Week 9 post op - Blast From My Past

Not much new to report this week. The tension and burning in my back as lessened a smidge, but the numbness down my left leg and foot remain. I've refrained from all physical activities other than walking, and now I'm down to about 2 miles a day.

I saw Dr. Carl Lauryssen today. He's one of the better known names in the field of disc replacement. Since I don't have a neuro in LA to consult with during my recovery, I figured who better then the only guy in these parts who actually performs ADR with the M6, although he flies to Europe to perform the operations. I brought all of my recent films for him to check out. He pointed out one thing that I actually saw, but never really gave a second thought. The endplate on the bottom of the disc extends just past the edge of the vertebrae (at L5) about 2mm. He said chances are it's not causing any problems, but it's something to keep an eye on.

He stated that he's rather conservative where rehab is concerned. He advises all of his patients to wait three months before doing anything other than walking. When I told him of my activity level by week 6 he was a little surprised. He said I may have over done it, but it's impossible to tell what caused this flare up. But he did tell me to back off and just walk for the next month. So back to the drawing board I go. I'm seeing him again in 4 weeks with a new set of films. He said if my symptoms haven't subsided in 2-3 weeks then we should get concerned, but he's fairly confident things will settle down.

Dr. Bierstedt, meanwhile said the discs are accurately placed, but advised that I get a CT scan with sagittal reconstruction. Anyone wanna tell me what that means? I've made peace with where I'm at, and I'm simply being patient. Gotta go back to crawling before I can fly, again.

On a brighter note, my past tapped me on the shoulder recently. A woman who left a huge dent in my heart back when I was a cocky 21 year old who thought he knew everything, got in touch with me. The first melodic hymn from her sweet, sinful voice and I was hooked all over again. Twenty three years hasn't done anything to smooth out this dent. Some people never really leave you. We're seeing each other this week. I guess you can say I'm a little excited. This is the type of woman who alters the course of a man's life. And I'm thankful for second chances.

I hope I have better things to report on my physical state in the future. But my personal life looks very promising.

Holla!

Mojo

Blink and it can change. Mojo that is. My entire life has been about movement, about what I can do with (and to) my body. I wish I could find satisfaction in being still, contemplating, meditating. The other day while laying on the grass in the park and reading, the warm sun tickling my skin, I watched a man meditate. He sat facing a tree for well over an hour, motionless, simply 'being'. This takes a level of focus I can't fathom. This also takes a great deal of physical awareness. His practice amazed me.

But I need to move. My mojo depends on it. Through week 7 of my recovery I felt my mojo return. My confidence creeping back into my smile a little more each day. My swagger reflected in my Saturday Night Fever strut.  In the past week my smile has receded, my swagger tucked away in the closet waiting to re-emerge, break out, run wild. I succumbed to the depression for a few days, moped around and felt sorry for myself. But I've since accepted the fact that my back will start to feel better when it starts to feel better, and I can't rush or predict when that will happen.

So my mojo will need to hibernate for a little while longer. And I'll be ready for it's return.

Week 8 post op - Slight detour

Things had been rolling along swimmingly, like a slow moving train through a colorful countryside in full spring time bloom. Unfortunately, last Friday this choo choo slowly started to derail, with things completely coming unglued Sunday morning. Admittedly, I've been pushing myself, but not too hard. I can honestly say that I never pushed through any pain and the moment I felt any sign that something wasn't right I backed off and rested. Doc told me to let pain be my guide, which is what I did. I've been walking everywhere, and doing the prescribed back exercises I was cleared to do and my back was being fairly cooperative, for the most part. On hikes I was deliberate in my steps and always took extra caution when planting my feet. And along with regular massages and chiropractic treatments I've been spoiling myself.

