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***Log L5/S1 - Slipped disc - Injury, Operation and Recovery Log

Monday 09/11/15 - Day before surgery

So tomorrow is D-Day.

I have actually been improving coming up to surgery, don't know if its in the mind or what, but its annoying in a way!

Pain has lessened but pins and needles have increased as well as back pain
 
operation day

So I have woken up this morning in quite a lot of pain, which in a funny way I am glad about. Sort of confirms that I am doing the right thing.
I go in to hospital at 4pmGMT and my op is at 5:30pm.
Pretty nervous tbh
 
Good luck again, it'll be fine. Do you have someone to go with you or pick you up?

I took a taxi to/from my surgery and regret it lol... definitely could've used a hand getting home
 
6 hours post op

So I am laying in the hospital bed ATM after surgery. I am in a lot of pain and still be some nerve pain the the leg at the moment, abit disheartening but I'll talk to doc about this tomorrow.

Apparently the bulge was huge and the disc and ruptured causing the inside to squirt out covering my nerve.

I have been on a lot of morphine since the op too
 
I'll bet there's a lot of swelling that needs to subside before that nerve pain goes away. It may also need to recoup a bit. Hope you have a productive chat with the doc and that all went well man
 
I just had L5-S1 microdiscectomy myself, 15 days ago. Felt great the first 10 days after surgery, then extreme pain from an inflammation flare up. Docs said it will be better in 2-3 days and should be able to start training again by January. Personally, I would recommend it, just be prepared for some nasty discomfort
 
Gutterpump said:
I'll bet there's a lot of swelling that needs to subside before that nerve pain goes away. It may also need to recoup a bit. Hope you have a productive chat with the doc and that all went well man
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I spoke to doc but was in recovery and was full of morhpine etc.... I'll see him tomorrow. All seems good ATM anyway.

Jriddik said:
I just had L5-S1 microdiscectomy myself, 15 days ago. Felt great the first 10 days after surgery, then extreme pain from an inflammation flare up. Docs said it will be better in 2-3 days and should be able to start training again by January. Personally, I would recommend it, just be prepared for some nasty discomfort
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Really? No nerve pain at all afterwards? Mine is still present slightly but as mentioned there will have been some tuggin etc no doubt. I'm just relieved I can still walk lol.. You have yours done in U.K.?
 
Nope, no nerve pain, just some nasty inflammation after 10 days. I had mine done in the U.S and thankfully a Doc that knows I want to get back in the gym asap. Every other one I've seen just tells me to stop lifting
 
That's great. My doc says I should be able to gym but don't think I'll be deadlifting much
 
Did any of you have the leg straps which inflate and deflate throughout the first night? They are so noisey, I haven't slept at all. Driving me insane
 
Been for my first few walks today, managed about 20m and 25m.... Very stiff and pulls on the incision.

Its hard for them to control my pain apparently coz been taking tramadol all year, the morphine isn't working much
 
No leg straps for me. However, I was on Percocet for 3 months prior, so the were having trouble with pain as well. Added in Valium with the percs.... Night and day difference. I would ask your doc, it really helped
 
Hey guys, I'm not too familiar with nerve pain, but would Gabapentin help?

It's for neuropathy. I used it for an off-label use (sleep aid) because it has very few sides, and is prescribed off label for this too.
 
Neurontin (gabapentin) is also a great option for the sciatic pain!! I didn't even think about that! I've heard it can be addictive though (but so can all these pain meds).....
 
I am having to take a break from Valium ATM lol. I take max dose gabapentin everyday, it's not a bad drug but I am used to it now so doesn't work as well as it used to do
 
Man, that's rough.... I feel for you bro. back surgery is the worst I've had out of a long list of exercise related surgeries. One day at a time, right? Did you say earlier in the thread you had a TENS machine? Those are sweet as well.
 
Jriddik said:
Man, that's rough.... I feel for you bro. back surgery is the worst I've had out of a long list of exercise related surgeries. One day at a time, right? Did you say earlier in the thread you had a TENS machine? Those are sweet as well.
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Ye it's a long slow recovery! Ye bro I have a TENS machine, they help after surgery?
 
