Microdiscectomy Recovery Week 12

My recovery following my reherniation scare is going exactly as it did post operation, so here I am at week 12 feeling exactly the same as I did at week 7. This isn't all bad though.

I have been working from home and putting in some long days and coping ok.  By the end of last week I was getting very stiff and sore as I worked but moving around again for a while helped.

I made it through Brownie Pack Holiday without injuring myself again which I was really worried about.  I was very careful.  I still felt quite sore though and used my ice pack a lot.

I even went to a Rangers meeting this week, this was ok for the first hour but after that my leg started to hurt and Brownies is a complete sore back nightmare, it's bend down to them..they are so small!

I went for a walk of 5.5km last Saturday but it's the only one I've done since my last post.  I've not even walked on the treadmill.  This worries me a bit really because I'm finding I'm ok provided I don't do anything, as soon as I get busy walking, driving, ironing, anything really I get a sore leg swiftly followed by back pain.  I want to start walking again but I'm worried that if I do I'll be back to square one again.  Luckily the weather has been so bad there is no incentive to get into the great outdoors and treadmill walking is so horrendously boring I'm not really missing it.   My body is though, midriff flab is appearing. I'm hoping that once I do get walking again it'll tone up again but all those years exercising seem to be going down the drain right now.

I've got a weekend in Wales this weekend on a Guiding Training. The car journey (as a passenger) will be an interesting test.  But I should be able to get more rest away than I do at home, so once I'm there it will be worthwhile.

So for a pain gauge right now: lower back soreness, particularly on right hand side.  This is a dull ache that comes and goes. Muscle spasms in back, butt and leg seem to happen whether I'm tired, sore or ok, just a regular twitching.  It's irritating at night.  Right hip, and thigh often sore and I'm wondering if this a partly muscular from squatting to get to anything lower than waist height, but it's only on the right hand side so I'm guessing it's linked to sciatica.  My right butt, calf and outside of ankle get the recognisable sciatica stabbing pains when I've sat for too long (about 20 minutes sitting or 45 minutes on my kneeling chair).

I am extremely tired all the time.  Some of it will be related to just getting back into that 20 balls in the air routine that is the life of a wife, mother, full time worker, Guider and person that can't say no.  But I'm also sure that some of it is still down to my injury and operation.

I've taken to sleeping with a pillow between my lower legs to stop me rolling onto my front at night because I've read that can be bad for backs and I've a tendency to be a tummy sleeper.

My employer have finally managed to get a kneeling chair so I am able to go back to the office but not until they have done another assessment and they've written to my GP for a full medical report as well. I'm assured this is all standard but it feels a bit like they don't believe me.