Anybody here have a lumbar discectomy or microdiscectomy done? If so, how did it go? How was your recovery period?
I had it 3 weeks ago. Having serious “buyer’s remorse”. This is not going how I hoped or anticipated. 
I had in November. Couldn’t be happier so far. Recovery was around 8 weeks. Did have pain in legs for at least 4 weeks of recovery. I had problems for at least 10 years prior.
I ruptured my L5/S1 from a bad skiing accident in 2013. I had a foot drop before surgery was done. No foot drop after surgery. Recovery 6 weeks. Because of the severity I have permanent neuropathy in my left leg. Its not that painful and not all the time. Believe it or not it changes with the weather. I can tell when the pressure drops before a storm.
Why are you regretting your surgery?
At 6 weeks you will be happy you did it, especially if you were having leg pain/tingling prior to the surgery. At 8 weeks you will be mostly back to normal.
The weather thing is real, tissue around chronically damaged tissue becomes very sensitive and is sensitive enough to detect changes in barometric pressure. It is called reactive hypersensitivity
I had very bad ruptures of L4/L5 and L5/S1. I had 2 discectomys. Had the first one done and about 12 months of rehab with poor results. Had a second one done where they also did a fat graph around the nerve to cushion it. Poor results again with lots of pain after about 12 months. Then had a fusion where they put 6 screws, 2 rods, and a plate in my spine. Lots of PT and wore a full clamshell back brace for almost a year. PT continued after brace came off. All in all it was about 4 years of surgeries and rehabs. About 10 after I started developing arthritis in my hips. Doctors think it is probably from a disjointed gate because if the spine issues. I’m 20 years after now and have learned to live with some occasional back, leg, and hip pain, and foot numbness. All and all I wish I would have tried a different path than surgeries. Just me experience.
I had a Laminectomy Discectomy L4,L5,S1 twice nine years apart. 1st surgery I rushed the recovery and started back to work too early. 2nd time I was in a gym every morning and walked every afternoon.
2nd surgery was about 15 years ago. I have a herniated disk once again in the same area. Doc last time said he didn’t want to see me again because he was going to have to lock up my back next time. I’m trying to live with it, not too easy at times. I’m just too hard on my body.
Things are worse now than before surgery which was 3 weeks ago. And communication is somewhat lacking. I haven’t been told what to expect during the recovery period, so when these new pains pop up that I’ve never had before, it’s a little frustrating and concerning.
Prior to surgery, my understanding was pretty cut & clear….go in, drill a hole thru the vertebra, cut out some disc, and send me home with a bandaid covering a 1in incision.
Well, I got a 3in incision, I’ve had a buckling at the hips pain for 2 weeks (prednisone reduced it 90%), and now if I bend over, when I come back up I have bad pain both right and left side thru my low back and around into my hips (pre-op symptoms were low left back pain, minor left leg pain, numb & zinging left foot).
Doctor told my wife the surgery was more complex, but that it went well. Surgery did take twice as long as what they said it would.
So, it’s the new and different pains, the lack of communication, and the uncertainty of whether this will all get better, or worse. I’ve spoken to nurses via phone since surgery, and they prescribed meds, but not much info beyond that. My follow-up with the doc is in a week, so I hope to get answers then.
Without knowing what made the surgery more complex you can take this info with a grain of salt (I do work with patients post-surgery frequently, however). It is pretty normal to have new/different pains, particularly in the low back post-surgery. If the nerve/leg pain is gone that is a good sign that the surgery was successfuL. I tell patients all the time that the damage on the inside from surgery will take longer to heal than the incision so don’t be surprised. Take it easy and try to move but in a pain free motion. Being sedentary won’t help but be careful not to over do it either. All of that being said, don’t be afraid to be the squeaky wheel, you need to advocate for yourself. Call the nurse line, call the surgery group, do whatever it takes to actually talk to the surgeon. Piece of mind is worth a lot
I have had 2 different Micro-disketomeys at the C5/6 and C6/7 4 years apart. the first one was for pain running down my left arm and the 2nd was for my right arm. Other symptoms were migraine headaches associated with the herniated disks.
the first surgery went fine- I was told that they removed a piece of disk about the size of a pea. I always seemed a little discouraged on the results but over time the flare ups and migraine headaches were further apart. after about 8 months I would only have an occasional flare up and it would be short lived.
