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sgc123 · 07-08-2003, 07:49 AM

Hello! I am new around here, but have been reading everyone else's posts for about two weeks. I herniated the L5-S1 disk in January. I had excruciating back pain for about four months then I woke up pain free one morning.

That sounds great, but I traded back pain for leg pain and numbness. I had a myelogram on June 20th. It showed that the disk had completely ruptured and was pressing on the nerve one level above the herniation. Has anyone every heard of this? Apparently my disk ruptured up the spinal canal instead of out.

Anyhow, to get to my question. The surgeon's (all three of them) suggested having a discectomy done. Unfortunately, I cannot have surgery until mid-September because that is the first opening. I am a teacher and the doctor said that I could return to work three weeks after the surgery. Is this realistic? I have read the thread on the surgery (yes, all 17 pages!) and it seemed like it took a little longer than that.
I am trying to prepare work for when I will be gone and would like to know how long it took most people to go back to work after this surgery. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

07-08-2003, 07:49 AM	#1
sgc123 Senior Member (female) Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 137	Recovery time after surgery Hello! I am new around here, but have been reading everyone else's posts for about two weeks. I herniated the L5-S1 disk in January. I had excruciating back pain for about four months then I woke up pain free one morning. That sounds great, but I traded back pain for leg pain and numbness. I had a myelogram on June 20th. It showed that the disk had completely ruptured and was pressing on the nerve one level above the herniation. Has anyone every heard of this? Apparently my disk ruptured up the spinal canal instead of out. Anyhow, to get to my question. The surgeon's (all three of them) suggested having a discectomy done. Unfortunately, I cannot have surgery until mid-September because that is the first opening. I am a teacher and the doctor said that I could return to work three weeks after the surgery. Is this realistic? I have read the thread on the surgery (yes, all 17 pages!) and it seemed like it took a little longer than that. I am trying to prepare work for when I will be gone and would like to know how long it took most people to go back to work after this surgery. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.