4 1/2 week check in

[thezman8756]

well im healing real well except 4 a stomach problem which will probly go away with time. im really happy with my back and my mobility thus far. i can bend 2 either side fairly well and well down in front. the only thing that hurts a little is when i arch my back. the doc has just oked me 2 swim and bike which is exciting. i swam 4 the first time the other day and i really enjoyed it. it was sorta amusing 2 me that after swimming breast stroke a lap back and forth i was breathing hard and my heart was pumping fast. but i really love that feeling being an athlete. i was really impressed at how fast i could go without it really hurting or tugging 2 much on my back. if anyone has ne questions about the whole experience im open 2 ne questions.

[mumof5]

How long is your fusion? From where to where?
Cheryl.

[Alleycat]

Sounds great. I remember the first time I got back into my grove again. Swimming is great, but I'm more of a land creature. I love to run, play soccer, basketball, and football. That first tiem back is great. But working and seeing yourself get better is the best. cya

[Alison]

Hey Zach


I am also very curious from where to where your fusion goes.
It may just be me (you never know but my brain is a little furrowed), but I do find some things a little strange about your recovery, that:

: Your doctor okayed swimming after only four weeks when the scar is still healing and your fusion is not solid at all yet, maybe he was meaning GENTLE swimming ie slow freestyle/walking in the water etc not fast ish swimming
: That he Okayed Breast-stroke considering that is a lot of arching of the back and bending and is quite difficult to do post fusion (I was swimming state breast stroke before I was fused and I know that I noticed a difference between pre and post fusion and it took a lot of bargaining with my surgeon to be able to do it and I wasn't able to consider it until 6 months post fusion)
:That he okayed bike riding cause at this stage when the fusion is not solid and if you fall off your bike
:That you are actually able to bend side to side and well down in front, when you aren't supposed to be bending for awhile after surgery as once again the fusion is still fusing solid (yes it is fused but the fusion is not particularly solid)

I did have a search from some of your other posts to try and find how the surgery was done whether it was anterior through the side, endoscopically or a posterior through the side but I didn't manage to find which it was. I was trying to see if how it was done might be the difference in recovery. (But i do know people who have had anterior only going in through the side and their restrictions were the same to a posterior through the side so I'm stumped)

I am glad that you are healing really well and finding things are going well, these are simply concerns that came to mind that I found a little odd.

Alison