Way back in February I posted about having nerve pain down my leg. Just had surgery yesterday. It's been a grind... over 5 months to come to the conclusion that surgery was needed and then get it. A couple months ago I received an epidural steroid shot that had no effect. After that we decided to go the surgery route. I had a laminectomy and diskectomy. Found out how much my "good" health insurance didn't cover through all this. Although it's been frustrating, when I woke up after surgery I had ZERO pain in my leg. Almost forgot how that felt. So all in all I'm very thankful the surgery seemed to work as intended. But certainly tired of the round and round with Dr appointments all getting their co-pay. Half the time an email or phone call could have accomplished the same thing.
Nothing happens fast in the medical world.

Great news. Glad your procedure was a success!

I had the same symptoms from Agent Orange exposure, but no surgery, just taking pills, Tramadol for the pain. Ibuprofin for the leaker pains, and Gabapentin as a nerve deadener. All from the VA, and has been working fine for a long time.

My Laminectomy worked well for about two years for pain relief.

Eventually, though, the pain relief subsided & the pain came back.

Biggest issue was the amount of vertebrae bone material the surgery
removes so they can access the spinal nerve canal to work on the nerves
that are causing your pain issues.

The loss of spinal support caused by vertebrae bone removal
might cause even worse pain issues in the long term.

If I had to do it all again I would not have a Laminectomy
knowing what I know about the side effects & collateral damage.

I hope you have better long term results than I did.

w

Walleyed, I used the term laminectomy, however, what I got was a hemilaminectomy which only removes about half the amount of bone. The surgeon said it won't affect spine strength at all. Many pro athletes have had it done with no ill results. I hope my results are good but who knows. I do know I couldn't go on with the amount of pain I had in my leg and have quality of life. Was hoping the injection would clear it up but it didn't, so, sometimes the decision is made for ya

I had a similar surgery in 2011. Was wheeled in the day of surgery, couldn't walk for 3 months previous. Went in for procedure at 5:30 AM and walked out of the hospital at 1:00 PM under my own power. I did ALL of the PT as recommended and returned to heavy construction for a couple of years after 6 months of recovery. My back was starting to bother me again so I left the construction industry. Since then, I stay away from repetitive lifting/twisting and I have no pain doing daily work stuff. I, currently, measure and estimate flooring jobs. I do a lot of driving and seem to be getting along good since the transition away from back breaking labor. The only time I have much pain now is if I sleep in the same position for a long period of time. I'll tell you, there was a significant time prior to surgery I had lost hope of any kind of real recovery. I was running on oxycodone washed down with Bud for a couple months. Anyway, stick with the PT and don't do anything stupid for at least 6 months, even if you think you are 100%, you ain't! Strengthen your gut as much as possible and keep the weight off if you can. Good luck in your recovery!

Good news about your surgery.

Going through something very similar myself. Started in late October last year. Still no diagnosis yet after 2 CT scans and one MRI. Mine is mid back and wraps around abdomen just under the ribs. I received injections the beginning of this month just to try to help diagnose it. It worked, I was completely pain free for the first time since January. However it only lasted about 7 days and the pain started to creep back. Now it is back with a vengeance. Have another MRI scheduled of a little higher on the back. I need this to be figured out soon because I can not take it much longer.