10 weeks after Microdiscectomy surgery No.2 lower pain levels but dam I feel broken

This is a video at my 10 week mark after my second discectomy surgery. All I can say is wow what a hell of a journey. The pain level has reduced to a point where I am getting a decent night sleep and I am about to return to work but my back feels so wrong. I feel for anyone who is going through this as it feels like this is the end of life as you know it . 

[@GenkiSugiru]

Thank you for sharing, mate. I feel for you. I got a freak traumatic spine injury 3 months ago, and have been diagnosed as having Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES). First surgeon said I need a microdiscectomy ASAP. Second surgeon within two minutes of meeting me said I don't need surgery and should start physiotherapy. For two months, I struggled to get out of bed in the morning and to go 5 meters to the bathroom. I had to bend over almost 90 degrees and put my hands on my quadriceps to walk. After a few weeks of PT and hydro-therapy in a pool a few times each week, I'm walking almost normally. My pain has gone from 50 or more acute pain episodes daily of level 8 - 10 pain, to now almost no pain at all of that severity. I have almost no pain in my left hamstring or glute anymore. Pain persists in my right glute and hamstring and occasionally the top of my calf, but it's a fairly chronic, nagging tightness-pain of about level 2 - 4. I also have chronic constipation now, although no other impact on lower body functions, fortunately. I'm very happy I have gone from frequent acute pain -- like someone thrusting knives into my glutes and hamstrings -- to much lower-level tightness and pain -- something like if someone over-trained in the gym and did too many squats with too much weight and badly strained their glutes and hamstrings. But I feel stuck between a rock and hard place in terms of what to do if I can't get past this nagging, chronic tightness and moderate pain in my right glute and hamstring. I have been researching options for months, and I almost never see comments from people who have undergone surgery saying that their surgery got rid of 100% of their pain. And it freaks me out that most people seem to be still undergoing post-surgery rehab 1 - 2 years after surgery. Typical comments are, for example, surgery quickly reducing pain 70 - 80%, but people not being able to return to their former form and do the same activities they did before after surgery. I'm fit but in my 60's, and might rather continue PT and exercise and learn to live with my now chronic tightness and moderate pain, rather than risk surgery for what appears to be likely mixed results, and possibly 1 - 2 years of post-surgery rehab, by which point I'd be approaching 70. The first surgeon I consulted claimed microdiscectomies have a success rate of 90% . I don't see that high a success rate based upon the thousands of post-surgery user comments I've read. I would welcome any comments.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

All I can say is nerve pain sucks, doesn’t it. CES is a very serious condition to have and you’re lucky that you have recovered fairly quickly from your condition. The problem with nerve damage from this type of injury is the nerve takes a very long time to heal, and most people don’t realise pain from after the surgery is due to the nerve slowly healing. It can take up to 2 years for the nerve pain to go away . I am now six months after my second surgery and still have nerve pain in both legs. It doesn’t stop me from doing my job but it’s always constantly there. If I keep doing things I don’t notice the pain but as soon as I stop, it says hello in a painful way. It might be better chat over the phone, email me your phone number to [e-mail] and I’ll give you a call at a time that suits you.

[@GenkiSugiru]

@@philsrandomstuff2392 Phil, Thank you for taking the time to reply and for sharing more of your candid thoughts and experiences. I wish you the best possible outcome. I might take you up on your kind offer to speak. Thank you!

[@BlakesPipes]

Thank you for this information, been out of work for 2 months and another month to go to get surgery. Then six more weeks after that. I am a PT and did it at work. I am hoping this works and will look at my future income.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

I’ve been back at work for nearly 6 months now in a very physical job. Things seem to be holding up okay although the last few weeks the pain has slowly been increasing in my leg. Going for an MRI this week to see if anything else has gone wrong but at least it’ll put my mind at ease and I can just focus on dealing with the mental side of the pain. Hopefully everything goes well with your surgery and your life gets back to normal sorry for the late reply Phil

[@zukjeff]

I was lucky. L4L5, 30% removed in 2019. No pain meds after 5 days. yes , numbness and 'ant bites' up the inside of the right leg. swimming at 12 weeks. jogging at 4 months. ... started to get numbness in other places last year , another MRI.. bugger 3 more bulging.. running over. swimming and soft biking. You got it. just keep moving.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

