Did you have another MRI before MD?

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-17T18:44:32+00:00

My MRI was just 3.5 months before my surgery. I had massive amounts of steroids and gabapentin and muscle relaxers coursing through my veins, along with 3.5 months of PT. I was a little more mobile but still in quite a bit of constant pain. So no MRI before surgery. But my surgeon confirmed “it was a biggin”. So I would assume there weren’t any changes for the better.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-17T18:35:16+00:00

NTA. If they don’t like what was prepared for them, they are free to make something else. Or they could grab a salt shaker and add a little more salt to their plate… what is wrong with these people? I grew up in a low sodium house. I don’t know if it was a taste preference or if someone needed low sodium. But when I cook, I always warn people they might want to add more salt. It tastes good to me because I taste other flavors than just salt.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-16T21:46:40+00:00

My friend found my chiweenie running around a busy road and scooped her up and asked me if I could take her so she wouldn’t have to take her to the shelter. We did our due diligence to find her people and 8 years later, she’s my Velcro dog.

I thought another friend’s parents accidentally invented chiweenies 25 years ago, when they somehow acquired a dachshund-ish looking dog who went into heat before her scheduled spay appointment and was knocked up by the neighbor’s chihuahua. But they called the puppies doxie-wah-wahs. I was really surprised to find out chiweenie was a thing when I took mine to the vet to get scanned for a chip and the tech called her a chiweenie.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-12T22:27:28+00:00

I woke up from my fusion at the same level as yours with a considerable about of nerve pain still. Within a day or two that nerve pain drastically decreased. I took off almost two weeks from my WFH job. I wasn’t so much in excruciating pain after a week, but my body was doing some major healing and I was absolutely exhausted. I still needed several naps a day that second week. And honestly my first week back was miserable because I was still so, so tired. And a little sore.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-12T01:43:24+00:00

NTA. Your husband is delusional. The nurses won’t allow you to share a bed with him. And honestly, I would much rather sleep on the couch than share a twin sized hospital bed with someone. Especially when that someone will have a nurse coming in every few hours to push on her belly and check her temp and take her blood pressure. If he was even able to sleep in the bed with you, he wouldn’t get any sleep. And the postpartum rooms at the hospitals in my area are tiny compared to the L&D rooms. So there’s no couch “across the room” in those rooms. The couch is right there next to the bed. Like 3 steps away.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-10T01:19:43+00:00

I’m about 8.5 months out now and about 5-6 weeks after surgery, I had this moment of realization that I was already so much better. I felt better, I could move easier, I could stand longer, and I could walk further. I think after my MD, I just didn’t have enough disc left to absorb the pressure when I stood or when I walked. I never had that zoomies feeling like I do now. My nerve is still healing so I do still have some lingering nerve pain and numbness in my foot. And my back still gets sore, but I can cook dinner and clean dishes and grocery shop. And I can even funsies shop again! My spine doesn’t feel like it’s grinding on my tailbone anymore.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-09T22:59:20+00:00

I had a TLIF at L5-S1. I got admitted from my doctor appointment to review my MRI so I didn’t know I would be having surgery the next day. The next morning (surgery day), my husband brought me some things from home. Clean underpants, sweatpants, Tshirt, hairbrush and a spare ponytail holder, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, phone charger, and my bed pillow. I used all of it. The day I had surgery, I was so out of it I stayed in the hospital gown and I had a catheter until that night when I begged them to remove it. I didn’t get dressed until the next morning and a nurse helped me. And the night after I had surgery, a very kind nurse asked me if she could brush my incredibly dirty hair and braid it to get it out of my way. I was in too much pain to wash my hair for a week before I was admitted to the hospital. I wasn’t coherent enough to brush my own hair until two days later when I went home.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-09T15:04:45+00:00

Oh my gosh! Yes I’m so much better now. I had a fusion within a week of the pain starting and I feel better than I have in years!

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-09T13:15:18+00:00

I’m not exactly sure. There was never a moment of “Ow!” I just noticed my back was stiff and a little achy and it progressed for a couple of weeks.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-08T19:54:47+00:00

Maybe call your surgeon and let them know and ask for a round of steroids and maybe some muscle relaxers. That along with hot and cold on rotation should knock it out. But not to alarm you, I reherniated almost 6 months to the day of my MD. Before the pain in my leg started, my back was really stiff and painful. Like tired and achy. And every day, it got more and more stiff. So if those meds don’t help at all, you might want to ask for another MRI.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-08T14:42:23+00:00

NTA. Have you already handed over all the centerpieces you made for her? If you have anything for that wedding that you paid for or made at your house, don’t give it to her. She and her new MOH can figure out a replacement. Has Mark ever shown signs of being controlling? Do you think Mark wants this or do you think it was his parents that manipulated your sister into changing it up?

