hi jules

Hi Gail,

Thanks so much for all your support..it really has helped. To answer your questions at night I am sleeping OK although woke at 4.30 am today with some discomfort. I tried shifting position which didnt help but then did my post op physio excercises which did help. Prior to the op the only thing which helped me sleep was the Morphine the painwas unbearable before this, especially as the painkillers wore off at night..it was so bad one night that I asked my husband to put me out of my misery...this was beforw I had Morphine. I found the best position pre op was to sleep on my back with a pillow under my knees and 2 pillows under my head. Now I sleep either on my back with pillow under my knees or at a quarter turn..halfway between on my back and on my side with pillows to support my left side..this is comfortable. With regards personal care I am able to shower now but not take a bath. I need help to dry my legs or just let them air dry. When my disc first went and I could'nt bend my daughter helped me with putting on knickers, trousers, socks and shoes although I can do this now with my trusty grabber. What would I do without it eh? How about you Gail..how do you manage? love Jules xx

hi jules in answer to your question how do i manage, well i dont life is pretty miserable at the moment espcilly at night, i was up all last night i get trouble getting comfortable as i cant lay on my back otherwise my arm and leg go dead, so i lay on my left side then my neck hurts and my arm goes numb so i have to get up get my trusty wheat bag more meds and try and get back off. i cant do lots of things during the day, and my daughter and husband help out even my little grandaughter helps me with dressing etc. im looking forward to being able to do every day things when ive recovered ive been like this far too long(2yrs), so reading your posts gives me hope that things do get better. gail

Hi Gail,

You poor thing, its horrible being sleep deprived. I makes it harder to cope with the pain doesn't it? I turn into the woman from hell when I cant sleep and the hubby and kids have to suffer the effects, I'm usually an u\\pbeat person ( apart from when I'm pre-menstrual lol). Have you tried a Tens machine. I found it really effective until I developed sensitivity to the pads. You canget them at Lloys chemist for £14.99 but check with your GP before using.how long until your op?

Take care,

Jules xx

hi jules i was advised against a tens machine wing to the fact it could irritate the nerves that are already irritated,so i,ll give that a miss bought one of those pillows very expensive when its stuck in the corner of the bedroom after it failed me. as for how long til the op how longs a piece of string lol , ive been promised \"within a few wekks\" (July) sept \"4-5mths\" oct \"within the month\" and now \"around xmas\" so when im on the trolley then i,ll know for sure, i cant believe how long you have to wait for tests its semms its 18wks for everything!!! , how long did you wait? the one thing thats kept me sane all this time is this site and friends that i,ve met on here. so alls not lost. gail

Hi Gail

Sorry, not around yesterday...didnt have a great day...think project laundry on Tuesday may have been a bit too ambitious...I have to learn that even though I may feel up to behaving like a domestic goddess, that I have to resist the urge and take it easy which is quite difficult. I'll just have to accept that there will be a bit more mess and chaos at the mo and just go with the flow....but feeling a bit better today. Anyway in answer to your question, I have been lucky with my care in comparison to what others have posted...My leg pain started in mid Feb 07 and I first saw my GP late Feb. After a period of thinking it may be a pulled muscle which had gone into spasm I was referred to phsio end March and placed on Morphine. Stsrted seeing physio in April...had 4 sesions which worsened leg and was then referred to hydrotherapy. GP referred me to a specialist at a private charitable hospital end April and saw the specialist end of May. He referred me for an urgent MRI scan which I had 4th June. I then saw the specialist early July for results & future management. He rushed the MRI etc as I was going to Canada & Alaska in August for 3 weeks (got married there)! Anyway he considered doing an epidural prior to going away but I decided against this as he said it would only offer partial relief and they could only do it 10 days prior to flying so we decided against this .He also said that the only way to have relief was to have the herniated portion of the disc removed. I had a letter from him on my return from holidays to confirm I was on the waiting list for surgery..had the pre-op assessment in September and was operated on the 1st Nov ....and the rest is history. I hope you won't have too long to wait know...

Take care,

Jules xx

Hi Jules

It's good to read that your GP worked with you to help you get your surgery sorted out. Also good to hear that you are on the mend. I feel quite encouraged hearing how things are going for you. I like the sound of the grabber, I hope I get one. Did they give you a walking stick/crutches too? I was thinking of buying a walking stick, is that a good idea? I have a lot of numbness in my foot/leg and I think the instability that that brings will ironically be highlighted more after the op.

And as tempting as it is to get stuck in, you have your whole life to be a domestic goddess, so be kind to yourself now, it will speed up your recovery in the long run. Anyway, all those knickers and socks you're washing......you can't get them on anyway!!!!!! :wink: :wink: :wink:

All good wishes.

tfu

Hi Truly,

No, didn't need crutches, walking stick, althogh they did offer me this very fetching shoe horn thingy which I declined!! :lol: I saw the physioa couple of times who went through logrolling to get in and out of bed, various excercises to strengthen your back and also good posture. I was given a hadout by the physio of do's and don's as well. The key to a good recovery is to walk and to take it easy and to follow the physios advice. When do you go in and what are you having done?

Jules xx

Hi Jules,

Sorry to hear about your wound infection. Is it looking better now? Do you get to see the nurse every day?

I have a large central and left sided L5/S1 herniation and the one above, L4/L5 is bulging. But they are only going to sort out the main one, by microdiscectomy now. Personally if the other one is about to blow I'd rather they looked at that too......in for a penny, and all that. I'm sure it would save the NHS money and me a lot of pain in the future.

I hope that today is a good day for you and that you keep moving forward.

Best wishes

TFU