When my back took its detour I felt what I can only describe as electrical-like pain. It felt like a dozen bees started simultaneously stinging my lower back, then traveled down my left leg, stinging me along the way to my foot. The spasms have since subsided, but things are pretty tight at the moment, and my left leg and left foot are a bit numb. My tolerance for sitting and standing has definitely taken a huge step back. I feel like I did about 5 weeks ago. I was starting to get my swagger back and feel like my old self. Looks like that's going to have to wait. I can't deny, I'm feeling rather demoralized, and I'm fighting the desire to give in. But I know I can't. So I'll mope and pout for another day or so and get back in the race.

In the meantime it looks like I'll be spending a little more time in Pain Town. My chiro thinks this is just a bump in the road. The x-rays I had taken yesterday show the disc is still snug as a bug and hasn't migrated. I hadn't experienced any referral pain since I've been home and was hoping I'd just bypass that step during my recovery, but alas, I'm not so lucky. So for the time being it's back to bed rest, short walks around the block, ice, and spending far too much time online. My doc in Germany said this is temporary and will pass, which I believe. But it's getting passed the idea that something like this can strike again without notice that scares me. So I'll be walking on egg shells for a while.

Wish I could have reported something more positive. Still moving, just not forward at the moment.

Cheers.

Old dog, new constraints

If you've never seen what's behind the curtain, you never consider what could be. You're more easily satisfied with life, content with resting while the world spins furiously. At the moment, I envy these people.

Unfortunately, I've seen what exists beyond the horizon, and I can't pretend to be happy when I know from personal experience what is possible. Yeah, I know, I need to be realistic, I need to step back and consider the severity of my surgery and what ultimately landed me on the surgeons table - a long life burning my fuse until nothing was left.

A friend is visiting me in lovely LA, and we spent yesterday strolling around Venice beach. Nothing has changed in Venice since I was a scrawny, bronzed surf grommet. I think the vendors are even selling the same sunglasses from 30 years ago. We walked, talked, watched the guy juggling swords and playing the bagpipes while riding a 10 foot tall unicycle. We traveled about 10 miles on foot yesterday, and about a mile from home my back started to really protest. So we found a patch of grass and laid down for a while to let my angry spine calm down. We finally made it home, but it was clear my back wasn't going to stop complaining, so I vowed to take it easy for a couple days.

So this morning my friend and I hit the Santa Monica stairs and cranked out 5 laps. Yeah, I know, I never said I was the sharpest marble in the bag. Should I have rested? Probably. But this old dog sometimes needs to learn the hard way. I know, I know, there are some people who check into my blog who I expect to put me on blast. I deserve it, blast away. I won't argue. There's no damage done to my back, I just over did it a little. So I'm going to take it easy for a while. No, really, I mean it this time.

Peace out, bean sprouts!

Week 7 post op - Rest Day

Short and sweet this week. I pushed a little hard the past couple days, so I've decided to take it easy today. But easy these days means a leisurely 7 miles on foot, so I'll take it. The low back is feeling pretty good. I did experience some light spasms on Monday while doing the stairs. Well, it was actually after banging out some push ups in between climbs, but it settled down once I had some coconut fried chicken at Cha Cha Chicken.

My chiropractor believes the change in lumbar lordosis has caused me to lead more with my head, which I already do. I've always had poor posture and rounded shoulders and my neck cranes forward. He said it's visibly increased since surgery. As a result all of the muscles in my neck and upper back are compensating by grabbing hold and refusing to let go. So I gotta focus on lengthening my upper back and hopefully things will start to relax in time.

Frustrating, but if it's a choice between back and neck pain, I'll take the neck pain. I'm able to sit longer now, so meals have become more enjoyable. Standing still causes discomfort, but not as quickly as before. My conditioning is still improving and I'm able to sustain longer periods of exercise before my low back tightens up.

If my neck felt as good as my back I'd be in heaven right about now. But I'm getting closer.

Walkabout

I joined a local hiking group for a jaunt up to the highest peak in the Santa Monica mountains. The Sandstone Peak trailhead starts about 6 miles from PCH near the LA and Ventura County border. Or as we called it during my surfing days, County Line. There were about 80 people in this slow moving caravan, everyone rolling with the undulating trail with relative grace. It wasn't terribly technical, but there were enough steep, rocky up and downs to make things a little dicey for me. Going up is much easier than going down.