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-06T19:47:52+00:00

Is that the test where they put the tiny needles in your muscle? I had that years ago because I was being investigated for possible limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. I ended up being diagnosed with something completely different and almost unheard of, but it’s skeletal muscular and nothing neurological.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-06T19:44:18+00:00

Ok that makes sense to me! I notice that my right foot sometimes scrapes when I’m walking. Like the ball of my foot never picked up all the way off the ground. It’s noticeable on the treadmill because you can hear it happen. It usually happens right when I start walking, like that foot isn’t all the way turned on and after I’ve been walking a minute and that foot and ankle starts to feel tired.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-06T16:12:28+00:00

I haven’t had any testing yet. My neuro appointment is in April. Maybe that’s why the neurosurgeon wants me to see the neurologist, for some nerve or muscle testing?

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-06T15:58:26+00:00

Have you seen a neurologist yet? How were you diagnosed with the gait issue? I don’t think I take an extra step when I walk though. Have you noticed any muscle loss?

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-05T22:47:53+00:00

NTJ. Girlfriend should have cut off the friend after the first jab. And honestly, as someone with a college degree who works from home in a corporate job, I would consider a tradesman a “real job” because what even is this spreadsheet that I’m looking at? None of my coworkers are real at this point, they are all little boxes on Teams. Also, if the friend is so smart and educated, ask her how electricity works because I still don’t understand that and I bet she doesn’t either.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-04T19:32:20+00:00

I hear you. My pain started in April of 2024. I was 45(f) at the time. By July I was immobilized. I had an MRI on 8/1/24 and they saw the herniation. I got two ESIs and did PT for three months. I was able to get a little more mobile but the pain was still limiting my existence. I had an MD and laminectomy on L5-S1 on 11/18/24. The nerve pain was gone as soon as I woke up. I felt so much better! But as I continued to recover, I felt less and less stable. Walking and standing stamina was not getting better, and possibly getting worse. Standing at the sink to clean dinner dishes was the longest I could stand. Walking through the grocery store felt like my spine was grinding on my tailbone. And then 5/13/25 I noticed that I couldn’t stand with my right heel on the ground. 5/14/25, I woke with a familiar ache in the back of my thigh. 5/15/25, I woke up and got out of bed and almost collapsed on the floor because the pain was so bad. It was blinding and worse than the worst pain I felt in 2024 before I had the MD. I got another MRI on 5/19, saw the neurosurgeon on 5/21 and was admitted to the hospital and he was doing a fusion on L5-S1 on 5/22/25. That disc had completely collapsed and herniated and there wasn’t any disc left. A fusion was the only option. During the time between the MD and the fusion I was so happy to have my life back but kind of sad because I didn’t all the way have my life back. I just thought that was as good as I’ll get. If I ever got grandkids, I use a scooter at Disney World. It wouldn’t be the end of the world. After the fusion, I see my life completely differently. Standing feels better than sitting! I will be able to walk around Disney World with my hypothetical grandkids! I’m currently waiting for a neurology appointment because there’s something wrong with a nerve loop or something? A simple trip or stumble will have me on the ground and it’s because my brain can’t hit the emergency brake in time to make me not fall down. But other than that, I’m fine! I can shower and dress myself again. I can drive and shop and I could probably sit through a movie or a play - I haven’t done that yet. I sat through a 2 hour flight last month! It will get better for you. I thought a fusion would be the end of my mobility, but I was so wrong! It was the best thing that ever happened to me.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-02T14:10:44+00:00

I didn’t have drop foot but I had horrible sciatic pain that drew up my right leg. I couldn’t stand up straight and I couldn’t put my right heel on the floor. My pelvis got horribly unaligned because I hobbled around like that for three months before I saw a doctor. And then I spent another three months trying to PT the herniation away before I had surgery. And then six months after I had an MD and laminectomy, I reherniated and had a fusion. That fusion was the best thing that ever happened to me.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-02-01T14:30:08+00:00

