Lumbar Laminectomy; Recovery at Home

I just had a Laminectomy L4 – L7 on 12/26 and I am currently recovering at home. The surgery started at 10:00 am and lasted for about 2.5 hours. The doctor told me that it was very routine, and that they didn’t come across any surprises or issues. The reason I was having this done was because my arms were going numb often, and I lost a lot of arm strength. I had concerns about recovery especially since I live alone. Here is my experience so far. When I woke up from the surgery I remember moving my feet to make sure I was able to move my toes. I took a deep breath in and realizing that the pain and numbness in my arms was completely gone and has been gone ever since. I have only felt slight pain in my arms during the back spasms I’ve had during recovery. I had planned on spending only 1 night in the hospital, but after I tried to get up and go to the restroom I realized I needed to stay longer. When I leaned up the first time to sit on the side on my bed the pain was about an 8, but when I stood up to walk to the bathroom (with assistance) the pain shot up to a 10. I immediately started to sweat, my face turned pale white and I didn’t think I was going to make it 10 steps. With help – of course I made it back to bed, but I was scared about having to do it again. I was exhausted after that and slept the night through (except for the nurses coming in to give me my meds). Day two in the hospital I felt like a completely different person. When it came time to use the restroom I had no problems. I did have assistance part of the way, but I was able to sit down and get up by myself. After that I was ready to go home the next morning. That 2nd day in the hospital was a turning point for me, I felt so much better very quickly. At 1:00 am I was inspired to get up and take a short walk down the hall just to re-confirm my feelings of being ready to go home in the morning. I walked by myself, with the assistance of holding on to my drip line. After getting home I had my sister stay with me for 2 nights. It was really important to get on a routine for taking my meds and taking walks etc. Today is 1/1 and my surgery was 6 days ago. I have been on my own for 2 days now, and I feel like I can take care of myself moving forward. I can shower, dress, cook, and do anything I need to do with moderation. I have put my plates, glasses, pans etc, all at eye level or on the counter ready for me to use. The only challenge I still have is taking care of my DOG. The fact that I live in the NW and it’s our rainy season, I can’t find a way to wipe my dog’s feet when he comes in and out. My Dog was dropped off at my house a day after I got home and when I realized I had no way of taking care of him, and my family leaving the next morning, I had to call my friend to come pick up my dog again. I don’t have my post-op meeting until 1/18, but I will call them tomorrow to discuss options for being able to work with my dog. All-in-all, the doctors were impressed on how fast I have been recovering. I was told to expect a painful week of recovery before it would start feeling better – and they were telling the truth! It’s painful, but the meds are great! I’m looking forward to recovery and a fabulous 2013! Hope this was helpful to you.

thank you for all the informative info you gave. My name is David I am to have this surgery either this month or next. I live alone and it was like you were talking to me. I like a sponge right now absorbing as much as I can. My numbness start from my lower back down to through my legs to my toes on both legs . I can only walk for about 10 mins before they go completely numb. So I have to have the surgery? I am 51 by the way. How soon before you think you can drive, that is nmy biggest question.? THANK YOU AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Have no fear David!! My laminectomy was accompanied by an Instrumented Fusion of L4-S1 and a TLIF (Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion) as well at L4-L5. My operation was ~3 hours. I went in on Wednesday morning and was out by Saturday afternoon. Apart from the slight incisional pain, THE NUMBNESS AND PAIN IN MY LOWER BACK AND LEG WAS GONE!! I really mean GONE! From the moment i woke up from surgery. I am absolutely amazed at how effective this was for my pain. Yesterday was my 2-week post-op appointment and my staples were taken out with the next follow-up appointment on Feb, 2nd. My nurse said everything looks great.

A few tidbits that you may find useful... Your doctor may ask if you would like to take a walker home with you, TAKE IT! My insurance fully covered the cost for me to take home a brand-new, heavy-duty walker. Not only does it come in handy for getting around, I leave my walker at the head of my bed to use for support getting in and out of bed, because the chances of having a hospital bed available to you probably aren't that likely. A couple of other items that I found very useful that insurance DOES NOT cover are a raised toilet seat and a decent length grabber.

