Lumbar Laminectomy; Recovery at Home

I had the same surgery for spinal stenosis on Jan 22. The surgery was much more difficult than explained to me. I became serverly contisipated from the pain meds and was in the hospital for 6 days. I still have pain in my lower back and my left leg is very unstable and sometimes painful. I have to use a walker to avoid falling. I go to PT 3 times a week and only feel slight improvement. The doc is now telling me that the healing period due to nerve damage is a very long process. This has been a very difficult process.

I am almost 6 months post-op for L4-L5. Still in about as much pain as before but at least it is not getting worse. Doc says it could take a year since nerve was pinced for several years of misdiagnosis. In the past few weeks I have found the most effective way to keep the sciatic pain down is to stretch my hamstrings a lot, like 5 times a day. You may have to build up to it slowly and of course always check with your doctor. The hamstring stretches keep the pain from going all the way down to my ankle. Wish I could get rid of the hip/buttocks pain but I'll take any relief I can get now. Also walking, swimming and acupuncture have been helpful for me.

Angela I am also a single parent, but of 3. My youngest is 16 months. I am looking into having a laminectomy also on l5-s1. Was wondering how you are feeling now?

Amazing! My Husband is 62 and had a L4 Laminectomy less than 24 hours ago. His Surgeon. Dr. Todd Thompson did an amazing job and he is already in less pain than prior to the procedure. He saw a Chirppractor, did decompression treatments, had 3 injections and numerous pain meds (Narcotics) that didn't help a thing.His pain was so severe pre-Surgery that he is already in a better place. Agood Diagnosis can mean the world! Keep trying :)

Here's an update. I was NOT ever going to get better. I kept thinking that something was missed. I was 100% right. I went back to the D.O. I originally went to and he thought about it and said my symptoms sounded like they were coming from the thoracic area. He ordered and MRI and voila, there was my cause of not being able to walk with no balance--a small meningioma resting on my spinal cord in T3. I have had another surgery which was very hard on me, but I am rapidly getting better. The one thing I noticed immediately after the surgery was that my leg was "working" again. Now, 3 weeks post surgery, I am walking and my balance is perfect. I looked up an article on the internet and it said that when someone does not get better after a lumbar laminectomy, they should look for a silent thoracic meningioma. Ask about that.. The study was written about in Asian Spine Journal. Google it and see.

Thank you so much! I am having a lamenectomy L2-L5 without fusion tomorrow morn. I was worried about when I come home. I have a cat and a bird to take care of. I live alone and the whole thing was making me a little nervous. I did what you did with all my food and dishes (putting them up). The only thing I am not going to be able to do is clean my cats litter box. My grandson is going to come every day to help with that. I feel so much better after reading your post!

my name is Nikki. I have been in severe pain for 9 years. I finally had to leave the state I was in and headed to one of the Top Rated neuro-surgery hospitals in the world. The neuro-surgeon rushed me into neck surgery (even though I had only extreme lower extremity pain and had been bed bound and in a wheel chair much of the time for years) Long story but I evidently had my spinal cord compressed in 4 locations - 3 in the c and t spin (near brain stem) - in addition to the sever spinal damage and injuries at the C - T and Lumbar. I can now stand up straight and walk for about 1 - 2 minutes at a time without legs going numb ect... I now need to have my lower lumbar done and because the neck surgery and the 2 months so far of recovery have been so painful I am terrified and I hear such different accounts of Lumbar outcome. My neck i was told by one of the top neurosurgeons in the country, had to be done if I ever wanted to walk again or live for more than 5 to 8 years ... so I did not hesitate (which I was told was about as bad as he had ever seen - i would have become a paraplegic within a year or so without the surgery) - for the first time I am really scared. Can you tell me how your sciatica is now and what recovery was like?

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it is just every additional step for me right now - or often is too hard until I heal further.

