Discectomy - After the Operation

[Ashley H]

Hi Olli,

Glad the recovery is going well, it is a lengthy one i'm afraid. I was advised by my surgeon that it takes up to a full year to get the full benefit of the surgery.

In regards to the physio, i was given 3 lots of exercises to do daily. 10 reps of each exercise 3 times a day (thats 90 reps a day!) I was exhausted!

Its good that you can sit down so soon, i could not sit at all for at least a month.
I was told by my surgeon to find a good balance between rest and moving around.
I did what i could but when i felt the pain was getting bad i knew i had overdone it and so rested.

So i guess just do what you can, but comfortably.

Good luck with the rest of your recovery

 

[??? What-a-burger ???]

Hi Olli

Chill out and do sweet bugger all for the first week except the minor simple physio they gave you. The second week I pottered about a bit more and on the third week managed a five hour gentle stroll in the peak district. Basically listen to your body and do it in tiny chunks. No medals for being a hero and pushing yourself here. Do not push yourself too hard!

The kick boxer I was in hospital with , in for a second, reckoned that walking widths in deep water a few weeks after the op was good. I shall try this.

I read an article by a surgeon that reckoned that you should do ne real exercise for six weeks; this is my plan.

Three weeks after op and I return to work tomorrow! After three months off will be a bit of a shock. I cant wait to be back in work - I know this makes me sound like a sad git but I am sure some of you can relate to this.

All the best to you who are struggling and suffereing out there.

 

[DoubleBlessings]

Hi,

Cheers mate, its hard not knowing what to do i am resting a lot but i also do my exercises and i do like getting out and walking a bit. I think i will keep it at this level this week things seem to be ok. I have my first rehab session next week so i will see what they say.

Good luck at work mate, i am not planning to go back for 6 weeks and then it will be light duties no house fire's for me just yet.

Keep in touch.

Olli

 

[Sallow]

12 Weeks after injury I am back to work. Thanks largely to a big hearted surgeon who operated on me quickly and a family who supported me. I have returned 3 weeks after op and as I am not doing a physical job feel fine. I wish those of you who are still suffering and waiting for surgery all the best. I have had such good luck compared with some who are posting that it makes me feel guilty. All I can say is keep going and dont let things get you down, push your GPs and surgeons and keep your belief going. An amount of pain and stiffness is there but nothing really.

For what its worth I think one of the major risks to these conditions is depression. Luckily I did not suffer from it but can easily imagine that if it had dragged on it might have. I do not think that disc related injuries are taken seriously enough, at the end of the day they affect your ability to work which in my book is serious.

I am not a political person but reading these accounts makes me furious.

A recurrent theme is that GPs seem not to authorise an MRI scan and associated referral early enough. I know they are expensive but they are the only way to know what is wrong, anything else is pure guesswork and assumption. Most of us work and pay tax and all of us in the uk have every right to expect treatment via the NHS in a timely manner. You have a right to request a referral from your gP; they need a good reason to refuse.

For what its worth to others reading this, I think if you can afford it ,an initial private consultation with a neurosurgeon can help. You simply need to ask your GP for a private referral. I also believe that without being rude we need to be a little pushy with the medical profession as things can get left and delays incurred. The initial consultation with a neurosurgeon was £260 and the scan is about £800. The op costs between £5 and £7.5K privately, though thank heavens I did not have to pay.

I shall to your relief shut up now and leave the forum and wish you all good health and all the best with whatever treatment you are receiving.

Rod

 

[Drizzy]

Hi All, Firstly i would like to say to rod very good luck on yr quick recovery, I,m 2day on my 3rd month of my operation,having 2 disc,s done.I,m worse now than i was b4 my op. I can,t do much at all, I used to work full time but now can,t, I do try and do a bit extra everyday,but within 10mins i have to sit down and rest for quite a while. I personally think that i have nerve damage as i was left waiting for this operation for over 2yrs, ( AFTER MY MRI )i have seen my surgeon (NHS) and he tells me i,m not healed yet? Is anyone else like this and can you tell me what i do next, do i suffer and pump myself up with tablets or do i go and see my gp about(which i know they,ll not do anything with being under the surgeon). I can,t yet stand striaght up i end up bending forward and walking like a duck. My sex life and social life are now at a stand still, I,ve put 2and a half stone on.Soz for going on just need to know if anyone else in the same situation as me.. Also left leg not the same. thanks for taking the time to read my thread.I would appreiciate any comments good or bad.I now walk permantly with a walking stick,i,m only 46

 

[Finding A Way To Go.]

