3 months
I am better than I was pre-op but I really can’t say whether it’s because of the forced marches et al. my surgeon made me do or the surgery itself. While I can do more than I did before in terms of walking, sitting and such, there are times when I feel every bit as badly and in the exact same way as I did pre-op.
But those episodes don’t last as long as they did pre-op. I don’t know if it’s because that when I have a bad episode, I just keep going now rather than succumb to the couch or because I can go on now because something is ‘fixed’. Just don’t know.
So anyway, at three months post ALIF, I’m walking 2 – 3 miles/day but at about a pain level 3. I ice afterwards and recover quickly. Leg strength is better but the numbness remains as before. Bending, twisting, squatting still set me off and my hips hurt like hell.
The xrays indicated I’m fusing quickly, months ahead of schedule in fact, so I’m taking a few Advil per day. Also a 2.5 Valium at night to sleep but nothing else unless you count a stiff chardonnay with dinner.
I could probably work, as long as I had a lot of physical flexibility. My energy level is fine but it really took all three of these months to feel that I had completely regained my it.
Anyway, I’m better and more active but the jury is still out as to exactly why. If I had to put money on it, I’d say the recovery was due to the rehap, my ‘it’s now or never’ attitude and feeling post-op just HOW painful back pain can be and realizing mine maybe wasn’t so bad after all. The most important component is that I don’t have the weakness now. Now it’s just pain so I keep going. I don’t fear losing my legs and that makes all the difference.
A few years ago, I was very active running miles a day and lifting weights, etc. So when my back went out I reasoned that I should do the opposite and sat down. And I stayed there for two years. I probably should have walked or done whatever to my capacity. There’s probably something to be said for keeping your muscle tone up and staying as active as you possibly can.
All for now. Maybe I’ll have something more definitive to say next month. Or maybe I’ll never know why I got better. Maybe it doesn’t matter.
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