18 Month update after spine surgery.

I'm laying by the pool in sunny tenerife and it suddenly occurred to me that right now it's been 18 months since I had surgery on my spine! So obviously the rightful thing to do is a nice little update about how I'm doing!

If you haven't read my post about the surgery I had you can read it here but long story short I had a severely herniated disc in my lower spine and had surgery to remove the herniated bit.

So the biggest difference is pain. The crippling pain is no more! I occasionally get a little back pain and the odd niggling bit of nerve pain in my bum cheeks but it is a tiny fraction of what I used to suffer with and it doesn't affect anything I do in my life. 

My mood and attitude to life has changed since my op, I'm now more happy, optimistic and full of enthusiasm for making up for the years I missed out on. I couldn't have gone on holiday with my back the way it was for so many reasons, now I'm on holiday for the 4th time since surgery! I've been doing so much more, seeing shows, day trips, just general hanging out with friends and family. I'm also becoming more adventurous, like I have a few things I'd love to do that I would never dreamed of before the op! I've had and got so much to look forward to and none of it would have possible without this surgery.

I have been doing Pilates at least once a week since January and it has done wonders for not only my back but my general health. I have an issue with "medically unexplained pain" in my right arm and only today I noticed I was able to lift myself out of the pool, I've never been able to do that before! Such a weakling I was! When I don't do Pilates for a week or two my back starts to ache a little so I know it is helping to keep me strong and pain free. I've also lost a stone in weight! 

I will always have keeping my back safe in mind when doing things like lifting heavy objects, sports and things like theme parks and if I don't feel safe doing something I will either find something else to do or find a way to protect my back. Pilates is helping because building up a strong core is key to maintaining a healthy spine.

I feel like my old self again, happy and full of life and I love it! 

Thanks for reading! 

Vikky

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