Movement for me has been kũey. My nerve pain only goes away when I’m doing something. I have 3 more bulging too but likely no pain h

[@thehikerbiker6972]

Hi Phil. Jeez you’ve been through the ringer. Caught up on all your videos on this now. Really hope it’s all gone the right way now 👍

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

Thanks for your reply. Things are slowly getting better, just getting used to living alone is the hardest part

[@bobmona5580]

Great to hear ur improving Phil I've re herniated a disc and been stuck on my back for 2 months, just starting to walk again and pain is settling down,bricklaying for 20 years ,was in hospital about to get surgery but decided not to , its a great help hearing how its going for u

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

Hi Bob being a tradesman definitely takes a toll on you doesn’t it and it’s hard to go and do something else when this is all you know and do well. I almost pulled the pin on the first surgery as you only ever hear about people who have failed back surgery. I but don’t regret getting it done as I can now walk and I no longer have severe back pain any more, even though the surgery is only to stop nerve pain down the leg , Being able to stand up straight for the first time in 35 years feels So good, I was sick of walking around like a half open pocket knife. One thing to note is the longer you put up with the nerve pain the longer it will take to heal after the surgery if ever, so I wish I did something about this two years ago instead of trying to do physio

[@tigrestripekneez]

Hi Phil, thank you for sharing your story. I hope your condition has continued to improve since your last update. I feel very much for you and the emotional and physical weight this has been. I’m currently 3 weeks out of an l3-l4 and l4-l5 micro discectomy and my biggest concern is reinjury/will the surgery be a success. One of the things that doesn’t get talked much about with this kind of surgery is that the post op journey can go any number of ways. By the nature of what can/can’t be done about the disc itself. I’m hoping you are having more relief and capacity to get more of the life you want as time goes on. Wishing you the most of healing.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

Gee L3-L4 and L4-L5 You did a number on yourself. I hope you able to manage your pain enough to keep sane until your surgery date Thank you for your kind words. As you know this type on injury affects you both physically and mentally as there is nothing that truly stops the pain. If you just have bulging disc I don’t think you’ll have much of a chance of re-occurrence of the disc bulging again , remember they are removing a small portion of the disc to give your nerve some room and once that’s done it’s pretty well good for the rest of your life unless you have dodgy discs. The best thing about the surgery is you will get at least two weeks of good sleep until the pain sets back in for another three weeks, this is the hardest part to live through but at the end of it life is so much better. I am still suffering from nerve pain down both legs but it is at a point that I can manage and it’s not keeping me up to much at night. I work a very physical job and I just have to manage my days off work so I can recover. One thing you will find after surgery is that you will fatigue very quickly for at least the next 2 to 3 months after the surgery it’s just how it is, keep up with the Physio to keep your core strength up apand things will come out just fine. After talking to my surgeon about what options I have if the surgery fails again the only option is spinal fusion as the disc will never heal at all, once it’s gone it’s gone it’s just a matter of how you look after yourself after the operation. I have no problems lifting heavy objects up to 30 kg with no pain at all so I think you’ll be just fine, keep the stress levels low and enjoy life. Once again thank you for your kind words and let me know how your surgery works out. Phil

[@tigrestripekneez]

@@philsrandomstuff2392 thanks for sharing Phil. I’m glad you are doing better and able to manage the nerve pain ok now. You mentioned in your case it’s almost like your disc shattered/ exploded? They’ve removed about half the amount of disc tissue with both surgeries? I’m curious if in the future with the possibility of fusion if also disc replacement along with that would be a good solution for you. I am actually 4 weeks in recovery from surgery, sorry if that wasn’t clear I already had surgery. I hear you on the fatigue. I tire out pretty easily and this next month of recovery I’m focusing on increasing my tolerance for sitting and alleviating the nerve rebound pain and back soreness. I’ve had a chronic back condition for more than a decade so my lumbar has taken a beating and I know this is a lifelong management for myself moving forward. Again wishing you all the best and thank you again for sharing your story with us.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

@@tigrestripekneez wishing you a speedy recovery and that the surgery works out to be successful. Once again thank you for your kind words cheers Phil

[@tamubasketball]

Praying for you Phil!

