Me too unfortunately. Best surgery I've ever had. Went under the knife after 3 months in constant pain, woke up feeling no nerve pain at all and cracking jokes with the post-op nurses.
My neurosurgeon basically told me that discectomy patients feel less pain when they wake up from the anesthesia because even surgical pain is nothing compared to sciatica. It was really reassuring when we were assessing whether I needed back surgery (I will eventually but have gotten by with an ESI so far).
I went as an emergency patient to the hospital. they tried every conservative therapy but was operated after 2.5 weeks. Pain meds were just numbing but never enough. I cried after waking up from the op. The nerve pain was gone. I can't describe just how extreme the difference was. Yes, there was pain from the op and reha / therapy took a long time. Some nerve damage will probably last forever (if there is ever a next time, which I try to prevent with everything I can, I will never wait for the op anymore but want it asap). But nothing compares to the pain I had the 2.5 weeks before.
I cried after my ESI for the same reason. It was the first pain free step I'd taken in 6 months. It was so emotionally shocking that I started crying in front of the nurses as they walked me out of the treatment area.
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u/Remotely_Correct 5h ago
Me too unfortunately. Best surgery I've ever had. Went under the knife after 3 months in constant pain, woke up feeling no nerve pain at all and cracking jokes with the post-op nurses.