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.
