Hey Eddie,
I make a mean sauce as well (gp's from Naples/Foggia) however this year I didn't make sauce, meatballs, lasagna etc.. my usual Christmas type food (along w/turkey if there's a crowd tho this year just myself and my father).
Re dining out.. Soup Plantation/Sweet Tomato is great in terms of getting up and down a million times to get different foods. That was tolerable for me until I progressed to actually being able to sit a half hour to hour which generally happens post ESIs for a few months.
I do remember post my 2nd discectomy not being able to sit to drive more than about 5 minutes, eating out was out, and really so was anything that could not be accomplished alone and horizontally.
Thankfully I've progressed. The only doctor's office I ever laid down in that I was not pretty rapidly rushed into a room (somewhere even if the backest room in the place) was Dr.Regan's office during a squeezed in consult thanks to Mark and that office had I think 4 different doctors in it and was full of people. It was a long wait but definately worth it and lying down didn't bother me as much as other people!
I think people around me felt badly for me and starting offering to do things for me like go up the receptionist and get me something to lie on. I was really in quite a bit of pain and actually I think their kindness or perhaps pity made me feel even more acutely saddened and worked up.
I can pretty much ignore myself if everyone else would
Here's hoping the therapy will be helpful to the point of making a diff re more time upright and mobile while enduring less pain
