Tag Archives: Recovery

by

One Year Post-Op Spinal Fusion

I’ve been thinking about this post for a while now. For obvious reasons, it’s time to update you on how my back is doing, but I’ve also wanted to just kind of catch you up on life in general.

So a year ago today I was in Post Falls, Idaho having surgery. I woke up after surgery the proud recipient of 6 titanium screws, 3 rods, and 2 intervertebral cages and a 6 inch incision. Oh…I also had a small drain and a catheter in. Within a few hours they had me up and out of bed and walking (ok shuffling) down the hallway. Overnight they transitioned me from a morphine pain pump to oral pain killers – and made me get up every few hours and walk. Early the next morning they took out the catheter and I had a visit from the physical therapist who showed me how to put on the back brace and made sure I could walk without assistance and go up and down stairs. I was taught how to “log roll” to protect my new spine hardware – and minimize my pain – everything had to move as a unit – knees, hips, and shoulders all at the same time. I stayed a second night in the hospital and the next day I had the drain pulled out and was able to take a shower before getting dressed in my own clothes and headed a few blocks away to stay at my pastor’s home for a few days before I headed back south to my own house.

So the biggest question I’ve gotten when folks hear I’ve had spinal fusion is, “What did you do to your back? Was it an injury or car accident? ” Nope – it’s just me and the way my joints wear out. I’ve probably had a few muscle injuries over the years – pull a muscle moving hay or whatever – but I didn’t fall off a roof. I wasn’t in a car accident.

I have a condition called Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser Syndrome (MRKH) Type 2. I was born with an incomplete reproductive tract – missing my uterus, cervix, and the upper 2/3rds of my vaginal canal. I have a pelvic kidney, mild scoliosis, and all the joints in my body tend to wear out quickly. Over the years I’ve had surgery on both of my shoulders, both of my feet, and now my back. In all cases, there was considerable damage to the cartilage and the bony structures of the joints themselves. For my back specifically I had advanced degenerative disc disease, paired with spondylolisthesis, and stenosis. Basically that means that I had two vertebrae that had slipped out of place causing bone on bone contact – creating arthritis and narrowing of the canal where the nerves and spinal cord pass through, and it destroyed the discs. I had pinched nerves causing issues of sciatic pain primarily on the right side, with numbness going all the way down to my toes. I had spine and hip/pelvic pain on both sides with daily muscle spasms that I just sort of lived with for years.

So after an MRI and a visit to the top spine specialist in the area, I was scheduled for surgery. I am now fused from L4-L5 and L5-S1 – so my sacrum between my hip bones and the two lowest vertebrae are all now fused together with screws, rods, all the bone that grew together.

Over the course of my recovery I’ve had a few struggles and set backs, as you might expect – but at the end of the day I’m glad I had the surgery. I am walking everyday, and I do yoga during the week – continuing to rebuild strength and flexibility. I have to work specifically on strength and support in my core – deep core muscles to support the spine specifically – while I’d like to have a flat toned tummy – that isn’t my priority. My priority is having strong and balanced muscles that keep me healthy and my spine supported – which is more than a 6-pack abs package…it’s deep pelvic floor muscles, it’s strong and flexible hips, its the glutes and hamstrings doing their part, and it’s flexibility and mobility in my upper back as well. It is a well rounded and planned out series of routines that keep my whole spine and body in good shape. I still struggle with the stability of my SI joint specifically because it wants to take over the mobility that my spine lost. I have to remind myself to move my hips with my waist and use the deep pelvic muscles to keep everything moving as a unit. It’s the twisting movement that gets me in trouble. My lower spine just doesn’t articulate anymore, and so I have to turn ABOVE the fusion, and keep my spine square within my pelvis. What tends to happen now if I’m not paying attention is that I turn further than my spine is capable of, and so the lower spine where it’s fused tries to turn and “displaces” itself out of the pelvis. My hips/pelvis must stay straight and square and my turn needs to originate basically at the rib cage. When it comes to my workouts, I have to work specifically the glutes and hips to keep the pelvis strong, and not just my abdominal core. It’s been an interesting challenge and change of mindset. But let me assure you, my body tells me when I’m not following the rules – having my SI joint out of whack is no fun – but I’m learning what to do to help ease it back into place – and more importantly what to do to help prevent it happening in the first place (aka do your therapy and pay attention to how you twist!!)

Along with the daily walking and yoga and core work, I’ve also worked very hard to fuel my body in a much healthier way – I’ve cut out all artificial sweeteners, and focus on lean meats, lots of vegetables, some fruit, and limited starches and whole grains. Sure, I still eat the occasional sweet treat – but I feel better when I eat better and do my exercises. I use a step & activity tracker on my phone, and I track my calories everyday too. Each day I take a handful of supplements – a multi vitamin, calcium, glucosamine, chondroiton, MSM, Vitamin E, and collagen – and I drink as much water every day as I can. My goal, and my doctor’s goal is to try and keep my body and specifically my joints as healthy as possible to avoid more surgeries. Bottom line, I’m glad I had the surgery on my back. It wasn’t a walk in the park – but it has made it possible for me to be much more active and pain free than I was a year ago. This recovery process has taught me patience, resilience, and as funny as this might sound, it’s taught me about direct consequences. Just when I think I’m fine and should be able to whatever I want – my body reminds me that nope – you can only do what you are CAPABLE of doing. That’s not to say that I don’t challenge myself – but just that I have limitations that are reinforced with titanium – and recovery is a long slow road.

