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!
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