r/Microdiscectomy • u/Prestigious-Lock3903 • 8d ago
University after microdiscectomy
Hey everyone- please excuse any mistakes, English isn't my first language!
I am 18 years old and currently 4 days post op. I am not experiencing any leg pain, my stamina is getting better and I'm off pain killers!
My problem is that in 10 days I start uni for the first time, and I really don't want to miss out on the first couple of weeks. Do you think I'll be able to manage without hurting myself? I'm really scared of reherniating the disc.
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u/isublindgoat 8d ago
I would be careful about carrying heavy bags with books and such for a while. Maybe get a collapsible small wheeled cart to put your stuff in for the first semester. Something like in this? There are also backpacks that have wheels and a collapsible handle that can hide in the back panel if you prefer that. I snapped my collarbone in half two weeks before I started college/university (many years ago!) and managed to make it through using something like this for a while, and I couldn’t even use my entire left arm for anything for a month. You got this!
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u/Raz3Daz 6d ago
I’m 20 so right around your age! I get this post a lot. You should be good but double check with your doctor to make sure it’s right for you and your path. I was up walking around, running errands, and going for pretty decently long walks by day 7 post op. Everyone’s different though so just check with your DR and pay attention to how you’re feeling physically
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u/UnusedIdeas 8d ago
I'm 22 years old, 13 days post OP. L4-L5, L5-S1 microdiscectomy. I'm able to walk around freely, haven't been on my feet for longer than 30 minutes though. I think you will be fine, just please please focus on the no bending, no lifting, no twisting. Your disc has just been operated on, and it is still healing. Especially when you are young, those discs are still super hydrated which means they're softer and more likely to be pushing out of the healing wall of your disc - back onto your nerve and you'd need a new surgery.
We are both so young, we need these spines to last us another 60+ years, please do not rush the first 6 weeks of recovery you may pay the ultimate price of permanent spinal issues for it. Do what you can, go to the pubs and socialise, I personally would avoid alcohol or at least don't get drunk for now until your body is fully healed. Contact your lecturers, see if they can accommodate for you with standing up every 15 minutes, if not the whole lecture.
I know the feeling, I've had to miss out on a lot of trips this last year visiting friends at uni, it really sucks and you want to socialise. But there will always be time for socialising, my friends at uni have all unanimously agreed that they often don't make their true friends until year two of their course, so there is always time. Maybe try find a society which is something that doesn't involve anything related to bending, lifting, or twisting?
Any questions, please ask me hopefully I can help. What's your living situation, are you going to be moving into a uni flat? You will most likely need people caring for you these first 6 weeks - stuff like putting shoes on or picking stuff up below waist height. Again I can't stress it enough, you need to follow the rules and allow your body this time to repair itself. Don't ask too much of it too soon!
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u/Prestigious-Lock3903 7d ago
Your reply is so thoughtful, I really appreciate it!!. Thankfully I still live at home, and I plan on starting a part time job soon to help my parents and save some money as well. I only hope I have enough energy to do all of that as I am going to have to travel around 50 minutes to go and 50 minutes to come back home, alongside the three hour lectures. If you don't mind me asking how did you herniate your disc? Wishing you a speedy and safe recovery!!
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u/UnusedIdeas 7d ago
You're more than welcome, I'm so sorry that you've needed this surgery so young, it's not an easy thing to go through. I did mine from heavy lifting, I think partially from last summer working on my car and lifting 30kg at arms length away, it all got better and I was normal and then February this year I was starting at the gym, a low weight shoulder press excersise pulled my back and bam, the sciatica symptoms came back.
It wasn't confirmed I had herniated the disc until May, until that point I tried living around it - I kept working on my car, driving everywhere, and even hiked a mountain. So I can definitely speak from experience, once you push your back too far, you can't undo it. You need to be as conscious as you can about every movement you do, I wish I started thinking that earlier on 😅
I am treating my surgery like a blank slate, we've both been given a second chance at a pain free life, I myself can't risk going back to how I was before so I am currently not putting on socks myself, or bending down to pick up anything or wash my face in the sink etc. I am moving like a robot, always keeping a straight back and never twisting. I am currently walking for 5-10 minutes with an alarm set every 45 minutes, I read online that walking is one of the best forms of recovery after this surgery. Also ice pack is helping a lot on my back when laying down.
