with a commute keep it together mentally until you get in the door. I found on days when I was out consulting that when I left them my first thought was I hurt. On days I let it take over I would be a wreck before I got out the building BUT focussing on positives, listerning to the mp3 or reading etc anything to pass the time getting home meant my 'working day' finished when you get in the door - then I would collapse for a bit on the floor/bed and let it out. I hope that makes sense. Don't let this beat you, don't let it interfere as much as you can in YOUR head. If you've had the surgery then its nerve memory and your brain thats sending the signals. You must try and interfere with these signals by keepng your brain distracted or your leg/back under different sensations. Also when I get in from consulting even now the first thing I do is get my theraband and do 10-20mins of hamstring, thigh and calf exercises. I find doing calf raises makes the muscle so fatigued that the pain just cant squeeze in there and hurt me. Similarly with the thigh and hamstring exercises if the muscles are tired out the brain focusses on their recovery and the nerve pain somewhat dissipates.

Im rambling now so will stop but any Qu's please ask, and I hope you are all recovering and healing well

Month 8

So Im 2/3 the way through the 12 months I was allowing for the injury post surgery. I don't have many issues and know I am fortunate in that respect. My final hurdle remains sitting wherever and whenever I like. I still have the odd pang of Sciatic pain that creeps in, but this is mainly me being aware Im sitting over 2-3hrs and actively thinking about the injury - which is when the niggles begin.

This week I was out consulting and was speaking with a pregnant lady in the office who had an L4/L5 Double Microdiscectomy in 2009. I don't have a sixth sense for seeking people out with the injury, I was curious about what she was sitting on and while talking she explained. Basically its a circular rubber pillow (hers bright green). I've seen them in the gym and thought they were for balancing etc (which they are). Anyway she started telling about her road to recovery and the cushion being her saving grace when returning to work. It just happens being office based shes continued using it there instead of taking it home. I had a sit on the thing and must say its odd to begin but then quite therapeutic as you can rock your hips and tilt the pelvis taking off pressure form the spine without getting up constantly.

I standby my foam wedge I use at home but I've just purchased these cushions and will give feedback. Incase people are interested I got it from Amazon its called a Togu Dynair Ball Cushion, was £17. I was wondering if anyones used these cushions? I only had a 5min sit while talking to her.

Hiya microsuccess

I'm currently experiencing sciatica to the extreme. MRI shows disc herniation at L5 S1 and been told I need a discectomy. Going back to orthopaedic consultant in 4 weeks. I'm pretty much resigned to being laid flat out else the pain is immense. Where did you have your surgery performed, was it London? I'm a black cab driver in London but not been able to work for a week now. Feel miserable, lost and alone!

Thanks for your time, inspirational

Brillo

Hi, i had mine done at University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Stoke. I have been told the best are in london so geographically your probably in the best place. All the experience seems to gravitate to london as I found initially when the surgeon at Stoke had done 900+ disectomies and then was poached. The replacement was excellent but it just reminded me surgeons are also people and £££ is king:)

Speak to your GP again if your concerned. I would probably say steer clear of the internet as a research tool. I wish you all the best. Any queries please just ask

Thanks fella, I'm visiting a renowned osteopath tomorrow who has a machine called IDD Therapy which has had good results, so here's hoping!

Pre op, how severe we're your symptoms and what were your limitations? I drive for a living and the thought of sitting in a car scares the hell out of me!

Was hoping it may subside in a day or two to at least a manageable level.

Thanks again

Thank you

Hi microsuccess,
I would just like to thank you for all the advice you have posted. I have found the advice regarding ice a saviour! I am putting ice on regularly and it definitely is helping with the post op pain and swelling.
Thanks again

Month 9

So, I trundle on through life, a bit worse for wear after a 5hr flight yesterday.

This last 2 months have levelled off in many respects, I now sleep as pre-injury, I take zero medication and can do 80% of physical activities I could pre-Op (that 20% is contact sports which is my choice). I think the most important thing for expectation management with this injury is you can probably return to activities you did pre-injury but you MAY not reach the same levels of achievement - HOWEVER SEE BELOW.

