Its tuesday morning at Alpha Klinik, and I am waiting to meet with Dr. Zeegers and get payment taken care of. I actually checked out of the clinic last night, which was a day early. Mark first suggested the idea when I spoke to him sunday evening. We were talking about how I was doing and Mark said (paraphrased) "have the nurses become your hotel staff?" The answer was yes. I talked to Uli (our favorite nurse...everyone's favorite nurse) and she said I should go for it. The Dr.'s were not overly excited. Zeegers explained that there was a formula for the days spent, but that he agreed that there should be no problem as I was doing so well. We went back to the hotel, and my son did not fall asleep until 6 this morning
...What a great idea that was. Seriously, it was great being back with Grace and Logan.
When I was in Zeegers office with my wife yesterday, he had me get on the table to look at my incision. I moved gingerly getting on and off the table. He asked me what my problem was "Why are you moving like an old woman, you are fixed"...he then gave me a very hard and sudden shove to the shoulder...which he followed up with another shove. Grace almost fell over. He went on to say, mechanically you are sound, there is no reason to move like an invalid...except for the abdominal pain (which is considerable). We went on to talk for about 20 more minutes about the implant, how solid it was fixed between the vertebra (his analogy was jacking up a fire truck placing a rock between the tire and the ground, then lowering the truck back on top of the rock) He said, "try getting the rock out...your not going to be able to do so". Zeegers is pretty sold (as I would want him to be) on the Activ L's anatomic shape and his surgery making the disc nearly immovable. That's easier to hear than to believe, but I do believe it. He gave my wife a lecture about not being my mother or doctor and gave her a big hug. My wife started crying, thanking him for giving us our life back. He has taken a personal interest in us (which is unusual for world class surgeons, but I suspect not unusual for him) He always talks to my 11 week old son, and makes sure that Grace's questions/concerns are always addressed. I am so glad Grace came, because her eyes have been opened wide...not only to Alpha and Zeegers, but the entire world of back pain. When you are in it alone with your spouse, I don't think the spouse not experiencing the pain understands how insidious it is or how it affects the peoples' lives it touches. With her getting to know other families here, meeting Zeegers, and seeing the changes in me as my pain changes, she has a new outlook on things. She keeps saying how glad she is that she came.
I do want to clarify a few things, because I have been the one pouring over every post out there, searching for answers and hope...trying to find parallels to my own case and others that post of their surgeries. I am still in quite a bit of pain. I am moving like an old man. Their is a lot of tightness still in my lower back....but I feel 1000% better, because the type/quality of the pain is so much different, and psychologically, I believe that I am mechanically fixed. I feel it, and I believe it. Do I still have some nerve pain...yes. But each day it gets better. I guess I am saying this, because I would not want anyone to believe that you could go through a surgery like this, get off the table, and resume your life the next day. Because I know, that is what we would all hope for. I don't want someone to view my posts through rose colored glasses.
I am off to take care of the payment side of things.
Geoff