I can remember 6 months ago thinking to myself if I just can make it halfway I will have conquered the hardest part of this recovery. Here I am on the other end of that statement and I've made it.
Thank you so much to everyone who, even still, ask me how my back is doing. It means more to me than you know or will ever understand.
Updates:
A week from today [January 15th] I will officially be 6 months post op.
I was mostly pain free at 3 months however within the last month or two I have had increasing amounts of pain in my left shoulder blade. Doctor thinks it could be scar tissue or a pulled muscle.
Limitations: No Running, Skating, or basically anything that is considered intense impact on my spine.
I DO however get to carve out gym time in my schedule this semester as I have been cleared to do a bit more and lift heavier amount of weights. In fact Dr. is recommending I do lift waits to see if that builds strength up in my shoulder blade and eases the pain. Part of me is really excited and then part of me still thinks I'm too fragile to try.
In theory I could start carrying a book bag, however, Dr. is concerned that to much weight could pull muscles in my back so the cart is still a thing.
I'm still numb in a few areas of my back and my nerves are super sensitive still.
Sometime within the last three months my ribs grew back. Which blows my mind. I was under the impression that they would take years and have been poking my ribless area this whole time trying to feel when they magically arrived. I missed that moment. They look twig like in the X-rays but my doctor says over time they will build up calcium and be strong again.
I still get tired. Its weird though because its unpredictable and sometimes just hits me randomly.
Difficulties: Within the last month or so I think I really have felt the weight and change this surgery has brought on my life. As my pain is ceasing I am becoming more aware physically of what I can and can't do because of the rods, limitations aside. Now not bending to pick something up a certain way is because I physically can't do that anymore, rather than because the idea of trying it is not appealing due to pain. Im learning to work around that.
These next 6 months will be getting over mental barriers of being to fragile or to scared of hurting myself as my body completely heals from this surgery and I am able to do more.
I hesitate to say Im feeling "back to normal" because in truth even when I am feeling "normal" I'm realizing I will never be "back to normal". There is still so much to me that is foreign or feels different and weird. I have a new normal. I will always be aware of The Rods and they will always effect how I do things now.
I am okay with that.
To this day I am still very happy I had this surgery. Gods hand and provision through it all has touched me deeply in ways that words are inadequate to describe. That alone has made every second of this worth it.
"... For I am the Lord your Healer" - Exodus 15:26
If you haven't been following my story, or have no idea what spinal fusion is you can find the links to previous blog post below and check them out.
- Growth & Waiting
- Fused and Still Fabulous
- Two Weeks!
- Recovery... Not What I Expected
- Recovery Milestones
- An Unexpected Summer of Beauty
- First Days Of Recovery At WU
- 2 Months Post Op | Side Lines
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