Being middle aged I know this is all part of getting older anyway but for those who are either quite young or previously extremely active I would say take heart:

In the US a study of athletic persons was done on 60 patients with S5-L1 prolapses (including double and relapse cases). Average age of the patients at the time of surgery was 26.8 years (range, 19 to 47). All patients presented with low back and/or leg pain. Subjects had experienced an average of 5.2 months of pain (range, 1 week to 48 months) before initial presentation. 53 returned to active participation in their sport. The average time that elapsed between surgery and their return to the sport was 5.2 months (range, 1 to 15 months). The sample included 50% American College Football Players (thats not UK style football, its the rugby style)

Now the 5.2months to me makes sense however of these individuals a high % reported a return to daily life after only 7.5 weeks post discectomy. Im just curious how many people on here realistically hit that 8 week point, returned to work and never looked back???

Driving and sitting

Hi microsuccess
I have been reading your post for awhile. I had my md done on 1/12/13 after suffering for 5 months' pain on the l5/s1 (right)

I have some questions. As time goes by, were you able to sit and drive in a longer time?
I do not see many posts regarding sitting and driving.

I live in Los Angeles, ca, USA. Driving is the life style. How do you feel you back was able to endure a longer sitting time?
Now I sit 30 min and move around. I scare the sitting will hurt my back's healing.

Sorry English is not my first language. Thanks.

Hi Leugen

Sorry for the slow reply I've been away.

For me sitting has improved roughly every 2 weeks and improved through initially just timing how long I sat e.g. sit initially 30mins per day, then adding 2-5mins every day. I didn't start this kind of regime until week 4 i think. Driving was altogether different driving a manuel car (stick) really used to aggravate me and I couldn't build up the time in the car. I really had to build up my sitting at home, then when really confident start going out in the car (small journeys at a time). I will assume as a lot of US cars are automatic you will still have the sitting issue as the S1 nerve still won't want to be in the seated forward position, the only way of relaxing the nerve is by reclining the seat slightly. For manual drivers like I was, pressing the clutch in was a main issue as the action flared up the nerve The best way to get used to sitting is doing core stability exercises. When we are injured so long we dont want to sit so the muscles in the back, side and front get weak, Im not talking about the large Abs, i mean the fine muscles deep in the spinal areas. Really must re-build these to achieve the ability to sit for prolonged periods - AND YOU CAN DO THIS.

The sitting after 8-12 weeks shouldn't re-hurt your back, but as I always say you must consider they've done a similar scale operation to breaking a leg, so no running before you can walk...or in our case sitting to long before you have the right muscles built up to take the strain again.

I hope this helps in some way

Thank you plus some more questions

Hi,
Thanks for your reply.

I can now sit 30 min but my doc told me to walk around 5 mins and resume sitting in that 30 min interval.
Your suggestion is good, ie add some sitting minutes after the 30 min mark.
I am also doing some back strengthening exercise. I believe what you meant when the back muscle strength builds up, the body will be able to sit longer. Am I right?

For driving, I don't drive stick anymore. I read your previous posts and adjust the seat to 100 degree incline. That Is better. However, I still can't drive longer than 20 min. I need to drive 35 mi each to and from work. Need to practice to sit longer.

I have a question. The readers are gonna laugh. I know we need to sit in those chairs with good back support. When you go to the restaurant or pub, do you move freely to eat and drink? My friends said I act like a robot in the chair and guard so much to lean forward to the dining table to get food. I m so scare I move my body like NORMAL and will trigger any symptoms.

Just want to know if you move like normal but remind yourself with good posture and body mechanics?
I have not get back to work. This is my 7 or 8 week. I feel like to lie down after move around, eg washing dishes or some light desk work. I guess my body has not fully recovered yet.

I am using acupucture and Chinese herbal medicine to help me to recover. The surgery hits me hard. I m only 43 and am an active female. Do not know what to say.....

Thanks a lot.

Leungan 2

Theres never any stupid question regarding this injury - it seems regardless which side of the atlantic you are the Drs give limited thought to aftercare.

