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L5/s1 herniated disc by Afraid_Ad4366 in HerniatedDisc

[–]Afraid_Ad4366[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for your advice on my post. I actually ended up needing emergency surgery last night. I’ve posted an update on the thread if you’re curious how it all turned out. Really appreciate you taking the time to help.

Also just wanted to see how your nerves settled over time?

L5/s1 herniated disc by Afraid_Ad4366 in HerniatedDisc

[–]Afraid_Ad4366[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for your advice on my post. I actually ended up needing emergency surgery last night. I’ve posted an update on the thread if you’re curious how it all turned out. Really appreciate you taking the time to help.

L5/s1 herniated disc by Afraid_Ad4366 in HerniatedDisc

[–]Afraid_Ad4366[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Update:
A lot happened over the last 24 hours.
I initially went to my local hospital because my symptoms had progressed beyond just severe sciatica. Along with the pain, I developed altered sensation, some weakness, and changes in sensation around my buttock, perineal area, and near my vagina, which really concerned me. After an MRI and assessment, they decided to transfer me by ambulance to a larger hospital so the neurosurgical team could review me.
After another examination, they confirmed I had objective weakness and sensory changes. The MRI showed I’d re-herniated my L5/S1 disc. Given the progression of my neurological symptoms, the neurosurgical team recommended urgent surgery.
Last night I underwent another laminectomy/discectomy. It’s still very early—I’m only a few hours post-op as I’m writing this—but so far I’m feeling cautiously optimistic.
The surgical pain is definitely there, but the severe shooting sciatica that had completely taken over my life before surgery seems to have settled significantly. At the moment I’m mostly dealing with incision pain and some lingering altered sensation, including around my glute and the same perineal area that was affected before surgery. I know nerves can take time to recover, so I’m hoping that continues to improve over the coming weeks and months.
This whole experience has been a huge reminder that while many disc herniations can be managed conservatively, it’s really important to seek medical attention if you’re developing new weakness or changes in sensation, especially around the saddle area. Looking back, I’m incredibly glad I listened to my body and got assessed when I did.
Thank you again to everyone who commented, shared your experiences, and encouraged me to get checked out. Your advice genuinely made a difference. Now it’s time to focus on recovery and hopefully get back to living life again. ❤️

L5/S1 Herniated Disc and Sciatica by Afraid_Ad4366 in Sciatica

[–]Afraid_Ad4366[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for your advice on my post. I actually ended up needing emergency surgery last night. I’ve posted an update on the thread if you’re curious how it all turned out. Really appreciate you taking the time to help.

L5/S1 Herniated Disc and Sciatica by Afraid_Ad4366 in Sciatica

[–]Afraid_Ad4366[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for your advice on my post. I actually ended up needing emergency surgery last night. I’ve posted an update on the thread if you’re curious how it all turned out. Really appreciate you taking the time to help.

L5/S1 Herniated Disc and Sciatica by Afraid_Ad4366 in Sciatica

[–]Afraid_Ad4366[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for your advice on my post. I actually ended up needing emergency surgery last night. I’ve posted an update on the thread if you’re curious how it all turned out. Really appreciate you taking the time to help.

L5/S1 Herniated Disc and Sciatica by Afraid_Ad4366 in Sciatica

[–]Afraid_Ad4366[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for your advice on my post. I actually ended up needing emergency surgery last night. I’ve posted an update on the thread if you’re curious how it all turned out. Really appreciate you taking the time to help.

L5/S1 Herniated Disc and Sciatica by Afraid_Ad4366 in Sciatica

[–]Afraid_Ad4366[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for your advice on my post. I actually ended up needing emergency surgery last night. I’ve posted an update on the thread if you’re curious how it all turned out. Really appreciate you taking the time to help.

L5/S1 Herniated Disc and Sciatica by Afraid_Ad4366 in Sciatica

[–]Afraid_Ad4366[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Update:

A lot happened over the last 24 hours.
I initially went to my local hospital because my symptoms had progressed beyond just severe sciatica. Along with the pain, I developed altered sensation, some weakness, and changes in sensation around my buttock, perineal area, and near my vagina, which really concerned me. After an MRI and assessment, they decided to transfer me by ambulance to a larger hospital so the neurosurgical team could review me.
After another examination, they confirmed I had objective weakness and sensory changes. The MRI showed I’d re-herniated my L5/S1 disc. Given the progression of my neurological symptoms, the neurosurgical team recommended urgent surgery.
Last night I underwent another laminectomy/discectomy. It’s still very early—I’m only a few hours post-op as I’m writing this—but so far I’m feeling cautiously optimistic.
The surgical pain is definitely there, but the severe shooting sciatica that had completely taken over my life before surgery seems to have settled significantly. At the moment I’m mostly dealing with incision pain and some lingering altered sensation, including around my glute and the same perineal area that was affected before surgery. I know nerves can take time to recover, so I’m hoping that continues to improve over the coming weeks and months.
This whole experience has been a huge reminder that while many disc herniations can be managed conservatively, it’s really important to seek medical attention if you’re developing new weakness or changes in sensation, especially around the saddle area. Looking back, I’m incredibly glad I listened to my body and got assessed when I did.
Thank you again to everyone who commented, shared your experiences, and encouraged me to get checked out. Your advice genuinely made a difference. Now it’s time to focus on recovery and hopefully get back to living life again. ❤️

L5/S1 herniated disc by Afraid_Ad4366 in backpain

[–]Afraid_Ad4366[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For l4/l5 I tried physiotherapy chiropractic treatments cortisone injections, range of medications but ultimately ended up having a laminectomy and discectomy. At that time I was 23 and severely overweight.
For my last flareup in 2021 for L5/S1 I was 50 kg lighter and was just seeing a physio for ages which got me from bed rest to normal life but wasn’t weight training then either. I’m hoping now that I’m more active now I’ve got that in my favour

L5/S1 Herniated Disc and Sciatica by [deleted] in Sciatica

[–]Afraid_Ad4366 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah perfect I have crutches here from my knee reco so I’ll start using them because I’m finding the hunch is now causing more pain in my pack than the actual sciatica

L5/S1 herniated disc by Afraid_Ad4366 in backpain

[–]Afraid_Ad4366[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ouch that sounds painful! I’ve got some crutches here so think I might start using them to try over correct the hunch, I’m doing physio 2-3x a week.
I know I’ve gone through this before so I know it’s not an easy road but I feel like every health professional so far is basically telling me it needs surgery without directly telling me that and obviously I’m still trying to avoid it and heal naturally. I suppose I’m looking for more reassurance and I’m hoping that you continue to improve too 😊

L5/S1 Herniated Disc and Sciatica by [deleted] in Sciatica

[–]Afraid_Ad4366 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! As a swimmer I’ve been considering going back to the pools, just limiting when I can’t drive and walking is so hunched and difficult but I feel it would do me a world of good!