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

Thanks for your kind words Phil

[@stevenmyrick6879]

What up Phil. Just had my surgery the 4 days ago. I am doing better. I hope you are getting better with nerve pain. I'll try to keep in touch more. Dad had a heart attack and just a load of crazy life stuff. Take care my friend God bless you and all those in your life's journey.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

Wow what a journey Steven. So how your pain now? Hopefully your getting some sleep now. Take it easy for the first two weeks after the op no matter how good you feel. Remember the pain will come back at the end of week 2 but will be a lot better at the end of week 4. I didn’t get back to work until ten weeks after the second op. I have been back at work for 3 weeks now and pain is manageable, mornings still suck until the pain killers kick in. I’m still learning to trust my back. I do strength training on days off as I work 13 hours days 2 on 2 off 3 on 3 off roster. It’s good to hear from you mate I was getting worried about your well-being hopefully things are on the up and up even though you’ve had a shit journey so far. Please keep in touch I’ll be interested to hear your journey of recovery. Your friend Phillip

[@stevenmyrick6879]

@@philsrandomstuff2392 pain is at a 1 or 2. All I'm on for meds is Tylenol, I take them here and there to manage the anesthesia fog/low-grade fever. Those pain meds work too good for me. The night's sleep with the pain meds was amazing but, I rolled and thrashed around too much and I for sure wasn't paying any attention to my body mechanics while in bed. I took myself off them that way I'm not being a complete tool eh. Lol. I'm glad to here you are back to work. I cannot wait to get back to it. Is life getting better for you otherwise? Would you happen to have a recipe for those curry pies?

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

@@stevenmyrick6879 FYI We only got tylenol here in Australia last year, Panadol is the common brand name for paracetamol here in Australia and you can get it combined with ibuprofen which is what I’m using at the moment a tablet containing a mixture of ibuprofen and paracetamol. It works the best for me. Try this link for meat pies eatlittlebird.com/little-aussie-meat-pies/ I’ve never actually thought of making them at home as they’re just too easy to buy. The average meat pie cost about 5 to 7 dollars Australian now days so like $1.20 US. Lol. We don’t tip in Australia, which is why our prices high when you eat out. Tipping was a really odd thing to do when we went to the US, once the waitress heard the Australian accent you knew you were going to get bad service as they know Aussies don’t tip very well if at all. Where is the incision site on your back from the surgery? My wife moved out about two months ago and I’ve been living by myself which has helped But it is hard to lose someone that you have been with for nearly 26 years. How are you and your wife getting along ? I’m assuming it’s her in the videos with the roller skates that’s pretty impressive moves she has there. It’s so good to hear from you Stephen I was getting quite worried about your well-being towards the end there, it’s a shit place to be isn’t it. I ended up in a very low spot there for awhile and it was dam hard but talking to you helped a lot thanks so much.

[@stevenmyrick6879]

@@philsrandomstuff2392 hopefully next time you make it to the states you get great service. I'm curious to what video you see of mine that has a woman in skates. Its showing that I don't have any videos. I'll have to take a look at the meat pie link asap for sure. I got a 50mm incision around l4 l5. I'm doing the best I can to keep the devil in bed and be a patient person with my wife. I'm definitely doing better than I deserve though, that's for sure. It definitely helped me to talk to you while going through all of this. It'll drive you insane, especially if you're the only one that has gone through it in your family. Luckily my mom lives up here and she has been super awesome about being her and helping me anyway she can. I've never been so fatigued from doing so little, can't wait to get back to doing PT. Speaking of, I got to get moving and procure me some coffee. Take care Phil, I love you man, God bless you and everyone who walks alongside side you in your lives journey. Thank you be a friend.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

@@stevenmyrick6879 just checked your channel, videos are not there maybe it was the drugs I was on lol.. fatigue from this is unreel, I can work for a few days and when I’m off work I struggle to do much so don’t feel too bad about it it will take quite a while to get back on your feet. Just remember don’t push it with the PT one wrong move and you’re on the couch for three days in pain again when your in The early days of recovery after week four things will get a lot easier. I’m gonna go have a coffee now to it’s 6 am here.