Kind of like life, right? We aren’t here for just a moment, we are here for a lifetime. We have opportunity every day to glorify God – to allow His light to shine through us and onto those we encounter each day. So smile! Hold the door open for someone. Wave at a child. Tell that young girl she is beautiful. Visit a friend in the hospital or nursing home. Pray for someone. Share the good news of God and His Glory that is waiting for each of us, and God promises us it will come to those who believe and trust. How have you been a blessing to someone lately?

Image result for habakkuk 2 3

by

Spring??

According to the calendar, it is officially still winter for another week. But we did change the clocks for daylight savings time, and the sky is actually blue today, so maybe…

This has been a heck of a winter here in the Pacific North West. We got most of our snow in February – but so far March has done it’s fair share of adding to the difficult morning commutes. I’m honestly not sure which is worse, a morning commute after a foot of snow, or a morning commute after 4 inches of snow. I’m grateful for the highway department who provides snow plows and ice melt, and generally makes it possible for me to get to and from work each day. I’m also grateful for 40 degree days and 20 degree nights with blue skies. This allows the snow to melt during the day, but slows it back down overnight – which ultimately helps me not be quite so nervous about spring run-off and the potential for flooding! We currently have about 2 feet of snow on the level, but mountains of snow banks where it’s been plowed off the driveway. While we often have some snowbanks left still thawing in April, I’m thinking it may very well be May before they all melt this year.

Speaking of spring…I’ve been spending my weekends preparing for spring craft shows. This past weekend (which I extended to a 4-day weekend!) I did quite a bit of production. 144 bars of soap, 120 tubes of lip balm, and an assortment of lotions, creams and salves. I still need to do a couple more varieties of lotions, but I’m feeling much more comfortable with what I have on hand preparing for the spring craft shows. Over the next couple of weekends I will spend some time actually packing up my craft show bins and getting things organized. My craft show trailer is currently surrounded by snow all the way around past the tops of the fenders, I am hopeful that most of that will melt off on it’s own and I won’t have to do too much to get it pulled out and loaded up. Just under a month, so I’ve got my fingers crossed!

It’s been 7 months now since my back surgery. I’m fairly well settled into a routine and feeling pretty normal. I’m increasing my activity level slowly, trying not to aggravate anything – and paying particular attention to my body mechanics and alignment. I’m able to do more yoga and more walking, and making sure I’m doing my stretches and exercises for my back and core regularly. In general I feel really good, and I’m looking at what I can be doing long term to keep myself healthy. I’m hopeful that as the driveway thaws out I will be able to walk at home more regularly – Bella sure enjoys it when we go for a walk, since it usually involves a ball!

I’m still eating cleanly and well – tracking my food daily and noticing/correcting patterns as necessary. The scale is still working itself down slowly and I’m trying to be disciplined about making a weekly meal plan and sticking to it. This helps me to not cook the same old thing over and over again, but also makes me think about what is in the freezer that needs to be eaten. A couple months back I went online and ordered a binder for organizing my recipes. It came with an assortment of page protectors, scrapbook style pages, and pages to fit recipe cards. After about 3 marathon sessions, I managed to get most of my recipes into the binder with some semblance of order. I often cruise around recipe blogs looking for inspiration, and print off recipes that entice me. I rarely follow them to the letter, but it at least gives me a good place to start….and if I like my modifications, I generally make notes about what I did. So now I have a binder that has all my recipes in mostly one spot. I of course, still have my cookbook collection – but all the family recipes that have been handed down, and all the magazine clippings and internet printed recipes now all live together in the binder.

For Lent this year I’m reading a book called 40 days of Decrease by Alicia Britt Chole. Each day has a scripture reading and mini lesson, a passage about Lent, and a focus on something to fast for the day: Regrets, Tidy Faith, Rationalism, Isolation, etc. It’s been an interesting read so far, and a good reminder of love, self-care, discipline, and sacrifice. It’s a great way to focus my daily devotional and bible study time, and to get a fresh outlook on scripture passages and stories I already know well. The more I immerse myself in God’s word, the stronger my faith becomes, and the more I see the relevance in my own life – as God planned it of course.