Leesa I believe that if I were you I would (1)get a second opinion from another neurosurgeon and (2)contact your attorney to see what recourse you have. I believe from your description you have a failed surgery procedure and it needs to be rectified. Success rates run from 70-80% on these types of surgery but I still would gey a second opinion. I too have had microlumbar discectomy at left L4-5 and left to right approach right L4-5 laminotomy just this year (1/31/13) and after surgery had no significant pain anymore in left leg/buttock and no tingling feet. I am 11 weeks out now from surgery and am doing well. My post-op visits back to neurosurgeon were only two times and I never saw him either time, just his PA. He released me after 8 weeks and never did set me up with any kind of back exercises or therapy which I thought was odd. So I am printing off recommended exercises from the internet to ready myself for a return to work. I am a remodeling contractor and on a normal work day have plenty of bending, stooping, and lifting to deal with. So I guess the jury is still out as to whether my surgery will remain a success. - Lyle

I just had the 360 spinal fusion done on April 22. I would say have your husband or friends be available for at least the first week you are home. I'm in my fourth day since surgery and getting out of bed and putting my back brace on is now easier but as far as letting the dog out or cooking or anything the requires you to bed or move other than up and down you will need help with. It gets better but you have to let your body heal and I need to keep telling myself that everyday.

Hello! I had a laminectomy done on my L5 Wednesday, 5/15, which was a little over a week ago now. I'm 35, and in what most people would consider very good shape. As many on here have mentioned, you'll definitely want to have someone with you 100% of the time for the first two days or so, depending on how you're feeling. You need to be very diligent about not bending at the waist, twisting, etc., just as they tell you in your discharge and care instructions. You'll want to get up and walk a bit, several times a day to avoid getting "tight" and to keep blood moving in your body, etc., but on the other hand, don't overdo it. I made the mistake of trying to work from my home office chair, wasn't being very good about not bending, etc., and I paid the price for it and caused myself undo and worsening pain in days 4-6 following the surgery. Rent some good movies, and plan on a few days of just good rest. I would also talk to your surgeon about putting you on Percocet 10mg/325, or at least 5mg/325, versus Hydrocodone. It's a stronger pain management tool, and I felt as though it did much better with my "post-op" mood and overall mental state after I switched to it. I have also found that icing provides some pretty good relief at the end of the day. 

I had lumbar laminectomy 3 weeks ago..  I feel good.  I woke up the 1st 2 night that I was home and took pain medicine as precscribed.  I sleep on my side with a pillow again m back.  I went home the following da. I was told not to bend, lift or twist. *blt) I shower but someone has to shave m legs. Of course I cannot drive or ride in a car. I have not taken anything for pain for about 3 days.  I wear a nightgown, alias loose with no waist band, I cannot blow dry my hair but can wash m fave and brush my teeth. LOL  I am happy with it. I was told to walk walk walk.  I walk around the house a lot.  I am really happy that I had this done.  Good luck!!!!!!

I kmow this is an old post , however I am researching for a up cpming surgery of the same thing you had done......How was it? how are you feeling

I am 64, life long potter (bent over pottery wheel, lifting heavy bags - lots of lower back things) and have had lower back pain off and on for years - always thought I over did and was muscle pain that would go away. Bent over to pull a weed and got the elctric sharp pain in lower back. Next morning when I awoke I had severe sicayic pain down both legs and numbness in toes - was eating otc pain relieveres like candy. Went to orthopedic doctor, got cortisone which helped a bit, but MRI showed SEVERE stenosis at L4-L5 and bulging disk. My very conservative surgeon, never likes to operate set me up for laminectomy/diskectomy right away (November 6). Was in hospital over night and right away NO pain in legs, all feeling back in feet/toes. Bit of uncomfortable at incision site, but I never used available morphine in hospital and stopped taking prescription pain meds one week after surgery. I am now walking 1 mile each day, will go back to work (teacher) in 2 weeks. Have a little residual soreness in one leg - doctor says this is normal after compressed nerves uncompress and get reaquainted with my leg muscles.

Had a three level minimally invasive partial laminectomy, L3,4,5, and bulging disc repair 11/4/2013, Panorama Orthopedic Center, Golden, CO.  Walked in hurting, walked out 7 hours later full of drugs, but no nerve pain.  Recovery was take it real easy for a week, do a bit more for the second week, third week was hiking in Death Valley, fourth week just fine. 

100% satisfied, should have done this years ago. 

 

 

Don't do it I had it done and was ok for 5 years.Then the same disc ruptured again and they clean it out that's my second surgery.Now 4 year's later it's back but nothing left to clean the doctors want to do a fusion cause too many surgeries has left nothing left.Its been 2 years of steroid shots but not this working and I refuse to do a fusion.My advice don't let them cut you . It's all a set up for a future major surgery to cripple you.