6 months post-op

Today I went back to the Ortho office for my 6-month post-op appointment.  I was hoping they'd give me some sort of % for how much I'm "fused" but they couldn't give me that number.  When I search the spinal surgery boards online it seems that other patients know their % after their appointments, but perhaps they are using different equipment than my ortho office.  Or maybe my team just doesn't want to put a number on it.  When I asked she (the PA, who is great) simply said that they hope that I'll be fully fused after 2 years.   I complained of some of my back pain and she said she'd be surprised if I still wasn't in pain, that it was still so soon after surgery.  Six months doesn't feel so soon.  But, apparently it is.  My pain isn't all that unexpected, and it's something that I can handle---which isn't something I could say before my surgery.  I mostly feel pain at the end of the day, if I'm doing a lot of bending (cleaning the house is a challenge), or if I'm having to sit for a long period of time (I still hate traveling).

I'm off of the "heavy" pain meds, I have been for awhile now.  This may come to a surprise to some of you----yes, this is my actual personality. :-)  The good news is that I can start taking ibuprofen again (I was told to avoid it for the first 6 months because anti-inflammatories slow down the fusion process).  This should help with pain management.

I have been able to start exercising again.  I can do the recumbent bike, elliptical (with stationary hand bars)  water-walking, and the backstroke in the pool.   I also got a "prescription" for physical therapy today---I'm hoping to get a few sessions in over the January-term before spring semester starts.  I also know that that I need to lose weight.  I imagine that losing weight alone can make my whole-self feel much better.  Saying that I need to, knowing that I need to, is sooooo much easier than executing a plan.

This post seems a little robotic to me.  But I guess that's just how I feel lately.  It is what it is.  :-)  I'm still thankful that I had the surgery.  The pain I experienced pre-surgery was unbearable and now I'm slowly but surely getting some of my favorite parts of life back.