Well, I’m finally here and I’m doing quite well considering my spine was opened up and “fixed” back in July!  I still can’t believe they go through the front.

The tingles/numbness in my left hamstring/buttock and toe are still sometimes here, but not as strong as before or nearly as often.  My back pain is almost non-existent.  There is a little tightness/pain back there when go into deeper flexion, but I hope it will subside with time.  I can only imagine how long it will take for my back to get used to the new ligament tightness, disc space and lordosis.  I can honestly say I feel 90% better than I did last year at this time.  I can sit, run, sleep when the kids let me, bend and pick things up, get in the car and put on my socks without the cringing pain.  I realize these aren’t huge milestones, but I’ll take them.

I’ve been able to start yoga up again gently… I’m avoiding extreme flexion/extension/twisting.  Instead, I’m doing a lot more of the “flow” type movements, focusing on core and stretching the hammies/back/hips.  My hammies are still VERY tight.  Pre-injury, I could bend forward at the hips and touch the palms of my hands to the floor.  Let’s just say, I’m a good few months or perhaps a year from that point.  I’m in no rush and will get back there in time.

Mr. Boeree was very pleased with my 6 month xrays as they show great movement of the device and retained placement.  By 6 months, osteo integration has probably occurred and the implant should stay in place for the foreseeable future.  I raised a few questions with him about the longevity of the device given how people speak in the forums about never playing sports again… he answered that the M6-L has been tested rigorously in lab beyond a normal human lifetime and that it shouldn’t be an issue.  Again, there is no long-term human evidence to support this, but I’m certainly going to take it out for a spin or two!  I’ve missed the ice and pow for two winters already. 🙂

I let him know that I was planning on ramping up my yoga for the next 2 months to regain some strength and flexibility and he had no problems at all with me trying out hockey at around the 8 month mark.  In celebration, I sold all of my “bad luck” hockey gear and bought some custom gear today – arrival estimate is 8 weeks.  I’ll post picks when they get here.

Blood Pressure:  After ceasing my supplements/vitamins for the past month or so, everything is back to normal.  I’m going to keep it this way for a while and maybe just take a normal multi-vitamin for the time being.

Edit:  I forgot to mention that since I started some deeper hamstring/hip/back stretches, the pain in my shins has completely subsided.  Also, I haven’t had to take an NSAID or pain killer since August.  Again, there are good and bad days… but I’m pretty happy at this point.

I also didn’t mention that I finally heard back from my Provincial Healthcare provider this week.  They are sending me a cheque for $2900.  It’s better than nothing, but I’ll be re-applying to the Out of Country board for the rest… I just have to convince one of my doctors to do the application.  It should be interesting, but I’m not holding my breath.