Recent Lumber Laminectomy & Diskectomy

This could go under back problems and pain or back problems and sleep. I had a lamie and diskectomy in April of this year. Prior to the surgery, I experienced extreme pain along the sciatic nerve on the left side and leg. Alternating with numbness in the left leg to the point of loosing feeling in the left leg and bunn area. I actually fell when this leg gave out a few times. MRI showed a very very large herniation L 4 - 5 pressing on sciatic nerve and spinal cord. Ok, I had surgery. Neuro did mention he had some concerns. After removing the disk and taking off the protrusions & the herniated parts the disk was very small [a lot smaller than usual upon re-insertion of disks] when re-inserted between the vertebrae. Post surgery, I have a persistent throbbing pain along the sciatic nerve in the left leg and some numbness. I have to say, the pain is not as intense as it was previous to surgery. It has gone from very intense sharp pain to a throbbing ache. The numbness in the left leg does not occur as often but usually follows long bouts of the throbbing ache or if I sleep on my right side. So there has been some improvement that may get better as time goes on? What bothers me and this was not experienced pre- surgery... I have this annoying click, click, click in the area of the surgery and the spine in that area feels wobbly. It almost feels like bone touching bone. This was mentioned to the doctor and he said it would go a way. When I sit or lay in certain positions, those positions can set off this clicking which to me is a sense of bone wobbling and precipitates pain in the right bunn around to the hip bones hurt, the left to the hipbone or pelvic bone, and sometimes into the right thigh as well. On occasion I feel nauseous from the pain. Its as if something is moving around and touching areas to set off other signals. The clicking can be softly heard as well as felt. Sounds like someone cracking their knuckles. My PT is concerned about this, but the neuro just advised it will stop eventually as he walked out of the room saying every thing was fine before I could even tell him how I was feeling. I can not get comfortable at night, no matter which way I lay it hurts. If I lay on the right side, it sets off the throbbing from the bunn in to the left leg. If I lay on the left, it starts the clicking sensation that brings pain to both sides into the hips. If I lay on my back, I feel like I am laying on a goose-egg in the midst of my back. If I lay on the stomach, I have the clicking and numbness again. So I flop from side to side, back to stomach, and start over all again all night long. Can any one explain this wobbly sensation and painful clicking????

[pofdog]

     Do you really know what they did during your surgery? They don't take the disks out to "re-insert" them.  I never heard of that. The "protrusion" IS the herniation.    Theres a few more things, but if you google the things you don't understand, there is alot to learn.  If you find a spine institute, there are normally good pictures and automations that explain alot.
     Good luck with your pain and sleeping. Make sure you are heard by your doctor and not under medicated. Not the right sleep and enough rest has many different tolls on our bodys, including adding to our pain and discomfort.

[BekkaF]

You are correct, I should not have used the word "re-insert", that was my wording for the disk that remained after trimming. Definitely a poor choice of wording in retrospect. To be precise the doc said after "trimming" the disk herniation and cleaning up all the fragments the disk was a lot smaller than usual and he was concerned about stability "between the vertebrae(?)". He said this could herniate & fragment again and may require a fusion later on. Ok that said, my main concern is why I have a clicking in that area and is this normal? And yes, it is irritating and painful at times.
Also, I don't want to do a regime of pain killers if I can avoid it altogether.
Thanks for the information you can share with me.