Recovery time as an indicator?
So many of us struggle endlessly deciding when to do surgery. We go through periods of knowing that we must do it... then we are better for a few weeks or months and we know that we should not consider surgery while we remain so functional.
The definition of 'functional enough' is VERY different from one person to the next. Some accept almost (or not almost) total disability, while others feel they have to do surgery because it's getting difficult to play 36 holes in one day.
You've watched me for years as I'll occasionally post the... "neck is bad... surgery coming soon" posts... then the years go by. The last few weeks have been difficult with several episodes that get out to the edge... going from moderate to severe. I hope that this will all blow over. I'm about to hit the road and I usually do better traveling than I do at home because I don't spend all day every day at my desk.
The subject of the post is "Recovery time". What I'm noticing as the years go by and I continue to be a watcher and waiter is that when I do have an episode, recovery time is getting longer and longer. Being able to push the limits and provoke the pain expecting a quick recovery is a thing of the past. Now, when I get to the edge, it's too late. Instead of getting to the edge and being able to rest and turn it around... when I get to the edge, I'm in for several days of pretty serious pain and limitations. (I always have gnawing pain, but there is a difference between those pains and the limitations forced by constant muscle spasms.)
Regarding the decision making process... we become watchers and waiters we accept our decision based on a given set of circumstances. For many of us, those circumstances change and they change in ways that are hard to notice. We have the same episodes, but there are shorter periods between them (subtle change). Episodes may last longer (subtle change). They may be more severe... this could be subtle or it could be dramatic.
It's interesting watching this happen because after we've made a decision, there must be a significant change for us to re-evaluate... but the subtle changes may sneak up on us and we find ourselves accepting much greater limitations than we considered when we made our decision.
How has recovery time changed for you?
Mark
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