Tina, I don’t feel pain in my back no matter how I carry something whether it is at my sides or at chest level, and I am thankful for that. A full milk jug weighs about 8 pounds. I am no back to work yet, I have authorized leave until the end of September. When I carry milk jugs it’s from the car to inside the house or from the fridge to the kitchen table, no need to scold me, thanks. Especially since I am respecting the no BLT and my weight carrying restriction of 20# or less.
I’m glad that I am seeming to be doing so well. I was definitely expecting more hurdles to jump in the early phases of recovery, or even a slower paced recovery but (knock on wood) things have gone really well. On the days I get frustrated by limitations or pain it is eased when my husband reminds me of how proud he is of me and how much strength he sees in me.
I can get down onto the floor really well and the same for getting up off the floor, it is a step by step process, getting up, but I can do it. I know I shouldn’t this early on in recovery and I don’t do it every day but when our little girl Arla (age 1) sits there crying for me unrelentingly it’s hard not to resist.
Today a friend I met from here on the forum, she doesn’t frequent it anymore, is having her fusion. She had a fusion before and due to circumstances I can’t remember she is now needing to add on to her fusion (T4-L4) and go down to her pelvis. She is roughly my age. I was counseled leading up to my surgery by someone I met on a Facebook group who had T2-S2 fused in February at the age of 34. She is doing REALLY well now and watching her go through recovery as my surgery was looming gave me a lot of strength and encouragement. Long story short, I have been doing the same through my recovery for my friend who is having her fusion today. It’s amazing how cyclic giving back can be and how awesome it feels.
Feb 2003 - Diagnosed C (35) T (45) L (25)
Dec 2003 - T2-T12 Fusion correcting to C (8), T (14), L (20)
Oct 2019 - Lumbar curve progressed to 40
Nov 2019 - Thoracic curve progressed to 31
June/July 2020 - T10-S1 Fusion with SI fixation