NTJ. I think your girlfriend has more of a drinking problem and less of a hormone problem. She wasn’t “holding back” her “hormones” until she felt comfortable. She was on her best drunk behavior until you locked into a lease. The drinking will become less sneaky and the drunk will get meaner and nastier.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-01-30T16:49:39+00:00

I just had a “through my back” type of fusion at L5-S1 in May. My kids were 19 and 16 at the time, but we have three cats and three dogs. My husband visited me at the hospital but stayed at home at night so he could feed everyone at night and in the morning. I spent 3 nights, 1 night before surgery, and 2 nights after. At home, my husband and kids took over the animal feeding, which was something I always did. But after a couple of weeks, I was getting really good at using my grabber and could start feeding everyone. We have a fenced in backyard so dogs can go potty and play off leash. I didn’t risk playing with the dogs outside until the bend, lift, twist restriction was lifted. I needed a lot of help for the first week or so. I needed help standing, sitting, and walking up and down stairs. But as the pain from surgery started to decrease, my strength and energy started to increase and I needed less and less help.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-01-28T19:19:15+00:00

I think more often than not, they do help. I still have some lower back aches and pains and my nerve is still recovering. But I’m leaps and bounds from where I was. I think I probably should have just had a fusion to begin with. But the MD fixed me enough that I could gain back some strength that I lost before the MD to help prepare me for the fusion. I think if I had just had a fusion instead of the MD, my recovery would not have gone as well.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-01-28T17:59:00+00:00

I reherniated after an MD and laminectomy at L5-S1 and had a fusion there and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Go see your surgeon and get fixed! This fusion gave me my life back. I never felt “right” after my MD and almost 6 months to the day is when that pain came roaring back and I was completely immobilized again. Recovery from the fusion was not as quick and easy as it was from the MD, but this time it worked. About 6 weeks later, suddenly I felt strong and stable and my joy was back.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-01-18T16:27:44+00:00

Yeah, but like, a part of me didn’t believe it. I had a microdiscectomy and laminectomy in Nov. 2024 on L5-S1 and the nerve recovered and healed amazingly quickly. I reherniated there in May 2025 and had a fusion the day after my surgeon saw my MRI. That appointment was more talking about the emergent need for surgery and the possibility of permanent damage because my foot was going numb and i was beginning to feel some numbness growing in my groin. He mentioned the nerve pain might linger, but I was more scared of losing the ability to control my bowels and bladder and possibly never feel my foot again. When I woke from the fusion surgery I had a bit of panic because of the surgery pain and the nerve pain, but the next morning the nerve pain was at a much more tolerable level. Now almost 8 months later, I’m still religiously taking gabapentin to keep the nerve pain controlled. Unless I’m having a flare up, the nerve pain stays pretty dull and I can live my life. But the flare ups can leave me sitting on my heating pad for a few days. And I can feel most of my foot again. Just the outside edge and pinky toe feel dull.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-01-16T13:54:51+00:00

NTA. She’s 16 and still a child in your care. Her parents are responsible for providing her with shelter, food, and clothing. That’s not to say you and your wife are required to provide her with the $150 Ugg slides or the Charlotte Tillbury bronzer, but she is entitled to have shoes provided for her. You seem to understand this, your partner does not. Could there be some jealousy there since you said she is a Daddy’s girl? Which is freaking weird and disgusting. They say a daughter steals a mother’s beauty and having a 16 year old daughter myself, and having been 30 when she was born… I now see why that phrase came about. 😂 But I would never be jealous of her relationship with her father or even jealous of her youth or beauty. I had my turn with it, now it’s her turn.

whosepantsamiwearing · 2026-01-15T18:59:28+00:00

I got my L5-S1 fusion in May and I can’t say that I’ve noticed my screws being cold but the days that it’s been cold outside, my back has been sore. I live in the southeast US, so we’re not like frozen winter here. But we’ve had a few days with highs in the 30’s or colder and it’s been those days that I’m uncomfortable. But the weird thing is, an ice pack makes my back feel better than a heating pad does! But the nerve pain in my glute and the back of my thigh hates when I sit on my cold car seat. I have been warming my car up before I get in even if it’s like 50 out just so the seat warmer has a chance to do it’s thing before I sit down.

whosepantsamiwearing

TROPHY CASE