Discectomy - After the Operation

[troucrano]

Hi

I am soo angry.....My consultant told me at the beginning of January that the waiting time for my discectomy would be about 6 weeks. Seven and a half weeks later I have just rung the hospital to find out if I have been scheduled yet, only to be told that the waiting time is actually EIGHTEEN weeks! The 18 weeks doesn't start from my consultation (1st one in Nov) but from the date I was put onto the waiting list.

I am furious - how can the consultant get it so wrong?

Maz

 

[mary G]

Hi,
Thats sounds just like me...saw consultant beginning of january...phoned up his secretary last week to be told that I was on the list but had not been penciled in yet!!!!!!!....its so frustrationg...where abouts are you?

 

[hynlwcjc]

If you know the name of your surgeon then write to him personally explaining how much worse your condition is since you last saw him, ask him how long the wait will be and ask him to consider doing your op earlier if they get any cancellations. It worked for me - isn't it worth a try?

 

[Clydeweelay]

Hi

I am in Shropshire but from what I can gather this is happening all over the place. I have spoken to the lady that looks after the waiting list and she has promised to let me know if there is a cancellation so that I might be seen sooner.

I hadn't thought of writing to the surgeon but think it is a great idea, and will give it a try - thanks

 

[thenoseknows]

And....if its a hospital with foundation trust status contact Monitor. Also contact the Strategic Health Authority, I've been shuffled around because I have problems in two areas of my spine and they are dealt with by two different Trusts. I'm employed by one of theTrusts and my managers are trying to shuffle me out the door because I haven't had treatment yet...crazy! They might succeed in trashing my life but I won't go quietly.

I think making people wait for an operation that can allow people to get on with their lives is a disgrace, hence my letter writing. The information I have from people at work is that the 18 week target begins from the referral letter, although there isn't anything preventing hospitals fiddling the numbers. According to my GP my waiting time is being 'manipulated' and he has asked for a conversation with the consultant, the consultant hasn't returned his call.

Everyone must start making a lot of noise about this, it seems this condition isn't going to kill people so they don't worry as much...it makes me so mad!!!

PS I'm in Dorset

 

[meerkatwotnot]

I have tried this when I had been told to go away for six weeks to see if slight improvement (after five months) would increase and was immediately given an appointment for a few days ahead. When I then decided to go for an operation to release the nerve at L4 I was given an operation date for two weeks ahead. I also found it a good idea to make personal contact with the Consultant's secretary. She was very helpful in drawing his attention to my letter. I had the op on 25th February and, despite glitches of a day or two of acute pain and discomfort, am making good progress.

I'm very grateful to have found this website as I realise my experiences are not unique. When savage pain returned to the leg after four days of painlessness, I thought the other 'dodgy' disc might have gone (and so did a neurosurgeon in A & E!) but I eventually saw the man who had operated and he reassured me that he had seen the nerve released when he moved out the junk constricting it.

 

[JobPhics]

Just an update on my January posts. The pain is still there but I am mobile again now the spasm has worn off. Definitely in better spirits and trying to keep positive. I have seen another neuro specialist who has diagnosed permenant nerve damage, caused either by disc compression before the op, the operation itself or scar tissue afterwards. He has prescribed Gabapentin which I'd never heard of before. I have been taking it almost 2 weeks and although the general pain around my lower back has subsided, the sciatic pain down my left side has got more intense. I haven't suffered any of the immediate side effects I was warned about with this medication (except for slight confusion and drowsiness), but I haven't been told how long I might have to take it for and if long term use is harmful. Unfortunately this puts my future baby plans even further back as they cannot be taken prior to or during pregnancy. Obviously first step is to try and get my back pain and associated problems under control first anyway, but it's so frustrating how little information and conflicting advice there is from the medical profession. One doctor told me I wouldn't have a normal pregnancy or birth, a few weeks later another told me there was no reason why I wouldn't (so I'm choosing to believe him!) Does anyone have any advice on pregnancy and back pain and medication?
I'm still off work, but recently had an occupational health assessment so should be able to return if a few adjustments to my working area can be carried out.
Sitting is still very uncomfortable but walking and laying flat are the only times I'm relitively pain free. It's been a year this month since I had the op and I'm encouraged by everyone's stories here. I'm not anti-NHS but it's just seems a shame so many of us have been kept needlessly waiting by lack of funds, information, staff, communication etc. I'm doing my own stretches and excersises at home, trying to build muscle and improve strength on my weaker side but like so many have said, it's fine on good days but as soon as my back 'goes' I can't do anything like that. Also, I agree, you must always listen to your own body, do as much as you feel you can but so many people with no experience will tell you what you should and shouldn't be doing, but you know your own body best and every story is different. Hope you're all continuing to make progress and are finding the support you need.

