I had mine in early February. L5 S1. Got there at 5am and was home by lunch. I walked 3 miles that day and almost every day after that for a month. Walking helped the recovery a ton. There was some pain and discomfort once the meds wore off. I took Hydrocodone for 3 days and them dropped it so I could drive again. The pain from the incision got better every day and was gone completely in 2-3 weeks. The last time I felt sciatic pain was just before they put me under. It never returned. My core had grown weak in the months before surgery and during the recovery. I’ve been working on that and it’s coming back now.
If I worked in an office I’d have been back within a week, but with frequent stretching and walking breaks. As it is I drive an airplane and the doc didn’t want me back to work for 2 months partially because of sitting for long periods of time but more importantly because he didn’t want me lifting a suitcase into an overhead bin.
In April I began light strength training, mainly core work. Supermans, planks, hip work, etc... As of May 1, I am cleared to do anything I want. Mountain biking, running, squats, whatever... I had a good experience. Glad I did it. But the core work has to be a priority almost every day now or I’ll be going through the whole thing again with a different disc.