[@mahmoudshahin3162]

Hope that you are felling getter, I myself got L5,S1 microdicectomy 13 days ago, the healing process is is like a rollercoaster sometimes i feel great somedays i feel down. The worst i felt when the same pain i had before the surgery returned back to me but with less intensity, when i asked the doctor about it he told me that its completely normal as most of the pain will fade away after 6 weeks.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

Roller coaster is the only way to describe the recovery journey hay. Your doctor is correct in saying the pain will fade by week 6 but learning to trust your back again is hardest part I found. I can now easily lift 30kg with out any additional pain but it took awhile for my brain to allow me not to think something was going to happen to my back. Don’t be surprised if you have continuing minor nerve pain down the leg it can take up to 2 years for the pain to go away as the nerve is very slow to heal. You are hitting the two week mark where the pain will really start to increase but it will fade by week 4 Thanks for watching my vid

[@KarmoMaandi]

Thank you for videos, hoping everything will go better!

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

It’s not a nice place to be in. It is a slow recovery but as time goes on I’m starting to get back to normal activities. If you are going through the same problem I wish you a speedy recovery. Cheers Phil

[@KarmoMaandi]

@@philsrandomstuff2392 Greetings from Estonia. My case is not so serious. Still it has kind of ruined my recent years. I did my s5l1 operation third time when I was in hospital wanting to do it. Doctors kind of said we can do it or we can not. Kind of wish it would have been more serious so I would have been more sure going to operation. Mostly nerve twingling or cramps in a leg. Now 2 and half weeks recovering. Wondering will I be OK or not. You said that after 4 weeks there could be bigger improvement. Good to know. And yes, you dont get much chance to talk about things with surgeon. They just operate. Kind of confusing.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

@@KarmoMaandi hi Kitarr sorry to here that you are having to go through this as nothing is more disabling than nerve pain. The surgeons are of no help to talk to but I found talking to a physiotherapist was a great help in relieving my fears about my future life with a busted disc in my back. They help me understand what I can and can’t do so I don’t end up with spinal fusion too soon. I still have a lot of nerve pain in my right leg and the lower part of my left leg but I can live with it as it does not stop me from sleeping at the moment. You will definitely start to feel better after four weeks from the surgery it’s just sitting there for the 2 to 3 weeks while the pain increases and then slowly decreases. If you wish to talk some more feel free to message me and I’ll be happy to reply as having someone who understands what’s going on through this is a big help. Philip

[@KarmoMaandi]

@@philsrandomstuff2392 I play songpop where you compete with people in quessing songs. There one girl said she has spinal fusion done and she feels totally fine. So I quess it also may not be the end of the world maby. Yes its not good to have any pain, but I quess if it is manageble its little comfort. You have to kind of learn to see things in different way and see good in little things or something. I think it could be that you would not have done the operation at all if you would have been in my situation before operation. Second time doctor sent me home from hospital saying its not that case. Maby it also did not help that I wrote I had little pain level to documents because I just wanted to talk to a doctor little more. Third time when we got the operation done I still hesitated even day before. Before that I had went to see the doctor for money and he told something like the MRI does not show we have to do it but there is possibility you feel better after operation but I can not promise that. So I thought when there is possibility to get better I have to try. Dont fully understand why there was or is possibility that it wont be better. He said chances that it is worse after operation is not very big. So right now Im kind of in the situation that I still dont know did I do the right thing. I hope it gets better. Planning to go to work next week, working as a guitar teacher. Not totally sure about that also. It will then be 3 weeks after my surgery. Doctor wrote to my documents, people usually go back to work after 3-4 weeks.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

@@KarmoMaandi The whole process is fairly scary and I feel for you. The problems with MRIs of your back is they do it with you laying down not with your back loaded up in a standing or bending position so it makes it hard to say with a definitively that the bulge or something is impinging on the nerve. I would only have to bend in a certain way that is before I damaged my disk and end up with a spasmed up back because the bulge would touch on the nerve. Back surgery is always a worry as there is no guarantee it is going to get rid of your pain but it is not going to make anything worse I believe. I am not too worried about getting spinal fusion but it will mean a change of career for me as I will have L4 L5 and L5 and S1 fused which leaves L3 L4 to do all the work which at the moment it doesn’t look overly that good also. As a surgeon said to me go as long as I can Keep my core strength up and weight off I should be able to get away without having spinal fusion for quite some time and then when the pain gets too much come back and see him. Hopefully in four weeks time when all the swelling and the nerve has healed a bit you will and I know you will feel million times better. I went from not being able to walk to doing my 12 hour shifts where I’m on my feet for the whole period walking up and down stairs and the workshop. Sometimes you’ve gotta take a little bit of pain and not think about it too much about it as pain is very much a mental game that if you focus on it it will take your life away, this is easier said than done I know. I am enjoying this conversation I’m having with you if you would like to keep talking I am happy to keep the conversation going.

