So much has happened since my last post. I had that fall at the hair salon. It took about 10 days to recover. I was sore everywhere, bump on the back of my head and on my right knee. My neck was sore and tight. Essentially I gave myself whiplash. But I wasn’t really injured. So I can check off a bad fall from my fear list.

I had moved into my new home the end of March and then had to pack up and leave for the summer 6 weeks later. And I fell 17 days before I had to leave. My body was screaming at me. I was doing way too much physical activity. But it all had to get done. And I did get it all done with the help of my home health aide and boyfriend. No way I could’ve done it alone. I do not recommend moving at any time post op. Even now at 25 weeks, it’s still too much.

For this post, I wanted to give a list of daily things and how they are now. So much has improved in the last 25 weeks. Nothing is worse than I was prior to surgery.

ADLs-I shower standing up but still use a shower stool when I wash my hair. I get off balance when I close my eyes to shampoo and rinse. I can wash my feet quickly by putting my foot on the shower stool. I don’t, and won’t, attempt to shave. I’ve been getting my legs waxed forever and that will have to continue. I can’t bend forward enough to safely use a razor or to wax myself. An electric shaver sets off the nerve damage in my left leg. I can lotion my lower legs if I put my foot on the toilet or side of the tub. I get a pedicure monthly as bending forward that far is not happening. Dressing is pretty good. I no longer need to use grabber or dressing stick. I do still need a long handled shoe horn to get on most shoes. I can wear shoes with a tongue and laces but need to use the shoe horn to hold the tongue up while I slide my foot in and then use the shoe horn to get my heel in the shoe. I can figure four so I can tie laces but have to manually lift my legs into that position.

Household activities-Everything is a little at a time. I can use a lightweight stick vacuum for a few minutes at a time. Laundry is normal for the most part. I use a grabber stick to get laundry out of the washer and then my pup gets the laundry out of the dryer. Or I can use the grabber stick. I’ve started to cook simple meals that are 30 minutes or less. Standing is an issue because of the nerve pain. I’m doing outdoor projects and that’s also as tolerated. The household activities are things that aren’t pressing so I can take my time and rest when I need to.

Shopping-A cart is a must. I tried to use a basket instead and that didn’t go too well. I just get fatigued if I’m not leaning on a cart. And my pup pulls the cart for me. He’s my power steering. He also picks up things I drop in the store. Today we were at Lowes and I had a little bag of screws that I dropped. Adventure picked them up for me. Two employees and a little boy loved seeing Adventure do that.

Pain-I take gabapentin 800mg four times a day, tizanidine muscle relaxer three times a day and tramadol IR in the morning and as needed. Yesterday I didn’t take the morning tramadol and by late morning, my low back was starting to hurt. It felt like it did before surgery. An ache that I know would keep increasing if I didn’t take the tramadol. So note to self that I still need the tramadol. The gabapentin is very necessary. I had a little issue getting it called in to the pharmacy where I’m at for the summer so I ran out and missed 3 doses. I definitely felt the difference. For right now, I’m going to stay with this regimen. I have to remind myself that I’m still recovering.

Body-The left leg/foot nerve pain is it’s own thing. The pain increases with activity. Only rest and gabapentin relieves it. I think that’s just how it’s going to be. I am slowly getting feeling more feeling in my back. It’s been numb and without much feeling since surgery. I can now feel light touch and things like my bath sponge. Abdominal incision is still tender, left abdomen totally numb and right abdomen is tender and with some numbness. I have been getting a sharp pinching pain in my right scapula area. The muscles along my spine and on both sides of lumbar are tight and sore. I didn’t realize it until the muscles were touched. Guess there’s still a good bit of muscle spasms. Alot of times I feel like I have a brace pulling my shoulders back and there’s tight muscles in the center of my thoracic area. My neck felt better after surgery and that curve was starting to correct itself. Then when I fell and strained my neck, it hasn’t been the same. Tight and sore. Overall, I feel so much better than before surgery.

Range of motion-I have been utilizing the Yoga Go app for wall pilates and trying to work on range of motion. Some days and times are better than others as to how good or bad my body is. Bending forward is hit or miss. I can’t pick up anything from the floor unless it’s at least 2″ tall. Then I use my pincher fingers and grab it. I can’t pick up anything with weight while leaning forward. I’ll save that for PT. I need to hold onto something for pretty much any bending or lifting. I can kneel down and get back up if I’m holding onto something. Adventure went to the bathroom in the driveway and I didn’t think anything about kneeling down to pick up his poop. I couldn’t get back up. I was in the middle of a gravel driveway with nothing to hold on to. I ended up crawling over to a landscape light and using that to kind of get myself up. Now when I’m outside, I drag around my garden kneeler so I can more easily get up and down. I won’t make that mistake again.

Driving-This is much better than when I first drove post op. Getting in and out of the car is mostly like normal. I still rely on my back up camera and blind spot monitors. My body is getting more flexible so things like using the touchscreen is easier. I still need to bring the car door in close to me or else I can’t reach it to close the door. I still only change lanes when it’s wide open. I can’t look and change lanes quick enough in heavy traffic.

When I’m asked if I can do something, I say I don’t know but I’ll try. Sometimes I can do it and sometimes I can’t. I’m making note of things I need to work on in PT when I go back home. I’m figuring out modifications for everything I do. I don’t like to rely on others day to day but I’ve definitely learned to ask for help. I’ll continue to take the medications for as long as I need to. When I go back to Florida in 2 months I’ll return to PT and work on things I identify as challenges during the summer. I probably will go back to having myofascial release massages. That will help my neck loosen up and maybe help my back muscle spasms.

Overall I feel pretty good. Every day is different in terms of how I feel and what I can or can’t do. I’m resting frequently but haven’t been taking afternoon naps as often. My sleep is great and I’m not waking up in pain any longer. I’m so pleased with my surgery outcomes so far. I’m very happy with my progress and living independently at just 25 weeks post op. It’s been hard. Really hard. But it’s worth it.

I’m probably half way through recovery and I have no complaints. Time to relax and just keep improving week by week. Good days are ahead. I can feel it.