I wish you the best of luck and I hope your recovery comes to you as quickly as it has been coming for myself. :)

i just had the same surgery the 18th of dec altho it was L4 S1 and everything was fine i felt great and i had the same problem you had with the constipation and i think baring down cause a spinal leak however i was just in the hospital new years eve cause my stitches were leaking a clear fluid with a tiny bit of blood (pinkish) color however that did stop . did this happen to you because my doctor canceled my surgery because there was no more oozing and coudnt get it to ooze with pressure to the incision he thought it was infected however it is not and the incision looks beautiful everyone says . also i know its normal to have headaches after surgery but these headaches made my neck tighten up and hurt all the way down my neck from the top of my head .... lol pretty much what im asking i guess is how did they find out you had a spinal fluid leak ?

The spinal fluid can leak into the tissues below the incision - in other words it can be leaking but not where you can see with the naked eye. If you are having neck pain with the headache, or if the headache is pretty much gone when laying down but comes back strong when you sit or stand - that is a sign of a CSF leak. Your doctor needs to address this. If you get neck stiffness that can be a sign of meningitis - what could happen if bacteria or viruses get in to cause an infection. Another serious thing.

Hi everyone. I had a L5/S1 laminectomy on Dec 17. Prior to that I had been living life for over 6 months in so much pain from my hips that goes down all the way to my feet. I had no idea what it was. It was so painful after standing 10 mins or so. Finally I got insurance and got my MRI and my doctor told me I had a herniated disc that was sitting on one of my nerves. So when I finally got my surgery, it was about a 2.5 hrs procedure, but I was told it was only going to take 45 mins. After my surgery I had never felt so much better in my life. The pain was instantly gone. Besides the pain on my stitches, that was nothing compared to the leg pain. It was hard to get up or lay down or sit. Needless to say I needed help for 1 week. I was walking and feeling good by week 2. on my 3rd week I thought I was strong enough to pick up my 2 yr old. I had no problems. Then I bent over and picked him up the wrong way I would assume and my pain started coming back. This was week 3 after my surgery. I contacted my doctors office right away and they started me on prednisone for a week. Tomorrow is my last day taking the medication and nothing has helped. I was told to contact them if the problem hasnt subsided by day 5 of medication. My guess would be is I will need a second surgery. I will post back later if this is the case.

I just had this surgery on Jan. 7,2013 . I totaly agree with you. I have never been in so much pain in all my life. I can't even walk to the bath room by my self two days after the surgery. And when my husband helps me walk to the bathroom I get a sharp pain that runs from my left hip to my toes. And I can only lay on my right side. PLEASE TELL ME IT GETS BETTER.

I had this surgery three years ago this past New Year's Eve after 8 weeks of severe pain, sobbing, four ambulance rides and finally not being able to lift my head off the gurney!!!! Full recovery for me was six months. I was in the hospital for 7 days. I could finally get out of the bed to the bathroom on day 5 (what a wonderful experience that was).

However, and perhaps my situation was more dire, I am shocked only in for 24 hours and a couple days at home. Please know that if you have suffered severity in your situation beyond what you thought you could bare, you can expect to be EXTREMELY uncombortable for awhile. I could not bend for weeks (months really). But heck, I was just determined to walk again.

I had a laminectomy without fusion 2.5 months ago and have been living a nightmare ever since. The nerve pain is horrible from my belly down to my feet. My right foot is weak and I have to walk with a cane. I cannot really work as a massage therapist and I often lose my balance, falling. The NS has dismissed me and cannot find what is wrong with me. She sent me to a pain mgt doctor who says he cannot help me. I have a 2nd opinion coming up and if that does not yield results, I don't know what else to do. I am also back to square one, except now I am worse than I was before surgery. I am trying accupuncture so we'll see. I still feel that something went wrong in the surgery

Hi Paula I am David sorry to hear that things are not going well a lot has to do with the surgeon. I don't know what state you are in but I went online and there is a list of the best 250 surgeon in the nation, so I suggest you go there and choose a doctor. That should help. My doctor is the cream of the crop. My surgery is March 20 and the only fear I have is in the healing process I give you my surgeon name. Dr. Frank P. Cammisa, jr. I pray all goes well take care.

I'm 65 and in 1967 hit an anti tank mine in Vietnam. My back has been problematic since then. I went to the VA and they gave me a steroid shot (120mg of steroids according to my VA records).

The VA doctor was a quack and ignored the overhead monitor to guide the injection...he missed the space and injected steroids into my already bulding L-4 disc. It exploded into pieces but I didn't feel it for 3 weeks due to the amount of steroids he used.

