Discussion
TheGreatDane said:
It was horrific on Sat, better today.
It's very yo-yo like for me.
I'm in acceptance of it taking months, I just don't want to go through with the procedure and for it to be worse after.
I suppose it's a matter of risk Vs reward. Only you can make that call whether to go ahead with it or live with your current symptoms.It's very yo-yo like for me.
I'm in acceptance of it taking months, I just don't want to go through with the procedure and for it to be worse after.
I've decided it is worth the risk for me as I can't face continuing with my current pain levels. I'm sat on the ward at the moment and I'm due to have my L4L5 fusion tomorrow morning.
Done!!!!!
I apologise if my post is all over the place as I'm Absolutely smashed on the morphine from the little electric pump thing
L4L5 fusion about 10ish this morning and now sat in ICU till tomorrow.
Ive got no sciatic pain at all now Now i totally get that I'm smashed on various analgesics which could be masking it but I had the same meds pretty much before the op and the pain still stopped me walking.
Fingers crossed a nd I'll certainly be taking recovery very carefully
I apologise if my post is all over the place as I'm Absolutely smashed on the morphine from the little electric pump thing
L4L5 fusion about 10ish this morning and now sat in ICU till tomorrow.
Ive got no sciatic pain at all now Now i totally get that I'm smashed on various analgesics which could be masking it but I had the same meds pretty much before the op and the pain still stopped me walking.
Fingers crossed a nd I'll certainly be taking recovery very carefully
Good news!
It's a journey but hopefully the first step of a great one ! Don't be surprised by ups and downs - I was in hospital for a week, took me quite a few days to get out of bed because I kept fainting (low blood pressure) so had a catheter for that time. Then when I went home of course they give you the tramadol etc. then I went downhill and ended up on gabapentin as well for a bit, so don't be surprised if it's a wobbly journey with steps forwards, steps backwards etc.
Be patient, and don't panic!
It's a journey but hopefully the first step of a great one ! Don't be surprised by ups and downs - I was in hospital for a week, took me quite a few days to get out of bed because I kept fainting (low blood pressure) so had a catheter for that time. Then when I went home of course they give you the tramadol etc. then I went downhill and ended up on gabapentin as well for a bit, so don't be surprised if it's a wobbly journey with steps forwards, steps backwards etc.
Be patient, and don't panic!
Thanks for all the kind words everybody. I've just re-read my posts, I've got no memory of typing them!!!
Everything has gone well and I was discharged today. I'm in a fair bit of discomfort in my lower back as you would expect but there is absolutely no leg pain. I'm planning on taking it as easy as possible for a few weeks before I start thinking about physio/rehab. I'm a lot more positive about the outlook this time than I was after my last microdiscectomy. The way I had been compensating while walking has corrected itself overnight too.
Great Dane, you'll be absolutely fine. If I can offer one piece of advice it would be, when they ask if you've managed to open your bowels, just say yes
Everything has gone well and I was discharged today. I'm in a fair bit of discomfort in my lower back as you would expect but there is absolutely no leg pain. I'm planning on taking it as easy as possible for a few weeks before I start thinking about physio/rehab. I'm a lot more positive about the outlook this time than I was after my last microdiscectomy. The way I had been compensating while walking has corrected itself overnight too.
Great Dane, you'll be absolutely fine. If I can offer one piece of advice it would be, when they ask if you've managed to open your bowels, just say yes
That's amazing Dunc, well done!
On the bowels thing though... I did the same - lied and said yes because I was desperate to get home. Resulted in an emergency GPs appt in the middle of the night and a fairly unpleasant rest of night. The pain !!!!!!!!! So be careful with that one. Mind you, it had been > a week by that time
On the bowels thing though... I did the same - lied and said yes because I was desperate to get home. Resulted in an emergency GPs appt in the middle of the night and a fairly unpleasant rest of night. The pain !!!!!!!!! So be careful with that one. Mind you, it had been > a week by that time
I went into the theatre at 9am and was out by 1.30pm.
Surgeon said it went well.
The pain was intense upon awakening but has subsided some what. Have hardly used any of the PCA.
Had to pee badly but couldn't in a bed pan, tried my best for an hour and eventually the taps turned on.
Worryingly though I can still feel the same sciatic type pain. Hoping it will subside in a few days.
Surgeon said it went well.
The pain was intense upon awakening but has subsided some what. Have hardly used any of the PCA.
Had to pee badly but couldn't in a bed pan, tried my best for an hour and eventually the taps turned on.
