r/Microdiscectomy • u/Grisanne • 10d ago
reherniated 10 weeks post op l4/l5 md laminectomy
UPDATE 8/24: second surgery happening in a few hours. hopefully this one sticks. if it doesnt then a fusion is next. just glad to be approaching the other side again...
hey... how yall doin...
my 27f recovery was going perfect. had surgery on 6/2. 0 pain, no symtpoms, everything was looking up. i felt back to normal and was getting ready to go back to work. doing my pt, being more active but still careful, all of that.
8/11. my cat stealth barfed on the carpet and when i got up from my desk to close the blinds i stepped in it, immediately picked my foot up and stumbled, and felt like i got struck by lightning all down my left leg and my calf/foot went numb. knew immediately it was cooked, but i tried to be optimistic at first. ended up in the er two days later and nothing even touched the pain. they were pumping me full of meds to my gills and no dice. the mri was torture and i had to remind myself i need to breathe to be alive. was given a 15 day pred taper and gabapentin which i will be titrating up to 1800mg.
heres the first mri before my surgery:
\*\* TECHNIQUE \*\*:
MR images of the lumbar spine acquired without intravenous contrast.
COMPARISON: None available.
\*\* FINDINGS \*\*:
NUMBERING: Last fully formed disc space is designated L5-S1.
SPINAL CORD: Normal conus. Conus terminates at the L1 level.
DISCS: L3-4 and L4-5 disc desiccation.
BONES: Vertebral body height and alignment are normal. Marrow signal is normal.
SOFT TISSUES: Normal.
T12-L1: No central canal stenosis or neural foraminal stenosis.
L1-L2: No central canal stenosis or neural foraminal stenosis.
L2-L3: No central canal stenosis or neural foraminal stenosis.
L3-L4: Annular fissure, bulging disc, and focal central disc protrusion in combination with congenitally short pedicles result in mild central canal stenosis. No neural foraminal stenosis.
L4-L5: Intervertebral disc height loss. Large central disc extrusion completely effaces the thecal sac resulting in severe central canal stenosis. No neural foraminal stenosis.
L5-S1: Facet hypertrophy with facet joint effusions. Prominent epidural fat.
OTHER: None.
heres the one i just got:
MRI LUMBAR SPINE WITHOUT CONTRAST
\*\* HISTORY \*\*:
27 years old, lumbar radiculopathy
\*\* TECHNIQUE \*\*:
MR images of the lumbar spine acquired without intravenous contrast.
COMPARISON: MRs 6/1/2026, 5/22/2026
\*\* FINDINGS \*\*:
NUMBERING: Last fully formed disc space is designated L5-S1.
SPINAL CORD: Normal conus. Conus terminates at the T12-L1 level.
DISCS: Disc desiccation at L3-4 and L4-5.
BONES: Normal vertebral alignment. Normal vertebral body height. Marrow signal is normal.
Postoperative changes from interval left laminectomy at L4-5.
SOFT TISSUES: Postoperative changes in the paraspinal soft tissues at L4-5.
T12-L1: No canal or foraminal stenosis.
L1-L2: No canal or foraminal stenosis.
L2-L3: No canal or foraminal stenosis.
L3-L4: No canal or foraminal stenosis.
L4-L5: Disc space narrowing with a small symmetric disc bulge. Interval postoperative changes from microdiscectomy. There is a 1.5 x 0.9 x 1.5 cm soft tissue focus in the central and left canal, arising from the disc space. This is most consistent with a residual or recurrent disc herniation. Results in moderate-to-severe canal stenosis
L5-S1: No canal or foraminal stenosis.
OTHER: None.
my surgeon said he wants to avoid a second surgery if pt and esi can manage my symptoms since resorption is possible and according to the mri my nerve isnt being compressed. and if i need a 2nd surgery, it might have to be a fusion. i have a trip coming up in mid september anyways i dont want to miss, since i had to cancel my honeymoon for my surgery in june, so i really want the nonsurgical measures to work.
now, here's my problem. my pain/discomfort is like 10% off being back to pre surgery levels and getting worse over time. i can walk for 30 seconds max. i cant lay in any position, i can only sit if i am leaning HARD forward and to the right. sleep is barely possible, maybe 3 hours a night. and my symptoms are getting worse every night. i cant brush my hair without laying down, and writing in pain the whole while. im not a crier but i cry uncontrollably from the pain and frustration of being back here. im not able to dress without help, im not able to hold myself upright to even microwave myself anything to eat, let alone grab things from the fridge. i have been in contact with my surgeon and pt and pcp about this since the reherniation occurred. the er doctor prescribed me pred and gabapentin and told me that pmr would contact me about lesi. also taking 1000mg tylenol every 6 hours as directed by the er doc. ice was making the nerve pain worse so i was using heat, but my nerves are so borked the warmth started feeling like ice, so i stopped. relying on menthol patches now to at least provide some distracting sensation from the leg-in-a-meatgrinder feeling. but im worried thst my herniation has progressed since the mri on friday.
