Getting “Back” to Business

I haven’t posted anything on my blog in a few months. That’s because right before Christmas, I had a major back surgery. It happened very fast: One day I was at yet another doctor’s office, having yet more tests to find out why I couldn’t ride in a car longer than 20 minutes, why I was having to walk with a cane at age 32, why I could hardly stand up straight, and how this all happened so suddenly and randomly. The next week (really) I was preparing for a major surgery that would install new hardware consisting of screws, a titanium rod, and a disk cage, in what turned out to be two broken vertebrae, a seriously pinched nerve, and a sliding disk.

I was desperate for news, but when the neurosurgeon looked up from my x-rays and said the words “spinal fusion”, I blanched. When he followed that with “laproscopy”, I breathed a little, just a little, sigh of relief. My surgeon was excellent, his staff were kind and understanding, and overall I’ve had a good experience and hopefully a long-term, great outcome. But it has been 2 months, and I’m just getting back into my favorite habits of photography, jewelry designing, and ranting/writing.

Recovery was not easy, and I’m not quite “out of the woods” yet. Nerves take a very long time to heal, I’m told. I can’t bend at the waist, I’m forever dropping little things (the surgery stole what little grace I had, apparently. I even fell twice during a little Valentine party I hosted) I can’t pick up myself, and standing too long (meaning 5 minutes) is out of the question. Still, I can now kneel (I just can’t get back up), I can take a shower by myself again, the bruises on my back are almost gone (seriously), and I feel more alert and happy. I’m getting there, slowly but surely.

Now let’s get “back” to business…

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