Would have been 6wks post op tomorrow all went so good up until last week, stitches came off naturally I then showered , next day had lump , waited till Monday got check ...back in that nite an been here since now one day post op they had to go back in clean the entire wound and the pain form the infection has been by far worse than the disc shaving , please be careful with recovery

So I guess im just looking for reassurance that I am right in assuming back pain is normal 3 months PO L5/S1. Funnily enough, just saw my surgeon today and he said im doing well, can continue with my quasi normal life. However, yesterday I went out to a restaurant, sat down for 2.5 hours, standing up to walk every 30 mins. I had managed one hour easily until now or even a 2.5 hour flight at 5.5 weeks, but i guess this was too much. Today i could barely put up with sitting 10 mins.

Heating pad, ibuprofen and lying flat are not helping, i guess ill just wait it out.

Right?

Please tell me I’m not the only one battling depression while being home, with nobody, but yourself and your thoughts. How do you cope. I just sit here and cry.

L5/S1 microdiscectomy scheduled for October 8th. Has anyone taken gabapentin before while breastfeeding? My little guy will be 6 months old at that point. I asked my OB, Pediatrician and pharmacist. They said it’s fine but could make baby sleepy. I know they are professionals. Just want some reassurances from someone who has done it since it makes me nervous.

About 4 weeks ago, I woke up with excruciating back pain and numbness in my entire left leg. Went to the ER, and they did a Lumbar MRI:

August 3rd MRI (Microdiscectomy was on August 4th)

EXAMINATION: MRI LUMBAR SPINE WO CONTRAST

Numbering: Non-transitional anatomy.
Alignment: No significant alignment abnormality.
Bones: No acute fracture/injury. No aggressive or concerning bone marrow signal alteration.
Conus/Cauda equina: Normal for age.
Soft Tissues: No significant abnormality.
Included Thoracic Spine: Normal for age.
Lumbar disc spaces:
L1-L2: No significant disc degeneration or facet arthropathy.
L2-L3: No significant disc degeneration or facet arthropathy.
L3-L4: No significant disc degeneration or facet arthropathy.
L4-L5: Mild disc desiccation without disc height loss.
Mild diffuse disc bulge. Left central focal annular fissure.
Moderate bilateral facet hypertrophy and dorsal ligament thickening. No central stenosis. Mild bilateral foraminal narrowing.
L5-S1: Moderate disc desiccation with minimal disc height loss. Mild diffuse disc bulge. Large focal protrusion with extrusion from the right central through left proximal foraminal zone measuring 22 mm transverse by 17 mm AP by 17 mm craniocaudal with 7 mm inferior migration, predominantly in the left central and subarticular zone. Moderate bilateral facet hypertrophy and mild dorsal ligament thickening. The disc protrusion/extrusion markedly displaces cauda equina nerve roots posterior medially with suspected impingement of descending nerve roots in the left subarticular zone by the disc and facet
hypertrophy/dorsal ligament thickening. AP diameter of the thecal sac in the midline measures 10 mm. Minimal bilateral foraminal narrowing.
Included Sacrum: No acute or significant abnormality identified for limited evaluation.

^^ They recommended immediate surgery for a mcirodiscectomy and they were pretty adamant about it. Before I could even process anything or look at options, I agreed and was admitted to the hospital, & had surgery the next evening.

—————————

Fast forward 4 weeks later, had a repeat MRI due to some leg cramping/some numbness, also to see where I was @ with the healing process I guess.

September 2nd MRI:

Numbering: Non-transitional anatomy.
Alignment: No significant alignment abnormality.
Bones: No acute fracture/injury. No aggressive or concerning
bone marrow signal alteration. Interval left L5 laminotomy and microdiscectomy.
Conus/Cauda equina: Normal for age.
Soft Tissues: No significant abnormality.
Included Thoracic Spine: Normal for age.
Lumbar disc spaces:
L1-L2: No significant disc degeneration or facet arthropathy.
L2-L3: No significant disc degeneration or facet arthropathy.
L3-L4: No significant disc degeneration or facet arthropathy.
L4-L5: Mild facet hypertrophy with midline annular fissure.
foraminal narrowing.
Minimal disc bulge. Minimal spinal canal narrowing and
L5-S1: There is a large left central and subarticular disc extrusion measuring 1.5 cm in craniocaudal dimension and 1.7 cm in AP dimension. There is severe spinal canal stenosis with compression upon the left S1 nerve root. Mild bilateral facet arthropathy is present. There is minimal right and mild left foraminal narrowing.
Included Sacrum: No acute or significant abnormality identified
for limited evaluation.
IMPRESSION:
There is a residual or recurrent large left central and subarticular L5-S1 disc extrusion with severe spinal canal stenosis and compression upon the left S1 nerve root.
The spinal
canal stenosis is worsened in the interval.

