Failed micro-discectomy, eager to run (Read 54 times)

That sounds like an awful experience, frightening and painful.  I'm sorry to hear that you've been going through it.

My experience isn't with back surgeries, but I've had surgeries on my knees and on a foot, and each time for them there was a period of time when I believed I would never run again, when it felt like things would never get better, and when I could not see any further ahead than the day I was currently in.

Two months after back surgery sounds to me to be too early to run, but definitely your PT and doctor would have opinions about it.  They probably have a protocol to follow ("no running until X weeks/months after this surgery").  Chances are good that you have not finished recovering and healing yet.  Chances are good that you'll be able to do more than you can now.  Chances are good that you will eventually be able to run again at least in some capacity.  Walking with minimal pain is a great place to start.  Be patient with yourself and with your body.

Talk with your doctor and your PT about your desire to run and get their feedback.  Not everybody heals or recovers at the same rate, but they've seen more people take this journey than you have, and likely have a better sense of what's realistic.

Best of luck to you!

Thanks for the professional and encouraging remarks.

It's been a week since i posted this and i've noticed the coldness and nerve issues progressing well since for most days. (today is not one of them). I actually think if I push myself just a little bit, i feel much better. I had been doing the elliptical for a few weeks. Tried a one mile run a few weeks ago and i felt ok running but, the next few days, the foot was pretty cold and I was feeling it. Compression on that nerve (apparently from scar tissue) has really been aggravating.  I ran 2 miles a few days ago and i felt a lot better but 2 days later, cold foot.  I've also been moving around a bit and added swimming and stair climbing to my workout along with walking as well. Just trying to regain strength and endurance if anything.

A quick backstory. Everything started pretty much 2 months after my 51st bday.

About 6 years ago, i had another surgery that didn't go well. I had bone spur surgery in my foot. The result took my pain away but it resulted in nerve damage. This made recovery slow as well. Took away my balance and it was a slow and painful recovery. In fact, the PT actually turned me away after so many appointments saying that at this point, it's all about what you can tolerate. I didn't like that answer.

In spite of that experience, i eventually healed and got back to my old self. The heal is in fact weaker but I expected that and since then, i've recovered well from it.

This situation may be similar. I had minimal invasive surgery. A surgery that had a 95 percent success rate.  The surgeon said that I would be up and running again after just 2 months. I really lost a lot of trust in this surgeon when i went in for my follow-up, 2 weeks after that first surgery, That day, i first seen my PT in the same building. They tell me that the pain i feel is normal, it should take a few months for me to feel good. I was a bit confused at that point because I knew the surgeon didn't say that. After that i walked over to my doc appt. I had a lot of questions. Unfortunately, my doctor never saw me. His assistant came in and did all the talking. Her reaction to how I felt was the opposite to how the PT reacted. She gasped and told me it was not normal and immediately left to talk to the Doc in another room. She then came back in and told me they were going to do an MRI to see what was going on. After the MRI, although I was happy to finally be talking with my surgeon, he tells me it's worse than before. The disc is now pushing further into the sciatic nerve and recommends to go back in soon to cut more of the disc off. Sooner rather than later he tells me because he's worried of scar tissue. I didn't really know what he meant by that but I did know I was in a lot of pain, it was the holidays and i'm going to have to wait long for this surgery to get approved again while in a lot of pain.

So just to give a quick timeline-Sept 15-first surgery and Nov 15-second surgery.

Needless to say, I took A LOT of time off of work. Couldn't walk much. I had lots of time to soak. Thinking of how I was feeling before the surgery. I wasn't really feeling any pain. I only felt it after running over 3 miles long. I was feeling a lot of resentment from the fellow runner who recommended this surgeon while I began to disconnect myself from all my running pages on social media. My mental state was not well.

One thing that made me so angry from my bone spur surgery years ago was the fact that the surgeon didn't want to see me after the surgery. This made me feel as if it was an admission of guilt and that things did not go well.

Now here I am with this surgeon after this procedure doing the same. But, I was happy that he at least called me and suggested that I get the second surgery. (of course, that's more money i suppose). When he called, his voice was not comforting. He sounded worried and defeated. I was at his mercy, i had to follow through for a second time. The pain was just too much. The experience for my second surgery this time around was top notch. He even came in and seen me after the surgery to talk. That really made me feel better. (Is that too much to ask for a surgeon to at least sit down and talk to a patient for a follow-up?)

I think this surgery is how I was supposed to feel after the first surgery. I'm a little worried the cold foot, is a result from the first failed surgery and the in-between time. Especially when you have a PT telling you it's normal and making me do these painful stretches making it worse during that time.

Sometimes I wonder if this incident warrants finding a lawyer. I really felt I should had done that years ago after my bone spur surgery but didn't. Don't want to make that mistake again.

With all that said, I learned a lot from that bone spur surgery. Give it some time.  I am definitely a slow healer for sure. What i'm learning though is i have to keep moving and push to make progress or I'll keep feeling the same for while. One quick note, after the first surgery, my back didn't feel bad. It was just my foot and leg. Now, my leg feels better but my hip and back hurts more.