first post link in r/Sciatica. I like this community better so now I'll post updates here. Reading the updates from others, positive and negative, has been really helpful so I wanted to share where I'm at.
My first couple weeks were great. I switched to otc pain meds day 6 with no issue. I hit 7+ miles walking in 0.5-1 chunks on day 8 after surgery. I even was able to return to my WFH software job where I alternate using my walking pad with my standing desk and laptop in bed. Seemed like things were going great!
There was one catch. I noticed a few days after my surgery what felt like a scratch in my mouth on the back side of where my wisdom lower left wisdom tooth would be. I figured it was just a scratch from the general anesthesia tube and it wasn't bothering me too much until around day 11 when it started to ache. Even at my 2 week post op the NP looked on and didn't see any inflammation or issues. My back was healing great, but my left jaw continued to get worse.
The morning after my 2 week post op apt, my jaw popped really loud and I spent the weekend in a ton of jaw pain. Following Monday dentist who specializes in TMJ/D runs scans and listens to my story and says the pop was my jaw disc popping back in after dislodging in my sleep. Diagnosed with TMD and a gum infection.
Fast forward a week and despite a delay in getting anti biotics the gum infection is going down as is the intense jaw pain. My back is still going generally ok. Occasionally I would get tingles of localized nerve pain in random spots on my leg for a few seconds, but that's it. Then yesterday, Tuesday, day 26 post op I had an episode of the most excruciating sciatica pain I've ever felt. It kind of worked up from mildy tired to the full blown 9/10 pain over the afternoon while mostly lying in bed. Eventually I got it calmed down with some movement and muscle relaxers.
Sleep wasn't good and I had another episode when I woke up at 4:30 yesterday. Fiance takes me to the ER and they give me all the various pain killers and steroids and it eventually calms down and we get the pain under control.
MRI report:
Impression
- Interval postsurgical changes of right L5-S1 laminectomy and partial discectomy. Rim-enhancing fluid collection in the laminectomy bed without significant mass effect on the thecal sac. Right paracentral/proximal foraminal partial discectomy changes with improved patency of the right lateral recess and decreased mass effect on the right S1 nerve root. Persistent right foraminal protrusion and endplate osteophytes with similar moderate to severe right neural foraminal narrowing and mass effect on the exiting right L5 nerve root
... Notes on other disc pretty normal...
L5-S1: Disc desiccation. Right paracentral/foraminal partial discectomy changes with improved patency of the right lateral recess and decreased mass effect on the right S1 nerve root. Persistent right foraminal protrusion and endplate osteophytes with similar moderate to severe right neural foraminal narrowing and mass effect on the exiting right L5 nerve root. Mild left facet hypertrophy. No significant canal stenosis. Mild left neural foraminal narrowing.
I was sent home with pain meds and other things. Felt pretty ok by the time I got home and managed to walk probably about 1 mile in short slow stints over the evening. Sleep was pretty broken but better than the previous night. I switched out my leg pillow and I think it helped. This morning my back feels mostly ok. Jaw pain has reduced immensely as the antibiotics have done work on the gum infection. It still aches after chewing, did I mention I've been on a soft food diet for about 10 days now. Oh and to top it off I got a migraine pretty quickly morning out of no where (usually they start in my sleep).
I have follow up apts next week for both my back and jaw. I don't really know what to expect. The ER doc said there was no herniation and the report confirms that and he didn't seem worried after being on the phone with my neurosurgeon. The bone spurs were not on my MRI from last year or mentioned in surgical notes. I'm hoping it's just the fluid build + general muscle tension putting pressure on the still healing nerve. Since it's definitely not infected I would expect the fluid level to decrease over time.
I definitely do not want to push it so I'll be spending most of the day in bed.