Image result for matthew 5 15-16

by

6 Months Post Spinal Fusion

It hardly seems possible that it’s really been 6 months since my surgery, but I can’t deny the truth of the calendar. I’ve gone from the heat of summer, to a beautiful fall of color, to the depths of a snow packed winter. I’ve gone from walking with a walker, to a cane, to slow but deliberate walking, to the ability to walk as much as I want. I’ve gone from no lifting, bending, twisting, through a slow and steady recovery, to being able to lift what I need, bend forward and touch my toes, and gentle twists in my upper body. I’ve learned how to protect my back muscles and keep my spine stable. I’ve learned to kneel and squat down instead of bending at the waist to reach things on the floor. I’ve strengthened my hips and legs, and I’ve worked to strengthen my core muscles, the big and little ones, and I’ve worked to strengthen and stretch my back muscles and the muscles in my legs and hips. It’s been a huge recovery process, but I feel good with my process and what I can do now.

This past week I had a visit with my surgeon. New x-rays show my fusion is growing stronger, and all the rods and screws and cages are doing their job. He is pleased with my progress, and the strength and flexibility I’ve gained. He commented that it looked like I’d dropped a few pounds (yes, validation!), and that it looked like I was more comfortable. I agreed with him, and asked him about continuing restrictions. For the past 6 months I’ve been to avoid using a heating pad, and no use of NSAIDS. I’m cleared to use them now if i feel the need. I’m cleared to lift safely and smartly. We talked about craft shows, and that I am to be careful and not lifting while bending or twisting, and to keep my boxes packed on the light side. I’m allowed to walk, jog if I want (not likely), ride a bike, swim (also not likely), and do as much yoga as I like so long as I’m careful during twisting poses and don’t ask too much of my body. I’m to be careful and extra cautious in the snow and ice – NO FALLING. The fusion itself will continue to heal for the next year, but I’m right on track. His parting words to me were, “Call me if something comes up, but you MUST DO YOUR EXERCISES EVERYDAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.” Alrighty then, message delivered doc!

The next day was my appointment with Brenda, my physical therapist. She put me through the paces and did some massage on my whole back (I was a little extra stiff apparently). She talked about challenging my strength and using some resistance along with more repetitions. She sent me home with some bands to use. She agrees with the doc’s assessment to keep doing what I’m doing, and keep adding strength challenges. She talked a lot about being aware of my body mechanics, and listening as my muscles gain strength. When you get stiff or sore, take the time to rest and stretch things out before doing more. When you feel like you need to sit and rest, do so. When you feel like you need to get up and move, do so. When your muscles get tight, use your massage stick and tennis ball to release the tension. And you MUST DO YOUR EXERCISES EVERYDAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

So apparently, I keep moving along and doing my exercises for the rest of my life. I knew going into this surgery that as important as what happened that day in the operating room was, that my recovery and rehab would be even more important, and a life long commitment.

My food tracking app tells me that I’ve been tracking food and eating cleanly for 47 days now. I’ve also been riding my exercise bike regularly, and working hard on my PT exercises and doing yoga a few times a week. I feel like I’m in a healthy mindset, and the doc was right, I have lost weight since the first of the year. I’m not dieting per say, but I’m also not eating crap. I’m monitoring my calories each day, and avoiding eating grains and starches, and avoiding sweets and overly processed food. I don’t feel deprived, and I’ve been enjoying looking for and trying new recipes. We have been eating a lot more fresh produce, and I know I’m feeling much better in general – I have more energy and am sleeping better too.

If you aren’t in the Pacific North West, let me share that we have been given our entire dose of winter…in a couple week’s time. It just keeps snowing…many inches in the cities, a lot of wind, and out in the hinterlands where I live – we are measuring the snow in FEET. There have been school closures, road closures, and when you do get out and about, the roads have been a mixed bag of snow covered, slush covered, clear, and drifts. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful…but I’m tired of it. The closed the university for a day last week, and we had late start another day…and those things hardly ever happen. It’s been several years since the last time it happened.

Last weekend the snow created all kinds of havoc. Wind gusted snow across the roads creating white out conditions, and drifts accumulating in the roads. It just wasn’t safe to travel out of the cities. After a series of messages between our pastor, the elders in the church, and myself, and a bit of prayer – I was asked to not only lead our service because our pastor couldn’t make it down, but also to deliver the sermon. I’ve had to do this before due to weather, but she wrote the sermon, and I just read it. This time, she and I spoke at length, and her sermon wasn’t a good fit for me to deliver. God has been pushing me recently to step out of my comfort zone more and more. So I spoke to my pastor about a sermon idea I had. She approved of the direction I was being led, and I sat down Saturday evening using a sermon outline another pastor had written, I wrote a sermon on the Power of Prayer. I used my lovely new bible to find appropriate scripture references, and listened to my heart as I was writing. I sent it to my pastor to look at, and for any last minute changes, and I went to bed.

Sunday morning I got up and ready for church, printed the bulletin that Pastor E had sent me, read her words of encouragement, and printed my sermon notes. My little country church congregation was lovely and supportive as I not only lead our service, but delivered my first official sermon. I went ahead and recorded it with my phone, to send to pastor, and a few close friends. After prayerfully considering my options, and the motivations behind them, I’ve decided to share it with you as well. May my words truly bless you.

Power of Prayer