Yeah, I haven't put it super close to the incision yet, as I have staples (dunno how staples and electric shock will go) but I have put the leads on surrounding tissues in the back and glutes on low and it helps. Then I ice for a while. Helps a ton man. Just go low with the tens at first, don't want to induce a bunch of twitching in the injured muscles.
 
Jriddik said:
Yeah, I haven't put it super close to the incision yet, as I have staples (dunno how staples and electric shock will go) but I have put the leads on surrounding tissues in the back and glutes on low and it helps. Then I ice for a while. Helps a ton man. Just go low with the tens at first, don't want to induce a bunch of twitching in the injured muscles.
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What level is yours at? L5?? I have stitches, really surprised. My incision is tiny
 
Yeah mine is l5-S1, and I was supposed to have stiches but the doc said he had to saw through so much muscle (made me feel pretty BA) that he though staples were necessary. My incision is about 2inches. I used to deadlift twice a week (sumo for reps and conventional heavy) so I had a lot of meat in the lower back.
 
Jriddik said:
Yeah mine is l5-S1, and I was supposed to have stiches but the doc said he had to saw through so much muscle (made me feel pretty BA) that he though staples were necessary. My incision is about 2inches. I used to deadlift twice a week (sumo for reps and conventional heavy) so I had a lot of meat in the lower back.
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Alright show off ;) lol. How is your site recovering?
 
Question for you guys in here. I have to go for an MRI of my back soon. I'm almost certain my issue is at the bottom of the T spine, just above the lumbar spine. Dr sent in a request for an MRI of my lumbar. Will this detect any issues near the thoracic-lumbar junction? I kept telling my doc that I'm 98% certain it's a mid-back issue, especially since I felt the crunch when it originally happened.

I don't want to pay a copay on the MRI if it won't detect the T spine at all, where I'm almost positive this is, so I've put that appointment on hold and was thinking of seeing another Dr. Definitely don't want to get two MRI's done.
 
Truthfully, I would get a second opinion.... Tell them it's the Tspine. Only thing I can say if when I did mine deadlifting, I felt a pop higher up, when it was really low. Spines are weird like that. Also, if you are stateside, check out MRIs that are open sided. Same effectiveness for the back, and like 400 bucks before insurance, whereas the tube MRIs are like 2500 before insurance
 
Thursday 12/11/15 - 2 days post op

I am still in hospital, did a fair bit of walking yesterday which really eased me up but it seems I may have done too much. Woke up in bad pain at 3:30am and had to have some morhpine and again at 7am. My leg pain is coming and going, surgeon doesn't seem to concerned, may just be its still swollen.

There is a chance that more fluid may leak out coz I do still has a hole in the disk for the time being until it heals.

I may br allows to go home today if I can conquer the stairs
 
M.I.D said:
Thursday 12/11/15 - 2 days post op

I am still in hospital, did a fair bit of walking yesterday which really eased me up but it seems I may have done too much. Woke up in bad pain at 3:30am and had to have some morhpine and again at 7am. My leg pain is coming and going, surgeon doesn't seem to concerned, may just be its still swollen.

There is a chance that more fluid may leak out coz I do still has a hole in the disk for the time being until it heals.

I may br allows to go home today if I can conquer the stairs
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Yeah man take it easy, it takes time.... I'm 15 days post op and I'm still struggling
 
Mine was ruptured. The MRI only showed a little herniation, but once they got in, they said it was worse than they anticipated. I'm no stranger to surgeries, but the back is tricky because it is so hard to isolate and keep still
 
Jriddik said:
Mine was ruptured. The MRI only showed a little herniation, but once they got in, they said it was worse than they anticipated. I'm no stranger to surgeries, but the back is tricky because it is so hard to isolate and keep still
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Same, mine showed just a bulge but since the scan it had ruptured very severely
 
M.I.D said:
Same, mine showed just a bulge but since the scan it had ruptured very severely
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Yeah I have heard that from a lot of people, that the scans don't necessarily give a great picture. Which is worrisome, because someone may opt to not have the procedure, and it could be really detrimental to them down the road
 
Jriddik said:
Yeah I have heard that from a lot of people, that the scans don't necessarily give a great picture. Which is worrisome, because someone may opt to not have the procedure, and it could be really detrimental to them down the road
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Ye I get you. It's not good but luckily for us we both went through with it.