 

[foolery]

Hi all,new here.
this forum came up when i googled discectomy.

last thursd 5pm i was operated on and couldnt believe it when the hosp said i could go home fri lunchtime.
i was up,mobile,did the stairs with physio staff n there was nothing the hosp could give me for pain that i havnt got at home.

I have rapid cycling bi polar and because of this must not cannot have phines....
no morphine,pethadine,codiene or anything that contains any of this so no tramadol either.

have had years of sciatica that i just kinda got used to living with (as ya do)
but 4 monthes ago somthing changed,it got much much worse
my right leg varied between totally numb and shooting pains weakness in the knee,walking became a problem as i had no right foot for 3 monthes.

due to my inabilaty to have usual pain relief my gp has been absolutly fantastic with 2 or 3 x weekly accupuncture to try n manage the pain along side physio to see if the "flare up" would settle down..

my gp went on hols for a week, id thought i could go a week without being stabbed but OMG...owtchh by day 3 no needles.
pain getting worse by the day.
then somthing that bothered me as a previous cin 3 patient,my gynea area's started hurting
me ending up in hosp for an emergency gynea assesment
15 yrs since i been in a hospital, i despise the places.
3 days of gynea checks,scans,internals ect revealled nothing gynycologically wrong,thank god in one way but....whats causing the pain at such extreme level then ?
at this stage i was hanging off railings,stair rails,worktops n anything else i could grab hold of during a "spasm" labour breathing the lot....sheesh that was pain like i have never felt before
and mysterious as gyny wise they had cleared me.
hmmm mri scan revealled 3 prollapsed discs and of course trapped nerve (we already knew that)....but what has that got to do with my lower right abdo pain that was getting worse by the day/hour even

7 straight faced drs delivered the results of the mri,advising me of the "options" which at that time were operate,operate or keep suffering at the level i was because all i can take is paracetamol and brufen(which was nowhere near touching the pain)
i asked for and received accupuncture in hosp that day and bizzarly enough had 4 pain free hours and calm after 10 days of hell....
they told me i was in for discectomy the following morn n to mentally prepare myself for 1 of 3 outcomes...
highest chance is the op would work n my life might start getting back to normal ish (i''d been that long with sciatica/back pain tbh id forgotton what normal was..im of farming background,)im an outdoor girl,used to be fit n strong physicallly.
hmm
other outcomes possible..it wouldnt work n i'd still be in leg/back pain
parylisis
or dbl incontinence
but the chances were low and as my groin area was now numbing i was advised i NEEDED the op asap.

I accepted the risks n signed on the line,4 kids at home i hadnt been able to see cwtch for over a week
n pain back with avengence....have some paracetamol hmmmm.

that same afternoon the surgeon got a cancelation n much to my surprise,having given me little time to worry,n i wasnt brave enough to look it all up on the net at that stage.
i was called down to theatre last thursday aftrenoon.
8pm i came round saying YESSSSS i got 2 legs i can feel em both

10 pm that night.i was up n useing the bathroom normally
omg,as far as im concerned a week on, a miricle has been performed.

came home the next day,the car journey was uncomfy ,remember im only allowed paracetamol n brufen.

ive been home a week today ,i feel positive n generally well in body and mind
NO PAIN in my leg back or abdom wooooohooooooo
i have two working legs
its been monthes since ive walked properly useing and feeling two legs and 2feet and im so happy/relieved to be able to now do so.

im not yet able to pick up my two yr old but weve made our own special baddy back cwtch n it involves me being on my knees/her level

have not taken any pills apart from my bi polar meds in the last 6 days and that feels so good not to be rattling anymore. from 28 pills a day two weeks ago to 2 now

its hard for me to rest,my head n heart wants me to get up n do stuff ,normal mummy type stuff with my baba but i know i have to rest even tho im not in pain and i feel good..this is the hardest bit for me so far.
but me n babs are having great fun with her bricks and my grabber
and a V pillow and sheepskin have been my comfys this week.

i hope sharing my journey will give others positivity,
i dont hurt anymore
and each hour of each day that passes,is an hour closer to me being back carrying my baba n climbing in the mountains i love so much ,
happy days

 

[TAHA]

Hi Campertess, I enjoyed reading your post, its always comforting to hear when someone has a good outcome. I have to admit that I don't expect my pains to ever go away, but it is still my deepest wish. Thankfully my children are grown up, I don't know how sufferers manage with little ones, they can be so heavy! And I really, REALLY don't know how you coped without strong painkillers......well done and good luck!

 

[Lateefah]

Im glad to share if it gives somone,anyone a glimpe of positivity

regards the kids, im lucky i good dam gd family, nan close by and 3 older children 20,17 n 15 and they have all been/are being fantastic.

re meds, i have no choice...sane head painful body,or baddd head n no painful body ...sometimes not easy but i try beyond all else to keep the sane head n put up with anything else as it comes along x

 

[Arifytyday]

Am soo glad there are others out there experiancing the same problems as me! sometimes feels like im the only one

Have been suffering with sciatica for around 3 yrs but the last year has really been unbareable!!! Had a disceptomy ( L5/S1) and lumber decompression around 2 yrs ago but it did not relieve the pain.

Had another MRI scan around 8 months ago which showed nothing new and was offered the choice of waiting on an endless list for pain management or undergoing the same op again in an attempt to get some kind of relief. With the pain absolutely unbearable and no painkillers working (solpadol, tramadol, lyrica, gabbapentin, brufen retard, MST, diazipam, amytriptylene, diclofenac) I opted for which ever would be faster. this turned out to be the surgery which carried heavier risks as it had already been done once before.

I am now 1 week post op and back at home. There is no real change in the pain in my left leg and i have now lost the feeling in my toes due to the operation. I am so scared that the op has not worked again as i dont know what i would do next to try to get my life back.

there are some good threads on here in which people have said the leg pain has gone months after the op, (which is what im praying for!!!) If there is anyone outhere who did not get instant relief following a disceptomy i would be very grateful to hear there story. any stories that will give me reason to believe that im not wrote off just yet would be good to hear. BOO!

 

[inqhrina]

hi there . i have just had my 2nd op after 6 years disctomey on my l5/s1 i woke up with a numb tight heel and it feeling like jelly it is starting to change feeling and i have also got tight muscel area at the top of my leg so just hoping this go , i am a bigger lady but healthy am looking for any help in noing what exceseris and any good thepyres are about if any one can help as i want to start getting healthy and to look after my poor back ggrrr ... at the moment am in an out of bed in the day wearing those nice stocking which i have to wear for 3 weeks my god they driving me insane .. x

 

[Pompal 09.]

Hello all, I am new to this forum.

I have a prolapsed disc at L5S1 area since May 2008 with bad pain. I have been living on pain killers as the pain is unbearable, had 2 face joint back injection last year and it did work for a month the very first time. The second time had no effect so my consultant advised me to have the operation which I did 5 days ago (monday) and I was discharged from hospital by Wednesday afternoon as the physiotherapist said I was able to sit and walk.

I have been prescribed paracetamol and diclofenac 50mg to be taken 3 times a day. I am able to walk around in the house for now although maybe just about 5-10 minutes and sit around for around 20mins.

Even though now after my operation, my leg pain is same as before or a little bit worst, even with the tablets given (see above). Does anyone out there also experience the same problem? Is it normal? I feel like maybe the operation did not work. My back also feels really fragile. I would be grateful if anyone can give me some advice or opinion on this.

Good Luck to you all.

Leon

 

[lkebnupwidhiubefb]

Hello fellow sufferers, I just want assure you that some post op pain is very normal. The spine has taken a bit of a hammering and if the nerves have been crushed they will take a while to settle down. The diclofenec should help with that. Leon, you're doing the right thing to alternate between sitting and walking, hopefully you have some exercises to work on as well. Take it easy while its still so sore and increase exercise as you improve, stretching exercises are really good. Try and be patient while going through recovery and hopefully it will all get better, I hope so anyway. If you are really worried get yourself checked with your GP or see if you can speak to someone at the hospital.

I don't care what anyone says, having pain you don't understand can be terrifying....plus the fear that it's all gone wrong. Have faith a bit longer you guys.

 

[Ruben]

just thought i would leave another thread to let others know the progress on the pain.
Almost 2 weeks now and i dont wanna tempt fate by saying it but i think the leg pain is slowly gettin better, (slowly!)
Pain killers are doing alot more than they did and am working on the muscle waistage.
To all that have had the op and worrying that it has not worked, if the pain is bad still, dont push it too hard and stay positive. Do what exercises u can and dont expect instant results, (even though some do get instant relief).
even though my pain is still bad it is not nearly as bad as it was and hopefully will continue 2 get better.
If people are confused what kind of exercise to do i have found walking and pilates have helped, but maybe thats just me lol.
will write again in a few days 2 keep those interested updated

 

[umsrjqfg]

hi ya am also in dorset an i have been post op week today i have my s1 done it was like a rock so hard they didnt damage any nerves but had to move them a side to get to my disc , so when i cam e round i had a numb heel and foot was like jelly , i have still got it but the feeling changes every day i have today got pain in my leg but its up and down so hoping it will get better in time , so you have to believe because i also had my l4/l5 removed as well 6 years a go . hope to chat more soon

 

[Saint Lucian Lad]

Hi all,

I've been a bit rude. After soaking up all 75 pages on this pre-surgery I went and had my surgery almost 3 weeks ago and haven't reported back.

The reason is I guess that its all gone very well indeed and I suppose people are much slower to report the good news rather than the bad, so I am here to buck that trend.