At 4:00 am I was in pain like I had never experienced in my life, after being wounded 5 times in combat that says a lot.

The VA doctor refused to allow me to come in saying he was just too "overbooked". In reality he didn't want what he'd done on his record as he'd just closed his private practice after being rated POOR by the internet rating reviews.

I was paralyized from the waist down, had drop foot in both feet and lost bladder control... I went to a private neurosurgeon and he operated the next day after an MRI showed severe nerve damage... It was called Causal Equine Syndrom.

That was Dec. 9, 2011. I had that surgery where they remove the blown disc and pieces and a bone, but no fusion.

The doctor told me I would neve walk again unassisted... and ordered me an electric wheelchair. I passed and walked as much as I could. I have to use a waist brace, a knee brace an AFO brace to keep my foot from dragging, and a cane...but its getting better.

I'm old, and lived a way too fast life. What I didn't injure in Vietnam my 10 years as a Cowboy pretty much finished me off... I'm out of shape, over weight and have heart problems from Agent Orange.

Its all MENTAL... Will yourself to get better, eat right, research herbs like Tumeric and do your exercises. I didn't do the exercise enough and its extended my recovery. If I had taken the electric wheelchair I would be one of those super fat blobs now...don't take the easy way out. I had no pain after surgery until I went to Rehab. There the girl had me rock with my legs and head held up and it screwed up my back...Now I'm still on pain meds 13 months later.

AT 65 I'm likely to stay this way largely due to the other extensive damage thoughout my spine... but YOUTH covers up a lot of damage.

RESEARCH alternative medicines, I found this blue bottle lotion at the Feed Store in town, It was supposed to be some sort of pain relief... it really worked. Its like $15.00 but after 10-20 minutes it does take away most of the pain. I also take 60mg of oxycontin and 40mgs of hydrocoden in the morning just to get around. The worst thing you can do is be inactive... I was down with the flu for 5 days and my back started to really hurt from not getting around.

I'm good for about 8 hours a day then the pain meds wear off and the pain comes back, and the back gives out. I have most of the feeling returning but an still numb from the knee down...I can walk now for short distances.

If I had taken that electric wheelchair I would have never taken another step.

Exercise is the key, just keep the back moving, nothing stressful. If you don't you'll seize up and the pain will return.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

you need to consider applying for disability

I had surgery done on January 9th spent 24 hours in the hospital. While in the hospital they were abe to keep the pain under control but when I GOT HOME IT WAS HARDER. i DO NOT DO WELL WITH OXEXODINE better with vicodine. i was expecting to be feeling brtter than I am but it is hard to sit for more than 20 min at a time. still hsve swelling. i would advise to have someone with you at home for the first couple of days.

I am 3 months after laminectomy L3-L4 and fornectomy L5 S1 and I am already hitting the gym with cross fit but modified a bit as I still have some pulling in the back. I wont lie the first two weeks I thought what have I done but each time I walked my legs felt air as I had not realized how much feeling I had lost. So after reading all the horror stories this was the best thing I could have done!!!!! I will say that I preped for this with presurgery physio and have worked hard to get me at what I now think is 85%. I am 60 and working on being in the best shape of my life

David:

As you recover don't rule out alternative medicaitons. I take Tumeric to aid in the inflammation and it helps the pain too. I alway take my pain medication with Mobic or Ibruprofen as opiates always work betters when taken with these.

OTC Ibruprofen is no where near as strong as the same dose of prescription Ibruprofen for some reason.

I also go to the local Feed Store and buy a bottle of Vitamin B-12. I get an Insulin syringe and give myself 1cc every two weeks for a few months then just one a month. Its really effective and costs about 25 cents a shot compared to the $125 at the doctors office.

I'm 65 and trashed my back in combat in 1967. Excersize seems to be really effictive at lessing the pain. It keeps everything limber and from stiffing up.

Its been 13 months and I still feel the recovery improving. Nerves are waking up and I am begining to be able to walk without my walker. Its still painful but down to a 1-2 on the pain scale (with pain meds) down from 25 that took my breath away.

Its a long process, light daily workouts will really help you improve faster. Nerves can take up to 2 years to recover so be patient.

Research herbs too, I have found them often more effective and safer than most medication with better results in most cases. FYI..I cured my heart disease and loss of the right heart artery in 7 months and am now off all heart medications. You can also make your bones super strong with the right suppliments too.