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Hi 🙂
I thought the same re infection, but the practice nurse and GP both told me that the scar was healed sufficiently to not be at risk of infection ????
So very confusing.
So far I have concluded that advice on this forum is more reliable and I trust more than the medical people I see! I find this worrying !
Next week (my hol week) I am going to try building myself up to work day behavior. Ie Up showered dressed by 7;30am, a short drive, light house work,a walk, normal breaks. It will be interesting to see if I am back having a lay down by 11;30 !
I have explained to work that until next week when I try building up my stamina I wont know if I will need to return on short hours or days.
I feel uncomfertable about being "a problem". I so want to return as a fully functioning smiley person, others had to deal with the me in lots of pain finding it hard to focus and unable to do parts of my job, Hay ho, my sergon strongly belives a early return is the best for reduced inturnal scaring and therefor full recovery.
Thank you all who have posted on here, on the dark days it helps to feel a little conection to people who are in the same boat ! Being able to go back and re read and see dark days eventuly being followed by sunny ones. 🙂
P.S. Although I know random leg pain and on and off foot numbness are a normal part of recovery, I DON'T LIKE IT. But to be fair, most of the time when I do my streches they go for a bit.
Keep truck'n It'll get easier.
Put your health before your work.
BEST WISHES FOR A FULL AND PRODUCTIVE RETURN TO WORK LIZZY:)
Take care of yourself 
SPINELF
Sunshine and recovery
Hi All,
My disectomy was 23 days ago. This week was ment to be for building myself back up to normal, pre return to work, well thank you Mr sunshine you have really helped 🙂
'Sunbathing' feels so much more 'normal' than going to bed in the middle of the day ! And really helps to put a smile back on my face.
I feel so much better, my energy levels are improving daily. 🙂 I am still tired,but able to stay awake all day, just, I seem to have a four pm exhaustion hour!
My back gets achy but only a 1 and some streches and a rub and all good again.
My right leg is symptom free.
My left leg is 90% beter, I do get some pains and numbness when stood for long periods, but the streches usally get rid of it. The best way to put it is that I notice symptoms now as I have progressivly longer periods without them. 🙂
Today I am going to be lazzy as yesterday I sorted the small front garden. !!!! Yes I was able to sweep the paths, trim the hedge, plant the hanging baskets. It took me all day with sunbathing in the middle but it was amazing to do normal stuff, I am achey today so I am going to take it easy. I can't belive that this time last week I needed a stick for my daily walk!
Hopefuly I will be able to post next week about even more improvement.
Another update!
Back in work since the 10April. Its a been a struggle. Got a custom chair and car seat made and the benefit is enormous. Expensive but they are well worth it.
Ive lost the sciatia completely. On my worst day i get the knife edge pain in the buttock right side. Whats consistant now is the lower back and lower stomach ache. Its an ache rather than pain. Im actively working out in the gym, mainly walking, stretching and swimming.
Normal work and commute life continues, started lifting the kids again ( youngest one ) and the eldest with more care. Lift onto the lap etc. Which is great to be close to them again. Got a child seat for my bike so the kids are involved in the exercise programme wih me!!
As for home life im not half as able as i was, used to cut the hedges, grass, paint and generally always be doing something. My off roading days are gone as is my engine tinkering - kills me to bend into an engine bay. I collected small bags of logs for the fire saturday and sunday was a write off.
In one way its difficult to adjust in other ways its nice to spend the time with the family and were doing more park visits and days out. A silver lining i suppose 🙂
There isn't a day without an ache or stiffness yet but its getting better and the more i exercise the better i feel. Its important to walk it out. I find im aching when i get home after a full days work and the only relief is to walk. Id try that before i take the tablets and i certainly feel the better of it.
Hows things Doog?
Great news RickyC!!
Keep up the good quality activity, and here's wishing for your full recovery!
Best wishes.:)
SPINELF
Slower progress than you Ricky..its now 4 months and 2 weeks since the operation. Like you the sciatica has all but gone (after 4 years that is a relief) but I have developed leg / buttock pain in my other leg. I am obviously hoping this not a re-herniation so am due to see the surgeon again.
Lower back pain is still present but not as bad as before the operation. I am taking things really easy and just 'listening to my body' as my surgeon told me to.
To sum up I would say there has been a slow improvement week on week, sometimes hardly noticeable and on other occasions I have had major relapses.
