I've decided to dial it back a little on the activity. For someone who is used to covering hundreds of miles a week on his bike, admitting I can't even walk comfortably for a couple miles isn't easy. So it's short, frequent walks for now, with lots of rest in between.
My chiropractor said my SI joint is definitely not happy, but he can get me straightened out with some work. I still haven't been able to sleep much, even with some pharma help, so I'm walking around in a sleep haze. But I'd rather be hazy at home than a hotel 6,000 miles away.
It feels like I wobble a little less when I walk now, so I'll call that progress and do a little gimpy happy dance.
Hi Ian,
ReplyDeleteSending you good wishes from Northern California for a full recovery! My husband had 2-level lumbar ADR a few months ago with Bierstedt. We've been reading this blog and your ADR Support forum posts and can relate to all the surreal experiences you just went through in Germany. I can't believe you went through all that alone! Very brave.
I'll be very interested to know if the chiropractic care helps with your pain. My husband is doing PT and taking short walks but hasn't tried chiro.
I can assure you that your strength and stability will come back soon. My husband was feeling very wobbly the first couple of weeks, so we bought a couple of hiking/snowshoeing poles for him to use during his walks. He didn't need them anymore after around the 5th week. Since you only had one level done you'll probably have a quicker recovery.
Good luck, and thanks for sharing your experiences!
Chiropractic is fine for ADR patients, so long as there are no harsh adjustments. Subtle adjustments are fine. In my case the SI joints are all whacked out, so my chiro uses a soft approach to get things aligned properly. If you live near Berkeley, I highly recommend a chiropractor named Ann Honigman. I was a patient of hers for 20 years when I lived there. She can definitely help. Tell her Ian sent you. After ADR your husband's spine is probably in need of some adjusting in addition to the PT.
DeleteThanks, and give your husband my best.
- Ian
Thanks, Ian. We're in the Redwood City area -- a bit too long a car ride to Berkeley. But I'm trying to convince my husband to see a GOOD chiro around here sooner rather than later. He has SI joint issues as well, so your post yesterday about feeling well enough after adjustment to enjoy a restaurant meal is definitely encouraging.
ReplyDelete