I wasn’t going to do a post for today, but I am feeling pretty good. 13 Wednesdays ago I has laminectomy surgery to repair a ruptured disc between my L5 and S1 vertebra. Recovery is long and slow.
General Recovery Update
My recent milestones are that I am feeling my right calf now for sure and I’m learning more core exercises which seem to help a lot. Life is feeling more normal every day.
Pain
Pain hasn’t been a factor for a while now. Muscles spasms from scares/noises are the worst, but they go away pretty quickly. I do get uncomfortable sitting, but I can make it through most meals now. I can travel for work much better now too.
Numbness and Sensations
Not much change since last week.
Activities
I’m still adding to the breadth of exercises along with greater effort. So, there is measurable progress there.
I did a relatively big fishing trip last weekend. It gave me a lot of confidence since I had no pain and was able to do a lot. I’m still limited, but not as much of a burden as I have been.
Therapy
Therapy is coming to a close from a formal perspective. A few more sessions where they plan to give me more tools for maintenance. I still have a long way to go to get strength back and prevent more problems. I’m glad they see progress in me too.
Walking
Walking is still nice, but it is being replaced with more exercises. When I get uncomfortable, walking is still one of the best things for me.
Biking
I’m getting around on the cruiser and doing more on my real bike. I can feel that my right calf is firing more. The more it fires, the more I use it and the better I can strengthen it. I really don’t think the nerve is 100% wired back up since I have to try so hard to flex it.
Gym
I don’t like going to the gym; I get bored quickly. But, it is nice to be able to go in and do some basic things. The elliptical machine seems to be really good and I do some light free weights. Nothing too hard, but I can see that I am getting stronger in general.
Returning to Life
Again this week life is feeling more normal.
For me, 5 weeks was a hard time. I was still in the brace doing nothing, so I was getting weaker. At 6 weeks I started therapy and by 8-10 I was feeling better. Now, at 3 months+ I feel much more normal and am doing more.
Yeah .I have read all of your posts . I noticed that I had the same experience during week 5 when not much of a difference in progress . Going into week six I can tell a difference from the soreness in my back . Do you stil hurt inside from the surgery ? I didnt wear a brace . Did a Neuro or Ortho do your surgery ?
Glad to hear that you are doing well . Keep us posted on any progress. I had my Laminectomy 5 Weeks ago .