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Chronic pain

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Microdiscectomy and terrified

2 replies

Finallygotmy3 · 07/06/2026 17:14

Hi all, long read so very thankful if you csn stay.

September last year I started with left leg pain (felt like a vary achy calf), this then became horrendous to bare weight on after a few weeks. About 2 months went by and living with a limp i went to my GP who diagnosed sciatica and tbh I thought they got it wrong. Was sent for physio and put on naproxen to handle the pain and recovery.

Fast forward a month and the pain had spread up my entire left leg/glute/hip and when I tell you I was climbing the walls in agony, I truly was. Another 3 months of this and walking with a hunched back, unable to stand and cook, do daily chores, live....anything. It was hell on earth. Lost my achilles reflex too and suffer with a lot of pins and needles etc.

Around the end of March I had an MRI and finally took up the offer of pregablin (i didn't have this initially as I was still breastfeeding and desperate not to stop). In the end I had no choice.

Anyway....got referred to neurosurgeon as my MRI shows disc dessication on the lower two discs and herniation at L5/S1. However.....over the last 6 weeks my pain has dropped significantly, I'm unsure if this is the meds, natural improvement, or a combination of both honestly I don't know.

Surgery is this week and I'm second guessing everything, I've never been put to sleep, I'm scared but DO NOT want to ever go through that again.
Any advice/experience welcome.

OP posts:
Gurraun · 07/06/2026 21:22

My husband had a microdiscectomy a few years ago. He’d been in huge pain and after the op the surgeon said the disc had basically squished round the spinal chord so no position was pain free.
He had a rough couple of weeks at the start of his recovery but after that it was truly life changing. He did work hard in rehab to strengthen his core as this apparently prevents the disc above/below from doing the same.

Mischance · 07/06/2026 21:26

I had this. Recovered really quickly. It was a blessed relief to.be free of the pain. Very little post op pain ... I just used paracetamol. No-one offered any rehab... I just gradually mobilised a bit more each day.
I do not think you shluld be worried about this. Permanent relief from that awful pain is a joy!

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