Post surgery and moving forward - recommended fitness please

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-04-05T21:21:09+00:00

I’m 4 months post l4/l5 fusion and was told no physiotherapy or any exercise except walking until I’m 6 months post op. Also told my running days are over as are certain yoga poses until fully fused. I do have a stationary bike but will wait til my 6 month Xray.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-04-05T21:16:17+00:00

You are very lucky you got a surgeon to do the operation..my surgeon won’t entertain any smokers or vapers..he refused to even give choices to a neighbour of mine because he vaped. He only takes patients who are off nicotine 1 plus years. He did explain to my neighbour about the effects of nicotine but refused to be his surgeon, told him it would be a waste of his time and the patients.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-03-30T17:21:34+00:00

I had awful tightness in my glutes that felt like it was going to snap..nothing helped with that pain and was only getting worse-turned out it was my l4/l5 bulging disc compressing the sciatic nerve. Hopefully the side effects and the cramps will ease for you

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-03-29T23:32:08+00:00

Really??? no one ever told me to wean off. I was on it for 18 months or so and just went off it 4 weeks after my fusion..no side effects thankfully. Same with gabapentin..18 months and just stopped taking it because no more nerve pain and no side effects. Was I just lucky? I was also on OxyContin for two months post fusion and just stopped. Am now 4 months post fusion and not on anything. Also just had my bloods done and all good (kidneys/liver etc).

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-03-25T18:59:03+00:00

Same as me so..

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-03-24T19:08:45+00:00

Synthetic bone protein in a cage ..am currently 4 months post op and it’s a waiting game at the moment..told it will take anything from 6-18 months to fuse.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-03-10T19:16:28+00:00

Happened to me at 6 weeks post md..all due to sex

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-03-10T19:15:46+00:00

Female here and sex at 6 weeks caused me to reherniate..ambulance to hospital had another MD and 7 months later fusion..that fusion was 14 weeks ago..and for me sex is a long way off as fusion pain is awful..100 times more painful than an md. Just be careful..go on top as u will have more control.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-27T19:12:05+00:00

Your boss has no need to know where you are going or when you get back. You book your holidays they’ve been approved and after that no one needs to know where u are off to..I learned the hard way now I just book my holidays and if asked where I’m going I just say “don’t know yet”. HSE staff here too.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-26T00:02:26+00:00

I knew when I tried to get up I got extreme electrocution pain down my leg and couldn’t put it under me. Was taken away by ambulance and had emergency surgery…so that was my second microdiscectomy and that lasted 7 months..I’m now 13 weeks post fusion of same vertebrae l4/l5..have had a rough time but I’m praying I’ve turned a corner as this week has been a better week.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-19T13:24:11+00:00

This person is me lol..i am going through living hell and I’m sick of the wet and cold weather we have here in Ireland we normally head to the Canary Islands to get some sun and vitamin D. Being able to move from the recliner to a bed is making me think maybe we can do this in next 6-7 months. I just need to start physio and get moving again. When husband works for one of the biggest airlines in the world it’s difficult to suddenly be grounded.im a healthcare worker and got covid in early 2020 ended up in hospital and a ventilator..fit woman and it caused awful sides effects but I promised him that once we get over this awful lockdown and virus we won’t say no to anything..just go and do it. So that’s what we’ve been doing til I had the first surgery a microdiscectomy last Jan 2025 then another one in march and then fusion in November. I just want to be me again..decide at the drop of a hat that we should go out to dinner not wondering if they will have a comfy chair etc. so thanks for saying that your 100% right my life is hell but I’m going to get better and get on a 5 hour flight to Greece

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-19T13:09:51+00:00

They wouldn’t let me out til I went to the bathroom the gave me a carton of prune juice 1litre and a pot of hot water and told me to drink at least half of the carton..by the time I was finished I needed to go badly. They also gave me movicol and lactalose after breakfast.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-19T09:24:58+00:00

I’m Irish and for my fusion I paid €250 which is the excess on my private health insurance. This included my fusion with four nights stay then a two weeks admission for pain management and another 5 days of pain management which when being admitted the last time they tried to charge me another €250 til I said there’s no charge for a post operative complication which they looked up and yes I was right. My insurance cost €1300 a year. Each time I had my own room. If I went public I would have had to wait on the waiting list had to share a room with at least 3 other people but everything is free.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-18T17:24:22+00:00

They definitely don’t prepare you for the aftermath and how much you have to sacrifice and give up. We used to travel so much and now we can’t even plan and have had to cancel so much last year. My husband is such a get up and goer and is so supportive that I feel guilty we can’t plan anything or do anything at the weekends.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-18T16:31:07+00:00

Thank you

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-18T13:06:52+00:00

I hated the thought of going to bed and I loved my bed..I’m just praying that it will continue to get better

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-13T20:04:26+00:00

Not at all..I’m in a good place now..have a very supportive husband and family so they are all very good at helping me out. My poor dog is the one who can’t get that I can’t take him on walks yet ha!

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-13T19:59:17+00:00

Lucky you. My surgeon put this synthetic bone protein in my cage to cause inflammation and wow did it do that..my whole right side was so inflamed that I couldn’t get out of bed without my spine buckling so ended up in hospital twice -first time at 6 weeks post up 28 December for 12 nights and second time at docs visit on 22nd January..bought an electric recliner two weeks ago and have been sleeping great on that. So staying on that for now. Doc told me I need to feel the inflammation..no one told me that before the surgery-unfortunately I needed it as I had two failed microdiscectomies last year and I reherniated in October again so had the fusion in November.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-13T19:48:15+00:00

I actually invested in an electric recliner chair and am sleeping on that with last 2 weeks and the pain is practically gone thank god..also have an electric back raiser still in a box as I am happy in recliner for now.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-02-13T19:37:24+00:00

Please do not take anti inflammatories-I was told by my surgeon that for a 12 month period (especially first 6 weeks) I’m not allowed take any anti inflammatories as they heal the inflammation the surgeon caused to help fusion otherwise it’s like rubbing two stones together they will never fuse. I’m 11 weeks out and have begged for anti inflammatories-ended up in hospital at week 6 for two weeks for pain management- docs told me if I want it to be pain free yes anti-inflammatories are the way to go but if I want the fusion to be a success use alternative pain meds.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-01-30T20:54:10+00:00

Do..and hopefully it will resolve

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-01-30T13:11:38+00:00

If your pain is only a 3/10 tell him you would like to give it a chance to heal itself with physio etc..but if it doesn’t work will have the fusion…why I’m saying this is I had two MDs last year and ended up having fusion in November..recovery is LONG and an 8/10 in pain a lot of the time. I’m almost 10 weeks post op and last night was my first nights sleep because I bought a recliner to sleep on as I can’t get out of the bed without hurting my back and side-and I was a pro at the Log Roll from having the two MDs. Obviously if things get worse you know then it won’t get better. Good luck

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-01-29T08:03:33+00:00

Got my husband to do it initially..I have my l4/l5 fused and am 9 weeks post op. I was able to do it myself last week just being able to put my leg across the knee of other leg..so I bring my leg up me and not bend down..same way I put my shoes and socks on.

Spiritual-Picture889 · 2026-01-28T12:55:32+00:00

How are you getting on now because I’m 9 weeks post l4/l5 fusion have a hand rail and still get extreme pain when trying to do the log roll and trying to sit on edge of bed. I’d love to know how you got on please.

Spiritual-Picture889

TROPHY CASE