Post-op Laminectomy. Week 2. This recovery is hard. Should it be?

I didn’t feel the surgeon prepared me for the amount of pain I experienced after surgery. There was a couple weeks of difficulty moving, getting in or out of bed, and difficult in doing self care. It gradually got better.

Now, 5 months later, there is only stiffness in my back area. Unfortunately for me I now have a herniated disc pressing on my root nerve causing sciatica in the right leg. I feel there is a second surgery coming soon.

I was very careful with the prescribed medication. I didn’t like the oxycodone and muscle relaxants. I feel it relaxed all muscles including bowel and bladder. I tapered them down in week two and three.

Good luck to you and know it will improve.

I had a laminectomy also on April 19. I am only taking Tylenol and a muscle relaxer at night. I can walk and stand fine but not sit for more than 20 min. Maybe you should call your doctor.

After my husband's laminectomy, he wondered why he ever did it. It was awful. BUT, once he healed, had a a few years of no pain. Hang in there!

I had my surgery in 1990, fusion L4-S1 with laminectomy L5. I’m also a nurse and stopped hands on floor nursing after my surgery. Everyone is different and we all heal differently. To ask your question you are allowing other people to form your expectations good or bad. When you’ve got someone mucking around in your spine you should expect to have pain. There are lots of small nerves, muscles, tissue, etc. in the area of surgery so why wouldn’t you have pain. Your attitude is more important I feel. Wanting to get better, realizing the cause of the pain is gone is a positive thought I hold onto everyday. And reading this site helps me realize how lucky I am with so many others who are not. I hope you’ll share your experience good or bad when you can. Good luck on your surgery.

I had my Laminectomy on 4/19/24. I was discharged on 4/21/24. After coming home I realized I had a UTI - obviously from the foley catheter used during surgery. I am currently on my 2nd Antibiotic to try and clear up this urinary tract infection which is making my life miserable. I still have back pain and I also have (R) leg pain, from the buttock to the ankle. This is similar to the Sciatic pain I had prior to surgery which caused the surgery to have to be done in the first place. I have not slept, the UTI has kept me up all night for over a week. I also came home with constipation. I have not really taken the Oxycodone for pain as I don't want to add to the constipation at home. So, all in all, right now I am feeling totally miserable with everything going on .

I had a lot of leg pain after a laminectomy at L1/L2. much worse than before the surgery. Surgeon told me ahead of time about 20 percent have that reaction with the lateral approach he took because he had to go near the ganglion area. i had been on 60mgs of hydrocodone per day that didn't touch the pain. Doc ordered 900mg per day of Gabapentin and it knocked the pain out completely after about a few days. No problem at all after that.

I had a TLIF with laminectomy, two rods and 4 posts at L4-L5. Recovery was two-pronged: 1) delight at having leg pain removed and movement made possible and 2) dismay at muscle aches, unexpected fatigue and moodiness. All of this came and went. Everyone reacts differently to trauma and there seems to be a wide range of severity in post-op symptoms. I found that getting active (shuffling, then walking) helped the mental state as well as physical recovery. But even with a smooth time I found the first month to be challenging. The healing does come with time. Patience and as much self care as possible go a long way! Don’t lose hope; we’ve all been there and are with you in your journey.

Glad you updated with the UTI diagnosis as I was thinking those symptoms would not be results of a lam/micro. With my first L5/S1 surgery I had relief from the sciatica immediately. Sorry you did not get those same results. If your doc would prescribe gabapentin that should help your nerve pain and make you sleepy. Stool softeners combined with a laxative should help ease the constipation caused by pain meds. Walking should help. Doc should have given you the no BLT instructions- no bending, lifting or twisting.
Best to you.

Thank you for your reply. Because I am already on Lyrica, the PA felt I should stay on that rather than prescribe the Gabapentin. So I am on Lyrica 200mg 3x daily. I'm on also Flexeril, which is making me very "dopey". But the combination of the Lyrica, Flexeril and adding on 800mg of Ibuprofen has helped the nerve pain in my legs alot and I am seeing a big difference. And the UTI is finally beginning to respond to the Antibiotic....

Almost 11 months following my laminectomy and fusion I am still in pain with muscles/bone in the area, stiffness and difficulty being as agile as before, and have no nerve sensation in the skin of my back. It is quite a long path to "recovery" if that is the right term. This is a big impact to the body and the surgeon was so blase and did not prepare me at all either. But I did not have bowel/bladder issues which may be a significant neurological issue that you should consult with your surgeon about ASAP.