[Diane]

Its been so long since my last post I don’t know where to start. Thank you everyone for your words of support. The Spine Arthroplasty conference in Miami was truly amazing and I was on a natural high. I was able to be up and about all day. No more TV!! It was exciting and rewarding to meet all the people who played a role in the artificial disk. I did have some swelling in my left leg and foot (from the sympathectomy) and was pretty exhausted by the last day. The first few days back home I caught up on my sleep. I find that even though I’m sleeping well I still seem to need more than 8 hrs.

I started picking my granddaughter up at about 7 weeks post-op. I started slowly, gradually increasing the amount everyday. I can’t tell you how good that first hug was when I picked her up and the surprised look on her face. (I was good; I had been home for more than three weeks and hadn’t picked her up once.) The past few days I’ve done a lot of babysitting so my daughter could study for finals. Today I have mild swelling in the left foot and some sciatic pain in my let leg. I was so busy running yesterday I think I forgot to take my Celebrex. I’m beginning to think going back to work would be easier than running after a one year old. I had some upper back and neck pain pre-op. It seemed to disappear post-op, but now that I’m increasing my activity and lifting it has returned. I’m hoping that with strengthening exercises this will abate.

Some times I forget that I’ve had surgery. It’s hard not to overdue when you feel good. I have even been thinking about going back to floor nursing. I think it would be possible if I could work 8 hr shifts instead of 12. When I get the left leg pain reminder after some gardening or an active day, I realize that floor nursing may not be a wise choice. I’m researching my options and taking it one day at a time. My activity level is not normal, but much higher than pre-op and better than I expected.

Diane