Worryingly though I can still feel the same sciatic type pain. Hoping it will subside in a few days.
TheGreatDane said:
I went into the theatre at 9am and was out by 1.30pm.
Surgeon said it went well.
The pain was intense upon awakening but has subsided some what. Have hardly used any of the PCA.
Had to pee badly but couldn't in a bed pan, tried my best for an hour and eventually the taps turned on.
Worryingly though I can still feel the same sciatic type pain. Hoping it will subside in a few days.
Glad everything went well for you, its time to take it easy now for both of us.Surgeon said it went well.
The pain was intense upon awakening but has subsided some what. Have hardly used any of the PCA.
Had to pee badly but couldn't in a bed pan, tried my best for an hour and eventually the taps turned on.
Worryingly though I can still feel the same sciatic type pain. Hoping it will subside in a few days.
Hopefully the residual pain you have is just from everything being inflamed and it'll all calm down given time
So to update, was discharged after 2 nights after I passed all the walking and climbing stairs tests.
Overall I feel ok except my back feels like it was hit by a truck. Never had such a stiff back in my whole life.
They've given me tramadol 50mg but I'm managing with paracetamol.
Nerve pains have died down for sure, but I cannot sleep for the life of me. I'm averaging 2-3 hours a day since Tuesday.
Overall I feel ok except my back feels like it was hit by a truck. Never had such a stiff back in my whole life.
They've given me tramadol 50mg but I'm managing with paracetamol.
Nerve pains have died down for sure, but I cannot sleep for the life of me. I'm averaging 2-3 hours a day since Tuesday.
TheGreatDane said:
So to update, was discharged after 2 nights after I passed all the walking and climbing stairs tests.
Overall I feel ok except my back feels like it was hit by a truck. Never had such a stiff back in my whole life.
They've given me tramadol 50mg but I'm managing with paracetamol.
Nerve pains have died down for sure, but I cannot sleep for the life of me. I'm averaging 2-3 hours a day since Tuesday.
I'm feeling similarly stiff and sore. The surgeon said to me both before and after the op that I was going to trade leg/nerve pain for back pain so I suppose this is what he meant. Overall I feel ok except my back feels like it was hit by a truck. Never had such a stiff back in my whole life.
They've given me tramadol 50mg but I'm managing with paracetamol.
Nerve pains have died down for sure, but I cannot sleep for the life of me. I'm averaging 2-3 hours a day since Tuesday.
On the plus side I've been able to keep myself so much more mobile. I can walk the dogs upwards of a mile now without any change in the pain level whereas immediately prior to the op 100m had me really struggling.
Sleep wise, mine has been more broken than usual but I'm still getting a decent amount.
I get the staples out on Friday so I'll be booking in with my physio the following week to start some early low level rehab.
Meds wise, it's going to take me a while to wind everything down, I've been taking large doses of a big cocktail of drugs for so long that I'd say I'm properly hooked. I've been through withdrawal from prescription opioids a few times and it's never pleasant.
My only tip on the withdrawal, is my pharmacist suggested water soluble tramadol. The GP didn't know they existed and had prescribed me the capsules, but it allowed me to taper the dose at smaller levels - previously I was opening the capsules and trying to divide up the powder which I don't think is very sensible!
Sounds like you're both doing great - a week post surgery I was still in the hospital! Congrats
Sounds like you're both doing great - a week post surgery I was still in the hospital! Congrats
A week on and I'm shocked how fast I'm recovering.
Guess working out daily has its benefits.
Still get a few nerve twinges here and there but nothing major so far.
I was expecting to be bed bound for weeks, whereas I was up and walking by day 2.
Hopefully it continues on this trajectory.
Guess working out daily has its benefits.
Still get a few nerve twinges here and there but nothing major so far.
I was expecting to be bed bound for weeks, whereas I was up and walking by day 2.
Hopefully it continues on this trajectory.
How’s it all going chaps?
Seven weeks for me now & going very well. Did a day in the garden on Sunday, digging, clearing stuff etc shoulders & arms are sore otherwise all good.
Did a decent walk over the Heath this evening & plan to keep this up to get the fitness back. Slight numbness in my right foot the only complaint. Crazy considering where I was before.
Seven weeks for me now & going very well. Did a day in the garden on Sunday, digging, clearing stuff etc shoulders & arms are sore otherwise all good.
Did a decent walk over the Heath this evening & plan to keep this up to get the fitness back. Slight numbness in my right foot the only complaint. Crazy considering where I was before.
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