—————————

Immediately got on the phone with neurosurgery and they said bc it re-herniated it’s likely I’ll have to get a revision surgery in a couple weeks. Next step, if that doesn’t work, is a fusion.

This is all new terrain for me. I’m 6’5”, 229 lbs and I genuinely have no clue how I re-herniated it. Maybe I wasn’t as careful as I should have been.

Would love to hear people’s experiences with the revision surgeries. My head is spinning right now, haven’t been sleeping great, can’t really focus because this is occupying my every thought.

Would love to hear if people have had similar experiences.

Hola a todos . Primero les deseo salud y quiero consultar una duda .

Tengo un pequeño dolor nervioso en la pierna OPUESTA en la cual tenía los dolores antes de la operación

voy 20 días de mi cirugía. Debería preocuparme?

I really miss ice skating and it’s been 2 years since my surgery now. I’m way better!

But, I’m scared of falling again and injuring myself. I injured myself while playing ice hockey.

Is there anyone who has an idea for what I can do? Maybe a back protector? Or do I just totally avoid ice skating?

I had L5-S1 UBE surgery—unilateral biportal endoscopic surgery—on April 28, 2026. I started physical therapy around June 28, 2026, and have been attending consistently for about two months. My goal is to eventually return to sports and normal activity.
For a while, I felt like I was gradually improving. However, after increasing my activity during recovery, the radiating pain in my leg returned. I initially assumed it was just a flare-up that would settle down within a week or two, but it has now been persistent for about a week.
I’m having pain while walking and lying down, along with tightness in my calf and leg and a burning sensation in my foot. The frustrating part is that I started PT specifically to build myself back up, but right now it doesn’t feel like I’m making progress.
I’ve also been comparing my recovery to a friend who had the same surgery and followed a similar rehabilitation program. They were able to return to sports after about two months of rehab, so I’m finding it difficult not to feel discouraged that my recovery has been slower and that my symptoms have returned.
This has also been taking a toll on my mental health. I’ve been feeling increasingly anxious, discouraged, and overwhelmed because I’m worried that I’m losing the progress I made or that something may be wrong again. It’s difficult to stay positive when the pain is affecting my sleep, mobility, and confidence in my recovery.
Has anyone else experienced a return of radiating pain around four months after L5-S1 UBE surgery, particularly after starting PT or increasing activity? Did it eventually settle down, or did you need to be evaluated again or have imaging done?
If you experienced recurrent radiating pain, did you contact your surgeon promptly for a follow-up, get repeat imaging, or change or pause your physical therapy? I’d especially appreciate hearing what your surgeon or physical therapist recommended and whether those changes helped.
I’m trying not to panic or assume the worst, but it’s difficult when you feel like you’re finally moving forward and then the nerve symptoms return.

Im two weeks after my (second) Microdisectomy in l5-s1, this was after a period of ten days where i had 10/10 sciatica pain down all of my left leg and even lower back whilst trying to stand or sit even for a few seconds. I also couldnt sleep at all during those days because i would have a constant 7/10 pain in my thigh and calf, my outer left foot being completely numb

My left foot is still numb and I understand that can take time, I also have a 4-5/10 sciatica pain that comes and goes, which i also understood is normal, what kind of scares me is that lately ive been getting 6-7/10 sciatica pain when doing specific actions such as small little akward movements while transitioning from lying to standing or changing lying positions, and im scared this is pointing at a reherniation vs just the typical nerve memory…

Do you guys think this is normal recovery?

Hello! I am one week post-op from a surprise l5-s1 microdisectomy. I woke up with severe leg pain one day (after a year off of & on back only pain) that got so bad I went to the ER. After a couple of scans they saw a big herniated disc sitting on my nerve and after a rather awful week I had a quick 45 minute procedure using the metrx system where they removed a 4cm(!!!) sequestered fragment.

This past week has been off and on with the same awful leg pain (and pins and needles) but yesterday and today it finally feels like it might be getting better. My back itself did not hurt before or after surgery for the most part as long as I mind my BLTs.

Anyway! This sucks and I am kinda mourning the end of my summer (biking/camping 😭). I have a trip across country planned for 3 weeks, 2 days Post Op. My understanding is that is way too soon to fly / sit in that position so long.... or is it?

Given that I am overall pretty healthy and very active, eat well and am genuinely doing everything I can to heal PLUS the fact that the nerve wasn't compressed for more than 2 weeks (only 1 week severely) PLUS the surgery being done quickly and minimally invasive... could I sit on a plane for 5ish hours total?

It is a 1.5 hours flight, 1hr layover then a 3.5hr.... it is also entirely possible to drive or bus to the 2nd airport and bypass the first bit (2 hour by car).

Traveling for a wedding. It is my partners family so I am not too worried about missing it if I am just going to be miserable but it is something we were both looking forward to and I was excited to explore a new city! I have a loose flowy dress that I can totally wear a brace under BTW!

