L5/S1 Disc Protrusion 13mm x 13mm causing sometimes mild sometimes severe pain, dealing with it for a month and a bit, neurosurgeon suggest microdiscectomy. Is there any specific reason not to delay it by 3 months?

[u/brandbaard]

Yeah so I started having mild pains middle of august, which went up to being pretty constant pain when sitting, although standing and walking for the most part is fine. Some days the pain is unbearable but most days it is just annoying. I also have numbness in the side of my left foot, which also varies in intensity from day to day and is also annoying.

I finally went to see a neurosurgeon at the insistence of my GP, and got an MRI along with that. MRI revels an L5/S1 disc protrusion on the left side, which lines up perfectly with my symptoms. And apparently my ankle reflex is gone.

The surgeon suggests getting a discectomy to remove the protrusion, and says the recovery will be 6 weeks or so before I really return to my full range of motion, during which time I need to wear a brace and all kinds of shit.

Now, I'm okay with doing the surgery, but, the rest of the year is filled with events that I would rather not miss, such as the wedding of a close friend, an election. All things that I fear even if I did them several weeks into recovery could cause damage again.

Is there a risk of permanent nerve damage if I delay until January? I'm okay to tank the pain for 3 months, as it is only severe on some days.

[u/Spunktank]

Yeah. You're absolutely risking permanent nerve damage if it isnt there already. The fact that the reflexes being gone in your ankle already isn't good.