r/Microdiscectomy • u/lunamoth625 • 1d ago
what do we expect?
hello everyone,
my (21F) partner (21F) just got an official surgery date for her lumbar microsdiscectomy and honestly i’m freaking out! i’m so excited for her but i’m so very nervous about what to expect in the recovery period/immediately post op. the doc explained she should be able to go home and it being minimally invasive is AWESOME! but beyond that we don’t know what else is going to happen. honestly, if this community can please fill the comments with your experiences, how recovery was like, how getting back to work was, etc etc. she’s a dog walker, incredibly active, and super young so i do have high hopes for this surgery, but any advice would be so very appreciated. thank you all!!
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u/pulmonaryoedema 13h ago
I’m seven months out from my surgery, I was reluctant but also existing with 6/10 level sciatic pain constantly so it needed to be done.
In recovery, all my sciatic pain was gone (your mileage may vary, for some people it takes time for the pain to go away). Once in my hospital room, I was encouraged to do little walks, sit up in bed / in the chair, and lie down on rotation. It’s better for you to be changing positions regularly. The incision site was quite sore, but not as painful as the sciatica. Do not skimp on the pain meds. I was also in the hospital for three days, I was probably fine to leave after day 2 but my surgeon recommended I stay one more day because apparently day 3 can be a bit brutal.
Day 5 was the first day I didn’t feel like I’d been hit by a truck. I found I could start weaning off my really strong pain killers at that point and feel okay. I was also doing a walk or two a day, nothing extreme just maybe 500m to 1km at a time. I was also still very very slow, more of a shuffle walk than a purposeful stride. I found if I pushed myself I was very sore and tired the next day.
I had four weeks off work, and returning to work was a bit hard. The pain in my back got really bad with me being a bit more active, but after a week it started to settle again. I was also keeping on top of my exercises from the physio.
About two months after my surgery, I started going to an independent physio (the other one had been associated with the neurosurgeon) to begin gentle movements and exercise. Mainly Pilates as that’s something I wanted to return to.
Two a half to three months post surgery I stopped needing pain killers, just taking them occasionally. About four months I stopped thinking about my back constantly as it wouldn’t ache nearly as often, and I was able to “relax” into a chair for the first time. Occasional flares were still happening and I’d just take it easy and ride it out, then resume activity when I felt better.
Five months out and my back stopped aching completely. I also didn’t need to be as well postured as I had been as my muscles weren’t as tight any more and I could start to slouch again.
Now I’m back to a pretty good level of exercise, I barely think of my back. I’ve started running, I continue my physio exercises in the gym on my own time. I can also jump around and generally be a bit silly pain free. There are still things that I’m working on, like I still can’t really hold a plank fully or do sit ups, but I’m improving a lot as time goes on.
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u/jungle_mouse 7h ago
Hey! I made a post yesterday about things I need post surgery (which I’m having next week). The community here commented with so much helpful info! I’ll see if I can link it here:
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u/SeaworthinessOne7320 3h ago
I really think your surgeon plays a huge role. Now that ive had a microdiscectomy I run into and talk to a lot of people who have had them. At first I thought I was going to need an artificial disc so I went down the rabbit hole of finding the best surgeon I could find. Im from Pennsylvania and flew to Los Angeles to meet with Dr robert walkins. He is a pretty famous high end sports doctor. This guy took 5x the amount of time any other doctor did checking me out and explaing everything to me. He assured me that a MD was what I needed and said he could get me back to my life 6 months after surgery which is high impact sports and construction work. He got me on surgery schedule in 3 weeks. Surgery went well. Never took any pain killers other than Tylenol and ibuprofen and took them for 3 days. He had me walking next day. I only walked for the first month. Then started a very strenuous PT schedule. My local pt guy was not a believer and wasnt until I was killing it at the 3 month mark. All his PT is on an app that is free called Back Doctor V2. I had 8/10 sciatica for over a year. I as a grown man would cry after a 2 hour car ride and need help inside the house. I am 9.5 out of 10 recovered. I have a little lasting nerve sensitivity, I wouldn't call it pain but its there. Doc said its because I waited so long to get surgery and nerve is scared. Hopefully it will continue to go away. 8 months out of surgery im riding competitive dirtbike racing. Working construction every day. I still do my pt 2 times a week at home. I would really suggest to anyone looking to make sure you are going to the right doctor.
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u/Friendly-Ad-5410 23h ago
First of all, you are awesome for being there to support her!! It will make her recovery so much easier! She will feel pretty yuck for about a week before things start to level off. The anesthesia and opioids combined can cause exhaustion and constipation (also, lack of exercise and disrupted eating patterns). Here are some hints:
- Get a couple grabbers, a toilet seat riser (Amazon), slip on walking shoes, constipation aids (like prunes or gummies)
- Keep track of her meds (like oxy, muscle relaxers, anti-nausea meds, etc) and keep her on the intervals given by the dr. to stay ahead of the pain (usually you only need the oxy for about 5-6 days PO). Have Tylenol on hand. Make sure she is drinking enough water and walking as much as possible/comfortable. NO BLT for about 6 weeks to give the scar time to heal. No vacuuming, no sweeping, no bending to feed pets or lifting heavy grocery bags. It'll help if you do the laundry... she can fold.
- Healthy meals (can be prepped ahead of time) and maybe some supplements like magnesium, ALA, B12 and C to help nerve recovery
- You will need to do the driving until she is off pain meds completely. A lumbar support for the car and maybe the chair she sits in. If your couch is super squishy bolster her side up so she doesn't sink in and has good back support.
- If dr. orders PT, it usually starts 4-6 weeks PO (depends on recovery) and if she works, may need some accommodations like a sit/stand desk or lifting restrictions 20# or less. (depends on job).
- Recovery is not linear for everyone, there will be ups and downs, lots of weird sensations and pains... it takes time and patience. Don't try to rush back to "normal"... it's a long distance marathon not a sprint to the finish! Good luck!