8 Months Post-Surgery

Eight months later and I'm in a very different place. I am in pain often, but generally not nearly enough to even take pain medication. It's mostly in my hip as my alignment is still off. I still find the more I walk, the better I feel. I end up icing my hip a bunch. I finally reached my deductible, so now I will be able to have more regular visits to physical therapy. I feel almost normal, except for being stiff and not being able to bend right at the waist. I don't bend at the waist, I squat down to reach things. I even started doing a little bit of jogging. Things are progressing. I am happy with the results.

4 Months Post-surgery

It has now been four months since surgery. It feels so far away. My life is so different now. Every week continues to be just a bit better. I can sit longer (not necessarily a good thing! lol), stand longer and move better. I still have some difficulty bending, but I am now stretching myself to do more of it. I do have a slight issue with my right hip, but the "cure" continues to be movement. The more I move, the better I feel. In fact in the last few weeks, I've done several stints on the treadmill of an hour each. Afterwards, I am sore, but the next day, I feel great. I think I've lost about 7 pounds, enough for me to feel a difference, but not really enough for anyone else to notice yet.
My focus this year is creating a healthier me- inside and out. I have begun a weight loss program, exercising more and also I am switching my home to non-toxic products (including makeup!) that happen to also be good for the environment. Sidenote- If you want to know what I'm using, send me a comment or email me at michelleedonovan@gmail.com.
I have chosen to release myself of the the bonds of a carb addiction and instead bring healthy, wholesome foods into my home. I am choosing to suffer now so that I can reap the benefits long-term.
I really have been healing well. I believe a large part of why I've had such a good experience is that I chose to believe in my healing and chose to have faith that it was all temporary. Even though at times I got depresseed, I did not let myself get consumed by the depression. In fact, encouraging someone else in the midst of my pain, helped encourage me! Then, I put action to my faith and followed the recovery instruction...MOVE!

When we choose life (good) in our thoughts, in our words and in our actions, we will reap the good benefits.

3 months post-surgery

It has been about 3 1/2 months since surgery. I was officially released from my doctor's care December 7. He told me that generally people are about 90% better 3 months after surgery, but the last 10% can take up to a year.

So, what is life like 3 months after surgery? I can do most things without issue. I evens started wearing high heels again this last week. In the mornings, my lower back generally aches, but as I begin to move, it goes away. Most days, I feel that same aching by the end of the day too. It is bearable though and on a normal day I don't even bother with ibuprofen. In preparing for family events, being on my feet all day, I have been so sore I could hardly move until the next day, sometimes the pain will last more than day, but again, most times I don't even take anything for it.

Due to other physical issues that are now cleared up, I had stopped walking which I believe increased the symptoms. Today I started walking again and it felt good. I attempted a workout video but had to stop after 10 minutes. I will try again later today to finish it. Meanwhile, I’m back to daily walking and exercising and to the complete healing that is on its way. Oh, I will be able to return to the gym this week, I'm excited about that.

I am so thankful for the care I was given and look forward the full and complete healing on its way to me. Daily exercise, walking and weight loss are all top priorities for this coming year.

9 Weeks Post-surgery

I write because there was nothing out there that I could find that explained what you would experience after back surgery. I know that each person is different and may experience things differently, but having something to go on is better than nothing. It is also important for me to chronicle my recovery for my own healing process, so that I can go back and see the change and be reminded of where I was.

It seems that nothing has really changed since last week except that I am becoming very aware of which movements give me difficulty. Squatting is not an issue at all, but when I bend, I feel stiff. Other than Saturday evening and Sunday, I continue to be virtually pain-free. Saturday evening, after a fun day out with girlfriends (mind you, it was nothing taxing- coffee, lunch and bit of time wandering the aisles at Michaels craft store), I became very sore. I'm not sure if was being out or the rainy weather, but by Sunday morning, my entire body ached and was sore, especially my upper back and my legs. I didn't even make it out to church. I stayed quiet and rested all day, so by the end of Sunday, I was feeling better.

Still haven't made it to PT, but I will in the coming month and I'm sure that will help with the stiffness I'm experiencing in my low back.