The size of the group and social nature of the hike required frequent stops. I like to socialize as much as the next guy, but it's difficult for me to stand around for too long, so I decided to part company and go my own way. The entire loop is about 7 miles, but I cut it a little short, doing about 5.5 miles. I could have finished the entire loop, but I'm still a little hesitant to push it just yet.

My back held up fine, getting tight, but never causing any pain. My neck, however, is becoming a serious problem. By the end of the hike I couldn't turn my head to the left and my right wasn't much better. My chiropractor said it's common for people who have lumbar surgery to experience neck pain. When you change the mechanics of the spine it creates a ripple effect, but this is usually transitory. However, he did say my level of pain, and the fact that I'm not responding to his adjustments, isn't common. I'm ecstatic that I can walk with no low back pain, but this neck nonsense is interfering with sleep and making it difficult to drive. I certainly hope this is temporary, because I'm not ready for another flight to Germany just yet.

Leave 'em wanting

Little by little I can feel my strength return. A few weeks ago two laps of the Santa Monica stairs was about as much as I wanted to push. Today I knocked out a brisk five laps and felt I had enough left in the tank for a few more passes. Now the old Ian would have pushed until something popped. The new and improved Ian likes to leave something in the tank and get while the gettin' is good.

Around week three I was walking a combined five miles in a day. I'm feeling well enough now to hit that number before breakfast. Being stationary is still the toughest part of my recovery. That just means no standing in line for 2 hours at LA's newest trendy bakery where Brad Pitt last grabbed a latte so I can sample some over priced, air-cooked donut disaster. But I can live with that. Move or die! I choose move.

6 weeks post op - And now for something completely different

I've decided to celebrate each weekly anniversary by doing something new, even if it's just for a brief moment. So today I dusted off the bitchin' do-everything commuter, and rode around the block. Took all of a couple minutes, but it was a glorious couple of minutes. It's been almost 9 months since I pedaled a bike, and the simple act of turning a crank felt incredible. With that said, I'm definitely not ready to absorb bumps while in the saddle.

I turned up the intensity level this past week. I increased the number of stairs and started swimming. My back got a little cranky towards the end of the week, but it's since settled down and is now feeling fairly decent, actually. However, my neck is officially a mess. I've always had periodic neck problems. Like most people I'd wake up with the occasional stiff neck, but nothing to write home about. For some reason, as my low back improves, my neck gets worse. Go figure. I've got a perma-headache at the base of my skull and I can't turn side to side easily, but I never did have great mobility in that department. So something new for my chiropractor to play with.

I'm averaging about 7-8 miles a day on foot and the series of resistance exercises I've been doing for my SI joints and low back have been going well. The pull up bars at the beach have been calling my name, so that's my next challenge.

Otherwise, still moving forward.

"Push through the pain, brother!"

Personal trainers like to bring their clients to the Santa Monica stairs. They come in bunches, doing a variety of cross fit-ish types of exercises, which they put their own twist on to stand apart from the myriad of trainers Los Angeles produces on a weekly basis.

The idea of pushing through pain has always puzzled me. My attitude towards exercise has always been, if you're suffering, you're doing it wrong. I've been in pain while riding my mountain bike countless times, but I was always having fun. I understand all about that 'dig deep' kind of pain to clean that last pull up, or break that 5 minute mile. But pushing through pain has become a badge of honor that many people confuse for a misplaced sense of accomplishment, in my opinion. 

"Dude, that last clean and jerk really hurt?" Um, ok. Does that make it any more satisfying? More of an achievement? The funny thing about pain is, it's all relative. What hurts for one person is a walk in the park for others. But one thing you rarely hear elite level athletes talk about after completing some herculean physical task was how much it hurt. You hear them talk about how much fun it was.  

