I will be 6 weeks tomorrow and I have had s dull headache for about 4 days now. I have felt like my ears are plugged, so I know it could be allergies or the beginning of an ear infection. I have had infections my whole life, but I am just wondering how long it took those of you who have been through the decompression surgery to not have the dull aches? I am so ready to be back to normal. I am still feeling weak, so I take a nap everyday. I have weaned myself down to taking pain meds just twice a day. Should I maybe increase them again for a bit longer? I also wonder if it is a residual headache from the meds. I just don't know. Should I be worried? It def. feels different then before my surgery, but I'm just ready to be normal!!!!
Treat your allergies because they can aggravate your head problems. I remember wondering (post surgery) if I would ever feel normal again. You will, but it'll take a while. But in the meantime you will have moments, then hours, then days of feeling better. Keep reminding yourself of how bad it was pre-surgery to reassure yourself that you are making progress.
<3
I’m at 7 and a half weeks post op and have reduced my pain meds to twice a day also. Three times a day on busier days when I do more… I am the same as you and often still needing a nap. But back to the point of my post 
distracted again… I have had dull headaches the whole time since surgery but have just found in the last 2-3 days I have been finding I haven’t had the pain as much and have times without it completely. So hopefully by a week from now you start having the same… Thoughts are with you…
You have a new 'normal' now. But things do settle down to a place that your body becomes accustomed to. Most importantly listen to your body. Don't try to too much too soon. Everyone's experience is different. So don't try to gauge your recovery with anyone else's; because there will ALWAYS be those that heal quicker and those that take longer. Focus more on the quality of the time when you feel well.
Hopefully the remainder of your recovery goes smoothly. Best wishes!
I'm almost 8 weeks since decompression and I still get that pressure headache between my eyes and my ears feel plugged like I'm in an airlplane. I also had a laminoplasty at C5-C7. The pain there is worse than the headache. I'm trying to decrease my narcotics but by the afternoon the pain in my neck is so bad. I know that Vicodin makes me sleepy and I have horrible fatigue. I so wish my NS wouldn't have thrown in the laminoplasty since he was already in there (his Words). ONe major surgery to recover from is enough. I think your symptoms are normal for this point in your recovery. Don't overdo things. I've learned that first hand. Do you still get numbness and tingling in your feet and hands? Anybody out there had a laminoplasty?