You aren’t giving yourself enough time, you just had the surgery! It takes months to heal. Your body has been through a trauma. Muscles, nerves, bones have all been manipulated.
I thought my laminectomy was painful, but nothing I didn’t expect. And it was nothing compared to the spinal fusion I had a year later. Yikes, that took over a year to recover from.
Is this your first surgery ever? I’ve had many surgeries over the years. Maybe you just didn’t realize how it impacts your body.

Well it appears my Laminectomy has not been successful and is now considered "Post Laminectomy Syndrome". All of my pain has returned. I see the PA this morning, and the surgeon wants X-rays done. He has to do something as I can't live on opioids every 4-hours with NSAIDS. Please say prayers for me. Please. I really need them. Thank you all for your care and concern .....

Thank you all, just about to committ to a lamanectomy and coflex spacers. Anyone heard of this? At 78 I still walk 2-3 miles most days and can sit and lie down no issues. Must stop and stretch when walking or sit as right leg gets numb , sciatica , after rest walk again a little further.
Maybe I should wait till this is a real problem.
We can still go anywhere just can’t hike distances, golf or ski anymore; maybe that’s ok too.
Thoughts ?

Denman55, I mentioned in another reply to you that I would pray for you. In this reply, I will answer your question according to my experience.
Laminectomies and fusion completed on May 9th. Given Toradol and Tylenol for pain every six hours. No opiods. No pain. Stayed in hospital until May 13th. Toradol was removed and only Tylenol given. I finally felt the pain but it was tolerable. Bowels moved very slowly on May 11th and May 12th. More on May 13th and a lot on May 14th. Patience is the key. Walked a mile in the hospital each day using walker; walked every two hours. It felt good.
Today seems to be more whole with little stress. Going home after seeing doctor for release. I'm glad he kept me in hospital, two days in hotel, and now home.
Persevere. It WILL get better and FEEL better. You will recover your vigor and diminish your pain. Walk!

Denman55, it will get favorably resolved but will need to persevere through this "hell" you are going through. I will pray continuously for especially for peace and comfort.

@denman55 - Good morning and I hope you're beginning to see some recovery progress. You had a major surgery and you should set recovery expectations accordingly. It can be frustrating - but the doctors generally do a below-average job in preparing their spine surgery patients as to what to expect post-surgery. I had a four-level surgery like yours one year ago and I'm still in recovery mode...a longer period than I expected for sure.

As you appreciate, recovery is hard to predict. Every surgery is different. Every patient is different (age, weight, pre-surgical physical condition, etc), and every surgeon is different. I love that your surgeon is taking your discomfort seriously and is forging ahead to develop a new plan of action.

Be patient (easy to say and hard to do), stay optimistic (a positive attitude is an important part of your recovery), and know you have lots of support on Mayo Connect!

It is not easy, but it is worth it.

April 23rd hemi- laminectomy; discharged same day; within 24hours sciatic nerve pain was off the charts for me; result was late-night ER trip for heavy-duty pain shot. Week later got on Oxycodone for 10 days. I’ve experienced all that you’ve described. We’re both about 5 weeks since, and it’s slow going but I believe the expected recovery is certain but likely longer than we might have initially expected based on results of others. Hang in there - pray that God’s grace abound unto you in this healing process

Hi Folks,
I have the pleasure of having recently a spinal fusion/laminectomy for severe spinal stenosis. I suffer from severe constipation so I opted out of any pain killer post op except for acetaminophen. No opiods. Recovery for the first 4 weeks was like out of a horror film, but I made it and am now in week 7. Started p/t for back/legs and only have tingling in mostly left foot. The real issue for me is this chronic constipation. I have tried everything but pharmaceuticals either make me extremely crampy, bloated, nauseous, full, no appetite, et.al. I have also tried fiber supplements and I believe I ingest enough water, but that doesn't work either. RD's suggestions for a fiber smoothie only cramps me up. I literally do not know what else to do. I have good days followed by very bad days. Sad thing is that the constipation affects my walking (significant pain), hence back recovery. Any thoughts?

Beth

Are you using stool softeners correct dosage and eating prunes or drinking a large glass of prune juice.