Disceptomy- 2 weeks post op and still nerve pain

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Hello - new here. Had sciatica in left leg since may 2010. Started durig pregnancy and got really bad when I had my 3 son in May last year. Gradually got worse and in October I thought I was slowly dying. I did not sleep at all and was in Hell. I was still breastfeeding and trying to take only medication allowed while doing so. Everyone said try to avoid operation but in hinesight I should have done it then. I was that bad. I only saw orthopedic doctors who all said wait as long as you can. I then started taking Lyrica in October and stoped breast feeding. My life turned around, I could sleep again. I craved sleep. I went back to a 70-80% lifestyle on Lyrica and Ibuprofen throughout the day. I wasn't completely me and sharp as before on Lyrica but better then the hell before. In Deceraber 2010 I went to see a recomended neurosurgen. He looked at my pictures and said wow it's a big herniation! Don't you want to get rid off it? I was very confused and my husband said let's go for it. Let's start a new life without the drugs and where you can sit in a car and to sports again. I was afraid to shake things up but of course I wanted to be my old self again. I had the surgery on Deceraber 28th. I was doubtful before unless I was feeling nervepain. Then I was ready. I have 3 boys - two small (8 months and 3 years) I am recovering at a normal rate when it comes to walking and moving around but what I am really struggling with is that I still have nerve pain. I stopped taking Lyrica 2 days before surgery. The nerve is still giving me pain when I stand for a while or walk long. Always reminding me that it is there and has not gone away! Actually it just comes and goes without any pattern. I had a day without pain a week after surgery and now 2 weeks later I have had 2 days with very much irritation in the nerve.
I find it very hard to stay positive and feel like I don't believe in anything anymore. My husband doesn't seem to be able to say anything to motivate me and he is busy keeping the family floating. I am living abroad away from family and frienRAB and find this very hard, it's been a long dissapointing journey so far and I am afraid to expect something good now. It even scares me when I hear that people who are positive heal and others don't because I don't feel that way.
What also stresses me is that he had to take almost all of the nucleus out because it was in one piece and almost all herniated. Can I function normally after that. He sais I should be able to. I have always had a healthy weight and been in good shape, just pregnancy has done this to me.
Don't get me wrong I live for my boys and they get me through the day now.
If anyone has anything positive or motivating to say please let me know. If you have anything frighting or something that could possibly discourage me please keep it to your self as I am very good at doing that to myself myself these days:(

Thank you
 
I hope I can say something positive that will be encouraging to you. I'll give it a shot....

First, you are VERY early in recovery, despite what you may have heard. Some people get instant relief as soon as the nerve is decompressed, but many others have to wait awhile for the desired effect. In your case, your nerve was compressed for awhile, and it has been aggravated by the surgery. It may be that the surgeon had to tug on it a bit to free it up, or it may be that it was irritated from the chemicals that are given off by the nucleus.

In any case, the nerve is not happy. Nerves are notorious for healing very slowly, so it may take awhile for you to start feeling better. What you can do to encourage healing is to take a nuraber of short walks each day to provide freshly oxygenated blood to the surgical site, and to keep the nerves stretched out so that the scar tissue has less chance to form an attachment to the nerves.

You should drink plenty of fluiRAB and avoid any activity that involves bending or twisting at the waist, pushing, pulling, riding on anything "bumpy," and being careful to not lift anything heavier than about a gallon of milk. This last one will be very difficult with small kiRAB...but you must be very strict with yourself. The disc will not scab over solid for about six months, and there is a possibility of reherniation, especially during the early weeks and months.

I would guess that the nerve pain is coming and going depending on your level of activity. It probably just starts to calm down. You feel a little better, so you get more active; then the nerve pain returns. It is a very typical vicious cycle that can be hard to break.

I think the hardest thing about recovering from any spine procedure is to learn PATIENCE. Things always seem to take longer than we think they should, and perhaps, than what the surgeon has told us.

At this point don't be too concerned about the amount of time the nerve was compressed. Obviously it is better if the nerve is not compressed, and the shorter it is compressed, the better. But chances are good that you will not have any permanent damage. You just need to give yourself a chance to recover. Try to learn to listen to your body and adjust your level of activity accordingly. Don't be in a big hurry as your body will heal at its own pace and there is little you can do to rush it along. A little bit of progress, slow as it may be, is better than getting in that vicious cycle of doing too much one day, and then paying the price for the next days or even weeks.
 
chinup,

You are very early in the process and something to keep in mind is that the pain from back surgery is usually at its worse for the first 2 weeks after surgery. You will likely improve a little bit every day from here on out.

It can take time for nerves to settle down. Nerves like to freak out when they are compressed and messed with during surgery, and they can heal very slowly once they are freed up.

If after 3 months you are still having serious nerve pain then make sure you push the issue with your surgeon. Sometimes a surgeon will do a decompression to be on the conservative side when what was really needed was something more aggressive like a fusion. You have a lot of time still to heal before anything like this will be looked at, and chances are overwheming that the surgery you had was just what you needed.

Regarding your husband not seeming supportive, something I noticed with my husband during my surgeries was that he was also suffering by watching me in pain and having to take on extra duties as I wasn't able to. I'm sure your husband cares deeply about you but is probably very frustrated at the situation and feeling helpless to take care of your family as he feels he should be able to. Give him some space and acknowledge his suffering, and I'm sure that situation will also improve as he sees you improve and gets used to the changes going on.

There is so much good in life - look for the good around you and you will find it to be abundant. I don't care how bad the circumstances you are in, life really isn't all that bad.

Something you may find very helpful is to find others who have had back surgeries who can relate to what you are going through that you can talk to on the phone or in person. I know this really helped me get through some of the tough times. There are a lot of us on this board who are also around to talk to you, but having a real voice or a real person is even better.

Best wishes!
 
I just wanted to add, regarding your question about removing most of the nucleus, that up until fairly recently, standard operating procedure was to remove the entire disc, and patients were able to functure just fine afterward.

Many times patients will take Lyrica or Neurontin for a period of months after surgery. You might want to ask your surgeon about going back on it for awhile to help with nerve pain while the nerve is recovering.
 
Thank you all so much for the encouraging worRAB, support and advice. I really appreciate it and all of it has helped me to look forward with more optimism. I have slowed down a bit as I realize now that I was doing far too much too soon and therefore exausted and without hope. As soon as I realized and accepted that the recovery has to be given time and neeRAB patience (not my strong side) I felt better.

Thank you all again for taking the time to write your comments. I hope in the future, when my pain is gone and I am leading a normal life again, I can do the same for someone else.

Love Chinup
 
A bit of perspective goes a long way in recovering from back surgery. Some doctors are a bit optimistic in the timetables they relate to their patients. Then when the patient isn't coming along as quickly as the doctor indicated, it is human nature to assume "something" is wrong.

That's one reason it can be so helpful to be able to ask questions of other patients who have already walked down this road. Keep in mind that the road can be a bit bumpy at times. It is not uncommon to take a turn for the worse just when you thought you were over the hump and doing much better. Again...human nature...when we feel better, we want to do more, so we increase our level of activity, and the next thing we know, we have done too much and are paying for it by increased pain levels. It is not unusual for this pattern to go on for months until the body heals completely and recovers.

Please come back whenever you have a question, or want to talk to people who understand what you are going through....When you get down, try to look at the long-term picture....and imagine yourself this summer being able to do all those things with your family that you mentioned in your first post. ;)
 
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