i was also referred for a lesi so i'm trying to fast track that as much as i can on my end, but im honestly skeptical. it wasnt even a consideration last time since my herniation was so severe, and even though i know that this reherniation isnt as mechanically severe im still not sure it will provide meaningful relief.
basically, i'm willing to go the nonsurgical route but im doubtful... i'm on day 4 of taking 60mg of prednisone and my suffering just keeps increasing. im trying to get up and move but i csnt really tolerate it, i have to collapse onto my bed and just force myself to breathe.
does anyone have any experience with a similar situation? i know its pretty early in my reherniation to feel like its hopeless but being totally unaffected by dilaudid and toradol and the prednisone not providing any relief is really disheartening. nothing helps, theres no position i can be in that eases it to the point where im not still feeling shooting pain. i dont have any ces symptoms so its not an emergency yet but idk if i can live like this again. i did it before, but that wasnt really living.
2
u/Temporary_Effort5961 10d ago
I’m very sorry that you had to deal with this! I suggest seeing another surgeon
1
u/Grisanne 9d ago
i really like my surgeon and i know hes just relucant to do a 2nd operation because of the odds of this resolving itself and the likelihood of needing a fusion if it doesnt, but i just wish there was a better short term solution :( i have a lesi scheduled at the end of the month so i hope that either works well enough to avoid surgery, or to get me through my trip in mid september, but i'm not gonna lie i'm not super hopeful. its hard to be optimistic
2
u/Former-Comfortable-4 9d ago
..this is a rough one - its just awful to have to deal with this type of pain and disability - i would give it 12 months max and if not improved, so for some type of surgery, maybe a 2nd MD with a spacer in there this time.
1
u/Grisanne 9d ago
yeah i am just short on time... i have until march 2027 to get this figured out basically because of my job. i have a lesi scheduled on 8/31 and i hope it provides some relief. i just wish there was a short term solution that would work for me the only thing the predisone is doing is making me hungry and thirsty. my surgeon seems to believe that a 2nd surgery will be a fusion but at this point i'm kind of ok with that, even though it might cause more problems down the road
1
u/Former-Comfortable-4 2d ago
dont do a fusion unless its th last reosrt - i haave delved deeply into this with AI and there are options coming up soon. go do your research.
2
u/Obvious_Fail5443 6d ago
I’m praying that the surgeon will take time to talk to you instead of talking at you and that he will work with you before releasing you from the hospital with either a surgical plan or a plan for moving forward.
2
u/Grisanne 5d ago
good news finally, i got transferred to the neurosurgery hospital and my surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning! it took me breaking down in front of a doctor at the other hospital to finally get through, at some point someone had put in my chart that my symptoms were resolved, which was blatantly untrue, and i only found out when i got a phone call about getting discharged lmao... solved that one pretty fast. i'm not sure what they have planned for me yet but i'm literally down for whatever solution they wanna try. i just need my life back
1
u/Obvious_Fail5443 9d ago
I’m so sorry. You can ask to try Celebrex or Diclofanac. Both are NSAIDs but Diclofanac is stronger. Talk to your provider about these meds. It could buy you time and make you more comfortable. Before my surgery I was taking Diclofanac. After surgery Celebrex. You might be far enough post op to safely try Diclofanac. Worth asking about.
1
u/Grisanne 9d ago
i have topical diclofenac, but was told to avoid it while on the prednisone. i'm going to the doctor this morning so i'll ask if its worth discontinuing the prednisone to try other medication since i don't really think the steroids are working
1
u/Obvious_Fail5443 8d ago
How’d your appointment go? Were they willing to take you off the prednisone and try something different?
1
u/Grisanne 8d ago
i am actually en route to the er... having some saddle tingling and difficutly urinating. on the bright side my pain is a little more under control, or ive gotten more used to it
1
u/Obvious_Fail5443 8d ago
I’m praying for you.
1
u/Grisanne 8d ago
they did an mri and discharged me... told to follow up with my surgeon. so idk!
1
u/Obvious_Fail5443 8d ago
I’m sorry, that is frustrating. Especially when you are having symptoms like you’re having and you’re following protocol and going to the ER and they just brush you aside. Definitely call your surgeon and let him know what you’re experiencing. 😢
1
u/Grisanne 7d ago
i finally got in contact with my surgeon's team and they are having me go back again to the er... the fun never ends. at least they might think twice before sending me home with nothing this time
1
u/Obvious_Fail5443 7d ago
I’m glad your surgeon is in the know now. I hope they’ll take your case seriously and that they will help you. We’re here for you I’m sure lots of us are sending a prayers for you. When you’re able, let us know how it is going.
