Ouch 2 weeks out

[beaner1]

Hi, I am new to ADR support Community. I am 2 weeks out of surgery and am still having a lot of pain. Lower back area. I am wondering how normal this is. I am told for some people it is a slow recovery. I am trying to take it as easy as possible, but is hard. I am a very active person, so this is frustrating. I think I just need a little reassurance all is normal. The surgery did take a little longer than was expected due to my main leg artery not it the normal position. I was also wondering if I could take longer to heal because of this.

Thanks for any help

[Cirobi]

Hey there,

2 weeks post-op is still VERY early. Patience is a virtue when it comes to your recovery. I completely understand being active and having a hard time just sitting back and relaxing because of that. Not doing normal daily tasks drove me nuts.

It can be normal for some to still be hurting so soon post-op but the type of pain is often key. For example, in my own case my pre-op pain was hard to pinpoint - i.e. muscle vs nerve pain. Post-op, when the pressure and pain from the nerves was gone by removal of the faulty disk, I could begin to feel the difference between the muscles throwing a fit and something closer to my pre-op pain. Also, the incision area itself was bothersome for much longer than the initial two weeks post-op with part of that being the location of the incision... right at where waistband of my pants sat!

You'll need to provide a bit more info on your procedure for any of us to really focus in on possible reasons why or give advice on stuff to ask your docs. Just know that you're only at the very beginning. You've had a major surgery and two weeks isn't going to be enough to suddenly declare whether or not you've been healed or if it was a failure.

What level was replaced? Where were the incisions? What was the pain like pre-op compared to post-op? Were the types of pain different? Have you started physical therapy? Have you had any follow up sessions with your surgeon (my first one wasn't until 3 weeks post-op), ETC. There's also a guideline on here somewhere (or you can follow the pattern most of us have used) for putting in a signature with a history of what you've had done in your treatment path.

~Sara

[beaner1]

Thanks Cirobi

I added more to my signature. I hope that helps. I had anterior surgery. I have no problems with that part. I have some displacement pain,(legs) but that does not bother me like the back pain. Before surgery I would get pains in the legs, butt and groin. That pain would come and go. The back pain ( I guess it felt like a tooth ache, but in the back). I had pain every day, but it varied. Sometimes my back ached a lot 10 scale to a 2 scale. The degree of pain and location varied. My back was also going out on me bout once every 2 months, which was too much because I could not work until pain subsided).
The pain after surgery is pretty constant (if I don't take pain meds). It is at the site where the implant is. It feels achy. Walking helps. Sitting is the worst. Maybe I am doing to much.? From what I've heard this is normal due to the doc removing bone to get the disc in. My main leg artery was located right at the spot the disc was supposed to go, (not normal for most people) so my doc had to get the general surgeon back in to move that artery, so he could get back in and get the disc in. He said it was a tight spot. Also, I am off by 3 degrees from where he wanted it. He said not a problem though everything is fine. (I only stayed in hospital one night although I ended up in the ER that night with a UTI infection from the cathedar). So, first three days home was horrible.

I am a barber by trade and it was getting very difficult to do my job and just live my life. This is the first surgery I have ever had and really do not know what to expect. I am young and in great shape. All the info and advice I can get I will take. I appreciate you responding.

Just not sure how long this back achy pain is supposed to last. Also, I take percoct 5mg 3 times a day as needed.(helps) I take the diazapam at night only when I need it to sleep. (I was prescribed Oxycotin, which i refused to take for the first 2 weeks (way to strong)- Percocet for pain every 4 to 6 hours and diazapam). I hate taking the stuff, but I know it will help in the healing. PT maybe after 6 weeks. I see the doc again December 22 I saw him 1 week after surgery and said I was o.k. Took x-rays to make sure disc did not move.

Thanks again

[Cirobi]

Thanks for the extra detail. It sounds like you're definitely on the right track for healing. With my own surgery, I was in the hospital 3 days before they released me but was up walking the day after.

I was told that I should avoid sitting in a regular chair-type position for more than 15 minutes at a time as sitting is actually one of the worst things for your lower back especially if you don't have the proper support for your back while doing it. Walking was one of the best things I could do especially in early recovery. I took to walking around the house as much as possible because it was summer and crazy hot out at the time.

I found that I actually couldn't sit for a full 15 minutes without feeling really achy until sometime between the end of the 1st month post-op to the end of the 2nd month post-op. What I wound up doing at home in order to sit up more was actually create a pillow recliner on my couch. I piled up a few throw pillows to prop myself up but not fully upright and lounged on the couch. This made it possible for me to watch TV, work on my cross stitch projects and play video games to occupy my time.

I was out on medical leave for about 3 months and going back to the office was tough. I had to make sure I got up to walk regularly because sitting was still uncomfortable. Standing was much better than pre-op but not 100% ok yet. Before I went back to work, I did drive myself over to my fitness center and walk around their indoor track a few times to get longer walks in. The best was when I was back at work though. At the time, I got tons of walking in just getting to/from work and around the office due to my job.

You may still ache for months before it goes away save a few flare ups here and there. If your surgery was successful, I wouldn't expect to feel even close to 100% until you get closer to a full year post-op. While I felt great after the initial three months, that was mostly in comparison to how I felt pre-op. I still had to be careful and take it easy from time to time to make sure I didn't cause myself a set-back.

Now, at more than 3 yrs post-op, I've done some stuff I probably wouldn't have been able to do so easily pre-op... like move approx 90 computer setups in 1.5 weeks solo or walk nearly 60 miles in 3 days. That latter one, had my calves/ankles/shins not acted up I probably would have gotten all 60 miles of the event.

As you've probably been told numerous times, take it easy and go slow. Slow may mean practically stopped depending on just how active you're used to being. It will drive you nuts, but keep in mind that everyone's body heals differently and at a different pace.

~Sara