3 months post op

I am sorry I have not updated this blog in a while.

Lets just start by saying... I can't believe I am 3 months post op.  It feels like I was sitting in pre op just a couple days ago.  Each month things seem to get a lot better.  Currently my neck feels great.  It tires easily, and after a long day at work I do get some mild to moderate (compared to pre op spasms) muscle spasms.  If I am working on the computer or working on the sandwich line looking down a lot, I do get some pain in my neck, but trust me... nothing near what I used to get pre op.  The new kind of pain will go away if I stop what I am doing.

Back pain has been an issue lately.  Although it does seem like every months it gets a little better.

I went back to work on August 24th, which was 2 months post op.  Going back to work was tough, because of the physical demands of the job.  Within 15 minutes of working my back muscles go extremely tight and start burning.  If I sit down the burning will slightly lessen, but as soon as I start walking, bending and lifting, it starts back up again.  I also get sharp pains in my low back and in my left hip.  This all was much worse in July and August, so I am hoping it just keeps getting better.   I talked to Dr. Croissant about this and he ordered a Lumbar MRI.  I also asked him if we could do a Thoracic MRI because I always felt like something was wrong with that part of my spine.  I had both MRIs and they both came back with nothing wrong.  He then referred me to Dr. Nadine Jennings, a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation doctor.  She did an exam and we both determined together that because I was incorrectly moving my body pre surgery, it took an effect on my lower back.  By not moving my neck, I strained my mid and lower back.  This resulted in incorrect posture for a long time, thus giving me the resulting back pain.  She prescribed Flexeril to take nightly, Flector patches (A NSAID patch.  I am not supposed to take any NSAIDs because I am waiting for fusion, but she says the patch mostly targets the area and does not put as much in my blood stream.  Unfortunately insurance does not cover the patches, so she gave me some samples.  I am not convinced it helps anyway.  She also prescribed PT.  I had my PT consultation yesterday.  Everyone was really nice.  The doctor at the PT place said they would be using a combination of MedX exercises and massage.  We will see how that goes.  I have my first actual session on Monday.   I am supposed to be getting a TENS unit.  I thought someone was going to call me about that, but I haven't gotten a call yet.  I will ask Dr. Jennings about that next time I see her.

Anyway, overall recovery is going well.  My neck and shoulders actually feel somewhat normal.  I am glad I had the surgery.