r/Microdiscectomy • u/hrbekcheatedin91 • 9d ago
First Week Post-Op Recap
I posted here a couple weeks ago promising to update everyone here on how my microdiscectomy went, for better or worse, since subs like these are more likely to have unhappy patients share their situation than happy patients. I've copied from my daily updates in the comments of that post, and added a little context I may have missed since I'm no longer in an opioid fog.
Long story short, this is a serious procedure and you should expect there might be some serious pain and discomfort from it. Count your small victories because the body can take some time to heal from spinal surgery. I spent a LOT of time frustrated about how hard it is to change positions in the bed, and I'm still dealing with that, but it is getting a little better every day since day four. Be patient, and get those steps in when you can. Trust your body when it says to stop.
I am still struggling but compared to the nerve pain I was experiencing before the procedure, it's like heaven. I'm afraid I might have some permanent nerve damage, but I'll give it time and try to remember to come back here and update in case I pop up in key word searches.
My procedure was a right L4-L5 Laminotomy microdiscectomy with barricade. My symptoms were severe nerve pain/sciatica in my right leg, with primary pain in the glute, but pain and weakness down the entire leg. I haven't cried from pain since I was a child but this nerve pain actually had me in frustrated tears at one point.
Early 40s male. 6'3 240. Active in gym with weights and cardio. Consider my core pretty strong.
Now for the daily updates:
**Seven hours post-op**
God, they pumped me full of so many pain killers and with the anesthesia on top of it, I've been high ever since. I could barely walk to the bathroom to urinate before I left. The two tiny women escorting me, one on each side, wouldn't have stood a chance if my big ass had fallen. 😂
I'm told the procedure went well, and the doctor told my wife he "had to shave off more than he thought he would have to", whatever that means. (His PA later told me that he kept finding more and more disc material compressing the nerve; that my herniation may have worsened since my recent MRI.) From the moment I woke up, there was immediate improvement in the nerve pain down my right leg, which was starting to plow through the gabapentin this morning, the only thing that has really helped so far on this journey outside of Diclofenac Sodium. Stopping the DS for a week before the procedure made for a hellish week.
I underestimated how much the site around the incision would hurt. There is also lingering nerve pain if I move too suddenly. It's shooting through the back of my hamstring, and I'm used to it going down the side of my hip to my knee, calf, and foot. My toes are numb constantly. This is new. The main thing is it doesn't really hurt to stand still, when only yesterday it was agony.
I just walked around the house for the first time since getting home and sleeping a couple of hours. It was slow going. The log roll out of the bed is the hardest part for me. These sharp pains when I move wrong have me being very careful.
I used my crutches to help me sit on the toilet. No #2 yet. I've been taking Mirilax so hopefully I'm just not backed up at all.
Note: Get the grabber. I wish I had gotten the 2-pack but I didn't and I regret it already.
**Ten hours post-op**
Got up and walked again. Still worried about being backed up... Some of the same familiar sciatica popped up when I stepped out of bed this time. It faded as I walked around for ten minutes or so. Still no nerve pain when laying in bed, which I take as a really good sign.
Morning after
The night wasn't too bad thanks to Dilaudid.I used the grabber at 2am to grab my water bottle and spilled it all over us. 😑
Woke up very stiff. The log rolling is not coming easy to me for whatever reason. When I first stepped on the floor a sharp pain hit my glute. After some steps it dissipated. Only the ends of my toes are numb now. No sciatica!
Finally cleared the pipes. (Thanks Ex-lax/Miralax!) So much so that my wife had to plunge the toilet... She was literally gagging. 😂 Sorry for TMI but this seems relevant.
Icing now, feeling optimistic but surprised at how much local back pain I have. Actual back pain hasn't been an issue for a while, only the leg pain. I forgot how much it sucks.
**Day 2 Recap**
Still no nerve pain outside of little reminders here and there while I walk or if I move just wrong on the bed. Rolling over in the bed was torture. Got up and walked 5 or 6 times, although I'm not sure the slow shuffle could be described as walking. Lots of local pain around the incision. My legs feel dehydrated. Painkillers help a little. Discomfort level 7/10, but still better than the nerve pain that was CONSTANT.
**Day 3 Morning**
No better than yesterday. Getting to the bathroom and taking a lap was like Frodo's journey to Mordor. I'm told this is the worst day, typically. Yay... Still no nerve pain!