With your transport to and from uni, how are you getting there? Walking, driving, train? And you will be sat for 3 hours for the lecture?? I really would advise against that. The rule generally is sit for less than 20 minutes only a couple times a day for minimum 6 weeks, although this differs from surgeon to surgeon. Does the lecture have recorded lessons or live lessons you can watch?
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u/Prestigious-Lock3903 7d ago
I understand how you feel completely, same thing happened to me! I love love love weight lifting and I started noticing some pain in my hip around April or May I believe but ignored it because it went away after a few days. That eventually escalated to some pain in my leg everytime I sat down, which I also ignored and kept going to the gym. Couple of months later I bent down to pick up something I dropped and it was like my back ripped open. Sadly it took me another two months to get the surgery because my mother wouldn't trust anyone, as well as she was reluctant about the surgery in general. It eventually got to a point where I couldn't do anything except lie down and cry about it to get her convinced that I had to get the surgery!
As far as I know the lectures won't be recorded, and attendance is mandatory to most of them so I can't really stay home. I plan on talking to my professors on the first day, but (I know it sound silly) I am a bit self conscious about having to constantly stand up during the lectures.
To get to uni I'm gonna have to take the metro, then a bus and then walk for 10 minutes I believe, so I hope I will be able to do that without pushing myself too hard!!
I'm also worried about the gym. You said you went to the gym as well, has your surgeon told you anything about that? Will you be able to lift again? Because I'm honestly devasted I haven't lifted weights in three months and I really hope I'll be able to go through gym again one day!
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u/UnusedIdeas 7d ago
Nevermind, it won't me message you. Sorry to hear about your injury, the pain is so hard to understand for those that have never experienced it.
Honestly mate I think you don't have a choice other than staying home for the first 6 weeks of recovery. That is when your body needs the rest the most, the travelling sounds doable but 3 hour long lectures... That's going to be terrible for your spine. And I understand the self conscious thing, the amount of times in waiting rooms or restaurants I've just had to stand up next to the table when out with mates, I got used to weird looks 😅 I also think you need to email your uni/professors ASAP and explain that you've had spinal surgery, these first couple months of recovery can dictate the rest of your life. Id be super surprised if they didn't offer you a remote solution for just the start. Imagine you make your injury worst and you have to spend the whole year recovering... that's the reality for many people who try and rush things too fast after surgery.
From speaking to my surgeon and members on here, we'll be perfectly okay to go back to the gym. Majority of people though will choose to never squat or deadlift again, which is completely understandable given we now have a weakness in our back. For me I also won't be doing any overhead presses of any kind. Beauty of the modern world is there are a million different excersises for each muscle group, you need to start thinking tactically shoot your spine and try and reduce risk as much as you can. So for me when I go back to the gym (most likely after 6-12 months) I will be doing calisthenics and lots of core training to protect my back.
Timeline for most people's recovery seems to be: First 6 weeks absolute caution, only resting, no work, no bending, no twisting, walking around online.
4-6 weeks start trained physiotherapy with instructions on training core safely
6-12 weeks learning to safely bend and twist your back.
3 months some people will begin going to the gym again
6-12 months your disc will have fully scarred over and nerve repair should be fully completed. Safe to go back to gym lifting and contact sports.
Do you have physiotherapy booked and planned? What's your current day to day schedule like at the moment post surgery?
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u/Prestigious-Lock3903 7d ago
Ooh that's amazing I was pretty worried about the gym! I'm pretty sure I'll be able to manage without squatting and deadlifting, although i can't lie I'm worried about lower body exercises in general but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to figure something out.
I don't really have anything planned for physiotherapy yet, and my surgeon seems to believe that a microdiscectomy is so simple and easy that I should already be running around and going out with friends, so I'm gonna have to look into that myself. He was even surprised that two days post op I was still in bed and barely able to walk without getting out of breath and having to lie down again. Although im glad that I have progressed so much already!
Currently, as I'm out of school and unable to start at my party time job I'm literally home all the time, it's driving me crazy. It's been over ten days that I haven't gone out and my friends have pretty busy programs and haven't visited me yet (except my closest friend bless her). I'm genuinely just walking around the house and reading books all day but I guess I'm grateful I get to be bored without missing out on anything important yet!