[@sheridenhall]

Hey Phil! How did you get on returning to work? I am 6 weeks post op and see my surgeon tomorrow for my first post op appointment. I had a micro discectomy at my L4-L5 in Aug 2019 which got me through with no pain til April 2021, when things started going downhill again. Due to moving from America to Australia Jan 2021, my private health insurance made me wait the 12 month waiting period so was due to have surgery end of Jan 2022, but the last week of Dec 21 found out I was pregnant. Pregnancy was hell. I then had no other option but to have a c-section due to my back, so had to recover from that. Looking after a newborn with a seriously bad back was absolute hell. I just went through 9 months of no painkillers other than panadol and then I still refused to take anything stronger because I was scared to look after him by myself while heavily medicated. As my son started getting heavier my back started getting worse with having to constantly pick him up, walk him around etc. I had my son end of Aug and then had to go in for emergency back surgery end of November. After being in chronic pain for almost 2 years, haven’t driven a car in almost 2 years and bedridden for the last 2 months, I am struggling. Then on top of that I can’t care for my 4 month old son. Life is bloody tough!!!

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

Hi Sheridan, wow what ride you have been on. I really feel for you. I have spoken with a lot of people since doing my videos and there journeys like yours made me realise that I didn’t have it too bad, The hardest thing with returning to work was learning to trust my back again. Six months since my second surgery and I still have a lot of leg pain but it doesn’t stop me from sleeping or working at the moment. I would love to talk to you on the phone if you wish, you can send me your phone number to my email address [e-mail] and I’ll give you a call as sometimes talking to someone really helps when you’re in a bad spot in life:)

[@sheridenhall]

Thanks Phil, I will email you. Post op appointment didn’t go well. I have to have urgent MRI today and if my surgeon’s suspicions are right I’ll be having surgery again tomorrow afternoon. Didn’t sleep last night and feeling very anxious today. Will let you know how I get on.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

@@sheridenhall please let me know how things go, you have already had two surgeries let hope you don’t need number 3. Have you got support at home, someone to help with your son for a while? My thoughts are with you. We’ll talk soon

[@jamespenrose3897]

Well shit Phil, I came across your first upload and watched with anticipation up until now.. and, well let’s just say you don’t give me hope haha. I’ve had back pain 10yrs. I’ve put up with it “going” several times a year which means me laid up for 2 weeks until it settles. However this time last year I was introduced to sciatica. Started as a niggle in my right arse cheek and developed into worse pain of my life throughout this year. Tried, well you name it but nothing touches. Including 2 injections. Anyways, surgery is the last thing and it’s looking like early December for mine. L5 s1 like most. But honestly, I’d take periodic or even constant back pain 4/10 so long as this arse and leg pain goes. I cannot walk for a few mins before needing to sit on my pain. Works become almost impossible. Anyways just wanted to ask, how are you now. Would appreciate an update. Cheers

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

James thanks for watching. Looks like your journey has been much the same as mine and I feel for anyone who has suffered constant backpain and back spasms, but once the sciatic pain sets in and doesn’t go away there is only one option that is surgery unfortunately. As I said surgery doesn’t make you worse you were stuffed already. The reason why I haven’t done another video as I have just been rundown, work really takes it out of me and I find it hard to do anything I’m on my days off as I am no longer with my wife of 20 years, my marriage fell apart during my time off work with my back surgery, so between working and trying to look after myself I am struggling to do anything Else. My nerve pain in my right leg is at a level that I can live with it, but still constantly there 24 hours a day, I cannot sit there any longer than 20 minutes before I have to get up and walk around likely I’ve got a job where I’m on my feet all day long. I have spoken to the surgeon and he said looking at my latest MRI I still have a small fragment of disc floating around in the L4 L5 area which means I’ll have to have another operation to have this fragment removed sometime next year. I believe the surgery will definitely help you it’s worth a shot it’s not gonna make it worse.