The second one was a much larger piece of disk about the size of a quarter- recovery was much longer–I had numbness in my thumb and first two fingers that was not there before the surgery. This was due to the size of the piece they ended up removing and all the crap it was touching and irritating.
Now 2 years later the numbness is less but still there. I still have flare ups and they are getting further apart.
I wish you well in your recovery but that part is discouraging at times. Hopefully you will slowly come around and no further issues will arise.
Steve
About three weeks after mine I was thinking the same thing. My doc didn’t warn me about the “different” pain thing. Apparently nerves don’t like being played with. After a couple weeks more recovery I was very happy I had it done. Hang in there!
I didn’t have complications during my surgery. good luck with your recovery
Thanks for the replies! The first 2 weeks I wasn’t able to do much of anything due to the severe nerve pain that would suddenly come on and nearly drop me to my knees. Was told it was fluid from surgery irritating the nerve, and the nerve inflamed, so they gave me prednisone. That pain has diminished 90% and I can at least go on walks now.
The other pain when bending over and back up, that goes into across my low back and into my hips on both sides has me concerned, but hopefully with time that’ll pass. I see the orthopedic spine surgeon in a week, so I’ll discuss it with him then.
I just thought/hoped that I’d be back to near normal by now.
Without knowing what made the surgery more complex you can take this info with a grain of salt (I do work with patients post-surgery frequently, however). It is pretty normal to have new/different pains, particularly in the low back post-surgery. If the nerve/leg pain is gone that is a good sign that the surgery was successfuL. I tell patients all the time that the damage on the inside from surgery will take longer to heal than the incision so don’t be surprised. Take it easy and try to move but in a pain free motion. Being sedentary won’t help but be careful not to over do it either. All of that being said, don’t be afraid to be the squeaky wheel, you need to advocate for yourself. Call the nurse line, call the surgery group, do whatever it takes to actually talk to the surgeon. Piece of mind is worth a lot
Good advice here.
Thanks for the replies! The first 2 weeks I wasn’t able to do much of anything due to the severe nerve pain that would suddenly come on and nearly drop me to my knees. Was told it was fluid from surgery irritating the nerve, and the nerve inflamed, so they gave me prednisone. That pain has diminished 90% and I can at least go on walks now.
The other pain when bending over and back up, that goes into across my low back and into my hips on both sides has me concerned, but hopefully with time that’ll pass. I see the orthopedic spine surgeon in a week, so I’ll discuss it with him then.
I just thought/hoped that I’d be back to near normal by now.
Were you given education after your surgery, verbal or written?
I bet it does hurt bending over. You can also do damage, up to the point of needing repeat surgery. You want to avoid those BLTS: bending, lifting, twisting, stooping until your 4-6 week follow-up, at the very least.
Prolonged sitting also puts a lot of strain on the newly repaired area. Try to get up frequently or change positions every 30 minutes. Simply marching in place for a minute and sitting back down is sufficient.
Limit lifting to 5-10 pounds until the follow-up at least, and hold things close to your body. As far as your low back is concerned, holding 10 pounds close to your chest is putting 10 pounds of strain on the lumbar spine, but holding it with the arms fully extended is adding 100lbs worth of strain to the lumbar spine.
Increasing pain can be a sign of infection. Any fevers or redness/drainage from the incision site?
Ice application can be very useful. 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off. Barrier between skin and ice to prevent frostbite.
Yeah I haven’t done much of any BLTS, simply because I haven’t been able to and it was recommended not to in things I read. I didn’t get much of any advice on what to do after surgery, so nearly all I’ve learned has come from me googling and reading online documents from doctors/surgeons.
