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Hi all --
In case there are folks out there who feel they're having a slow recovery....
It reallly has taken me a full year and a half to feel good again, albeit with limitations. It seems to me that in general, the anterior approach is much tougher to recover from than posterior surgery only....and I can't imagine that my torso will EVER feel normal again, although the discomfort is vastly improved from what it was.
At this point, I can finally cut my own toenails again (buh-bye, podiatrist!!), and I don't have to lug my pillow everywhere I go. My weak leg is probably at 90 percent by now, so I can finally get up off the floor or from a squatting position. I'm also at the point where I can make it through the day without taking Tylenol or Advil, although I do take something on the days I work in the office. I still feel pressure and a lot of stiffness in my lower back where the fusion ends, but I can pretty much ignore it at this point.
I would say I started noticing a dramatic improvement just in the last month, so I'm confident that I'll continue to improve.
Best of all, I can stand and sit for longer periods of time than I could before surgery....the horrible aches I used to get in the middle of my back, where the curve started, are gone.
Recovering from this surgery has without a doubt been the biggest physical and emotional challenge of my life. It kicked my a** !!!!!
Happy new year to all...
In case there are folks out there who feel they're having a slow recovery....
It reallly has taken me a full year and a half to feel good again, albeit with limitations. It seems to me that in general, the anterior approach is much tougher to recover from than posterior surgery only....and I can't imagine that my torso will EVER feel normal again, although the discomfort is vastly improved from what it was.
At this point, I can finally cut my own toenails again (buh-bye, podiatrist!!), and I don't have to lug my pillow everywhere I go. My weak leg is probably at 90 percent by now, so I can finally get up off the floor or from a squatting position. I'm also at the point where I can make it through the day without taking Tylenol or Advil, although I do take something on the days I work in the office. I still feel pressure and a lot of stiffness in my lower back where the fusion ends, but I can pretty much ignore it at this point.
I would say I started noticing a dramatic improvement just in the last month, so I'm confident that I'll continue to improve.
Best of all, I can stand and sit for longer periods of time than I could before surgery....the horrible aches I used to get in the middle of my back, where the curve started, are gone.
Recovering from this surgery has without a doubt been the biggest physical and emotional challenge of my life. It kicked my a** !!!!!
Happy new year to all...
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