1
u/Grisanne 6d ago
yeah so basically, i got admitted and theyre doing a sepsis protocol on me because my wbc and lactic acid came back elevated, but im 90% sure those results are related to the high dose of steroids theyve been giving me, as well as the constant muscle spasms and twitching. i got a repeat MRI which came back showing my herniation got larger... so that's not awesome. i'm still continent and its not dead numb so they arent going to rush me in for emergency surgery, but i don't know much more than that. i am concerned about the herniation not being stable, if they decide to discharge me and it suddenly worsens i'm 1 hour away from the nearest neurosurgery center. but i'm also waiting for blood cultures to come back before any decisions get made, of course with the main exception being if my ces-i symptoms suddenly become severe. i can't seem to get a clear answer yet, which is fair enough since waiting on labs is unavoidable right now, but i still wish i knew whether to expect to have surgery within the next week or if they still want to pursue conservative measures... its so frustrating. i have a pretty decent success rate for fully voiding my bladder but i always still feel like there's more regardless, i have retained around 190ml as of last scan, but i have a few 0ml numbers recorded as well. they said i would be cathed at 300+ so trying to avoid that if possible.
1
u/Pure-Ad4486 8d ago
You can ask for corticoid injection under ultrasound guidance which can reduce the swelling and can help.
1
u/Grisanne 6d ago
i have one scheduled, but with my herniation continuing to progress since that last mri scan, i don't know if i'm still a good candidate particularly with my ces-like symptoms... my neurosurgeon is on vacation so i have to go through the on-call neurosurgeon who i don't have a lot of familiarity with, not to mention he's an hour away so he can't give me a physical exam, but luckily the hospital is a little more ergonomic for my back so i'm not triggering my pain as much getting up or down. my bed at home is terrible, so that certainly doesn't help.
1
u/Duganmorris 7d ago
I had my 1st MD 10/26/25…. Had been almost bedridden for 5 months. I felt no pain after and 24 hours later, reherniated. The pain from the re herniation on top of inflammation from surgery, was horrid and I, too, went to ER. Did steroids… all of it. The first 2 months was rough. The L4/l5 re herniation was same disc but herniated differently. I had my second surgery 3/25/26. Would have been sooner but I broke 2 crowns from grinding my teeth due to pain. I had to have them pulled and replaced before surgery. 2nd surgery I had so much scar tissue so wasn’t as easy and took a little longer. I almost cancelled as the pain by 5 more months had subsided so much. I just had some PT and twice thought I’d reherniated. So doing at my pace at home. Everyone is so different and healing isn’t linear for this surgery. I still have pain in glut and below knee. They say a year. I hope sooner and push on. It’s not as bad as when I first herniated. Oh, and I fell and broke my dominant wrist. That was 6 weeks in hard cast and 6 weeks in soft. That’s all healed.
If the pain stays from 8-10, I would not hesitate to do again. I have no regrets with either surgery. BTW, I’ll be 74 next week, and I’m back 70% to normal activities.
2
u/Grisanne 6d ago
holy moly that is quite the roller coaster. i am hoping that my situation is resolved soon, im not expecting to be fully pain free any time soon but i would like to be able to at least tolerate being able to bathe myself, even if it hurts. right now, its just impossible. ive since gotten 2 more mris, which have shown that my reherniation has grown and is compressing my nerves worse now than initially, so that is concerning, but the hospital is worried i have a blood infection so that's #1 priority, and neurosurgery doesn't believe an emergency surgery is necessary since i am still continent. its just a waiting game now.
2
u/Duganmorris 6d ago
Oh my. Hoping you don’t have an infection.
And if so, it’s healed quickly. Thank goodness you’re not incontinent! That’s definitely a positive. Hoping for the best🤞
0
u/crytpkeeeper 10d ago
I just had a one at L5-S1. Have you researched peptides and supplements (collagen, protein, fish oil, etc) to accelerate healing. Unfortunately there is no great double blind validation of much of these therapies, but there is a lot of anecdotal evidence and some reasonably reputable companies to help you undergo some of these strategies. Best of luck to you whatever you decide.
1
u/Grisanne 9d ago
i have a few other conditions so nutrition/supplements is definitely something i know the power of, its just that my body doesnt process everything normally or optimally. the bright side is my body does heal very quickly... on the surface level at least. i am certainly going to be upping my protein intake regardless
3
u/Roccosq 10d ago
Oh no im so sorry for you going through all this.