Body posture: Yes, keeping the muscles in the side, back and stomach strong = quicker return to normality. Don't think a man with large Abs means he will recover faster. Its the smaller muscles that improve the core greatly. AND possibly most important the glute muscles (bottom). Theres a variety of exercises out there which dont include the squat which can greatly improve your core muscles. The 30mins your currently achieving is great, just remember your still in the recovery phase so you wont leap from 30mins - 3hrs over night. It frustratingly takes a long time.

Sitting in pubs etc: NOT A STUPID QUESTION. your friends/family are the best guide for how you are recovering. The fact they are telling you your movements are robitic simply means your brain is still considering the surgery as a threat to its well being. The mechanical movements are 'guard' reactions which I had/have. If you let them, they WILL become automatic which isnt always good if you want to return to normaility. BUT at week 8 its absolutely fine to still have these reservations about moving/bending without fear of injury. One point for everyone: If you remain 'guarded' for months and months the muscles in the hamstring/back/calves etc all shortern and when you try to come out of this phase your muscles will be so tight that it will increase pain. So keep stretching daily. And when I say stretch I dont mean over stretch. Go to where is comfortable and hold for 1minute. Holding for under this time only recovers you to a point but what we as back suffers need is to elongate these muscles for the future when we return to cycling.jogging etc.

Personally I have average posture even now. I relax in comfy chairs as it takes the strain off the nerve. BUT please note this has meant my muscles shorterned considerably and have taken extra months to re-lengthen. I move however as i did pre-injury now. Literally sitting on a hard surface like a table for in excess of 40mins is my last hurdle.

Recovery: 8 weeks to recovery = Not long enough in my head. Its not surprising the dishes etc fatigue your muscles and tire you out. However re-focus on your core. Make it part of your life to endeavour to keep these muscles and your leg/buttock strong and you will see the difference.

Accupuncture: Everyones different but I did find this effective.

Keep thinking about the future. Dont focus on the 'now' with this injury. It is slow and is hard but hopefully in the months ahead you will see the difference in yourself. just leep in your head 1) They've cut through decades of muscle to fix you. IT WONT HEAL IN A FEW WEEKS. 2) You see yourself everyday and probably wont see the improvements until month 3-4 BUT your family after week 10 should notice improvements every other week. 3) Remain strong - You will recover

Leungan 3

Hi,

Thanks for your note.

1. Exercises: my doctor has given me a lot of exercises to do. Those are like what you are doing to strengthen my back and the thigh/butt. My calf muscle on the right is back but the right thigh still a kind of weak. I can't do hundreds of calf stretches like you. That is torturing!

I stretch the hamstring and the s1 nerve. The s1 nerve stretch is painful but I did sit more comfortably when I put on my shoes and tie the shoes laces. Thanks for your suggestions.

2. Postures. I try to remind myself to relax when I move around the home. I m happy my current guarding attitude is still normal.
Eating out: sometimes still feel uncomfortable to go out. Again, it is the sitting. I will put more effort on it.
I sat in a soft office chair yesterday and the right side of the butt felt sore. I immediately stood up and move to a hard kitchen chair. Phew! I now understand how a bad sitting tool hurts our body balancing.

3. Getting back to the community. I m driving 10-15 min everyday to do some shopping within the community. I hope that will build up my courage to drive a farther distance.

4. Just don't understand how ppl could go back to work 3 days of the surgery. Or some doc said like mine I could go back to work in a month. As you mentioned earlier, the body was very weak. I listen to my body rather than hop into the car and office and end up calling the ambulance.

Ok. I will reference your note and let your know how my recovery goes. Sometimes, I really think/worry too much as you said and make myself lose focus.

Pls keep in touch in this forum. Today is very nice in the sunshine state (California ).
Let me go get a cup of Lipton tea and start my stretching. Take care!

Long Needle Accupuncture

Ok, so I was introduced to someone the other day that spoke of 'Long Needle Accupuncture'. These are very long needles with a copper head that go DEEP into the tissue (1-3inches). This guy has 21yrs medical experience and truely believed these needles gave his patients the best recovery path.