I've quoted my original post to remind anyone of my symptoms - L5 - S1.

Basically the op lasted an hour. First thin I did was waggle feet - cool - the'd not paralysed me! Second was to feel for sciatic pain. 99.9% of it had vanised. A tiny tingle, almost a faint shadow, in my foot. I was wheeled back to my room at 7pm. In no pain at all. Slept at about 3am - anaestheitcs do that to you apparently. Next day I waddled to the loo. Then after that down the corridor and down some steps. Discharged myself the day after. Only 2 nights in. Slightly unsteady on my feet. Some gentle excercises to do to keep the nerve moving around. NO PAIN at all in the leg, nothing in the back. 4g of paracetamol and diclofenec as well as my pregabalin for 2 weeks. Lately I've some off the pain killers and although I can feel stiffness in the back any post-operative "pain" is less than 1% of what I have had before.

The surgeon said the prolapse material came out in 2 lumps. It was a biggy. He could see the nerve contorted around the prolapse. Surgeon was Robert Dunsmuir at the Spire Hospital in Leeds.

What I would say to anyone is that if you have had the symptoms for months, explored the conservative options seen no improvement, then get it done. Life changing - or restoring!

 

[Deke666]

Hi I live in Australia and three weeks ago I was rushed to hospital with L4, L5 and S1 problems.

After a couple of days of bed rest and drugs I was given an MRI I was told I had two prolapsed disks with a bit of arthritis and would be going to surgery within the hour. Came through the opp piece of cake two days later took the first steps in 10 days and wasn't too bad. Two days on I was allowed to go home. I found I have to sleep a lot a nap during the day etc and after I have a shower I am so cold average temp here is 22 Degrees C at night so its not cold, I started doing a little walking in the morning and took it fairly easy. But I did a stupid thing and mowed the lawn the first week after the opp but I thought pushing the mower would be okay Mhhh.

Next thing I have tried to do a couple of things around the house and actually painted my granddaughters room it took two days and now i have that pain down my left leg again and in my calf muscle and 3 of my toes are numb, so it looks like I have over done it. I did have two bulges on my back but they have settled down. So now I am back to restless nights and even the pain relief I have only makes me drowsy now as I have had so much.

I will be seeing my surgeon in 2 weeks time but am not sure whats going to be said as I seem to have made a complete circle and back to a walking cane and in pain?

I am 53, 6 foot 3 about 110 kilos and don't smoke or drink. I do how ever work in a Heavy engineering shop driving forklifts lifting etc heavy manual work. Now I am not sure how long I will be off or if I can ever do this again. It took me 2 hours to put a cot together the other day and then I slept for 3 hours. And cant sit in the car for too long so I dont know about a forklift ?

Also my diabetes has gone haywire when it has been stable for many years.

So has anyone got any hints or suggestions for me.

 

[Lovely Girl]

Dear Waz...what can anyone say to make you feel better? Apart from taking it easy I think you just have to wait and see what the doc says. Not sure I would mention all the little jobs you've been doing though. I don't know what advice you get over there but in the uk, when you finally get treatment, you have to take it very easy for at least 8 weeks...I wasn't even allowed to take a bath for the first six weeks...I'm just amazed you did so much! Can you get a basic check over with a GP, not sure about your temperature. Try very hard to not do anything but gentle movement for a while, its hard when theres so much to do but its the reality. I was shocked at how much I've been unable to do and am finally getting used to limiting myself (taken nearly three years!) . Just take it easy for while please.

Good luck.

 

[Heidi D]

Hi Melza

Thanks for the reply it is a sad fact that I have to face up to that I can not do the things I have been used to for many years. The doctor said virtually nothing on discharge except I had a appointment with the surgeon in 4 weeks to check up on his work and yeah I will not say what I have been up too. I am not sure but I think I may have done L5 again as the pain is in my buttock and down the outside of my left leg and across my foot with the 4 toes being numb is exactly the same as before but with less pain but always there.
I only knew about taking it easy and not to lift anything over 10 kilos so will see next week what I have done seeing it was caused at work I am covered but I don't know what they will do if I have buggered up 5 ?
One really good thing is that when I ride my motorbike it is very comfortable as it is a big sports bike Honda Blackbird and seems to relieve the stress in my back and legs as I lean forward to ride it. When my car seems to give me pain in the seat even though it has 7 or 8 seat adjustments.
Unfortunate the doctors just like to write out prescriptions so I can manage the pain. I really didn't think i was doing too much as I had put up with it for the month before working as normal but with a lot of pain relief on board and have always been a worker so its hard to slow down.
The temperature of 22 c was the climate temp here say Nights 72 degrees at night and 84 during the day pleasant.
Well thanks for the reply and I am going to try and rest up

Kind Regards

Warren