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My spine surgery journey: from preparation to recovery

Progress updates:

-I just swam the full 500m for the first time! It felt really good; so much better than the first time, and my body feels so good after.

-On the weekend, I was able for the first time to put my palms flat on the floor in a straight-legged standing forward bend!

Forward bends are actually the best way to show the scoliosis deformity of the back; for that reason they're one of the clinical photos taken before and after surgery.

My old forward bend used to massively emphasize my deformity, with the left side of my back showing as a big hump.

Now? Omg. It's flat and even. So so even. Ugh, tearing up again.

-my 5 storeys of stair climbing wasn't a fluke :D and I can take the stairs multiple times a day if I need to (up and down; hospital-me would tell you that both are a skill).
 
Happy 4 months post-op to me! ????

One of my cousins is having surgery today; same hospital. A laparoscopy for definitive endometriosis diagnosis.
Hopefully her surgery should have finished half an hour ago. I'm waiting to hear back from her fiance about when he's been able to see her as I won't be able to see her in person.

She'd never had general anaesthesia/surgery before, just like me when I had my spinal fusion.
I was able to share my (positive) experience of the Day of Surgery processes/anaesthesia with her to help with uncertainties and try reassure her, as best I could.
That was nice. I guess it's a bit like having experienced life with PTSD/MDD/GAD/ED/etc; it's properly shit, but it means you can support others going through the same because you really understand.

Silver linings.⛅
 
^^^ That made me giggle. Not about your cousin, obviously. (Hope she's doing well.) But before I had my first knee surgery my family told me stories about surgeries gone wrong. ??? Surgeons operating on the wrong limb. Amputations. You name it... Ended up MAKING my surgeon mark the correct leg before they put me under. I was born and raised by a bunch of (loving) smartass'.
I'm the youngest of four. They have been picking on me since the day I was born. ????? I get my digs in too. Like I said, born and raised!

Anyway, it's always good to read about your progress. I get excited for you. Such a life changing thing to go through. Happy for ya, ? ?!
 
Ended up MAKING my surgeon mark the correct leg before they put me under. I was born and raised by a bunch of (loving) smartass'.
Lol at your family's stories!
I've heard that ^ isn't too bad an idea though! :hug:

Anyway, it's always good to read about your progress. I get excited for you. Such a life changing thing to go through. Happy for ya, ? ?!
Thanks for the support, ?Lee. Appreciate ya, very much!
 
I also just really want to thank everyone here, this International Scoliosis Awareness Day.
One of the reasons ISAD was launched was to create a positive public awareness of the condition.

It's pretty crazy to me that it was about this time last year that I made the decision to explore surgery as an option for myself - first through a spine x-ray for the first time in many many years, and then through a GP referral to my surgeon's scoliosis clinic.

I feel so fortunate along the way to have been able to have this space to work through my many swirling thoughts, where y'all have supported and encouraged me to ask questions and take steps toward living my best life.

I know not everyone with scoliosis experiences such a positive public response, but in this little corner of a corner of the internet, I most certainly have, and for that I am just so so so grateful.

 
The realisation of how far we've come can strike us in the most unexpected of ways.

This happened for me yesterday afternoon.
An extended period of dysreg had started to ease, and I felt enough strength (emotional and physical) to get on my yoga mat for the first time in a long time.

As well as doing my stretches, I decided to do some exercises for my core for the first time since my surgery. I found a good video of gentle core exercises without any flexion or twisting. (Here, for anyone interested:
)

I really enjoyed it, I'm going to do that one more often.

Anyway, the realisation came at the end of the practice when I got up from my yoga mat.
In the past before my surgery, the left side of my back was so pronounced that when I'd lie flat on my yoga mat, the right side of my back wouldn't really even touch the mat. And I'd notice that after every practice where there would be a nice sweat mark only on one side of the mat.

Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I stood up from the mat and saw a sweat mark right in the centre of my where my back had been.


Well f*ck.
I know this may seem a little odd to people on the outside, I mean: who knew that the relative positioning of a sweat mark on a yoga mat could ever mean so much.
And yet it did; another reminder of: yes, you really did get through it. You have the back you always dreamt of.


Only 2 more weeks till I have my 6 month post-op (technically 5 1/2 months) check in.
Very excited to see my surgeon again and share my progress over these past 4 months with him. And to ---hopefully--- see cute registrar again (a girl can dream, right?)
 
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Oh @bellbird - well done for so many things! :hug:

for getting that mat out and doing something good for yourself ...yesssss!

for finding the positive things that flow on from taking big risks and acknowledging the little pay-off's...yesssss!

for reaching a big milestone and seeing it's meaning.... yesssss!

for daring to dream lol... yessss!

:hug: :)

edited to add... this is the sort of dream where we are all secretly wishing that you fall madly in love with the cute doc., and he reciprocates (of course), you pair up... probably even marry?? oh yeah and have twins! :hilarious: :oops: :sorry:
 
Aww, b! I appreciate you and your support and kind words throughout all of this, more than you could know! :hug:
edited to add... this is the sort of dream where we are all secretly wishing that you fall madly in love with the cute doc., and he reciprocates (of course), you pair up... probably even marry?? oh yeah and have twins! :hilarious::oops::sorry:
Ohh yeah; the dream alright :hilarious: :D
And you bet you'd all be invited to the wedding, just like you paced the hospital corridors on that life changing day 5 months ago :hug::hug:
 
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