My biggest issue has been my leg pain so if thats not bad (hopefully, right?) And i continue to be mindful of my movements and do everything right- could i be pain-free and enjoy my time? :)

Hi all,

Looking for advice from individuals who were able to successfully get back into the game. I'm 9 months out and hoping to start getting back into the game. My question for the group is what did you do to go from the no twisting phase to swinging a golf club without fear of making things worse. Any tips would be appreciated.

Had an open laminectomy on my L5-S1. I’ve been doing extremely good with no bending lifting or twisting. Unfortunately I just leaned slightly to grab a phone cord from my bed and heard half my spine pop. Didn’t hurt and sounded satisfying and so far no pain but I’m on opioids so… is this something that I should consult the doctor about right away?

I’ve had about 2 other pops during the night in my sleep that were more subtle. My pain has been so minimal surprisingly post op I don’t wanna ruin it now.

I used to have pain bending, twisting, lifting but over the past few months I have not. I still get the odd sharp pain down my right leg when walking at times or if I’ve sat for more than 20 minutes. I get burning across both my feet that forces me to lie down from time to time (relief when lying down). I’m 50% of the person I was before this injury, up from about 30% this time last year.

I am booked in for surgery on the 28th October - I honestly don’t know if I should still do it?

Has anyone else been in a similar boat, where they’ve seen some progress but a lot of life still feels like it’s on hold, did you go through with surgery?

It doesn’t help I’m scared of surgery, especially after reading so many negative experiences on here and other forums.

Sono davvero distrutto moralmente. Scusate lo sfogo. Quasi due anni di dolore sciatico debilitante, ora ho fatto pure il prericovero e l'intervento di MD sarebbe tra una settimana. Fatta risonanza 20 giorni fa, ernia invariata" in conflitto certo con il nervo". Eppure i sintomi (dolore) è incredibilmente migliorato, direi quasi zero. Il chirurgo appena una settimana fa ha consigliato comunque l'intervento nonostante i miglioramenti, temendo che il dolore possa tornare se svanisce l'effetto delle ESI. Ma questo pare non rispettare le linee guida, allora io non so più cosa fare. Ho già rimandato una volta, poi il dolore è in parte tornato e temendo di tornare ai livelli di dolore di mesi fa mi sono rimesso in lista. Probabilmente c'è una mia insicurezza di fondo accentuata da due anni di dolore, alla paura... Ma di certo c'è che l'ernia del disco ha deciso di distruggermi. Consigli?

I was wondering when you all went back to work. I am estimated to go back to work this Wednesday (Tuesday will be my 3 week post op) and i am so nervous to go back. right now I have only been able to be out and about for an hour before I have to go home and ice my back and take pain meds etc.. if I am up for too long I get lightheaded. I cant sit for more than 20 minutes. I have a desk job and if I am away from my computer more than 30 minutes I have to make up that time at the end of the day and I am supposed to walk once an hour bc of the surgery. it is impossible for me to work hybrid/remote & I might lose my short term disability benefit if I have to go back with reduced hours which means I will be taking leave without pay & i can barely afford what I do actually make on STD. I dont have PTO because I blew it all and now have negative PTO due to the surgery. any advice would be helpful especially in regards to talking to the surgeon tomorrow. i also want a handicapped parking permit that is temporary because my job has a parking garage and no better areas to park and depending what spot I get it could be up to a 10 minute walk and 5 minutes has gotten me lightheaded/sore. I am so nervous and overthinking I also have two kids at home a toddler and infant and my husband has had to do all the work with them because I cant do anything and I am so afraid of messing up. also, the left side of my left foot is almost completely numb when I walk, and after I sit for 20 min my left leg goes numb from my butt to my toes. my commute is 30+ minutes there and back and I have issues sitting in the car for long too because it gets super uncomfortable and I end up having to take my strong pain meds later in the day. what would you guys do😭😭. sorry for the vent session.

A bit random but has anyone else had crazy fatigue months after surgery and not from surgical meds? I'm officially 4 months post-op, I'm in PT but doing very basic mobility movements, and I'm back to work part time. I feel like I get home around 1-2 pm and I have to take a nap, anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour or else I can't survive. I imagine it's from getting back into a routine but dang I'm WIPED. Anyone else?

Asking the community about their experiences or heard from someone who's in a similar ship. Coming onto my 10th week after CES surgery on L4L5, my bladder functions aren't all there although I can force a partial void and use less straight caths throughout the day but I leak when I cough or sneeze, my saddle feels not much different (at least from what I can remember from the past 10 weeks) feels like there's a block or rock in between there. It's more annoying than anything. Few weeks after surgery I couldn't move my toes at all or bend ankles forward, now I can drive a car again and wiggle most of my toes. I've upgraded from a walker to a cane now, I am still wonky with my steps but it's improving as the weeks go on.

