I didn't have any external stiches either...my site was glued together as well and covered with steri-strips. I'm 99% sure there were sutures on the inside though!

I think the idea of 'let pain be your guide' is that they don't want you to baby yourself too much...the sooner you start getting around and moving, the faster you will heal. Of course, don't try to be Superman/woman in the process. You will know what is too much.

Good luck in your recovery!

Cantac - I hope you are doing well after your MicroD. More often than not, doctors are using dermabond to close wounds. I was very happy to have them glue my incision closed after my fusion. I'm sure it's not as painful as I think, but the thought of having stitches or staples removed creeps me out

I hope you do well with your healing!

Micro D is a rather minimal surgery. I didn't have stitches either. I was up and feeling fairly great after mine. I have a bit of soreness for a few days, but that was about it. I hope you continue to recover well.

Linda

I had mine endoscopically and I had 2 incisions with about 3 stitches in each one. I think that everyone is very different in the recovery stage. It may also depend on things like how much of the disc was removed. Mine was radical. I had the better portion of my disc removed and my recovery was not at all pleasant. I am glad to hear that you are doing well so far and I hope that your recovery continues well. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

MicroD here in July. Yep- I was glued as well.

Re: sitting and letting the pain be your guide... What I found was that my surgeon was the least 'careful' post-op with what he suggested I do movement/activity wise, my primary care physician a bit more cautious, and my physical therapist the most demanding of caution. I'm going with a mixture of the PCP (be careful, let things be your guide so that you don't become so guarded that you end up doing damage in the future because of that, but do not push yourself hard too quickly) and physical therapist (caution, work on things slowly, recognize that your anatomy has been changed, build on your activity- don't just jump it up). Also, I was told- by all 3- NO sitting for more than 15 minutes whatsoever for the first 2 weeks post-op.

Another thing I keep in mind is this: my PT told me that over the last 5-10 years, in her experience it is the discectomy patients that are THE most cautious for the first few weeks and the most diligent about their PT and making healthful decisions throughout the first 4-6 months that have the best long-term (well, in this case, 5-10 years) results. "If you push yourself now, you're going to regret it soon."

Good luck! Take care of yourself