Hello Sandy04, I am so sorry you are still suffering after so long, a bit depressing for me really after yet another sleepless night trying to control nerve irritation in my legs. And why do my legs burn up so much! Spent the whole night cooling my legs down and taking god knows how many pills. Seems most of us are left in a really bad situation that is pretty well destroying our lives....and all because of system! Are there enough of us to start a campaign? Not sure how much of this I can take and it seems I have to wait at least 6 months for the op...doesn't bear thinking about.

Like you I'm not working (heading for state benefits) putting on weight and spending every single day working around pain. Not good enough when medical professionals have a remedy (hopefully) at hand.

Wish I could help you Sandy04, good luck.

 

[Erorelark]

Hey guys,

Had my MRI scan last week, and have tried to find out when i will be seeing my surgeon again.....(I have to travel 10-15 miles to get to the hospital as due to privatisation of our orthopaedic services, my local hospital do not perform spinal surgery nor hold clinics)

I had to be taken home in an ambulance after my first op as the physio's, OT therapists and nurses were not happy for me to travel home all that way in a car!

With a prolapsed disc or disc(s), haven't had my results yet..... i'm sure many of you know how painful and uncomfortable it is travelling in a car for too long, and i have had to make this journey many times, and have to again!

Have been told it will be another 5 to 6 weeks anyway, until i get to see him again.

Anyway, just fancied having a litte rant cos the pain is really getting me down.....i will bugger off and shut up now!

Thanks for listening!

 

[Ann Kr]

So so sorry to hear about so much pain. Keep badgering away at them. Trouble is medics think back pain doesn't kill you so everything takes forever.
I found with car travel that sitting in the passenger seat and putting my seat as far back as possible helped - couldn't sit upright, pain was so bad I just wanted someone to put me down.
Hi Sandy04. Have you gone back to your GP to ask for more physio? That might help. try to get moving a bit more. If I don't do my exercises everyday then I hobble around like I need a zimmer, if I do them then I'm out walking and cycling - no one would know I'd had anything done!
Good luck and keep hassling, its the only way you get anywhere.

 

[geogubosan]

I was given physio when problems first started, they put me out of action for 2 months. I saw another physio who told me I had probably been given the wrong exercises....I'd suffered an inflamed sacral (something) joint. Massive muscle spasms have stopped now that I don't do exercises, following physio advice. I wonder if age makes a difference here, I'm a 'mature' lady with dehydrated discs, not a chance of them slipping back into place which is what they were trying to achieve. What amazes me is how symptoms for slipped discs vary, and I only found that out on here. The worst of my discs is causing 'severe stenosis' which looks really scary to me but doesn't seem to bother the consultant. Our 'consultation' was so brief you would think he was simply offering to change my light bulb!

After a year of sheer torture I conclude that it would have been so much better if I'd been hit by a car, I would have been treated as a priority then.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Hi All,

Sorry to hear that some of you are still in bad pain, i did a 7 month stint of it and wouldn't wish that pain on anyone. Also if you can go private do it the NHS is crap i was luckly to get a quick operation but only because the nerve to my bladder was being pinched other wise i think i would still be on a waiting list.

Anyway after 10 days all is good. I have no pain in my left leg and just a little in my right leg but this only comes on after i have done my 30 minute walks. My legs are still tight and i need to build the strength up in them again, i had my first rehab session the other day with my physio and she says i am doing well and should have me in the pool in a couple of weeks. She has also given me some more exercises which is good some of them are a little hard at the moment but once the tightness in my legs goes the exercises will be much easier. I am happy with the results and i cannot tell you how it feels to be out of pain and be able to do things normaly again. I cannot believe that 10 days ago i had an operation and now i can do 2 30 min walks a day, sit down and eat rather than having to lay on the floor and best of all i can lay in the same bed as my wife which i haven't been able to do since my wedding night back in February.