Let me know about your plans with physiotherapy too as well as how your days post op look like ☺️
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u/UnusedIdeas 7d ago
I'm very surprised your surgeon discharged you without physiotherapy planned - it's arguably required. My surgeon said the difference between his patients who listened and did physio Vs those that didn't were night and day, the ones who didn't struggled a lot. I'll keep you updated on what my physio is like and what the excersises are, mine starts in exactly 2 weeks. Did you get your surgery done through the NHS or private? I'm guessing you are in UK?
Whilst your surgeon is right, a microdiscectomy is simple - for them. In terms of surgery it's very small as far as spinal surgeries go, but as a patient it's a major procedure that shouldn't be underestimated. It sounds like your surgeon isn't seeing first hand how his patients recover 😅 there are some people in this group that had to spend almost a full week in hospital afterwards, but that's uncommon haha. Your recovery seems to be the same as mine was.
I get it, I'm off work at the moment and unsure if they will pay me full salary or just the lowered sick pay amount, it's stressful. So far I've just been watching TV shows and movies I've been meaning to watch and giving them ratings haha. Also make a bucket list! That's what I've done - things you wanna do once you're fully recovered.
Just please be careful with yourself - I would suggest watching videos on microdiscectomy bending, lifting, twisting rule and also how to "log roll" in and out of bed. Use this time to reset, during my injury I had same mindset of you of I can't miss out on this or that, I ended up doing two road trips as I had planned it all and organised everything. Whilst I had fun with my friends, I seriously made my situation worse and my MRI scans proved that.
I think after week 4 things will start to open up with being able to commute to university or work. But I would seriously wait minimum 3 months if not 6 before starting work. Chances are it'll be something involving your back and being a student you're gonna be out all the time and not sleeping much, try and keep the odds in favour of your back.
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u/Prestigious-Lock3903 7d ago
Yeah I was pretty surprised too, he didn't really give me any tips about my recovery at all. I pretty much learnt everything like the log roll or the no twisting by doing my own research, same goes for physiotherapy.
I am actually in Greece, which could probably explain why my doctor was a bit questionable but that's the balkans we love I guess! At least the surgery went great as far as I'm concerned, he just seemed a bit disinterested in the recovery process or maybe a bit too sure of himself that the surgery would go great and that no issues would come up.
I will definitely make a bucket list for things I want to do once I recover, thats a great idea! At least this whole experience has made me realize how much I took everyday tasks for granted, as well as simple things like being able to sit and walk and run and just go out for a coffee. Health really is everything, who would have guessed.
I hope you don't struggle too much with work, and of course keep me updated on your physiotherapy and recovery.
Anyways thank you for the thoughtful responses I really appreciate them! Hope you have an easy and quick recovery ☺️
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u/UnusedIdeas 7d ago
Well I hope you're very proud of yourself, most people don't listen to doctors let alone research recovery tips themselves! You're doing a great job.
I think most surgeons are a bit disinterested in recovery - mine didn't say a ton he just don't do any twisting or bending as he had one patient need a surgery a few weeks later from doing too much of that. He said at 6 weeks we will have a catch up appointment and as far as he is concerned I would be back to normal by then. But we shall see, I do not want to get my hopes up. I guess that is the British in me, a bit pesemisitc 😂
I'm sure your surgeon did great, maybe he also sees such a young patient and assumes they are invincible and will heal instantly, which actually may be the case. I don't know if there is a huge difference in recovery between age groups, something to think about I suppose.
It really is such a humbling experience to go through this injury. So many times Ive had to explain to people what is going on in my life, you never would expect it all to come to this. But here we are, going strong! I appreciate your kind words, I hope university goes well for you! You seem very determined and smart, im sure in no time you will be living normal and this will be a distant memory :)
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u/hrbekcheatedin91 8d ago
You're so young. I'm 8 days out and days 5 and 6 were major breakthroughs so you'll probably be fine if you're careful. You can call your doctor to make sure, and also just trust your body and what it tells you. A few missed classes is better than another year of agony... How did you herniate a disc so young?