UPDATED: Post-Surgery Recovery - February 19th 2025
February 11th, 2025 - Original post-Check below for subsequent updates - On January 23rd, 2025 I underwent my third back surgery to correct a severely herniated disk between my L4-L5 vertebrae. The bulging disk and associated inflammation surrounding it had impinged on my spinal cord and other nerve roots, causing me severe pain in my back and radiating down both legs to my feet at times. This impacted my daily life for months, and limited my ability to do photography as much as I wanted to.
The surgery was performed at the Birmingham VA Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama by Dr. Mark N. Hadley from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Hadley removed fixation hardware at my L5-S1 levels from my previous fusion surgery, decompressed and cleaned out the L4-L5 level, and installed new fixation hardware to cover the whole L4-S1 portion of my spine.
For the most part, the surgery itself went very well. There was some difficulty in removing the old hardware, to the point where one of the old screws was unable to be removed. After the incision was closed the surgical team was rolling back onto a hospital bed, one of the hip supports on the operating table broke under my weight. Yes, you read that right. My fat ass broke part of a very expensive operating table. My right thigh and left foot were bruised when the support broke.
To the credit of the hospital staff, they were very open with me about what happened, and were quite thorough in post operative care. Before I was even out of sedation, they performed an ultrasound on my thigh to make sure there was no serious internal bleeding or other issues. I was placed into a room in the hospital’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit. The surgeon and many other members of hospital staff came around frequently to make sure I was doing well. I stayed in the SICU for two nights, and after clearance from the surgeon and physical therapy, I was discharged from the hospital and returned home. I left the hospital with a back brace that I have to wear for 8 weeks when being up and about for extended periods, and an electromagnetic bone growth stimulator that I use for 30 minutes a day.
Not long after waking up from surgery.
A happy little morphine button.
Walking the halls of the SICU.
The first 24 hours after returning home went great. I was moving well, resting lots, and wasn’t in a terrible amount of pain. My left thigh and inside of my lower left leg down to my foot were still numb, likely residual nerve irritation/damage. On the second day home, one of the nerves in my lower back went somewhere it shouldn’t have in its newfound freedom and got itself pinched.
This was excruciating. Thankfully I was walking with the support of a walker and my dad at the time. My legs nearly buckled. For the next several days, I barely left my bed. My brother helped my by getting my meds for me when I needed them, and helped me get in and out of bed when I needed to go to the bathroom. Eventually though, the pain subsided and I was able to begin doing things for myself again.
I followed up 10 days after surgery with a visit to see the surgeon in Birmingham. My sutures were removed and steri-strips applied to the incision site. A neurological exam was done on my lower extremities, and some weakness in my leg was noted. I informed them of the numbness in my lower left leg being present, and that the numb patch on my left thigh was regaining sensation, but that it was now a constant burning sensation instead. A follow up appointment for 3 months post-surgery and new a MRI of the lower back to be done prior to that follow up appointment.
At the time of this writing, I am now 19 days into my recovery from the surgery. I am moving around very well on my own, and I am able to do all my routine daily tasks without assistance. I still wear my brace when up and about, and use the bone growth treatment daily. I am able to walk relatively comfortably for up to 2 miles a day., which is amazing to be able to do again. I still have a numb patch on the inside of my lower left leg. The painful patch on my left thigh is still very annoying, and intermittently has the sensation of being stung by a bee in some places.
Overall though, I am quite satisfied so far with the results from this surgery. Despite some of the setbacks like the pinched nerve early on and the neurological issues in the left leg, my recovery from this surgery is going more quickly and with less pain and limitation than either of my previous lower back surgeries. I’m optimistic that this trend will continue.
Thank you all for your support as I’m recovering. I hope to be back to my usual photography shenanigans soon. I am already making plans for this summer and fall! Check back here for more recovery updates, as I will be amending this post with any relevant information as needed.
February 19th, 2025 Update - Just a quick update on my progress. I have just about fully regained my mobility to a state where it is better than it was before the back surgery. There’s little pain in my back aside from some occasional muscle soreness. I can walk around and do routine daily tasks easily without any assistance. I can walk for about 2 1/2 miles at a somewhat normal pace.
I do still have some burning pain and weakness in my left thigh, and some numbness in my left inner calf down to the ankle, but a some sensation is returning. Both of these issues are nerve irritation or possibly .damage. It’s improving slightly, but very slowly. Hopefully it continues this trend and doesn’t leave anything permanent.. Time will tell.
I have an appointment with my primary care provide soon. I’m gonna discuss changing a couple of my meds around that I have been on for years and I feel they have lost their effectiveness for me. I am also going to ask to be referred for possible steroid injection for my moderately arthritic right hip, as for now it is hurting me worse than my back is.
That’s about all for now. I’ll update here as needed. Be sure to check out my upcoming plans for later this year!