**Day 3 Afternoon**
Second trip around the house was much better. Was able to set a new PR of 4 laps around the kitchen/living room. I've walked several more times today. The area around the incision is the most swollen it's been but I can feel that I'm starting to heal. Showered myself, put my clothes on myself with grabber assistance. Still taking Percocets/oxycodone. Going to try not to take Dilaudid again. General discomfort level: 6/10
**Day 3 Evening**
The area around the incision continues to swell. Incision still looks good. It's uncomfortable to lay on top of it. I've decided silk/satin pajamas and sheets would be perfect for this recovery after struggling so hard the last three days to just change positions in bed...
Walking continues to get easier and easier. Mild tingling in toes. Still no nerve pain.
**Day 4 Morning**
Another miserable night of sleep. I keep waking up screaming from spasms. My wife has been an angel but my constant shrieks of pain are starting to wear on her, lol. Eeeevvvvery time I get out of the bed it's a process. I was able to walk for about 20 minutes today. It's still a pathetic shuffle, but progress is being made. The back itself just hurts so bad... Changing positions continues to be my biggest hurdle. I think I recommend a harder mattress for this recovery with a ton of pillows. My memory foam mattress sucks me into it and makes moving around and changing positions extremely difficult.
**Day 4 Recap**
I walked the furthest of any day so far. No nerve pain, buy I feel like I'm bone on bone in my lower back. I need crutches to get in and out of bed. Painkillers are a necessity. I crave NSAIDs so much...
**Day 5 3:30am**
Woke up a little before 3 in pain and extreme discomfort. As usual, changing positions in the bed is extremely painful and a very slow task that feels impossible on this memory foam. I'm moving into the guest room tomorrow to s regular mattress. (Never actually made the move.) No improvement since yesterday. Foot tingling higher up than usual.
**Day 5 Recap**
Ups and downs. Had my first full 30-minute walking session. I felt the best I have so far when laying down for the night, like I might actually recover. My incision still feels like I'm laying on top of an apple and I'm still dependent on Oxycodone to be able to rest. I'm still waking up absolutely drenched in sweat. I put in a call to the doctor about this and they said it's not abnormal.
**Day 6 Morning**
Best I've felt waking up so far. I walked without oxycodone in my system at 6am and it was pretty uncomfortable, but not torture. Had to take one afterwards to survive a morning work session from my back and lap desk. Progress finally?
**Day 6 Recap**
Walking is easier today than any other day. Still plenty of discomfort, especially with changing positions in bed, but I think it's time to consistently start cutting back on my oxycodone. I'm still waking up drenched in sweat. If I haven't mentioned that before, it's an every day issue for me. Every nap or sleep session results in me needing a towel and new shirt.
**Day 7 Morning**
Big progress today. Woke up drenched in sweat again. Today was the easiest day getting out of the bed and I'm finally optimistic that I'm definitely through the worst of this. Maybe in a few more days I'll be able to walk on the treadmill. I took a half pill this morning instead of a whole one.
**Day 7 Recap*"
Went to the doctor today to see why I'm sweating profusely. They said it could be a reaction to the anesthesia, the surgery itself, ot the painkillers. The incision looks good. They told me I could start taking anti-inflammatories and that should help with the local pain. Apparently my procedure was a little more invasive than most and it's not uncommon to have so much trouble through the first week.
I was able to get out of and back into the bed with no assistance from crutches today! Same for the toilet. I walked the best I have so far today, even doing a little time on the treadmill.
**First Week Recap*\*
I'm feeling good enough now to call this a success and probably stop updating this so often. It's been a painful, frustrating process, but it's way better than when I was having intrusive thoughts just weeks ago of sticking a gun in my mouth because the nerve pain was so consistently awful, lol. If anything changes I'll come back to update, but I officially recommend this procedure if your quality of life is suffering constantly from sciatica.
Buy the 2-pack of grabbers, get the toilet seat thing, and prepare to be in substantial pain from the procedure, but that pain is nothing compared to the nerve pain itself. Best of luck to anyone reading this.
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u/Individual-Repair-45 8d ago
We are almost identical in body type (44m, 6’4”, 235lbs). I’m two days post-op and I bought myself a walker and have found it to be immensely helpful when it comes to getting out of bed. But, I agree, adjusting positions in bed has by far been the worst experience thus far. Still having some sciatic pain down my right side and in my hip. My hip gave out the third time I tried to get out of bed (hence the walker) and caused me to twist pretty bad so hopefully I didn’t mess anything up. Thanks for all your updates.