It's been a while since I updated the blog and I was reminded of that fact by a good friend so here's an update.
I'm writing this just short of three weeks post surgery. I guess I have to say day in, day out that I'm about the same as I was pre-surgery. Back sore, toes tingling, overdoing it even slightly results in whole foot numbness and sciatic pain in various places along my leg.
I've been trying hard to follow Doctors orders. The challenge is that I'm bored out of my mind and have basically done all of the small things that are clearly within my limited ability. I have been "bad" on a couple of occasions this week though:
- I sold a bike and needed to ship it. I didn't have a box that fit and needed to cut down a bigger one. My wife doesn't have enough strength in her hands to do it so I did it. This involved much bending at the waist and some amount of twisting. Then I needed to pack the bike which I did with Marcia's help. I really paid for it the next couple of days.
- I had a graphics card fail in a computer (a Mac Pro). The computer in question is ten years old and probably needs replacing anyway but I'm not ready to do it yet, especially since a new one would involve a fair amount of lifting to unbox, get in place, etc. I had a lower resolution graphics card on hand so after I figured out that the graphics card was indeed bad - which meant pulling the computer out from beside the desk, lifting it up (with help from Marcia) onto the desk so I could pull the old graphics card out and put the new one in, putting it back in place, ...
After these two activities I was really hurting, to the point that I was worried I'd done far too much and herniated the disc.
I called the UW Spine clinic and spoke to one of the surgical nurses. Long story short, I'd probably done no harm but was admonished to take it easy. I recapped all of my post surgical activities and pain levels and was completely forthcoming and honest. She suggested I cut back my walking to no more than a mile and that I definitely take it easier.
So I'm trying.
I've got three weeks until my first post-surgical exam and the RX was no aerobic activity, no lifting more than 5 lbs so I'm going to try very hard to religiously follow it for the next few weeks. I was thinking in the past that I'd try riding the recumbent on the trainer after three weeks but that's out the window. I'm just going to keep walking and not try to do too much, too soon. I really am worried that I'm going to undo any benefit I might get from the surgery and I definitely do not want to do that.
So I'll behave.
Stay tuned!