[@neihgnot8320]

Do you have a nerve gliding video? Thank you for sharing your experience

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

No I don’t have any nerve gliding videos but I did find Bob and Brad’s KZbin channel very helpful kzbin.info/www/bejne/sKjMmqyVncuGm5o . I hope if you are going through the same thing all is going well for you and wish you a speedy recovery. It’s one hell of a ride.

[@EpicRidecyclist]

At 7 weeks my back isn't painfull, but feels off still, I have been walking 2 miles a day for past 3 weeks and cycling on a trainer an 1-3 hours with short brakes. It seems the pain level after depends on how long you had it prior, and surgery technique. I had intermittent needle feelings up until a few days ago. Are you in the UK? Did they do the surgery endoscopaly or open? I will see if you have further videos posted.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

I think you are right, there about the pain level before after surgery, the longer the nerve is damaged the longer it takes for it to heal if ever. It wasn’t until about 10 weeks after my second surgery that the pain got to a level where things started to feel kind of normal in my back. It takes a long time for the swelling to go down at the surgery site. I had endoscopic surgery first and then open surgery where they drilled a hole in between the two vertebrae to remove the broken bit of disc. I’m based in Australia, It’s now nearly 6 months since my surgery and I still have ongoing pain in both legs but I can put up with it. It’s not stopping me from sleeping so I’m happy with that. About a week ago I had a catch up with the surgeon after I had a MRI and he said everything is looking fine. It’s just the nerve pain will take some time to go away, up to 18 month’s Your back will feel funny for a while until all the swelling goes down and the scar tissue starts to break up as you start to move around. Core strength is the way. I have been back to work for about six months as a heavy equipment, maintainer where I get to physically abuse myself every day and my back seems to be staying together. It’s just learning to trust that your backs not going to fail again.. The best advice I can give you is don’t focus on a residual nerve pain, the less you think about it the better it is otherwise it’ll get a hold of you and stop you from living your life. Nerve pain is in your head not in your legs. if You have any more questions please feel free to ask

[@EpicRidecyclist]

@@philsrandomstuff2392 My nerve pain went away at about 8 weeks. I also started taking Lions Mane supplement I read it aids in Nerve healing and memory nerve functions. I have been pretty much nerve pain free now I'm going on 11 weeks. Only symptom is loss ability to bend forward from guarding so long but now that is coming back and an odd feeling like someone is sticking a finger in the middle of my back it isn't painful but I feel it when i sit in a chair that touches it. Its weird trying not to focus it but otherwise i'm doing good walking 2 miles a day and biking with high intensity again.(almost 200 miles a week). Checkout that supplement Lions Mane a study in australia recently confirmed it helped regrow nerves.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

@@EpicRidecyclist I’m glad things are getting better for you. I have been back at work o for 6 months now. Still having nerve pain but it slowly getting better. If I Keep my mind busy I don’t notice the nerve pain but soon as I stop it lets me know it’s there. I will look into lions mane. The hardest thing is learning to trust your back again hay

[@EpicRidecyclist]

@@philsrandomstuff2392 you are right. I'm also reading a book called built from broken and one of the last phase is healing it talks about turning off the CCTV cameras. "your brain ramps up survelliance of all your movements after injury, it wants to know what is going on and any it leads to pain sensitization. It can become a problem if it goes on too long so i'm trying to forget. Focus on lifting correctly do core exercises like the Mcgill big 3 daily and have confidence it will be ok if I lift correctly..

[@murrayklow]

Really sorry to hear this. My first microdisectomy failed also. I opted for spinal fusion and that fixed it. I assume that was not an option?

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

Fusion was an option but I decided to go and get more of the disc removed and look at spinal fusion later in life. As I am going to end up with L4 L5 and L5 and S1 fused.. how did you find life after spinal fusion are you a very active person, has it slowed you down at all?

