[Firerescuefin]

Well, it's sunday night and we will be heading home tomorrow. We will be flying directly from Munich to Denver.

We have had a wonderful week in Munich. I cannot say enough about how beautiful and historic the city is. As Americans, many of us have barely a rudimentary understanding of our own history, much less that of the rest of the world. We certainly plan on coming back sometime in the future.

Before I go on about how I am feeling I want to share a few things:
We all know what we bring to the party (the surgical table) before we get there (physically/emotionally). If we are bedridden beforehand, then we will have a harder/slower time coming back. I did everything I could do to prepare for this surgery. I worked with a sports physiologist, go my body fat % to single digits, and tried to leave no stone unturned. I knew that this guaranteed nothing, but I thought it gave me the best chance, and was my way (and continues to be) of dealing with the stress and anxiety that I have faced in this ordeal.

I feel great! I have been walking 5-7 miles a day since tuesday. I was not trying to set any records, but it feels great to move...certainly better than sitting or laying in a hotel room. Dr. Zeegers is in agreement with everything I have done...as long as my body is tolerating it. My body is not only tolerating it, it is basking in it. At the end of the day, I am tired, but not hurting. My abdomen is almost without pain (itchy though) and my back muscles are getting stronger each day (especially noticeable the last two days). I am nearly off all meds, but when I am feeling sore I take some heavy duty advil. I have noticed even today, that I am moving much less tentatively (ie, getting in and out of bed/furniture. My sitting tolerance is exponentially better than before the surgery. I feel 1000% better a week after this surgery, than after a one levle micro discectomy. That's how I know my body is ripe to heal. There is a big gap in understanding between surgery and rehabilitation...so much so, that I have looked at going back to school to get my Phd in physical therapy. Most of the people I have worked with are yahoos. Unfortunately, they are the same type of people that have jaded many on this site. But, this is not something you can just do, and then hope for the best.

Anyhow, I will not be doing anything outside the parameters of Dr. Zeegers or the physiologist suggestions, but I am really excited/thankful for this entire experience.

Well, we have things to do. I will be e-mailng Mare a couple of pics. I will keep people updated periodically as things progress....Seacrest Out!