Yesterday I found a practitioner and had my first session. The needles are LONG and have a brass coil at the end so the person giving you them can assess muscle response. She put only 2 into my left buttock and pushed them in approx 2 inches!!!! Now i was a bit concerned as her 'aim' was to touch the S1 nerve! I did panic a bit but trusted her. After 1min she touched it and f@%k it hurt, but then settled and she added the 2nd and again it hurt and then alleviated. Today I had my 2nd session. I don't know what to say but in 24hrs this woman has changed the feeling of my whole leg??? The a golf ball sized pain/annoyance in my butt is now the size of a marble and then today its more like a 2p piece. The pain has gone from an average 2/10 to about 0.5/10. The best part was after today she had me on a table (solid pine), usually I would have some aggrevation but I had zero???

Now i take all this kind of stuff with apprehension but she says the inflammation to this kind of injury is scientifically proven to be helped and suggested a cortisone injection would remove 100% of the remaining pain (i will see how i progress).

1) Has anyone tried this?
2) If so how did you respond?

Im really confused. I feel that 6 months ago if i'd had this i may have recovered even faster, and slightly more concerning is the thought if she can calm the nerve down so much in 24hrs what could she have done pre-surgery. Im both confused and a bit angry with myself today that i didn't know of this stuff pre-Op.

Long needle acupucture 1

Hi

I started to have the long needle acupucture 2 weeks post-op. At that time, I could not stand with my leg muscle. I just felt 2 sticks were supporting my torso.

My acupucturist put 1 long needle into each side of my butt and I felt my legs strength improved immediately. Yes that hurts. I am still having the treatment twice a week.

I believe acupucture can cure inflammation along with taking Chinese herbal medicine.
For cortisone injection, I have no idea.

I am Chinese so I believe in acupucture. I know that if a person starts to have slight symptoms of sciatica nerve pain, both acupucture and Chinese herbal med can cure the problem.

I know you will ask how come I ended up surgery but not using acupucture. I had my disc herniation due to sneezing. The time when I tried to use acupucture it was too late cuz the herniation was too big (7mm). Unless I were in china, then I would be able to get the acupucture treatment instead of surgery to get rid of the protruded disc.

The medicine I received from the surgery hit me big time. I can't believe you did not have any weakness at all. Do you take any vitamins or make a lot of good food to aid your recover?

Hope that helps.

Note: my note is from my own experience. Since I live in America, I need to remind the readers to obtain proper medical treatments through professionals!

1 week after surgery

Hi. glad I have found this page. I had a L5-S1 surgery on the 7th March.
I wasn't in too much discomfort before surgery. I had bad days really bad days and then I'd have days where I was fine. I had the operation and woke up feeling good. I stayed in hospital for 3 days (I was the only one of 3 that went home after 3 days the others stayed for 5). The hospital physios were really pleased with my progress and the nurses were amazed with how well I had got up and started pottering about. The doc was happy for me to go home with some physio exercisies and told me to do some gentle walking. I have done everything religiously. When I woke up from the op the pain had gone but I had some numbness down my leg and in my bottom. This decreased while in hospital and got better still after I left hospital. I have been mainly lying down a little sitting on a togu ball (not longer than 5 mins) walking and the exercises I was given by the PT. Today and yesterday however I have noticed some sensations in my leg again. I am terrified that I have reherniated the disc some how? The nusres did mention a bit of ghost pain and some sensations but I am still so scared that the surgery has failed.
Before the op I had managed to stay fit by swimming a lot. They think this is why I was up and doing well so quickly. Still strong. I wonder if this is also the reason I am feeling the sensations again. done too much too soon? Only done what they have told me. When I do walk, I walk well with no limps or shortness in stride. My back around the op site is a bit tired and my muscles in my back are a bit still too but other than that my walking is good. No loss of strength on ability in the leg.
Fingers crossed this is something other have experienced too.

LucyT

Hi,

Half the battle with this injury is in our heads as for those that have undergone surgery we know the surgery has occured but our brain was unconcious during the event so struggles to grasp the effect on the nervous system. You are right to get into a good routine from the early days but dont over do it if possible.

