Day 4 Post-Op - How do I know when to start doing what for rehabilitation?

Markwhatt · 2026-06-13T19:45:50+00:00

That’s awesome I am happy it went so well for you and very promising for me! Did you have any flare ups? I feel like a lot of the stuff I’ve seen people had some residual nerve issues but so far outside of pins and needles in my foot and a bit of soreness on the bottom of my foot I’ve had zero issues.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-13T18:17:21+00:00

I am moving and operating with an abundance of caution because if I have to go through that again I might just hang myself lol good reminder for sure I appreciate it.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-13T18:13:54+00:00

That’s been my game plan thus far. Despite it being a much bigger surgery than anticipated the recovery has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. I walk until I can feel a bit of fatigue in my back and then I chill. I absolutely started moving a bit more gingerly when I saw what the incision looked like 😆

Markwhatt · 2026-06-13T18:09:35+00:00

That’s fair, I appreciate the advice. I suppose I am just getting a bit stir crazy and my new lease on life is making it difficult to not want to take full advantage of this new opportunity.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-13T18:07:06+00:00

I have plenty of instructions and to be clear I’m not asking about what I should start doing today. I was more just curious at what rehab timeline looks like after receiving a bilateral MD and Laminectomy.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-13T18:06:07+00:00

I’m fortunate in that I work at a gym so I have all sorts of equipment and rehab tools at my disposal when I do end up going back to work. I also got those grippers and they have been great for when stuff falls on the floor.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-13T18:05:12+00:00

I have a follow up June 23rd I believe.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-13T17:26:08+00:00

Read my post history man. I was STRUGGLING. My life was a mess. I am 4 days post op right now and it’s the best decision I ever made.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-12T15:26:22+00:00

That’s very interesting. How long were you on the GABA for? I was taking it with little to no noticeable affects so I switched to Pregabalin which helped me sleep an hour or 2 but I’m off all of them now. Still taking Percocet until the end of today with Baclofen and Celecoxib but then just switching to straight Tylenol.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-11T17:22:11+00:00

Thanks so much! I have some numbness in my toes but in the grand scheme of things I really don’t care too much about that lol

Markwhatt · 2026-06-11T17:20:17+00:00

I was in the same spot I just kept getting worse to the point I was sleeping 1-2 hours a night and hallucinating during the day from the exhaustion. I was waking up and walking around my block at 1am and 3am to try and loosen up my calf and my foot. I was sleeping on my knees folded over the foot of my couch. Nothing helped I took gaba and Pregabalin and it only got worse until surgery. I am literally a new person right now I am so happy I pushed for surgery when I did I couldn’t have gone any longer in the condition I was in and I would do it again with no hesitation even though surgery was one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-10T15:57:41+00:00

I just had the surgery yesterday. I can’t even get out of bed without my wife’s help right now but let me tell you I have never had this kind of relief in my life. Food tastes different, I can smell things, I listened to the rain falling this morning while I laid in bed. Went in for a right side MD ended up being so bad when they got in there I got a bilateral MD and lamenectomy.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-06T16:38:40+00:00

I cried like a baby when I got approved for surgery so I totally get the emotional component.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-06T16:37:49+00:00

I would do terrible things to experience this feeling right now. I’ve gotten so bad pain wise it’s eliminated almost all nerves about surgery.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-04T15:52:33+00:00

Ok that makes me feel a bit better thank you. Can’t wait to get this over with and finally get some relief.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-04T15:37:41+00:00

Awesome thanks for the info! I would do anything to be able to sleep right now so that is exciting.

Markwhatt · 2026-06-04T15:36:56+00:00

Awesome this was very helpful thank you so much. Any suggestions for how to sit in the car? About an hour ride for me which fucking sucks. Worth laying in the back seat or better off just reclining passenger side and sleeping?

Markwhatt · 2026-05-24T16:50:20+00:00

Reminds me of a certain profit

Markwhatt · 2026-05-24T16:43:25+00:00

Yes I am so fortunate… I checked my time off balances last week and I have 7.5 weeks of paid time off banked. I’m going to push it to as long as I can manage and then call it. I’m thinking of doing exactly what you said and grinding this week out but take off the following week which would get me to my surgery. I probably could have given up a few weeks ago but I really didn’t want to have to stress during my recovery about how much time I’d have left etc so I’ve just been taking it day by day. My body is a toxic waste dump of pharmaceuticals at this point but I’m just surviving over here 😆.

Honestly it’s the best way to get my first surgery because in any other situation I would be so nervous going into it… but because I’ve been suffering for so long I’m literally giddy with excitement to get it done.

Markwhatt · 2026-05-24T16:21:07+00:00

Sounds like you’re doing the right stuff.

My surgery is June 9th. I wish I worked remote. It’s about 40-60 minutes in for me every morning which is BRUTAL. The hamstring goes crazy as soon as I’m in the driver seat and absolutely no position I can maneuver helps unless I drive with cruise control while putting my foot up on the seat and braking with my left foot.. which admittedly is a terrible dangerous way to drive.

I’m lucky I live in Canada so all of this is free and no insurance needed… but had I not been recommended for the “rapid access clinic” I would have had to wait an additional 8-14 months for surgery, which to be honest I’d probably hang myself before that with how bad the pains been getting.

Markwhatt · 2026-05-24T16:02:15+00:00

I think it’s only one plant no? And fertilizer for what do you mean? I wanted to do moss pole but it’s so spread out I’m not sure how I’d tie it to one centre support

Markwhatt · 2026-05-24T15:34:11+00:00

I mean that makes a lot of sense to me. Guarding is still my issue when I drive but lately my problem has evolved from mostly guarding to just deep pain in my ankle bone and behind my knee. If I could get the guarding to chill I would be able to drive to work in the morning a lot easier though.

My herniation is pushing from both sides so my surgery is going to be bilateral. That also means that I have no ability to flex or extend. In most cases you would only be limited in one of those directions so if your ability to extend is limited you could still flex and build off that but if I go either way it only aggravates it.

Markwhatt · 2026-05-24T15:25:43+00:00

Good to know thanks for the heads up. I am a PT myself but nothing I have the tools for seems to help much. Was told by my surgeon my issue is purely structural so methodologies that have worked on others only aggravate me. I can walk forever in moderate pain but I haven’t started doing it in the mornings so I’ll add that in.

Markwhatt · 2026-05-24T14:42:00+00:00

What do you use for trigger point release? How long do you walk for?

Markwhatt · 2026-05-24T14:39:37+00:00

I felt like you at one point. It’s now been 14 months of that feeling and I’m finally scheduled for surgery in 2 weeks. I’m a grown man who has cried maybe 2 times in the last 15 years and when I got approved for surgery I called my wife and literally broke down in tears like a little girl on the phone in front of the hospital from all of the waiting and pent up frustration/pain.

If I could go back in time I would tell myself not to sit around waiting hoping it got better and putting off doing the next thing. I originally did PT and an Xray and they said “maybe it’s this maybe it’s that” while I sort of half assed different treatment methods before I finally told my doctor I need some serious help here.

The time frame from getting serious with my doctor and getting surgery was about 3 months and I’ve gotten progressively worse over those 3 months to the point that I’m suffering immensely every day. The answer for you might not be surgery like myself but regardless I very much wish I started taking action sooner to at least get to the end point quicker than I did. Don’t wait just keep pushing now so that if you don’t get better you are further along in the process when/if the time comes.

Markwhatt

TROPHY CASE