[@stanfordljc]

@@philsrandomstuff2392 Yeah I totally get it. Fusion scared me for sure. I had the option of a foraminal decompression but my surgeon said it had about a 50% chance of working because I had scoliosis and the segments sometime collapse. He gave me a 90% chance of fusion working. I am about a year out and there is a "new normal", but I'm mostly back to what I like to do (which includes backpacking) Good luck with your journey. I am 63, so I was a little less worried about adjacent segment disease developing over long years. I had an ALIF and there are minimally invasive forms of fusion with quicker recovery times. Had the fusion not been relatively minimally invasive, I probably would have not opted for it.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

@@stanfordljc the surgeon said I will need fusion in the long run but he said go as long as I can, as l’m 45 he said see I can get to 50. Hearing your experience makes me feel better about getting it done. The surgeon said he would go through my abdomen to do the fusion as there is less chance of nerve damage. Is that how yours was done?

[@PaPaRoAcHeD]

Had a microdiscectomy 2 weeks ago, nerve pain is back and I’m so concerned about it. Supposed to be getting married in 2 weeks and it’s such a mental battle.

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

Hi PaPaRoAcHeD the pain that you are feeling is normal, nerve pain will come back around week 2 and start to subside by week 4. This pain I am told is caused by the nerve decompressing and healing but if the pain increases by the end of week 3 after the surgery do what I did and get another MRI just so you can put your mind at rest. You are right it is very much a mental battle , As you are probably finding there is nothing that helps ease the nerve pain you just having to sit there and deal with it while it subsides. You could ask your doctor for a prescription for gabapentin this is a drug especially for nerve pain and it does help take the edge of the pain. I am told it can take up to a year for things to get back to normal. If everything goes to plan you’ll be feeling fine by two weeks time just take it easy in the bedroom department LoL If you have any other questions or concerns you would like to talk about I’m here for you as this is a hell of a journey

[@stevenmyrick6879]

Are you getting better friend?

[@PaPaRoAcHeD]

Nearly 6 weeks out now. Went back to work just the mornings this week. Pain has ramped up to pre op levels. Left leg is constantly aching, mainly on the left side of the left leg. Really feeling the surgery didn’t work for me. Only relief is lying down, which instantly relieves the pain.

[@stevenmyrick6879]

@@PaPaRoAcHeD are you back on full duty? Maybe body wasn't ready yet? I hope relief finds you soon. What kind of work do you do?

[@PaPaRoAcHeD]

@@stevenmyrick6879 only half days and I only do desk work. I have a standing desk so alternate standing sitting and walking. But the leg pain gets worse until I can lie down.

[@supermushroom3175]

Have you ever considered artificial disc replacement?

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

The surgeon told me that artificial disc not very successful in the lower part of the back due to the amount of loading that it takes and that fusion is a better option. He does lots of disc replacements from the shoulders up to the base of the neck and has a very high success rate with that.

[@supermushroom3175]

@@philsrandomstuff2392 I have a disc 3 mm protrusion on my L4-L5 due to an annular tear. Having my first ever cortisone shot tomorrow to see if it can ease my pain. Not sold on artifical disc replacement but fusion has its own drawbacks. Life sucks

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

Having a micro discectomy to remove the bulge in your disc will be probably the best course of action in the long term and I can tell you that after my experience it is very worthwhile thing to go through, I would do the microdiscectomy first before fusion. Mine started off as an annual tear and then I blew out the bulge and broke off bits of the disc, so don’t leave it for too long like I did. And just a side note the injection in your back if your bloke will give you erectile dysfunction, not that that’s a problem at the moment with a shit back, it’s just a weird sensation

[@supermushroom3175]

@@philsrandomstuff2392 how long did you go with an annular tear until you blew the disc out? the only concern with a micro i have is it creating a weaker point on my disc and putting me at a higher chance of blowing out my disc. i have a trade as well, semi physical job and scares me straight to think i would lose my career over this, eventually. life is unfair

[@philsrandomstuff2392]

@@supermushroom3175 I left mine for about two years . I am a heavy plant Maintainer and having the surgery has not affected my ability to lift twist or bend. You have to remember that your disk is stuffed anyway and it is never going to heal. The surgery is not going to make the disc any higher chance of it failing again. The only reason it will fail again is you will be more mobile and have your life back after the surgery. If you keep your core strength up and wait off after the surgery you will find things will work out very well for you. Yes sometimes life is unfair It took me several months to put trust back in my back that it wasn’t going to fail on me so far so good. I keep my lifting weight to about a maximum of 30 Kg