OP
Update again ...
I did four weeks of PT. While it certainly helped to accelerate the rehabilitation of my atrophied musculature, my nerve-impingement discomfort essentially remained the same with intense bouts of pins-and needles at times and continued sensitivity to pressure in the area of the injury.
So, back to the surgeon. He agreed, time to cut, and got me scheduled for just over a week out. While confirming the procedure was going to be laparoscopic/endoscopic he commented that it would be minimally invasive but the whole laparoscopic/endoscopic thing was "mostly marketing" for this type of procedure. I did the surgery-prep: forms, more forms, Covid test, physical, pre-payments, etc.
Friday the 7th (May) , I showed up at the outpatient surgery center at 6:15am, got checked in, got nakedish/gowned , got plugged in, got wheeled back to the OR, a couple deep breaths and I was out.
Doc swung by for a quick check in and comment that he removed "a lot of disc material" which was about all I could comprehend at that point.
By 10am they had given me a Percoset and I was on my way home. Other than a couple rounds of Ibuprofen and Tylenol, that was the end of any pain meds. The nerve discomfort was simply -GONE-
Two weeks out, we traveled Philly to south of Richmond and back with me driving 1/2 way in both directions. I followed up with the PA on Monday and the incision is healing well, I'm cleared to reduce wearing the lumbar brace and to start carefully ratcheting up my activities. I have a follow up with the Doc on June 24th which I hope will give me clearance to get back in the water, exercising reasonable care.
Longer term, well have to see, but as of now it seems to have been the right path for my circumstances.
I did four weeks of PT. While it certainly helped to accelerate the rehabilitation of my atrophied musculature, my nerve-impingement discomfort essentially remained the same with intense bouts of pins-and needles at times and continued sensitivity to pressure in the area of the injury.
So, back to the surgeon. He agreed, time to cut, and got me scheduled for just over a week out. While confirming the procedure was going to be laparoscopic/endoscopic he commented that it would be minimally invasive but the whole laparoscopic/endoscopic thing was "mostly marketing" for this type of procedure. I did the surgery-prep: forms, more forms, Covid test, physical, pre-payments, etc.
Friday the 7th (May) , I showed up at the outpatient surgery center at 6:15am, got checked in, got nakedish/gowned , got plugged in, got wheeled back to the OR, a couple deep breaths and I was out.
Doc swung by for a quick check in and comment that he removed "a lot of disc material" which was about all I could comprehend at that point.
By 10am they had given me a Percoset and I was on my way home. Other than a couple rounds of Ibuprofen and Tylenol, that was the end of any pain meds. The nerve discomfort was simply -GONE-
Two weeks out, we traveled Philly to south of Richmond and back with me driving 1/2 way in both directions. I followed up with the PA on Monday and the incision is healing well, I'm cleared to reduce wearing the lumbar brace and to start carefully ratcheting up my activities. I have a follow up with the Doc on June 24th which I hope will give me clearance to get back in the water, exercising reasonable care.
Longer term, well have to see, but as of now it seems to have been the right path for my circumstances.
fingers crossed
