24 Hour post Microdiscectomy Update

Some people here were asking for updates so here it goes. I am 24 hours post microdiscectomy for a large right side L5-S1 herniation. I've made detailed posts about my history and the process, but the gist of it is that it caused several months of extreme sciatica pain and I've been basically bedridden and completely disabled without much relief from conservative treatment.

Surgery went smooth but I am very nervous about reinjury or re-aggravating the condition so I am being extremely conservative about recovery until my follow up in 2 weeks. I've been laying in bed in positions of comfort and getting up every hour or so to walk around the house. Still have hesitation with urinating and haven't had a bowel movement yet so not sure how that is gonna go. I've only been treating with ibuprofen, gabapentin, and cold packs so far.

My sciatica was generally a 9/10 the entire time and was constantly all the way from my gluteus, hamstring, calf and down to my foot. After surgery I can happily say that the sciatica is completely gone. It has flared up in my glute if I get into the wrong position, but the pain is mild, doesn't last long and doesn't progress past my glute. There is absolutely no numbness, tingling, or pain at all down the rest of my leg like I've had for months. The amount of relief is amazing! I am going to get off of the gabapentin today and see how that goes.

The incision site and the surrounding area is very sore, but not really painful. Getting out of bed is a fairly easy process and walking around the house for short periods has been completely pain free. It's like the miracle I've been praying for on all of those sleepless nights.

My plan for post surgery is to make sure I never get into this position again. I was at 235 when this all started and my fighting weight back in the day was about 200. I switched to a carnivore diet with intermittent fasting in the past 6 weeks and I'm already down to 220. I plan to continue that and add in some 3-5 day fasts after my follow up appointment. Hopefully then I can get into some physical therapy to start strengthening and adding flexibility to my core. Then I want to start the Diamond Dallas Page Yoga program. It looks like it has done wonders for some people and I'm excited to try that out. Then eventually add in some more traditional strength training and cardio to maintain a healthy weight, better posture, and a strong core.

My only real concern from here is my future employment prospects. I have really only done labor type of jobs and I know I need to transition to something less stressful on my body. If would really appreciate anybody with experience making that kind of transition.

I truly appreciate the community here and the support that you all have provided to navigating this process and getting each other through this awful condition. Thanks to every last single one of you and I hope that I can assist others the same way.