The excess sensations in your legs are an example of the nervous system assessing the effect of the surgery by continually sending signals up and down the nerve rootlets. This can be a shock post Op as we assume the pain thats removed shouldn't reoccur BUT it will do for quite a long period while the neurons filter out new vs old pain. I wish someone in the NHS would create a definative pamphlet that gives those undergoing the discectomy some clear advice and expectations but until then i think forums like this will suffice.

For the first 8 weeks 100% LISTEN to the pain. if their exercises are bringing on long bouts of pain then STOP. The muscle tiredness is to be expected as they've cut through 000yrs worth of muscle its taken a lifetime to build up. It will recover, give it time, and dont expect this muscle to recover over night. The Op site will go down and i found ice a good relief for after walks as it naturally reduces the inflammation. BUT DONT LEAVE IT ON. Remember the incision site needs blood supply to get the nutrients to the right place.

There will possibly be some bad weeks ahead when the pain can seriously get you down and if laying still for extended periods doesn't reduce this pain then seek advice but just remember what you've gone through. Its not a quick fix. Stay strong and any Qu's please just ask.

Thanks for the reply! AND the encouraging advice. It seems that as a rule hospitals let you go home with no advice as to what to expect next and what to do! Before I found this I was getting lost in the land of Google and boy there are some terrible tales on there all of which scare the sh*t out of you.
I have started icing when I get back from my walks and it does help. I follow this with one of those bean heat bags that gets the blood back into the area. I havn't done a walk yet that has caused pain that last a long time, I find that my back is a little tired and achy when I get back but this goes almost straight away when I have my lie down.
I forgot to mention in my last post that I am 37. I have also found that the more I lie about the more uncomfortable I am so I am continuing with the physio exercises. I am going to be seeing my physio next week and will be really interested to see how I have been doing. I have been writing a list of questions to ask them. I will keep the forum posted with my results.
Thanks again for the advice. Got it just in time before I went mad!

Wound healing question

Hey, thank you for sharing your story and progress. I had my micro on march 5, 2013. Overall things are going really well. I do have a question about the incision site. The top portion of mine doesn't seem to be healing very well and I have quite a bit of pain and tenderness still. The bottom portion looks completely normal no scabbing or anything but the top part there's a lot of scabbing There's no redness or swelling or any signs of infection. I see my family doctor soon will have a look at it as just wondering how long it takes for the wound to heal. How long did you keep it covered for?

A little about me I'm 43 years old from Canada was injured on the job,. had an l5/s1 herniation

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Hi Dma927

Looks like we had ours at a similar time to each other. Hope yours is still going well? I changed my waterproof dressing 3 times before leaving it off and for the steri srips to come off. So all bandages off after 11 days. There were some parts of the op site that had healed completly and a couple of parts that still had a bit of a scab on and looked a bit red. These came off over the next few days and it's starting to look good now. get the Doc to look at it anyway. But I'd say that as long as it's not red or oozing smelly stuff it should be ok. Keep it clean and maybe bathe in salt water ( I always rely on good old salt water for the cuts and scrapes that the horses get, the vets always recomend it too).
Good luck. Keep up informed as you and I have had ours done at roughly the same time so it will be interesting too see how you are getting on.

Dma

Hi,

LucyT is right regarding the oozing being a sign of potential problems. However mine did weep from week 2-4 and i did worry this was infection but turned out its part of the natural healing process. I kept my wound completely dry for the first ten days, then cleaned it all off myself and put a breathable plaster over. Its important the incision site gets time to breathe. The drs/surgeon will have covered the area in steralizer and possibly iodine so chance of infection is low from the site and more probable if you keep touching it with your hands which are more likely to move around dirt etc.

At week 8 the site should be bright red/purple. Dont worry it slowly turns to blue from month 2-4 and then goes pink like a scar should by month 4-6.

One thing extra, you MAY get an increasing lump around the incision site. This is scar tissue which people worry is an infection building. Ask the your dr how best to break this scar tissue down as internally the more room your back has to heal = more room for the nerve to be free and allows more chance for it to heal.

I hope this helps