Microdiskectomy recovery problems

[ranice]

I am 11 days post surgery for an 11mm l4 l5 disc hernination with severe spinal stenosis.  The surgeon said he had to remove several different fragments and dug a lot to get them out.  Before surgery I worked but limped and cried a lot for two weeks before I finally went to er an got the MRI.  

I am having lots of right leg pain again.  After surgery it was better but now I am having sharp pain and cramps like before.  My back is hurting too and before surgery it was mainly leg pain.  I feel like my back is locking up when I walk.  

I have only been on my job 4 months so they are less then thrilled with me.  I worked for a small company that has less than 50 employees so there is no FMLA.  I am off with no protection of having a job and with no pay.  I was hoping to only be off 10 days but dr says 3 weeks minimum.  So the stress of being fired is not helping me heal I am sure.

I fear the disc will re herninate.  Anyone have this surgery have back and leg pain like before surgery?  Any suggestions for me.  Thanks so much I need to start moving better.

[bigsissie]

Sorry it has taken me so long to respond I have had a bad month! The pain meds and muscle relaxers didn't work for me either. I stopped taking the relaxers and went with the valium because it works so much better. I think once you have back problems there is no going back they continue for the rest of your life :( You may also want to be checked for bursitis. Over time I have over worked both of my hips and caused bursitis. I was trying to work my legs more and my back less to help with the pain but that didn't work out as planned. I now have to get pain shots in my hips to help with the pain but they work great and last for a long time. I refuse to get the shots in my back because I was told that over time it would build up scar tissue and become in effective plus I have heard of too many horror stories of the shots hitting the nerve and causing even more problems. I hope by now you are getting some relief and things are getting better. Also on a side note I try to go natural when I can and complex B vitamins help heal nerves and prevent damage and black cherry helps with inflammation. I have tried both but due to the b vitamins waking up nerves that are being pinched I stopped them however I still take the black cherry capsules every day. They are easier on your stomach than ibuprofen. Best wishes, Sissie

[ranice]

Thank you.  Yes all my lumber disk have 4mm bugles.  This one started at 4mm last year and ended up herinated to 11mm.  Even my mid back has bulges.  I had a discagram annd it showed severe disc disease.  So worried now that the l4 l5 disc is weak what will happen to the other damaged ones.  I don't have any nerve meds.  I take pain meds and muscle relaxers.  But they wear off quick.  Even opana er did not help.  My sister has had two fusions and still in pain.

[bigsissie]

Did you have nerve compression? I had a discectomy but the end of my spinal cord was pinched. I did however experience the same problems you had. It was from my nerves over reacting due to the loss and the ones that were not completely damaged were waking up. It was very painful and I had spasms for months. The back pain was due to the spasms jerking my legs and tensing my back muscles up. It is also very possible to reherniate the disc and if you have others that are bulging you are not in good shape. As for the fusion it is not great either. My cousin was in a car accident and broke his back in multiple places and has had over 7 fusion surgeries in 17 years. The fuse one area and soon it wears on the other disc until they have to be fused. Of course it is the same with discectomies. It just weakens one area and causes problems with the rest.

My suggestion would be to ask for a nerve medicine. I personally take Valium because it is an as needed and I no longer have the spasms everyday. When I did have the spasms I took Gabitril and it worked wonders. I hope you find something to bring you relief soon and can get back to a "normalish" life. Best wishes, Sissie

[ranice]

They did say fusion would be the next step if this fails.  For work sake I pray it works a while so I can build up some time that's if I still have a job.  Not young 43 with years of bad back history.  All lumbar disks have bulges and severe ddd.  Mid back same thing. Tried years of injections and a nerve ablation.  No help.  Pt was a waste of money.  Thanks for sharing your story.

[K4nomore]

You need a fusion.  That's the bottom line. You are telling my story.  Chiropractor, those injections in your back, microdiscectomy, then anterior/posterior double fusion L4, L5, with the Infuse baskets. Your description sounds like more than a microdiscectomy, though. I thought that was done by cutting off part of the disc that was pressing against the sciatica.  And you can expect to be in pain for the rest of your life.  Well, maybe not if you're young.