Finally got discharged and home now.
Generally feeling pretty good tbh
 
We will see how mine goes.... Don't feel great, and I see the doc next week, so he may have me not bend for a while longer. I wish I could fast forward and get back in the gym
 
Jriddik said:
We will see how mine goes.... Don't feel great, and I see the doc next week, so he may have me not bend for a while longer. I wish I could fast forward and get back in the gym
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Ye we both know not to rush anything tho bud.
I slept in my own bed last night which is a bit softer than I would like ATM, so I have woken up this morning with abit of leg pain which is frustrating
 
Friday 13/11/15 - 3 days post op

Had a fairly good nights sleep but have some leg pain today, I think my mattress is too soft. Going to have to pack it out with towels to firm it up. Although my back is not hurting as much as I thought it would.

Been for a 200m walk, this started pulling towards the end so having a lay down now.

Hopefully the leg pain will subside soon.
 
M.I.D said:
Friday 13/11/15 - 3 days post op

Had a fairly good nights sleep but have some leg pain today, I think my mattress is too soft. Going to have to pack it out with towels to firm it up. Although my back is not hurting as much as I thought it would.

Been for a 200m walk, this started pulling towards the end so having a lay down now.

Hopefully the leg pain will subside soon.
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Keep up the walking man, it will help. Are you icing it still?
 
Yeah I ice my lower back and glutes 15 min twice a day. I think it helps. The issue I'm having now is getting prescription refills. With all the laws here now, I physically have to pick it up from the doc and physically take it to the pharmacy. Hard to do when you can't drive.....
 
Jriddik said:
Yeah I ice my lower back and glutes 15 min twice a day. I think it helps. The issue I'm having now is getting prescription refills. With all the laws here now, I physically have to pick it up from the doc and physically take it to the pharmacy. Hard to do when you can't drive.....
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Where are you?

What meds are you on?
 
In Ohio, in the U.S. I'm on 10mg oxycodone, 5 mg Valium, and 4 mg tiazidine (xanaflex). Issue is that the new laws REALLY limit the oxycodone because of all the pill addicts in the Midwest USA. You're in the UK right?
 
Jriddik said:
In Ohio, in the U.S. I'm on 10mg oxycodone, 5 mg Valium, and 4 mg tiazidine (xanaflex). Issue is that the new laws REALLY limit the oxycodone because of all the pill addicts in the Midwest USA. You're in the UK right?
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That's silly isn't it. Sucks for you.
I'm in the uk. I am on gabapentin, tramadol and codeine ATM.
 
Jriddik said:
Issue is that the new laws REALLY limit the oxycodone because of all the pill addicts in the Midwest USA.
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Oh man, I'm in NYC and was precribed far too much oxycodone when I had surgery. My doctor pre-prescribed it so that I'd be ready with it when I returned home, but the hospital also figured I should have a prescription. Even though i told the hospital that I already have one, they basically forced me to take their prescription. I only used it for 3 days and ended up with 1.5 bottles of oxycodone that I had to get rid of. I hate the stuff. Ended up using more 'natural' means for pain aka mary jane.
 
Gutterpump said:
Oh man, I'm in NYC and was precribed far too much oxycodone when I had surgery. My doctor pre-prescribed it so that I'd be ready with it when I returned home, but the hospital also figured I should have a prescription. Even though i told the hospital that I already have one, they basically forced me to take their prescription. I only used it for 3 days and ended up with 1.5 bottles of oxycodone that I had to get rid of. I hate the stuff. Ended up using more 'natural' means for pain aka mary jane.
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I wish ole Mary Jane was an option for me.... Ohio just bailed on legalization (though it ought to pass next year, since there were tons of issues with the current bill) and my job does randoms. I'm the opposite man, there is such a Herion problem in southern Ohio/northern Ky, that they don't want to give out anything
 
Jriddik said:
I wish ole Mary Jane was an option for me.... Ohio just bailed on legalization (though it ought to pass next year, since there were tons of issues with the current bill) and my job does randoms. I'm the opposite man, there is such a Herion problem in southern Ohio/northern Ky, that they don't want to give out anything
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I hope, and think the fed will pass a bill in the coming year to legalize for medical use country-wide. It's being talked about a lot now.
 
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