So when a weekend warrior is doing push ups and grunting loudly for all around him to hear his mythical feat, and his trainer is barking at him to, "Push through the pain, brother!", it makes me wonder...why are you doing this? For pains sake? Suffer in silence. You're quest for pain is interfering with those of us who enjoy the journey.

Dippin' the Skinny!

Went for my first swim today. On the advice of another disc replacement patient, I picked up a pair of small 'fitness' flippers. They help me kick with less effort and make it easier to keep my hips elevated. I was extremely tentative as I dangled my legs over the edge, but I pushed off and quickly found my stroke. I felt pretty good for about the first 20 laps, then my low back started tightening up. I like round figures, so I kept going until I hit a half mile, or 36 laps. 

I stepped out of the pool slowly, a little uncertain and tight, but once I started walking I loosened up a bit. I think the unknown is the biggest hurdle to clear when doing something for the first time. But once you get past the fear the uncertainty is trumped by confidence. 

Ironically, my right shoulder hurts more than my back right now. After multiple separations and other assorted shoulder injuries it's basically hamburger meat. I'm sure I'll need surgery on this wing at some point, but that's a mountain to climb for another day.

Week 5 post op - Go Big or Go Home!

Marlene (my disc) and I marked week number 5 with a hike in the Santa Monica mountains with one of my oldest friends, and all around awesome individual, Julia, and her ageless pup Trudie. This was to be my first nature hike in a while, so I chose Murphy Ranch in Rustic Canyon above West Sunset Blvd. It's got some history, along with a wide network of trails to select from.

The Pacific!

We started out up a fire road that looked out over the Pacific Ocean. It's normally a fairly popular hike, but today we got lucky and didn't come across the crowds I'd read about. Once we'd ascended for a while we came across a narrow trail connector that lead down into a small valley.

Onward!

From here the trail splits, then splits again, and again. There seems to be an endless web of trails in this valley. I'm definitely coming back to explore again in the future when I'm strong enough to go all day. We continued down until we stumbled upon some dilapidated structures. This area served as an encampment for nazi sympathizers in the 30's. Then turned into an artist colony in the 60s and 70s, later a graffiti art hang out, and finally a place for inquisitive hikers to poke around.

Tag! You're it!

From here we simply backtracked and returned the way we came. But I always prefer the climb out.

Step it up!

As far as my back is concerned, it held up for the most part. Walking downhill definitely puts more pressure on my spine. Climbing is much easier. According to my pedometer we walked about 9k steps, so about 4+ miles, which seemed a little optimistic. But that was about my limit today, and I was pretty tight and sore by the time we got back to the car, but after stretching a little and resting I was feeling better than expected. My pain tolerance is pretty high, so sometimes it's difficult to objectively assess how I'm feeling, but the ride home in the car was relatively comfortable.

I stepped up my activity level this week and added some new exercises to help strengthen the area around my SI joints. I'm going for my first swim tomorrow. I might just dip my toes and run for the locker room like a child afraid of the deep end.

I've definitely made some improvements over this past week. My neck and upper back have been complaining, but my chiropractor reminded me of the connectedness of everything, so it's not surprising considering the alteration to my body mechanics. I'm moving much more naturally, and even found myself shuffling my feet in what can reasonably be referred to as dancing while listening to Kool Moe Dee on my iPhone..."I go to work!"

I still can't stand in place long and need to constantly shift my weight when talking with people, otherwise pressure builds up and things get uncomfortable. Sitting is still rough past 20 minutes, but I just get up and move around if dining out to keep loose. I've heard of some people who can stand and sit for hours right after surgery. I wish that were true in my case. I've got other issues going on besides my disc, and Dr. Bierstedt told me he felt most of my pain post surgery will be joint related, and I have a feeling he's right. But now that the disc is addressed I can begin working on strengthening the muscles and tissue around my joints and hopefully reverse this constant ache. 

Otherwise, I'm still moving forward and in the right direction!