If anyone is thinking of having an operation do think long and hard about it as there are other ways that can help. I think though if you are finding life hard and have been in pain for a long time then look into it because the longer you do leave it the worse it might be with regards to nerve damage.

I will update you again soon

Olli

 

[BLA]

Hi

Well done. I am chuffed that it has worked out. I am still at work but this weekend have had shooting pains in lower back- nothing compared with before the op but sobering. I think this was because I did not do the minimal NHS Physio I was given. Still I can get into work.I am going back to the physio with a vengence.

What is amazing is how all the codeine in the world doesn't touch nerve pain.

Keep going and believing in the recovery because positive thought is half the battle.

It is good to come out the other side and am really pleased for you.Well done.

To all out there that are still suffering keep going and keep your belief in your recovery. Things can work out as Olli's account shows.

Rod

 

[Aurora150]

Hi Rod,

The physio i see is the physio for a pro rugby club. she basicly told me that i am going to be doing exercises for the rest of my life to keep the pain at bay. I am ok with this as i like going to the gym. You are going to have to find time in your day to do the exercises to make sure your everything is strong enough to get you through the day. Also if you have total come off the pain killers this can be hard on your body because it has had a back up plan of sorts.

I am sure you will be fine just don't over do things and get yourself strong. You are only weeks out of an operation you are doing well to go back to work.

Keep in touch

Olli

P.S. Tramadol is a better pain killer for nerve pain. I gave up on codiene is rubbish.

 

[Inquisitive girl]

Cheers Olli

I had heard similar about exercise from a friend who had the op privately. The surgeon said it is 20% of me cutting and 80% of you working hard. I have been doing the biz with the physio and the pain is there but only dull constant pain which is fine unlike the knife like stabbing pains that stop you in your tracks which I had last week.

I also saw a rugby club physio prior to the op and over the next couple of weeks may get him back to evaluate me.

A month post op and I have no new date to go back. I feel like they have done a fine job with the knife but bundled me off home with little or no physio or backup. I feel for the others posting who have done the same but the op hasnt worked.

Anyway its all manageable but I am getting to the view that pain is a feature of my life now and I must just live with it and get on with it.

Will see doc and try the drug you suggested.

Good luck with the recovery and working towards getting back to work.

Rod

 

[jmmeurmt]

I saw my NHS surgeon yesterday. He offered me a nerve block injection which he said has a 50 / 50 chance of working, or the operation which has much better odds but much bigger risks. I've decided to go for the op and have been told it will be no more than 18 weeks. Just hope I've made the right choice....
Wol

 

[G C]

Hi,

It's funny about 2 weeks ago i could hardly walk and now i can walk about, sit down and get on with things but i am still pi*sed off that i have a little ache in my right leg. It's silly, the op has gone well and i am in no pain really. The key is to be patient and listen to your body. A good example of this is the physio told me to do a hamstring stretch to discomfort but my legs and nerve's are very tight still, so i tried my hardest to get a good stretch even if it hurt The next day my right leg was aching and in my mind all was going wrong. My wife then puts things right and tells me to take my time and just listen to how i feel and not over do it.
Today things feel better and i am going to try and be more patient with my rehab.

So Rod keep going with the exercises and listen to your body

Cheers Olli

 

[Roko]

Hi

It is a personal view but in my mind there is no question of you having done the right thing. The forum is full of people who have had nerve blocks and failed. I think the op is the right way to go and compared with what you have been through the pain is negligable. Also you are having the op comparatively soon so nerve damage will be mininised. Approach the whole thing in a positive frame of mind - well done. Imaginge fairly soon after the op you will be able to stop doing desk based work and get out.

Keep chasing the NHS so that you are not forgotten, which can easily happen.

Rod

 

["D"]

Hey y'all,

I see that nerve blocks have been suggested,

I had 2 epidurals, one of which was injected via my coccyx (Caudal epidural). It was THE most painful thing i have ever endured, the post op pain was a breeze compared t that and i could not walk properly for 4 days following the injection. If i wasn't lying face down whilst having it, i just may have given my consultant a slap! And after all that, it had absolutely no effects whatsoever, massive waste of time.

