I suffer with bad right sided sciatica since last July. Had surgery late June so around 3.5 months post op and still have sciatica everyday. Feeling really discouraged as it seems a lot of peoples experience is waking up pain free. For those that didn’t… how long did it take you to be pain free?
I’m 4 weeks post-op from an L5-S1 microdiscectomy. Before surgery, my sciatica was 10/10 no matter what position I was in. After surgery, I still had nerve pain with walking and standing, but lying down was pain-free and gave me reliable and instant relief. I could finally sleep 😭
Over the last few days, my nerve pain has increased. My right thigh feels constantly tight and painful, and I’m now having sciatica while lying down as well as when walking or standing. The pain builds gradually with activity, but it no longer completely settles when I rest. I’m currently taking gabapentin, Tylenol, and ibuprofen.
I’ve messaged my surgeon and asked about another MRI to make sure I haven’t reherniated or developed another issue. Has anyone else had nerve pain improve initially and then worsen around 4 weeks post-op, including pain while lying down? Did it turn out to be inflammation or normal nerve healing, or was there another cause like you reherinated? I’d LIKE to say I’ve been very careful. I did start driving again and sitting a bit more now, but I’m not bending twisting or lifting. I am more active and have started cleaning a bit more… ugh.
It was so nice to be 100% pain free while laying down and mornings I felt so good, And it’s so upsetting that I’m getting so much nerve pain around my toes/ankle again and I’m not getting relief when I’m laying down. The other day I had so much nerve pain in my shins, which was kind of a first for me. But now it’s mainly nerve pain in my back and toes and ankle.
I’ve struggled with binge eating disorder since I was about 12 years old. I’m an adult now (27F), and I feel like I’ve spent more of my life fighting food than actually living.
I’ve tried doing it naturally countless times. I’ll have periods where I’m doing amazing, sometimes even for 6 months. Then something happens, I binge once, and it spirals until I’m right back where I started. It’s exhausting and honestly heartbreaking.
I’m at the point where I don’t think I can beat this disorder through willpower alone anymore.
For those of you who have actually seen improvement or recovered, what helped?
GLP-1 medications (Zepbound, Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, etc.)?
Retatrutide or other peptides?
Vyvanse?
Contrave?
Therapy?
Anything else?
I’m especially interested in hearing from people who have had binge eating disorder for years, not just occasional overeating. Did anything actually quiet the constant food noise? Did it help stop the cycle of obsessing over food and feeling out of control?
I know there’s no magic fix, but I’d really appreciate hearing honest experiences. I just want my life back, and I’m finally ready to admit I probably need more help than trying to “just have more self-control.”
I recently had surgery on my spine for a herniated disc, where being overweight is absolutely not ideal in having a bad back. I’m 250lbs, and desperately need to be at least 160lbs. But I’m stuck in this endless loop of yo yo dieting and then growing depressed and eating again ( •̀ ᴖ •́ )
Thank you to anyone willing to share. ❤️
Hi everyone. I could really use some reassurance or honest experiences from people who’ve been through this.
I’m 27 and had an L5-S1 microdiscectomy about 17 days ago after dealing with severe S1 sciatica for almost a year. Before surgery I had horrible pain, but I could actually walk pretty well. My biggest issue was sitting and lying down. Sleeping was awful.
After surgery I expected recovery to take time, but I really thought each week I’d be able to walk a little farther. Instead, I feel like I’m stuck.
When I’m lying down, I’m usually pretty comfortable. But after about 10-30 minutes of standing or walking, I get this deep aching/burning pain in my right glute. Once that starts, my calf, ankle, and foot begin burning, aching, and zinging just like before surgery. Eventually I have to go lie down because I can’t stay on my feet anymore.
I actually had one day where I thought, “Wow, I think I’m finally turning a corner.” I walked around my property, went to the grocery store, and felt hopeful. Then I had my first PT appointment. We did hip hinges, squats, practiced picking things up, and used a massage gun around my lower back/glute. My period also started around the same time, and ever since then I honestly feel like I’ve gone backwards. I know it could be a coincidence, but it’s been really hard not to wonder.
The first day of my period was MISERABLE (last night). I had intense nerve pain even laying down and heavy cramping. I’m on day two of my period now.
Now my walking tolerance feels worse than it did a few days ago, and even my mornings, which were usually my best time, haven’t been great.
The hardest part is honestly the mental side of it. I feel like my whole life is on hold. I keep wondering if I’m ever going to be able to go hiking, garden, travel, or even just walk around a store without worrying about how far I am from a bed.
I don’t have any new weakness or bowel/bladder issues, and I did message my neurosurgeon today for advice. I’m mostly just looking to hear from people who had a recovery that wasn’t the “I woke up pain-free” story and have a hard time walking without a flare up.
It’s just crazy to me that I could walk prior to surgery… and now I just can’t. Walking helped me so much prior to surgery and now I feel stuck and bed bound.
I’m 6 days post-op from an L5-S1 microdiscectomy and I’m curious if anyone else had similar issues.