If there are lessons to be learnt from this, its to be patient, clearly the invasive nature of the operation is played down by the surgeons and recovery is over many, many months.
not a million miles from you doog. The buttock pain on opposite side is the same with random sciatia left side. I get freaked out by it as i now the disc above l5 is bulging and now has the disc below damaged.
Its very slow recovery. I agree the surgeons don't go into much detail about the post surgery recovery.
Well a an update is due me thinks!!
The lower back and leg pain is nearly 100% gone. I get lower /mid back ache now if i over do it. I now pick my battles, weekly chores etc cutting the grass. I take more breaks and becareful. But i really feel the surgery was a success so far. Im glad to be on the other side of it.
The one thing i would recommend is getting a customised chair. got my back measured and they built a chair for the office and another unit that attached to the car seat. Worth every penny. Im supported each and every journey and working day.
I have to get a decent chair for the living room now. 🙂
BEST WISHES EVERYONE!!
KEEP POSTING, YOU ALL SEEM TO BE GETTING THERE!!:)
Best wishes and kind regards.
SPINELF
6mths Update,
All is good, struggling to balance the staying active and exercising with busy normal life. Im finding that the odd day im getting minor sciatia down the left side which indicates the L4 disc (Bulging) Stretch it out and walk and it tends to stay at bay. The main concern of late is my tailbone is tingly / numb. Like the left leg sciatia it tends to stay for a few days and then go but the last week something is different.
I'm get feeling that the disc it self is drying out and the pressure is now being applied to the tailbone. Bit like a sinking foundation..
Slightly concerned but its not enough to cause me major problems at this moment in time. I think the best course is to contact the physio again and see if there any more specialized exercises to counter act it.
7 month update from me !
The Sciatica that has plagued me for 4 years has all but gone in my right leg so in that sense the operation was a success. Still have numb toes in the right foot however.
The bad news is that I have developed sciatica in the left leg 😡 .Over the last few months this has worsened as has the lower back pain to the left of the surgical area. I have had some quite intense physio on this but to no avail.
I saw the surgeon about a month ago and he stated that this was probably more mobility problems than a disc issue. At that point the leg pain didnt go beyond the knee so he said it was unlikely to be the sciatic nerve.I guess after 4 years of compensating perhaps this was body adjusting back - I dont know.
However things have developed and slowly but surely the pain has made its way to the ankle. It is more noticeable first thing in the morning, when I am driving (pressing the clutch pedal) when sitting down and when bending down.
Anyway all will become clear next week as I am booked in for another MRI scan. I am praying its not a disc issue as I dont think I could go through another operation and the rehabilitation again.
Hey Doog,
Good to hear from you. Sorry to hear your still struggling. I too had the success of the right side and then struggled with the left sciatic pain which put the fear of God into me. The last month has been a turning point. Flexibility is back and movement is good - really starting to put it behind me. It is however based on the fact that i'm always 'listening' to my back and balancing rest verses exercise.
My take on it is as follows (in my case - there maybe something in this for you). When the disc ruptured and was operated on it then put pressure on L4 disc that was bulging and that's where i got the left side pain from. I had a numb tailbone for days on end and then over the space of a week it all settled and i felt much better. While this was happening though i was seriously considering back to the surgeon for a chat about injecting L4. So i understand your predicament.
I really hope this is the case for yourself and fingers crossed its just the spine settling back into position after surgery and a modified disc.
Take care mate and keep truckn. 4yrs of compensating and pain - it makes sense that it would take time to turn that around. Even from being laid up for 3mths solid i couldn't believe the effect it had on my side torso muscles. I was months getting back to a pain free scenario.
Let us know how the MRI goes.
Hi Ricky, glad you are doing well.
I have had the MRI scan and its not good news. The same disc has reherniated on the other side 😡 I have been told its an epidural injection and then surgery if that doesnt work.
The surgeon said there was a 10% chance of this happening. This is the third prolapse on the same disc in 4 years, I have taken things really easy, not lifted anything of note since the operation.
So it looks like I am looking at another operation, this thread might run and run 🙂
all the best
Hi there Doog
So sorry to hear this has happened again. So very frustrating and uncomfortable for you :(.
I am just wondering whether you have looked at diet to change your body chemistry? An [url]alkaline diet[/url] may just alter things and stop this happening. The standard Western diet leaves the body acidic and many cell functions struggle in an acidic environment. It might be a bit of a struggle to change what you eat to begin with - you can call it your eating philosophy if you like ;), but it might just make all the difference.
Wishing you all the best