Lumbar Laminectomy operation

[Newportnobby]

Out of curiosity has anyone out there had the above op, by any chance?

[Browning 9mm]

sorry, I'm in bad evough condition without having lengths of lumber inserted into me

[emjaybee]

Mick, I really wanted to post something pithy & frivolous.
However, having looked it up, I'll refrain. It's not something I've ever heard of, & I know quite a lot of, err, Senior citizens.

Was there something specific you wanted to know?
I'm assuming you've scoured Google.

[TrevL]

Out of curiosity has anyone out there had the above op, by any chance?

Yes Mick, what do you want to know?

[Newportnobby]

What I'm looking to know about is....

General or local anaesthetic?
After op care required (once I leave hospital I'm on my own)
Pain levels
Personal hygiene capability
Did the op do what it's meant and was quality of life improved markedly?

Reading the interweb leads to scary thoughts like I could end up paralysed or worse in worst case scenario etc etc

[Jim Easterbrook]

I always go to the NHS website first, rather than general searches that bring up lots of ambulance chasing quacks.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lumbar-decompression-surgery/ says general anaesthetic, leave hospital 1-4 days later, avoid strenuous activity for 6 weeks. See the site for more info and a video.

PS I would expect you to have a meeting with the surgeon who'll do the op at some point. I find it useful to have a list of questions like these prepared in advance. You could also ask to see the post-operative care document they'll send you home with.

[Newportnobby]

Thanks for that site, Jim. It's been bookmarked

[TrevL]

What I'm looking to know about is....

General or local anaesthetic?
After op care required (once I leave hospital I'm on my own)
Pain levels
Personal hygiene capability
Did the op do what it's meant and was quality of life improved markedly?

Reading the interweb leads to scary thoughts like I could end up paralysed or worse in worst case scenario etc etc

Right Mick, personal experience.
My slipped disc happened on holiday in Germany, so may be different to todays NHS treatment.
General anaesthetic in my case, keyhole surgery to remove bone from around the sciatic nerves where they leave the spinal cord. Wasn't allow to sit for 6 weeks. Standing and walking gently Ok, lying down ok, just no sitting (I did some modelling stood at the bench).
Pain - a bit of discomfort for a few days, but after that none at all, especially after enduring servere sciatia, it was a breeze.
Personal hygene - Washing ok, showering - I had to keep the wounds dry until they had heeled, about a week. Peeing ok, pooing a different matter, I had to squat (no sitting remember) over the loo, not easy when you've never done that before.
Improvement - I lived with sciatica to varying degrees for about 3 years.  The difference for me after the op' has been miraculous. It's 30 years since I had it done, and can honestly say I've never had any further issues.
Risk - There's a risk in crossing the road or riding your Kwak, but you take it. Personally, I really had no choice, full collapse and blues and twos to hospital. Collapse on Saturday, operation Sunday, on my feet on Monday.  Given the choice, and knowing what I know now, I'd do it in a heartbeat.  Good luck and best wishes.
Cheers, Trev.

[Newportnobby]

Thanks for that very comprehensive reply, Trev.
It helps my mental block. I hate hospitals having had very bad experiences with them