Post Microdiscectomy L5/S1
Posted , 14 users are following.
HI Everyone,
Would like some advice/comments good and bad with regard to my experience of recent surgery.
First off here's my story.
Twelve years ago I experienced a pro-lapsed disc which left a snag pushing into my sciatic nerve.
Despite having two epidural injections and a nerve root compression this left me with permanent sciatica in my right leg from my hip through to my knee and at its worst down to my foot and Achilles heal. It mostly sat between my right buttock and knee only straying beyond that point when I pushed my back too far due to the nerve damage and bulge it then all settled down for a while if I rested, it was quite manageable..
Their where further ruptures in 2005, 2009 x2 and a final massive rupture in January 2012 this was the gig shift. It was at this point as there was no significant recovery compared to previously after a few weeks I sought further advice from my GP. I was referred for another MRI scan which showed a massive rupture and complete breakdown of the Disc at L5/S1 but further debris had entered the sciatic nerve chamber causing now severe and acute sciatica. The nerve was now critically damaged. There was also the early telltale signs of arthritis
Again there was some settling down during the summer and my Consultant Surgeon suggested we wait and I agreed as it felt reasonably okay. I had after all got used to degrees of pain thresholds and the symptoms of sciatica for 11 years by now and my attitude had always been to fight against it and avoid surgery
Unfortunately come the autumn and winter it all started to go wrong again my consultant was reluctant to operate and we waited again. In May of this year following another MRI showing some degree of settling down I agreed to one last Root Nerve Compression/Epidural which sadly appeared to do very little although in June and July with the minor heat wave again it showed improvement and I was even able to play tennis once a week something I could not have done in the previous 12 months when I was forced to give up consideration of youth football coaching due to the effects on my back from the pain and acute sciatica. In was in June that my Surgeon decided to operate in an attempt to alleviate the back pain and give me back as much sensation in my right leg which had been partially lost as a result of the sciatica and nerve damage. He also felt the particles from the L5 Disc in the sciatic nerve chamber where getting too close to the outer wall of the chamber and the remains of the disc's outer sack where not helping in regards to the level of pain I was now experiencing.
On the 3rd August 2013 I had a Microdiscectomy which went well and the Surgeon described it as a complete success removing what was left of the L5 sack and removing the particles and debris from my Sciatic nerve chamber and completing a cleaning and flushing out the entire chamber at the nerve root point. Yes the nerve had thinned and was kinked due to the numerous bulges and the arthritis had increased slightly. Overall he was not worried and felt I would be fully recovered and pain free within about 8 weeks although some degree of sciatica would remain due to the nerve damage.
Post Op for two weeks I was fine was walking and some minor back strengthening exercises could be undertaken I felt great the Sciatica was reduced and the pain in my lower back and buttock gone.I had not felt this good for years.
By the third week all hell broke loose I woke up one morning and the sciatica was back but worse than ever and in other parts of my right leg where it had not been before and now it was showing signs of being in my left leg where it had never been in all of the previous 12 years since this had started. My GP prescribed Gabapentin 300mg to counter act the spasms and pins and needles which were now increasing at an alarming rate. These helped and I am still taking them currently.
I spoke to my consultant’s secretary who intern spoke to my consultant who was surprised as this was not the way a recovery form this operation should be going according to his experience however I still had 4 weeks before I was supposed to see him post op and he told me to see how it goes until then. The following week again I was presented with something else this time symptoms that where all too familiar to me over the last decade. I woke up in morning and got slowly out of bed realizing that the symptoms I was now experiencing where of a ruptured or pro-lapsed disc, but it could not be the L5 as that has all been removed and the L4 above and all my other discs where in good shape as per the last MRI at the end of May. The pain was back and worse than before, the sciatica increased although this was being masked by the Gabapentin and still is. I was also presented with severe pains coming from my right hip and right butt cheek which remain to this day.
I saw my Surgeon on the 11th September at my scheduled out patients appointment... He reiterated that it had been a successful opp however when I had the opportunity to speak he seemed surprised at the symptoms I was presenting and how poorly my recovery had gone. He stated there was a "low probability of a further rupture especially with the one immediately above (L4). He examined me and agreed I was presenting symptoms of a further Pro-lapsed /Ruptured disc and the fact I had sciatica in my left leg was of great concern to him as this in fact unusual to have sciatica in both legs .He immediately called for a fresh MRI to determine what is actually going on and that where I am currently.
I have a scan scheduled for mid-October and see him Mid November. Meanwhile I cannot work, and can do very little without aggravating the symptoms further. I can Walk and do lots of it although it is very painful. To be fair there has always been some degree of pain at times since 2001 but now the pain is intense and severely distracting. I try to do the back muscles strengthening exercises but these are difficult. Sitting for any length of time is painful as is standing. Driving is nigh on impossible past about 2 to 5 miles due to the pain in my lower back, buttock and occasionally shooting up to my right shoulder which is very unusual for me. I have tried to get the scan brought forward so I can then badger my Consultants secretary for an earlier appt with him, all to no avail.
