Microdiscectomy post-operative week 4 (days 24 - 31)

I'm definitely improving, I have gone from 1 good day, 1 bad day to 2 good days, 1 bad day.

On a bad day I get dreadful back twinges, the kind that make you stop in your tracks and go "aarrrrrgh" when you walk strange or bend.  But these happen maybe 10 times a day not the whole time.  I see them as a warning to take more care and slow down and also to remember to go low by squatting not bending, to turn my whole body to move not twisting.  I also get pain in my right leg calf, this is where the very worst of the sciatica was (the knife twisting pain) so I think this current pain is caused by nerve damage still healing.

I have continued to walk 3 miles a day, but fairly slowly - it takes me about 80 minutes, and I still use my walking poles for extra support but I don't think I rely on them now like I did before, I just really like walking with them.

I have not been biking or swimming.  It's too cold for me to swim at this time of year, even indoors and I really take no pleasure in biking on roads.
I went to the shopping mall on day 26 having already done my 3 mile walk, this was too much and Sunday was a sore day. I also went to a school concert on day 29 and I sat for about 45 mins of it, this immediately restarted the calf pain and it stayed for all of the next day too.

I'm now back to residual soreness but it is nothing compared to how I was even just prior to the operation.  I used to lay in bed at night thinking how if I hit my leg with a lump hammer to break it it might stop the pain and would have been happy to have had it amputated, I am serious.  Now it's just a grumbling tooth that flares up occasionally.

I know though that I still can't sit for extended periods, this makes driving difficult, I've not gone more than a few miles and sitting is impossible for over an hour. 

Because of the 'bad days' and sitting issues I've been signed of work again for another week, which will take me to 6 full weeks off work.  This worries me, but I'm determined to 'get fixed' before I put myself under any pressure.



I have created a page of links for my Microdiscectomy posts and other links I have found helpful. You can find it here.


PLEASE FOLLOW THE MEDICAL ADVICE OF YOUR DOCTOR.
WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME.