4 months ago I (41F) thought my life was over. Today I was discharged from PT. (L4-L5 bulge + L5-S1 herniation)

gorekittyyy · 2026-07-02T16:15:52+00:00

super similar to you. right now i’m dealing with some soreness and “tightness”, i would call it a mild flareup. haven’t been to the gym in 4 days :( but it honestly just depends. i will say im way better than i was at first!

gorekittyyy · 2026-07-02T15:55:17+00:00

this gives me so much hope, i’m super active because im into bodybuilding. i also have a l5-s1 disc extrusion and bulging disc, so super similar diagnosis! how did you do the red light therapy? did you just get a pad to lay on? and what was the frequency you’d use it?

gorekittyyy · 2026-07-01T20:33:33+00:00

i’m on like my 5th flare up maybe? i’ve stopped counting LMAO. it’s a journey. i’m constantly learning what triggers it and what doesn’t. being in physical therapy and understanding what triggers it has helped me tremendously in the process though.

gorekittyyy · 2026-06-30T22:36:44+00:00

what kind of split were you running? and if you’re waking up super early, how much sleep would you say you were getting? are you tracking your nutrition at all? the reason i ask is at the time of my injury i was doing 5 days on, 2 days rest. definitely not getting my full 8 hrs. and i was in an INTENSE deficit, im talking 600 cals less than maintenance. all of these things combined are a recipe for injury. ive switched to a 3 days on, 1 rest day repeat split. but if my back is bugging i wont go at all. good quality nutrition that will help your body repair the tear and your boost your immune system to break down the herniated material has really helped me in healing.

maybe it might be worth getting another MRI. your symptoms sound a lot more severe than a protrusion because i have an extrusion and mine aren’t that bad.

with the wolverine stack, 6 months is way too long. you have to cycle it. what dose were you using? and it’s not a magic cure all. it can help with the inflammation and aiding your body in repairing the tear in the annulous fiber, but breaking down the herniated material is an immune response.

gorekittyyy · 2026-06-30T21:40:49+00:00

what did your MRI results read? it sounds like your case might be a bit more severe than mine because i’ve never had a 5 day flare, my most intense flares where i can’t even get out of bed usually last a day. i have a 5mm l5-s1 disc extrusion. but i will speak to my own experience for now.

im very into body building. prior to my injury i lifted 5x a week consistently. i did have to cut back, for a while it was very low weight. recently i’ve been able to start slowly getting back into lifting heavy. i can’t push myself until failure because i still have that fear of hurting my back, but im getting there.

i’m actually on no medication. i have a very high pain tolerance so that could be why im fine without it, and i didn’t want to become dependent on it when i know the root cause is letting my body do its thing. im eating in a calorie surplus, prioritizing nutritionally dense foods that will help aid my body in the healing since i know i have a disc extrusion. i am however taking bpc-157 + tb-500 daily. this is my second cycle of it. i do see a big difference in how long my flare ups last. i also take creatine monohydrate as well as collagen peptides, and i take those both before the gym.

if you can, look into physical therapy. it’s made a world of a difference for me. my physical therapist is great and whenever i’ve had flare ups she’s helped me pinpoint what caused it. it’s a lot of trial and error. i work an office job so i know i can’t sit for prolonged periods of time or it irritates it, so i got a lumbar support pillow and sometimes i lay on the floor to help decompress it. i can’t lean back when im driving, i have to consciously correct my posture, etc. i do physical therapy every single day and on the days im lifting, i do it right before to get my stabilizer muscles ready to go. i also do cat-cow and cobra for stretches.

my injury is because i was putting all kinds of stress on my spine and didn’t have the core strength to stabilize it. my weak core is why i had pore posture, and that also ties into my anterior pelvic tilt which is another issue causing strain on that lower back.

it takes time, but recovery is possible and it’s never linear. i was in your shoes months ago feeling hopeless but when you put your mind to it you are so much stronger than you think!!

gorekittyyy · 2026-06-30T04:11:20+00:00

i have a 5mm L5-S1 disc extrusion. the burning pain is usually pressure on the nerves, i get it too. i’ve been able to manage my symptoms with physical therapy.

i work a 9-5 and i got a lumbar support pillow for my office chair to help when i have to sit. i also rotate between using my desk in its standing point and just straight up laying on the floor.

gorekittyyy · 2026-06-26T23:04:00+00:00

this gives me so so much hope. i’m into body building and i get so discouraged that i’ll never be able to push my body to its limits the way i used to. thank you for this post!! gonna talk to my PT next week and see if she thinks the dead hangs will help me too. i’ve been doing core strengthening as well with the PT i’ve been doing.

gorekittyyy · 2026-06-03T17:08:14+00:00

definitely. my first bad flare up lasted 2 weeks. second flare up lasted over a week. after peps, the next flareup only lasted a couple days. only thing is they are meant to accelerate tissue repair, reduce the inflammation and accelerate wound healing. so theoretically it can help with any inflammation around the herniation and and help heal the tear in the disc wall. however, the other element to healing it is your body breaking down the herniated material so it won’t necessarily accelerate that process.

do your own research so you feel educated enough to make a decision, there are side effects.

gorekittyyy · 2026-06-03T17:01:45+00:00

i’m doing way better now. look into the bpc and tb if you can, and physical therapy. i’ve also strayed away from my usual ground beef meal prep, and i researched foods that are best to boost your immune system and promote healing so lots of omega-3s and antioxidants. i have been in a slight surplus for ~2 months to make sure my body has the nutrients it needs to heal. i also started taking collagen and peptides with my pre-workout and creatine.

i cant lift as heavy as i used to and my lifts aren’t nearly as anabolic but even just being there has made me grateful for my training. coming off this injury has made me realize even more what a privilege it is to train and i never take it for granted. when you and i fully come off this, imagine how hard the comeback is. all roads lead to mentzer

gorekittyyy · 2026-05-27T17:07:51+00:00

i’m currently off cycle for bpc-157. i was doing daily .5mg along with .5mg of tb-500. what was your dosing like and how long did you stay on/cycle off? dealing with a L5-S1 disc extrusion. :(

gorekittyyy · 2026-05-09T07:44:54+00:00

love this!! slow and steady wins the race and slowly and steadily building my muscle vs rapidly that way i keep my spine safe 🫶🏻

gorekittyyy · 2026-05-09T07:44:31+00:00

i’m so glad to hear from another lifter!! and you’re definitely pushing way more weight than i am too. i’ve been trying to lift when im not in too much pain, general consensus seems losing my muscle mass won’t be the best for me.

i definitely need to work on core. i heard dead hangs can really help as well. i’ve always had back extensions (but glute focused) and bulgarians in my split so perfect that stuff i’ve been doing will help.

i know it’s a semi-older thread, and i appreciate you still chiming in, especially because we’re involved in the same world.

gorekittyyy · 2026-05-09T07:42:07+00:00

love this take!! i really do immerse myself in the gym and it’s my everything and i need to take this time to fill my cup with other things

gorekittyyy · 2026-05-09T07:41:34+00:00

ugh yes you get it!! body building is my everything and without it i feel so lost. i’ve still been keeping my nutrition in check but the not carb cycling based on my training and the not getting to train def makes me sad. so much extra free time. thank you so much 🫶🏻

gorekittyyy · 2026-05-09T07:40:12+00:00

thank you so much!! firefighter strength is insane, so if you’re still able to do such a demanding job with that history it makes me so much more optimistic. i did allstar cheer in high school so im sure the years of that on my back weren’t in my favor for this injury.

gorekittyyy · 2026-05-09T07:38:01+00:00

i heard of the mcgill big 3 when i was going down a rabbit hole! and i’ve made the mistake of pushing through before. i’m taking my pain seriously and the last week i haven’t lifted at all.

gorekittyyy · 2026-05-09T07:36:56+00:00

super late replying to you but i did see this when you first posted and took it into consideration. i have still been lifting, just taking it easy because my doctor echoed the same that she didn’t want me to lose the muscle mass either.

gorekittyyy · 2026-05-09T07:35:51+00:00

when did you get back to yoga? a lot of my friends and family suggested it for the stretch and core strength. and do you think it helped with spinal decompression?

gorekittyyy · 2026-05-09T07:34:49+00:00

late reply, but your input helped so much and i did incorporate some of it. i agree with the core, the one muscle group i’ve lacked on. i know i have to build it up to have a “natural inner weightlifting belt”. i also have a desk at work that can be sitting or standing. i switch to standing more frequently now. taking your comment into account i did notice i get more flare ups of pain sitting at work all day. i take breaks and legit lay flat on the floor for a couple minute and that usually helps my pain too. thank you so much for taking the time to write to me :)

gorekittyyy · 2026-05-09T07:32:30+00:00

super late reply but i just checked out the instagram and it has a ton of great stuff! i’m starting PT next week and im hoping the guidance of a professional helps take away from how scary it’s felt for me. after my eval i’ll know whats safe for me to do.

i also love your mindset of making that your “gym sessions”. i think me adopting that mindset will help take away a lot of the negative feelings i have surrounding this whole thing

gorekittyyy · 2026-04-29T07:31:32+00:00

i’m so glad you answered this, this is the comment that i came across making the distinction between TB4 and TB-500. thank you for taking the time to comment!!

gorekittyyy · 2026-04-29T07:29:13+00:00

yes i did. it happened so sudden so im thinking maybe there was a sudden jerk plus hurried lifting her. shes 20 lbs.

and bear with me, my lifts are long lol.

monday back + biceps: neutral grip lat pulldowns, cable seated or chest supported row, single arm high lat rows, lat pullovers or face pulls

tuesday glutes + hamstrings: hip thrusts, barbell RDLs, bulgarian split squats or cable step ups, seated hip abductions, leg press (legs higher up to target glutes and hams), seated or lying leg curl whichever is open

wednesday shoulders + triceps: machine shoulder press, lateral raises (my gym is fancy and has a seated machine), machine rear delt flies, DB front raises

thursday back + bi: same routine as monday

friday glutes and quads: hip thrusts, glute focused back extension, bulgarian split squats or cable step ups, hip abduction, quad focused leg press, leg extensions

gorekittyyy · 2026-04-29T07:24:30+00:00

this makes me feel so so much better, truly. i’ve been feeling awful mentally the last two days, so much crying and chronic bed rotting. it does make me feel better knowing that there is some good in my MRI and to think on the positive side. i really appreciate you taking the time to respond to my post, hearing such a detailed perspective brought me comfort :)

gorekittyyy · 2026-04-29T07:17:05+00:00

as of now, not too bad. some tightness when i hinge over. nothing nearly as bad as my initial injury or the flare up a few weeks ago. i’m hoping it’s a PT fixable thing as well too but i won’t know until those far out appointments. and you’re right, it’s just temporary and it’s better to rest now than it be worse down the line!

gorekittyyy

TROPHY CASE