I feel I am now in complete limbo and am very worried. Days before this opp I could run, walk miles, drive, and work etc and now I cannot even do any of that as I am worse than I have ever been since it all started in 2001. I take far more medication that I have ever had to. Even in 2009 when I had two lapses I could get by on occasional muscle stimulants.
The operation as it stands now looks like a very poor decision but I felt it was worth the risk as despite a recovery I did wonder if like the Autumn of 2012 by this Autumn it may deteriorate again.
I am currently at my wits end the pain is worse than before and the sciatica is all over the place now. My GP is reluctant to do anything as I am under a Senior Consultant Surgeon and I cannot see him until the MRI scan is at least undertaken.
It’s all very disheartening and I find it difficult to equate how I can enter hospital for an operation to alleviate these symptoms and come out even worse.
What makes it worse also is that people around you treat it all as a bit of a joke and don't seem to realize the extent that these symptoms have on your everyday living. People think I should have recovered by now and I am a malingerer/lazy. This could not be further from the truth as I have always fought against this but now it seems fully in control. I was nearly 40 when this first presented itself I am now almost 52 and it has had an alarming effect my life at times.
Sorry for rambling on but I wanted to give a clear picture as to what is happening and had gone before.
Regards
Warrie
3 likes, 24 replies
Patient99 Warrie
Posted
You just know when you're getting old!
dawnylou68 Warrie
Posted
dawnylou68 Warrie
Posted
im sorry to hear you are still in a great deal of pain.
my MD didn't work either but was a bit better than before op. However got worse and had MRI ladt Nov (only been asking since July). It was found I had a cyst and inflammation both sides of spine. Then put on list for op, which finally happened 9/7/14.
They did a revision decompression and posterior L5/S1 instrumental stabilisation, plus removed cyst. I was advised by the surgeon the following morning it had been a success and discharge that afternoon !!!!!!!
What followed was 6 days of unbearable pain lack of sleep etc, I couldn't get on the loo without extreme pain and had to wait 3days for a loo seat and frame which didn't help.
I am now 3 wks after my op and still in quite a lot of pain and walking with crutches is painful but doable. My pain is mostly in my right leg now and not my left as it was previously. I have seen the Physio today, they called me in and she says I'm doing well. I start Physio classes next week. I am dreading it to be truthful as I hurt so much already and that's with being on Tramadol!
Warrie dawnylou68
Posted
So sorry to hear whats happened to you it sounds far worse than mine and that was bad. What I would say is go with it any surgery particularly in the lumber area is unpredictable and receovery can be slow and patchy. I am now at nearly a year since I had my MD and don't expect to ever be the same as I was before if I can get close to where I was prior to the opp that will do. At present my mobility is much improved. I am aqualified FA Coach and have recently undertaken a refresher course which was in part practical but I managed to pass it although with the help of painkillers. I have recently had the first of a series of 3 epidural injections to address the pain which so far have helped a little and my sciatica is controlled by pregabalin which I would prefer not to take as it affects my memory.I focus now on what I can do rather than what I used to be able to do which I think helps.I have lost a stone in weight recently as I put nearly two on post op and that is helping my spine. The pain is still intense most of the time but I manage after all I have lived with pain and the sciatica since 2001 its just different and more intense since the op. Hang in their try and be patient I have come along way since January of this year.but feel now more positive than I have done since it all went wrong post op at the end of last August.
Take Care
jbegalli Warrie
Posted
Hey Warrie, first off I want to say what a strong person you are through all these obstacles you have been through and continue to go through; believe me I know you don't feel it, but I know it- you are a determined and strong individual to keep going with all the pain you have described. I can kind of understand all you've described since my mom has many similar symptoms to yours for 7 years now. My mom is 54, and I could never imagine this would have happened to a woman who worked every single day, took care of 3 kids, took care of our household, drove us everywhere we needed to be, and then literally one day to the next... fell to this sciatic pain. What she describes is a right gluteal pain that shoots down her left leg down to her calf and foot (used to just be left foot but now it is both). She describes her calf, foot, and gluteal area as a sharp and burning pain. Recently it has also traveled up to her upper left arm. She has literally been through every doctor from massage therapist, orthopedic, neurologist, pain management, chiropractor, etc and has done everything they've asked: physical therapy, EMG, MRIs, bone scans, acupuncture, amongst others and tons of medications. I am literally at a loss of how else to help my mother. She cannot sit, stand, walk, lay down without pain, and it just breaks me. I am 25, and my brother and sister are 13 and 14. It hurts to see my mom not be able to work, drive, walk, do laundry, cook, any of the things she used to be and was so happy doing. This all began with a neck pain which she went to her internal medicine doctor for and then received an injection which her doctor did not tell her he was about to give which my mom was with her back towards him, and he just gave her the injection making my mom move. We don't know if the injection traveled elsewhere or what happened on that day in 2010, but after that... it all went downhill, and my mom was suffering from a gluteal pain from them on. She did a surgery for a diagnosis of piriformis muscle syndrome which we believe may not have been the correct diagnosis since the surgery did not help with her pain one bit. My moms right thigh constantly moves as we see the muscles jumping, moving around in her leg. I am just lost, and I can't imagine how she feels. With the pain in her foot that started last year, it has been even worse because her foot cannot even touch the ground without her being in pain. Every doctor we go to say they cannot find what is wrong, and this is unbelievable to me. I don't know where else to go or what else to do and have done my own research which is when I came across this post about the Microdiscectomy to see what the risks would be and if people found it to be helpful. I thank you for writing this, Warrie, and I hope and pray that you will find a cure... you will overcome this. Continue to fight and do not give up as I try to say to my mom. I know it is difficult, and no one should go through this.. losing the once normal life they had to now staying home every single day not being able to do a thing and depending on others. Know you are not alone, though, and I will keep you in my prayers for your recovery.
