Lumbar discectomy

ahmad

ahmad

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I admit I dislike posting in the medical forum because it reminds me of my past ordeal trying to get my medical. I don't post but I nearly read every one of them. I am always super happy to read success stories and always pray for success stories for the folks going through the trials.20250514_080957.jpg20250514_143709.jpg

Just had the lumbar discectomy (L5-S1)surgery this morning. Surgery went great and I am feeling good so far. I asked the doc to not prescribe me any pain meds. I hope I don't regret that tonight when the other pain meds from surgery wear off.

I was hoping to avoid surgery and try physical therapy. Unfortunately, the pain and leg numbness did not improve after 10 days. Several doctors advised surgery. So, I told my wife I am going to consult with my all time favorite doctor, Dr. B and if he says surgery then I will do it. Dr. B said do it and so we went there. The surgeon said no driving for 2 weeks. I told him that won't be an issue since I don't drive anyways. Driving is for common people. I fly. He looked at me weird.
 
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ahmad said:
I admit I dislike posting in the medical forum because it reminds me of my past ordeal trying to get my medical. I don't post but I nearly read every one of them. I am always super happy to read success stories and always pray for success stories for the folks going through the trials.View attachment 141049View attachment 141050

Just had the lumbar discectomy (L5-S1)surgery this morning. Surgery went great and I am feeling good so far. I asked the doc to not prescribe me any pain meds. I hope I don't regret that tonight when the other pain meds from surgery wear off.

I was hoping to avoid surgery and try physical therapy. Unfortunately, the pain and leg numbness did not improve after 10 days. Several doctors advised surgery. So, I told my wife I am going to consult with my all time favorite doctor, Dr. B and if he says surgery then I will do it. Dr. B said do it and so we went there. The surgeon said no driving for 2 weeks. I told him that won't be an issue since I don't drive anyways. Driving is for common people. I fly. He looked at me weird.
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I hope your recovery goes great! But why no pain meds?
 
Hope you recover quickly and get the result you desire. I had an L5/S1 microdiscectomy about 16 years ago. I was on occasional ibuprofen the second day post op. The post surgical pain was so much less and more tolerable than the pain/foot drop/weakness that pushed me to a surgical option, that I took less NSAIDS after than I was taking prior. Best wishes.
 
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robin ardoin said:
Hope you recover quickly and get the result you desire. I had an L5/S1 microdiscectomy about 16 years ago. I was on occasional ibuprofen the second day post op. The post surgical pain was so much less and more tolerable than the pain/foot drop/weakness that pushed me to a surgical option, that I took less NSAIDS after than I was taking prior. Best wishes.
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toughest thing for me was getting off the nsaids for two weeks before surgery
 
Nice! I had one of those years ago. If yours is like mine, recovery will be a non-event.

But really, I wouldn’t worry about the pain meds from an FAA standpoint unless you were applying for an FAA medical while taking them. I’d be far more worried about the addictive potential of the opioid types, but it sounds like that would not be a problem for you, and no one says you have take them except as needed. I think I took maybe 3 of mine after my knee replacement last year.
 
ahmad said:
Thank you. im more afraid of the FAA than any pain. haha
I don't want to them to question it and honestly I can tolerate pain. so far so good. I have not needed anything post op and feel good.
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There's a common misconception that you have to report to the FAA everything that you're prescribed, even drugs that you aren't taking at the time of your medical application, or never took..But it's not true.

It sounds like you may not need them, but if you decide you do, the FAA shouldn't ever even know about it unless you're in a HIMS program.
 
AV8R_87 said:
It's so sad and pathetic that a pilot has to have such a fear of the medical division. OKC should just accept a letter from the doctor actually treating you.
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Yes, the FAA can be crazy about certain things but these types of surgeries and typically not a big deal, although the wise pilot will also inquire ahead of time.

In this case, there will be nothing to report other than the surgery itself and maybe the related visits to the AME.

The surgery itself is usually a non-event from an FAA standpoint. At most a letter from the treating physician. I'm BasicMed now but I remember when I had my hip replacement. When I went for my next FAA medical renewal, I brought in a 2" looseleaf notebook with all the records of the treatment printed out an tabbed.

AME: What's that?
Me: All the records from my hip replacement. I figured you'd need them.
AME (pushing the notebook back toward me): You walked in, didn't you?

The discectomy? I didn't bother with anything other than listing it and the earlier epidural steroid injections.
 
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I've had three back surgeries for disk issues over the years. Reported all on the MedXPress. (Note: when specifying already disclosed surgeries on MedXPress, I just note "no change".) Was never an issue and never heard a peep from OKC. Essentially, as long as there are no lingering neurological issues (e.g., tingling, pain) or physical impairment (e.g., loss of strength, loss of motion, loss of use) you should be good. But, always consult with your AME first before doing MedXPress.

Disclosure: Been on BasicMed for about 5 years now so haven't seen an AME in that time.
 
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