6 Months

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.

 

2 thoughts on “6 Months

  1. You should be able to figure out by the 8-month mark if you feel “well enough” to try hockey again or not (and if you *want* to try hockey again)

    I went back to motorcycle riding after my surgery, and had little to no issues with that activity (I did make the decision to not race anymore, but that was more of *my* decision than a physical limitation).

    “Slow and steady wins the race” 🙂

    David

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