mary61725 Warrie
Posted
I have read many stories on the internet about people living with Sciatica for many years. I have only been living with it for a few months now, and had an MRI done the other day. The MRI shows a large herniated disc in the L4/L5 area of my spine. It's pressing into my sciatic nerve BIG TIME. I'm sure if I waited 10 years to have it treated, this will cause some serious nerve damage. When you have something pressing on your nerve for that long, it kind of makes an indent and the nerve starts to take a different shape. The longer you wait the more damage. If anyone has a herniated disc, large or small, talk to a spine specialist A.S.A.P. You will need to get that piece of the disc cut off to releve the pain. I'm going to talk to my Dr. on Monday to schedule surgery. Not going to waste any money on Epidural shots either. The point I'm trying to make here is, do something about it right away before it gets so bad and causes even more damage.
kath1958 Warrie
Posted
Hi Warrie
I can relate to everything you are saying. Before my surgery I was in a wheelchair and like you I thought it would go ok. Three weeks later consulton recommended a second opp. I have been in none stop pain now for five days and have been given a date for more nerve blocks. Spinel blocks didn't work so not being too pessimistic I don't think this will help.
now I have been told that I have arthritis in both hips and pelvis. Off work at the moment and taking things one day at a time. But it dose were you out.
Keep up the fight.
kath
griffin68473 Warrie
Posted
Hello
I am wondering why on earth your doctor as well as you (as I believe in empowering patients, especially given the wealth of knowledge available a click away now) decided to do surgery when you say you were able to RUN, etc...surgery should really only be done in very dire situations, and the irony is that the worse off the situation and patient, often the more successful the surgery will be. I had a laminectomy surgery on L5/S1 with full fusion about 9 days ago. Beforehand, I was entirely bed ridden for weeks. If I had to go to the bathroom I either used a "pee bottle" (am male) or had to get out of bed and crawl one room away which was excrutiating. I could NOT walk at all because any pressure at all on my right leg would flare the sciatic into uncontrollable pain that would not subside for at least an hour or more once I'd managed to get back in bed. Moving my legs too much in bed would cause nerve flares that were 10/10 pain. I'm 30 and was an extreme sport athlete for many years and have been hurt many times but have never known TRUE pain until this fully herniated disk and resulting nerve pressure. For ME, surgery has been a huge blessing, but I still have some issues which I expected. Mainly, lower extremity swelling and bad morning pain. Once I get up and take my first dose of pain meds I feel much better but swelling is there 24/7. I've been on gabapentin for about 2 months, so have decided now is time to go off and see if that has caused this extreme swelling. Anyway, I had to post, because surgery should really be a last ditch effort, and you will know without any doubt when its simply NEEDED. I am one who would have not done it if I was ambulatory at all and perhaps healing. My surgeon told me that its usually the patients who suffer the most before surgery who do the best after, because they truly needed it and had no other choice. Anyway, I hope you do better. I didn't mean to come off as too rude. Maybe I did, sorry. I just felt the need to air this out to the internet sphere. window.post_1490797765487_11 = function(win,msg){
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val07276 Warrie
Posted
Hi Warrie, so sorry to hear that your pain continues, I'm five weeks post op MD. I've had a prolapsed disc since 2009 and have managed generally ok until about September 2017 when I started to get Sciatic pain in my right buttock and down the back of my right thigh, to say the pain was excruciating doesn't go far enough. Pain got worse & worse, I was signed of work mid November, couldn't walk for long, couldn't stand for long, same for sitting. Saw a neuro spinal surgeon (privately) on 13th December, was operated on, on the 16th December. Pain was completely gone after the op, only pain I had was from the wound site and it was more uncomfortable than pain. As of now right leg gets pain now and again and it's not bad enough for pain killers, Dr says it's phantom pain and normal. I've also started to get what feels like hot flushes that go from my buttock and down my thigh , sometimes travels down to my calf, was just wondering if you or anyone else had experience of this. TIA