Before surgery, walking was actually one of the few things that helped my sciatica. Sitting and lying down were the worst, but once I got moving, I could usually walk for quite a while. I have a standing desk and treadmill and I would game while walking for 2+ hours.
Now it’s almost the complete opposite. I can finally sleep on my back and sides again, which I couldn’t do before surgery, but standing and walking are really difficult. After about 10 minutes, I start getting pretty intense nerve pain in my ankle/calf along with a pinching sensation in my thigh. If I push through it, the nerve pain gets bad enough that I have to lie down.
I know everyone says walking is one of the best things you can do after surgery, but I’m struggling because walking is exactly what’s setting my nerve off right now.
Has anyone else had this happen where walking was better before surgery but worse during the first couple of weeks afterward? If so, how long did it take before you could start walking normally again? I really hope my nerves aren’t still compressed.
I’ve started getting dark hairs on my belly that I tweeze, but in result of that I get circular open like “wounds” on my stomach that I am so embarrassed of. Anybody else deal with something similar?
I had my surgery on the morning on the 25th. So far I would say my glute pain has gone down a lot, but I’m still getting a lot of sciatica and nerve pain in my feet, ankle, and calf. I didn’t really wake up pain free like a lot of others on here said they did. So far I’ve been napping, laying down, and doing short ten min walks as much as I can. The nerve pain gets worse near the end of my walks. I’m hoping it’s just because of inflammation. My nerves have been compressed since July of last year, so I know it’ll take a bit. Does this all sound normal?
What should I expect as the weeks go on? I have Pt scheduled 2 weeks after my surgery date. I am being very strict not to do any bending, lifting or twisting.
It looks like most people are recommending a herman miller chair. That price point though….. ouch. I have lower back issues, I actually just got a microdisectomy on my L5-S1 yesterday and know I need to invest in better spine hygiene. My current office chair is about to be thrown to the dump. I have a standing desk and walking pad, so I’m already committed to not sitting for 8+ hours a day. I do game in my free time for a few hours every few days or so and also work from home. I was eyeballing the herman miller embody chair… any other brands that may be worth looking into? I also looked on fb marketplace and didn’t really see a whole lot of secondhand herman millers, so I’d probably buy new. I am a bit overweight at 260lbs.
I have surgery in the 25th for my MD. I stopped NSAIDs today and I am suffering. Did you guys just suffer until surgery?
Also this is my first surgery ever and I’m so nervous. What can I expect?
Update: had my surgery and it went great. No sciatica glute pain currently! Just sore around incision site. Taking it very easy and going to take extra care of my back so I don’t reherinate. As of now very happy that I went through with it.
Surgeon told me to stop NSAIDS a week prior to surgery, but I stopped 3 days prior lol… may have failed to mention it to them but everything was okay. Definitely talk with your surgeon about it though.
I’m in the hunt to find a good coffee creamer! I’m trying to shy away from artificial sweeteners but also want something lower calories but I also like my coffee lowkey milky and creamy 😭 any recommendations?
I have a consultation with both an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in neurosurgery and then a neurosurgeon consultation. Is one better than the other? My husband and sister in law are telling me to stick with the neurosurgeon since they are more specialized… thoughts?
Has anyone gone on after getting a MD done and gotten pregnant? It’s a lot of pressure on your back… currently have L5-S1 herniation and getting surgery soon. But I’m young. I’m 26 and want a family one day.
Does anyone have any recommendations for books to read regarding helping your back after a lower disc herniation? Planning on getting surgery soon and I want to make sure I stay in good condition after.
Obviously it wasn’t ideal. But I took FMLA on may 5th due to herniating my disc in my spine and having a miscarriage. I was in unbearable pain and wasn’t even thinking about our house closing process. We are scheduled to close on the 12th. My mortgage officer checked yesterday (Friday) with my job who said I was on leave, and of course that’s causing issues. My boss wrote me a letter stating I’m scheduled to return to work July 6th to the same job, same position, and same pay rate. HR also gave a statement to my mortgage officer that I am scheduled to return and gave them my short term disability leave policy and confirmed I am secure in my job. Our first mortgage payment will be due July 1st, so technically I am returning after the first payment is due.
My mortgage officer didn’t know what type of documents I need to go through underwriting. She submitted both statements yesterday and of course since it is a Friday I won’t know anything until Monday. She did say she wasn’t concerned, but she was absolutely stressed yesterday too. And she said this was a rare occasion, so I don’t think she handles this type of situations a lot. I can’t help but be absolutely so stressed. We were good to close before this happened. Looking back I wish I never took a leave if I knew it was going to cause issues. I was just in so much pain I didn’t think about it. Does anyone have experience in taking FMLA before closing on your house?
My husband and I have enough liquid in our savings to pay for our mortgage for 18 months without working. I’m just so stressed we may lose the house because I got hurt. We put 15k earnest money down and have been in the process of closing since March. I don’t know what other documents I could even submit at this point. I’m thankful my job was so responsive and submitted everything they could. My short term disability is still being reviewed, so I’m not sure what % of pay I will get. But max is up to 60% of my pay.