Entry tags:
Milestones
So today is the two-month point after my spinal surgery. This is the point where, for most folks, recovery is mostly through. My surgeon wants me to take an extra month, since my job is fairly physically intense, but if I had a desk job I should be, theoretically, able to go back to at least part-time, low-impact work.
So, how am I feeling? Well, before the accident I was doing surprisingly well. I was making it through most days with no meds, other than a mild muscle relaxant at night to deal with any tension that built up during the day. I was able to start lifting things. I could take care of myself; my range of motion was back to almost normal; I was in less pain than I'd been in for most of a year. I could go dancing, and feel fine the next day. I had started running again.
Now? Now I'm back to how I felt a week or two after the surgery. It's not as bad as it was a week ago, but I'm still needing to take pain meds to get through the day. I'm more restricted in what I can do, and I'm not up to working out or running.
At the same time.... the pain is still there, in my neck and right shoulder, but it's still better than it was before the surgery. The muscles are tense, but they're not rigid - and I've been warned that the more athletic a person is before surgery, the longer it'll take the muscle tension and pain to fade afterwards. And I can still do things I couldn't before (do you know how amazing and liberating it can feel to pour yourself a mug of tea from a full pot?).
The setback is the hardest part - having been so close to full recovery, it's annoying as hell to have that yanked out from under my feet. At the same time, I know if I made it there once I can do it again. And either way, I'm still better than I was before I got cut.
One more month, and then I get to go back to work. Here's hoping that I'm back to healed by then, and that it survives my return to real life....
So, how am I feeling? Well, before the accident I was doing surprisingly well. I was making it through most days with no meds, other than a mild muscle relaxant at night to deal with any tension that built up during the day. I was able to start lifting things. I could take care of myself; my range of motion was back to almost normal; I was in less pain than I'd been in for most of a year. I could go dancing, and feel fine the next day. I had started running again.
Now? Now I'm back to how I felt a week or two after the surgery. It's not as bad as it was a week ago, but I'm still needing to take pain meds to get through the day. I'm more restricted in what I can do, and I'm not up to working out or running.
At the same time.... the pain is still there, in my neck and right shoulder, but it's still better than it was before the surgery. The muscles are tense, but they're not rigid - and I've been warned that the more athletic a person is before surgery, the longer it'll take the muscle tension and pain to fade afterwards. And I can still do things I couldn't before (do you know how amazing and liberating it can feel to pour yourself a mug of tea from a full pot?).
The setback is the hardest part - having been so close to full recovery, it's annoying as hell to have that yanked out from under my feet. At the same time, I know if I made it there once I can do it again. And either way, I'm still better than I was before I got cut.
One more month, and then I get to go back to work. Here's hoping that I'm back to healed by then, and that it survives my return to real life....