The 2nd one was a cortisone epidural, done as a day surgery case. That wasn't so bad, and i got 3 weeks relief (not total relief but it did help) from it so i was really disappointed that the pain all flared up again.

THEN, i was referred for surgery, which guess what, didn't work either!!!!!!! Yippee! So am going through the whole process again.

Apparently someone who was in hospital with Olli said that they were on 2nd time surgery and felt it had worked so am quite optimistic!

P.S I agree that codiene is indeed rubbish, but i am unable to take anything stronger that this because i am a single mum, who if i have taken stronger drugs, will not be able to function properly. So am grinning and bearing it

 

[UditaC]

Hi All,

@ALiH78- I think you are doing the right thing I hope it works out this time.

Well as for me i am doing ok, I am a little down as my right buttock has gone very tight over the last few days and this is making my leg throb a bit but i am in no where near as much pain as before. Again its silly because i can still do everything sit/walk/bed etc but because i have a little pain i am getting pissed off. I think i expect too much its only been 2 weeks and i am sure my physio will sort me out she has done before when this happened about 10 months ago. As it has happened before i know what to do lots of heat and some light stretching.

Positive, Positive, Positive. Must think Positive.

Cheers Oliver

 

[Pompal 09.]

Hi AliH78, I just want to tell you that I have really suffered with the nerve pain in my legs....and burning like crazy! I am a lone parent too but think the Tramadol is miracle drug...I hope you will reconsider using it if it gets too bad.
My news has not been so good ( it just gets worse and worse). I have already been diagnosed with 3 slipped lumbar discs, awaiting surgery (26 weeks!) for one of them. Having begged the consultant to investigate my upper back (did anyone else know it was called the cervical spine?) I now have the scan results which show 'multiple abnormalities' including 2 prolapsed discs. The worst part is one disc distorting my spinal cord....that seems pretty bad to me. Wanted to discuss this with consultant asap but he's on a two week holiday...aaaargh! I also found out that surgery on the cervical spine can only be done at a hospital miles away from home, and we have to go through the referral process yet again. Thankfully I saw a really nice doctor who prescribed Diazepam and Tramadol (miracle worker), at least I get a little sympathy now.

Please someone tell me this will all be over soon because it's rapidly turning into a nightmare.

 

[jud]

Just when I thought it was all over have had hideously bad back pain above both buottocks and down part of leg - great for a week. Went to see GP and he said Tramadol is the same type of drug as CoCodomol so I still have that. He cant prescribe anything stronger than good old codeine. Great.

Guess what into 5th week after op and guess what the NHS hasnt contacted me.

As I have a desk job the doc said I had been to go to work after 3 weeks and that I should on no account have bed rest - keep mobile - which hurts!

He told me I was doing the right thing keeping going to work (which is becoming harder and harder).I am in excruciating pain for a good part of the day. Sodium diclofenac is the other thing I am taking.

I have taken things into my own hands and have booked an acupuncurist and am going to see her tomorrow. The doc said I was doing the right thing . The (qualified) acupuncturist said she could help and speed the recovery process (£50 a pop but am in AGONY). Perhaps its just as well men dont have babies or periods eh!

Melza. At the risk of being a bore I have used the Mindfulnes based meditation tapes from Breathworks. Basically they are a buddhist organisation who help educate you to deal with pain (without trying to convert you!- i am not a believer) they run courses and are a good resource. You are taught to take everything a breath at a time. Sounds like baloney at first but it is absolutely spot on. The Podcasts/cds are inexpensive. The body scan is particularly good. The Jon Kobat Zinn book f'ull catostrope living' is written by a Zenn buddhist who is a doctor and runs an acute pain clining in the US. Again he is not evangilistic just full of practical ways of managing great pain.

Ali very good luck with your journey sounds like you are suffering. Keep believing all will change. Things dont stay this bad.

Olli - keep your spirits up mate. You will be racing up the ladders rescuing damsels in distress in no time.

Rod