Inflammation following surgery....

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aerorules

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I was just wondering when I should start to get concerned about significant pain in my leg following a microdisctectomy. Is there a general rule when the inflamation from the surgery should be gone? This is my 2nd surgery and after the 1st, I did not experience this pain that has not gone away. The swelling at the incision site just went down last week, so I assume there is still alot of swelling in the inside. I am trying to stay positive but beginning to wonder. I am 3 1/2 weeks post-op. Thanks for any feedback.
 
Have you called your surgeon? That would be the best thing. What kind of pain is it? Is it like what you had prior to surgery or is this entirely different?

Carol
 
I am six and a half weeks post microdiscectomy and I am having the same problems. Mine started after I had begun to recover quite well (about ten days after the surgery) and was as bad as before the surgery (which was horrible). Now I would say it is not quite as bad but still at times pretty awful (same thing, radiating all the way down my left leg).

I just had a CT scan which showed a lot of scar tissue and a bulging ligament out of place near the surgery site both of which could be compressing the nerve or causing it to inflame. My surgeon thinks it will eventually resolve on it's own but I am beginning to wonder. At any rate, you should DEFINITELY be contacting your Doctor, escpecially if your pain is worse than before surgery.
 
IA with Carol it would be a good idea to call your Doctor and describe what you are experiencing. After my fusion I did have pain in my left leg; it came on about four weeks after the procedure .. it basically traveled down the leg and kind of felt like a continuous shock. My Doctor explained to me that it was the nerves that were being compressed prior to surgery "coming back"; it eventually passed. However, I did have to go on a low dose of neurontin. However, it would be a good idea to call your Doctor just to find out if what you are experiencing is a normal part of your healing. Keep us posted on how you are doing. :angel:

-Jo :wave:
 
Had my surgery 5/4 L3-5 discectomy. Had some minor probs, out of hosp in 4 days. Felt really great, no pain and walking good, then all of a sudden someone shoved a hot poker in upper part of leg on 5/12. Called nuero, not as concerned as I, guess he hears it a lot. Pain has lessened each day and actually drove today. Appt for 5/23. MUST KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. Hope your pain tapers off. Each day is a new beginning.
 
Thanks for the replies. I called my surgeon about the incisional swelling and the pain about 2 weeks ago. The nurse said it would take a good 2 to 3 weeks for the swelling to go down. Like I posted before, the incisional swelling has gone down but the leg pain is still the same. The pain is like before the surgery, but it is worse. It is brought on with movement(walking, standing, sitting too much, or moving the wrong way). What has me more concerned is that if I cough or sneeze and my leg is not straight, the pain goes the whole way to my foot and is severe. I see the Dr. in 2 1/2 weeks.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I called my Dr's office and the nurse said to start taking some anti-inflamm. I had already started that a few weeks ago. I am just going to hang in there and continue taking my meRAB. until I see the Dr. in 2 weeks. Hopefully by then I will see some improvement. At least he will be able to evaluate me at that time. I hope everyone else is doing well.
 
After weeks of searching i found this the most relevant thread but unfortunately your posts are a few years old and no one has posted their experience at 10, 12, 16 and 24 weeks post surgery... plzz take a few minutes to share your experience with a fellow sufferer..

I had a l5s1 discectomy 6 weeks ago and am suffering from nerve pain.. right leg.. buttocks down to the toes.. the pain is less severe than before surgery but more frequent..

i am really hoping that i can learn from your experiences... i know that it has been a long time since you had the surgery and may be doing very well but if you could go back and remeraber.. any advise tips would boost my morale and get me out of this depressive state.. i tried every stupid thing prior to surgery: chiros, osteos, homeopathy, ayurvedic, ozone injections, epidurals.. since nothing has worked, i fear this surgery has failed as well..
 
When I had my microdiscectomy I was told that I would know right away whether it worked or not. It didn't & I had a follow-up surgery 2 weeks later (discectomy/laminectomy). My pain was never worse than before surgery. I would call your doc, 2 weeks is a long time to suffer. Good luck.
 
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