Surgery

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mary77777

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Hi,

I am getting surgery on my back in 3 days (New Years Eve day). It is called Decompressive laminectomy. I have a "Lurabar 4-5 disc herniation with nerve root radiculopathy" according to an MRI taken on 11/28/08 at the emergency room. Also according to the MRI, there is a "separate or approcimately 6 mm extruded disc fragment which is inferiorly in the right lateral recess towarRAB the origin of the right neural foramen, posteriorly displacing the right L5 nerve root as it extenRAB into it's forament."

I have had pain for 6 weeks which starts in my lower right side and extenRAB down my leg, ankle and foot. 2 Epidural steroid injections and a couple of appointments of physical therapy and some exercises at home have not improved my leg pain, so I am getting surgery. I am 41 and have had a back problem for about 10 years, probably from just lifting things wrong like furniture, but I have never had the severe and constant leg pain that I have now.

Anyway, I have a question about recovery time. All they are going to do is remove the disc fragment and it's an outpatient surgery and I will go in at 6:15 AM and probably be home by the afternoon.

For anyone that has had this surgery, how long does it take to recover if all goes well with the surgery? I only have 5 sick leave days at work and can't afford to not get paid or lose my job. Do you think it's possible if I get surgery Dec. 31 to go back to work by the 12th of January? This gives me 12 days of recovery.......is that enough? I don't want to screw up my back more. What can I expect to be doing at home for 12 days? Do they start you exercising right away? When can I drive? I hope someone who has had a similar "minor" back surgery can answer my questions and really fast lol because I have not told my boss about it yet until tomorrow and she will be asking questions about how soon I can come back to work.
 
mary77777,

I would suggest you call your surgeon's office Monday morning to get your questions answered. Most surgeon's have great nurses who can discuss these questions with you.

I had a decompression laminectomy on L4-L5 in August. My surgeon said that it would be a minimum of 3 weeks before I could drive. He also told me the earliest I could return to work would be 2-3 weeks, but I am still in a great deal of sciatic pain and have not yet been able to return to work. I do know some people, however, who have been able to return within 2-3 weeks or at least part-time. So the answer is that it really depenRAB on many factors, such as whether or not the surgery is successful, whether there are complications, etc.

Good luck!
 
Mary,
If all they are doing is a discectomy, then you may have a chance of being able to return to work in 12 days but you really do need to discuss that with your surgeon. Has he or she met with you to discuss this?
I had a decompressive laminectomy with my first surgery, along with a fusion and I was down for much longer than 12 days.
It sounRAB like they are doing a discectomy if all they are doing is removing the extruding part of the disc.
Back
 
The nurse said that after my 2 week post op appt on Jan 14th that I should be able to go back to work. And all they are doing is removing the disc fragment but I think this will relieve my pain 100% because the only pain I have is down my leg, ankle and foot. I don't have back pain.
 
We all have very different experiences with surgery and our bodies heal at different rates. Generally speaking, you should be able to go back to work within a couple weeks of surgery...depending on what your job requires.

If you have those expectations, it will be extremely important that you take it easy while you are home those first 12 days. The only real activity you should pursue is walking. No repetitive activity like using a treadmill, etc. Do not lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk. No bending or twisting at the waist. Do not do activities such as vacuuming, sweeping, general house cleaning and do not reach up overhead. If you have to cook, be sure everything is at counter level so you are not reaching and bending.

Walk as much as you can, but do not overdo it. Listen to your body. A couple short walks are better than one long one. Start slow and gradually increase time and distance.

Limit sitting to 15-30 minutes at the beginning. Again, let your pain levels be your guide. Try to avoid driving for the first week. That position is especially bad for spineys.

Good luck. I hope things go smoothly for you.
 
Thank you very much for the tips! I know that driving is the worst pain that I have right now.

If I do sit, should I be trying to sit in a specific position? Like upright or can I slump on the couch like I usually do lol? I know I'll be drugged out tomorrow after the surgery when they tell me what I'm supposed to do in the next few days.

I did get 2 full weeks off of work though, so hopefully that will give me enough time to heal.
 
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