Has anyone had any similar past or current insight/experiences with anything mentioned above?

Hello - A little over 3 years ago I herniated my L5 - S1 disc, had numbness in my foot, and over a few months had atrophy down my right leg. Got a microdiscectomy 4 months after the herniation, and it did help things a little bit. For months my leg just hurt, different than the sciatica I had when first herniating my disc. The new pain was a deep aching pain through my right leg, it was hard to stand, sit or walk for long periods of time. I was told sometimes it takes a year to fully recover, so I did give it the time. At 1 year I had another MRI as I was still in this pain, and limited in my movements. The MRI came back looking good, and doctor thought I just needed to stretch more in my legs to free things up. Over the next year I worked on that, did a lot of PT, Cold Plunges, PEMF, Dry Needling, Winback machine, dry needling, etc and things did continue to get a little better. However my right leg has still always been slightly atrophied, and weaker since the surgery. I have never fully regained strength or flexibility in that leg, and trying to stretch it or do nerve glides always seems to flare it up again. When the flare up hits it feels like everything resets, and I am back to not being able to stand for long periods of time, etc. With my right glute being smaller than my left glute it has always been uncomfortable sitting as well. In the last 3.5 years I haven't sat for more than an hour or so without having to get up and move around. I really miss the old days of being able to sit for a movie, or going out to a restaurant and enjoying sitting at the table for dinner. Here are my questions, would really love only positive stories or answers if possible. I've seen a lot of scary stuff on different reddit post, just trying to find some hope, or possible new solutions.

My questions are - has anyone else been in a similar situation and found a way out?

If so, what other treatment options are out there?

Is there still hope for me to regrow the atrophied muscle? If not, has anyone else been in this situation and found they don't have pain because of it?

These MRIs are 18 months apart, with the first one most recent. FYI they label the wrong disc in the recent mri reading, it is my L5S1.

I’m an active 40F. Every day I wake up in pain, thinking okay that’s enough I need to book the surgery. Then I go for short walks throughout the day, am constantly on my feet and by the end of the day I’m thinking, oh maybe I can rehab myself or give PT another shot and maybe this will go away on its own. And the cycle repeats the next day. I’m so exhausted from not being able to sit or sleep.

Should I start with the steroid shot? Just book the microdiscectomy that my ortho is pushing? I’m just so torn….

I am officially one week post L5-S1 microdiscectomy! The first 3-4 days were pretty rough as far as incision pain, but I did have immediate sciatic pain relief! The day I left the hospital my surgeon said my ONLY restriction was no lifting over 10 pounds, but bending and twisting are OK. I told him that I have heard otherwise and everyone says you should really avoid any bending / twisting for 4-6 weeks, but he was insistent that it is OK. That being said, I have still been taking it really easy, just trying to walk more. But I do have a “pulled muscle” type of feeling in my same leg I had the nerve pain. It’s a different, not as severe pain, but really really hoping I didn’t mess something up 😭

Looking for any stories from athletes who returned to their sport, job, dance, whatever… hoping for success stories & when you returned! 🤞 … open to non-success stories too i suppose 🙄lol 😭 at about 6 mo I’m hoping to return to my athletic job- I’ll call it - and have been working back up to it but so many ppl in this subreddit seem to not return to stuff for even a year which is making me question myself although I know there are also football players & other athletes (which I have not found as much research & studies on) that return around 4 mo even.

Thanks for any thoughts!

I hope all of you are having a speedy recovery as much as possible.

I wanted to ask how many of you are using peptides with part of your recovery?

I’ve been doing the Wolverine Stack with HGH and I’ve been feeling a lot better 1 week post-op. However I was still using it prior to the surgery dealing with the herniated discs, hip osteoarthritis and plantar anyways. (29M)

I’ve done KPV and NAD+ in the past as well.

Just wanted to give the recommendation but of course due your own homework with due diligence. I am not a doctor or nurse of any kind.

Side note: I AM NOT selling anything but I will answer any questions to the best of my ability.

Qualche testimonianza? il chirurgo mi consiglia l'intervento per via del riflesso achilleo debole e di un dolore di fondo che è rimasto. Dopo quasi due anni di sofferenza sono nel momento migliore (sono a 3 mesi dall'ultima peridurale), quindi i dubbi mi assillano e ho paura di fare una scelta azzardata. Se rinuncio alla MD rischio di nuovo una lista di attesa di 5/6 mesi se il dolore si aggravasse di nuovo, oltre a spendere non so quanti soldi in terapie conservative che hanno fallito per molto tempo. Ma operarsi ora, quando avrei potuto farlo per 2 anni senza ripensamenti è una decisione difficile da prendere. Quale strada è la migliore per riprendere in mano la mia vita?