This morning is the 1 week-aversary (is that...is that a thing? Aw well, now it is) of my Laminotomy and Microdiscectomy surgical procedure at Pennsylvania Hospital. I thought I'd share some updates...

Pain Management

My sciatic pain has been gone since the moment I woke up from my procedure (thankfully). With that, post-op pain was rough the first couple of days, but once I was out of the first 72 hours, the pain decreased significantly. I haven't needed to use the prescribed narcotics since Saturday, and I'm able to find a comfortable position to sleep through the night - something I haven't been able to do for MONTHS.

Sensation

Although I still cannot fully feel my right foot and calf, sensation has been coming back little by little everyday. Today, I started a walking regimen (5 minutes of walking around the house 5x per day), which is supposed to help with regaining sensation. I'm confident that I will have full sensation back at this rate by the 6 week mark. 

Other Symptoms

Pre-Op, I had developed a nasty lateral pelvic tilt. Essentially, it looked like my pelvis was being forced to the right, and this was causing gait issues. As you can see from today's picture, that issue seems to have been resolved entirely from my procedure. Right now, the incision site is very swollen and itchy,  but overall is healing well.  The bandages came off on Monday, and I was able to take my first shower in 5 days (all praise the soapy gods!). 

Aside from all that, I've been doing significantly better and am confident that I am well on my healing journey! I am not somebody that enjoys sitting still, so that part has been a challenge. However, I've been keeping myself busy with online chess, learning a foreign language, and catching up on TV shows and movies. I'm trying to keep in mind that this is temporary and in 5+ weeks, I'll be able to get back to my everyday life again and the activities that I enjoy. 

Once again, I want to offer up a sincere thank you to everyone that has been so supportive - sending cards, care packages, encouraging words, etc. It truly means a lot and I'm grateful for your support!