Microdiscectomy tomorrow L4-L5

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abetancur

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Hello all

I am having a microdiscectomy tomorrow and am very nervous. I have been in constant pain for 6 weeks now and have had no luck with non surgical treatment. I am terrified this procedure will not work. I am only 23 and want my old life back. I cannot imagine suffering with this leg pain forever. Any pre surgery advise? I've never had surgery before and am scared.

Thank you
Amanda
 
Hello Amanda. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I just loathe it when someone so young is having spinal issues that require surgery. May I ask a couple of questions?

First of all, have you seen more than one spine specialist? You really should have at least 2 specialists that agree on the surgery needed. Since you have multiple levels of spinal stenosis and herniated discs, it's vitally important that this first surgery be right for you.

Secondly, do you know how many levels this surgeon is going to work on? Is he just going for one area?

I don't want to frighten you any more than you already are, but I feel you should know that once this surgery (or any surgery on the spine) is done, the rest of your discs are going to carry more of your weight which could cause them to deteriorate. If your dr. has not talked to you about this, I feel he should have.

If you do have your surgery as scheduled, please take very good care of yourself, following all instructions to the letter. If you have questions about any activity, then DON'T do it. Lifting, bending, pulling, pushing, etc. should not be done until approved by your surgeon. Don't get in a big hurry to "be well", as that is where you can injure yourself. This will be the time to baby yourself and take tiny little steps forward. Walking is the very best activity for you, starting slowly with short walks then gradually increasing.

Amanda, I do hope this works out well for you. You're young, which will help you heal faster than some of us old buzzarRAB, and I hope you find yourself back to your active lifestyle soon.

Blessings,

Carol
 
Hey Amanda,

I had the same surgery almost a year ago (12/21) on L5-S1. I put up w/ the pain for a couple of years before deciding to go through w/ it. It wasn't constant but every 4-6 months I would be in severe pain and laid up for a few weeks at a time. Like you, I tried all the non-conservative treatments. I only saw one surgeon as well. I did a lot of research online and concluded there wasn't anything else that was going to help. It may have healed on its own over time but considering the nuraber of times it flared up over those couple of years I kinda doubt it. Of course wouldn't you know, the days before the surgery I was pretty much pain free. Anyhow, the surgery is easy compared to the recovery. It's a long road to recovery but I'm still glad I went through with it. I still do have flare ups every now and then but a couple of days of rest and a heating pad is all it takes to get me going again. Best of luck!

Tom
 
i had the surgery L5-S1 about 7 weeks ago and wish i had done is sooner. I too tried all alternatives before surgery. Please remeraber your pain will most likely be worse after surgery for first week although some people I know felt great right away. Do everything your doctor tells you. I walked too far the first two weeks and made leg pain worse. I am back at my office job for a week now and am just taking it slowly. Make sure you have others that will be able to do cleaning/food etc for you as you should not be doing any of this.

If you can, sleep on first floor for first few days as going up stairs was painful for me.

If you can get someone to purchase a pick up tool (pharmacy/online) i find this very useful for picking up small items.

good luck!
 
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