8 Weeks Post-surgery

It is the soreness that arises after a long day of walking on my flip flops or from sitting in the chair at work for great lengths and the early evening exhaustion that remind me of surgery just 8 short weeks ago. I am struck with the reality that my body is still healing. I forget. Most of the day I feel so good, that it seems as though surgery was quite a long time ago. The reminders set me back on track though and I head straight to the couch to rest the remainder of the day. I still cannot lift heavy items and am careful in moving quickly (other than walking forward- I increase my speed weekly). I don't like taking any kind of medication anymore, but will resort to Ibuprofen if I really feel I have to.

I have not made it to PT yet, hoping this next week. Follow-up has never been one of my strong suits. I plan to get to my chiropractor Thursday or Friday. I find that I am getting nervous about the long-term effects of the surgery, which means I need to get my butt to PT.

As far as exercise goes, I now go to curves 1x week but walk morning and evening most days. The weight is starting to come off, but ever so slowly. Hopefully it will start to shed more quickly as I kick up the workouts and not join in with the office getting Taco Bell for lunch.

Even with my hint of nervousness, I am, overall, optimistic. I have gained many new, great habits that are leading me to a better me and a better life. Exercise, reading, writing and learning have all become part of my daily life. I am so thankful. I am hopeful for all that is to come.

7 Weeks Post-surgery

My incision is finally healing up nicely. I can go back to water therapy now! That is one thing I'm excited about. I haven't been to therapy yet for a couple reasons, first being the incision, followed by the lack of funds due to not working for 3 months- for gas and co-pays. It is highly disturbing when a doctor's office says they cannot see you again because you have an outstanding balance. At this point, I cannot see the rehab doctor or my primary care physician because of it. We are talking, $40 to my primary care and $35 to the rehab doctor. Now, tack on the balance from the surgery and PAH DOW, no doctor in the building will see me except PT (til I tell them I can't pay them the back balance yet- I'll update you when I get a live person to talk to). Thank God my first 90 days of post-op care with my surgeon was included with my surgery. I'm going to call my insurance company to see if this is legal since they have all gotten payment from insurance.

I have been back to work a full two weeks now. I think I might need a better chair as my lower back has been aching. It feels like a muscle aching, not my spine or anything. I get up and down a bit slower now because of it. But, that is really about the depth of my complaint- I can't move as fast as I want to and I'm a bit achy. The issue with my hip is resolved as I no longer have pain. I did feel it pop tonight...I think I popped it into place! I'll take ibuprofen about once a day. I refuse to take more because I still haven't gotten my liver checked out from all the meds I was taking.

I am working to keep my posture. I find I slouch a lot when sitting. I don't really slouch when standing or walking, just sitting. I continue to walk just about every day, many times twice in a day. Mornings are great for walking right now as the temperature is just perfect and I feel like it gets my day off to a good start. Now that I've been exercising more, I'm starting to sleep longer. This has made me one happy girl! I love my sleep!

Anyways, I'm taking my sore body to bed. I have another day of work ahead of me tomorrow. I am so thankful to God for bringing me through this ordeal but I am doing my part and taking measures to avoid a repeat- exercise and weight loss.

6 Weeks Post-surgery

It has now been 6 weeks since surgery. I am really excited as to how well I am doing. I had another follow-up visit with my surgeon. He said I no longer need a bandage on the wound and is excited as to how it is closing up. I have also been released to go back to working out at Curves. He said that was the perfect recovery exercise because their equipment is all hydraulic so it's almost impossible to hurt myself. The only restriction is no overhead machines where it would put compression on my spine. He also said I can start jogging again as long as I have good shoes.

I am virtually pain-free. My hip is giving me some issue, but my chiropractor continues to help me with that, about once a week and I have a couple of exercies I can do at home.

I can sit comfortably for about 45 to an hour at work before I have to get up and move around. My back will begin to feel stiff and my legs will feel restless. Also, I find small things that I have to be careful of often, such as leaning backwards to far or reaching for something. I have to constantly be aware of my surroundings also to keep from falling. I have learned to appreciate the small things, like being able to walk and sit for periods of time.

I started this week on my new way of eating, essentially low-carb. My goal is to release 60 pounds to help relieve the extra strain on my spine and reduce my chances of having another herniated disk. Things may happen in life, but I am reducing the risk by doing what I can to lead a healthier life.

The big lesson I've learned through this experience is not putting things off. I will not choose to live with things that I ought not to have to settle with. For years I settled with intermittent sciatic pain, which over that time, turned to a severely herniated disk. I will no longer procrastinate...in fact there are a few appointments I need to make...