As for bending over, I do that as little as possible. Put my clothes on, put my shoes or slippers on (yes I wear slippers lol), things like that. And except for sleeping at night, I definitely get up as frequently as is recommended, except those first 2 weeks where being up and walking was painful and debilitating.
Incision area is in real good shape though. That has healed nicely.
I am dealing with L1 right now lower back is not sore but it is effecting my sciatic nerve down my left leg. They are doing traction on it, the pain down my left leg is like my muscles in my leg and arch are cramped constantly. Cannot stand, sit or sleep this constant pain is getting too me in a bad way this is going on for 4 weeks now. It is getting to the point I do not know how long I can take this, I do not even want to have to look at surgery, especially after reading experiences on here.
If I get thru this I will never take walking for granted ever again.
Yeah I haven’t done much of any BLTS, simply because I haven’t been able to and it was recommended not to in things I read. I didn’t get much of any advice on what to do after surgery, so nearly all I’ve learned has come from me googling and reading online documents from doctors/surgeons.
As for bending over, I do that as little as possible. Put my clothes on, put my shoes or slippers on (yes I wear slippers lol), things like that. And except for sleeping at night, I definitely get up as frequently as is recommended, except those first 2 weeks where being up and walking was painful and debilitating.
Incision area is in real good shape though. That has healed nicely.
All of that sounds good, except for the education part. Was it an outpatient surgery?
Our facility gives a written packet on what to expect post-op, as well as verbal education from the surgeons during the initial appointments. The nurses and therapists do extensive post-op education afterwards and again at discharge.
Yes, outpatient. In and out same day. I didn’t get to see or talk to the doctor after surgery. I don’t get to talk to him until my post-op visit next week. He did call my wife to say the surgery was more complex (took twice as long) but that it went well. That’s all we know. No idea what exactly was done…obviously more than what was originally planned though.
No real instruction post-op though. Just no excessive lifting, twisting, or heavy duty activities. Get rest, and go for walks to promote healing. No communication on what to expect, etc. Hence why I’ve done hours & hours of googling & reading on my own. I’ve learned a lot of big words these past few weeks! 
My back surgerys are THE MOST PAINFUL surgerys that I’ve had! And they are the sharpest downward curve in the pain department over a time line.
I’ve had 19 major surgeries to date in my 65 years of life, all are between the ages of 20 (for certain) through to about 58( humm, +/-).
I asked the Doctor that told me I needed surgery, what recovery would be like. His answer was, “You will feel like a bus ran over you for 6 weeks or more and things will slowly improve for the next couple months.” I opted for the shot in the spinal cord which was totally painless and really helped for about 4 months. I can get 2 more within the year so couple Tylenol twice a day helps for now.
I got the spinal injection 2 different times, but unfortunately there was no improvement.
I need to be back to work by 6 weeks at the latest.
Where did you get the surgery if you don’t mind me asking?
I don’t want to call them out specifically because overall, doctors and nurses do the best they can day in and day out. But i had the procedure done in the southwest metro area. I’m not in the position to judge what was done, how it was done, etc. My biggest concern and criticism is the lack of content and communication. Which is why i asked on here…trying to get feedback on real life experiences. I’ve done about as much googling and reading medical papers/documents as i care to do….real life answers to questions and situations on here have been very helpful.
Person to person communication goes such a long way. Handouts and online questionaires only provides a minimal amount of confidence and understanding.
I have had back surgery twice first time L4/L5 when I was 16 years old. Second time L5/S1 in 2011 at age 40. I have tried chiropractic, traction, physical therapy and injections but the only thing that has worked for me is surgery. I understand the leg pain and have experienced drop foot as well. For me it was a choice of just live with it (and it will continue to get worse) or address it surgically. I am thankful for having the surgery both times and would do it again if needed. Yes the recovery is a little slow and painful but nothing like living that way every day. Short term pain for long term gain.
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