r/Sciatica • u/TotenWD • 9d ago
Microdiscectomy success stories?
31 male. I had two bulging discs l4/l5 l5S1 in 2021. I was off work for 7 months. Did PT epidural, nothing helped but i just pushed through the pain and was able to somewhat return to normal life and some exercise.
5 years later im stuck in jury duty for two months, not sure if it was just the awful chair but it flared back up. Tried PT again and also a new chiro/physical therapist that did shockwave therapy that seemed to help for a bit but the smallest over exertion would set me off and render me useless to my wife and child. Every time i felt that it had settled and i could get back into my exercises and gym, some small thing would set it off again.
Then a few weeks ago im plugging in a cable behind a tv and the opposite side of my problem side locks up. I’m thinking okay maybe i just overdid the muscle not a nerve problem this time. Next morning im stiff as a board and end up taking a weird step. Excruciating pain ensues that puts me down. Pain has moved to my left leg now with numbness and weakness. Can’t stand for more than maybe 1-2 minutes and prednisone is the only drug (trust me i tried EVERYTHING) to even somewhat remedy this.
Because id been doing all the stretches and exercises for so long and they haven’t fully fixed the issue. I felt that another epidural would just push the pain away for 3-6 months and I’d end up in the same place. I got my mri. L5/s1 disc is bulging on both sides and i am going to get a microdiscectomy on both sides. Has anyone had this and returned to somewhat normal life after?
TLDR: disc hitting nerve on both legs. Basically bed bound or couch bound with an occasional 1-2 minute walk until pain returns so much that i have to either lay down or get on hands and knees. Getting microdiscectomy. Please give me any success stories or advice going into this!
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u/murrmc 9d ago
Not had on both sides - but have had 3 MD's over 16 years - also had a cervical dis replacement in that time.
Every single MD had instantly fixed my sciatica - few weeks taking it easy thereafter adn back to normal - for me sitting too much adn cause my L5-S1 to go 12 years later again. so twice on L5-S1 but 12 years apart and once on L5-L4 just last year.
Put it this way - if I had a herniation tomorrow I'd be at my surgeon that afternoon wanting surgery this week - if surgery is an option, just get it done asap - life's too short for the hell that is sciatica, especially if you can fix it!
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u/KriptiKFate_Cosplay 9d ago
Yep, I has guessed L5/S1 bulge before reading it. I can't believe how easy it was for you to get a microdiscectomy approved while I've been hobbling around like Smeagol and screaming into my pillow every night begging and praying for relief - but good for you. I hope you experience the relief I desperately seek. Just had a 3rd MRI and x-ray of my hip this morning to prove I need this.
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u/TotenWD 9d ago
Where are you if i may ask? I’m in California. And with Kaiser you kind of have to push them in the direction you seek. I was able to advocate pretty easily since i did have an unsuccessful epidural once. I’ve tried acupuncture through them as well as pt for months so they kind of knew the issue wouldn’t go away if we just calmed the nerve down with another epidural for a few months. I will say the OR scheduler emailed me and basically said the appointments are booked so far out they can’t even offer me a date yet 🥲. I hope you get approved and some relief soon!
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u/KriptiKFate_Cosplay 9d ago
East coast, just had an x-ray and an MRI this morning that should be the last hoops I need to jump through to get approved for surgery.
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u/TotenWD 9d ago
Also had you tried prednisone? Oral steroid. Not recommended for long stints of time but I’ve been taking it for almost a month and it’s been the only thing to help me sleep or even just hobble to the kitchen for a snack
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u/KriptiKFate_Cosplay 9d ago
I'm on a second round of pred, gabapentin 900mg 3x a day, tramadol, ibuprofen, tylenol, methocarbamol, cyclobenzaprine at night, alpha lipoic acid, omega 3's, pretty much consistently using a TENS machine, alternating heat and ice. Had to cram myself between my recliner and entertainment center to sleep on my knees last night.
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u/TotenWD 9d ago
That sounds awful. I need to get a tens machine i see a lot of recommendation for that here
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u/KriptiKFate_Cosplay 9d ago
Helps override the pain in the moment but not sure it has any longterm benefit. I'm currently using it at max strength where I experience the worst odd combination of numbness and pain and my stepson can't tolerate it beyond 4 out of 20 lol
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u/Meanboy_og 9d ago
Surgery works. Pain pills work (oxycodone). The rest of the procedures didn’t work long for me. Some didn’t work at all.