i've been having a good month really for reflecting back on how I used to be, compared to now. On Saturday I went for an 8km walk, and while I was totally wiped out tired afterwards, I was hardly sore! I had some drugs as more of an "i'm uncomfortable let's take something", but the next day I was feeling energetic and back to normal. Monday I went to the gym and had a good workout, Tuesday a 5km walk, Wed 3km, today a personal training session at the gym that wore me out, but I feel good. I'm not sore! I can't believe it. I"m getting so much less pain than even a month ago, which is great cos it means I'm still improving. I'm noticing tiredness this month more than anything, but maybe it's because I"m able to do so much more that I am wearing myself out in positive ways. Either way, I feel positive, and the best I've felt in a long time.
In the spirit of doing more activities, I'm trying to do the Waitakere walks again now that the weather has picked up and sun is shining. For those of you who are not local, the Waitakere's are a hill range that is all bush, and has a lot of nice tracks running through.The hilly country makes for some challenging walks which are great for building fitness.
If I could just have the energy that I feel inside, so that I could do more!
Summer is approaching, which is so exciting because I can participate in it this year, instead of sitting in a lazyboy chair feeling sorry for myself while everyone else was out having fun and forgot about me. Boo Hoo.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Nine Months!
Well, it's hard to believe it's the month of my birthday already, and therefore nine months after my surgery. I really feel like it was only just the other week that I had my surgery, even though I have come so far. I guess it's great that time flies, but I also know it has really been a drag.
Where am I at now... well, I'm doing well at the gym, am building muscle and am having a lot less pain I think because of those efforts. I still get pain, but it is nowhere near what it was. I went to Rotorua last weekend and went for a one hour horse trek, nothing more than a meander on horseback, but I loved it. I actually struggled not to cry I was so happy to be back on a horse. I had a spa afterwards just in case, but I was good. The way home in the car was the worst part, because driving all the way back to Auckland on bumpy roads was relentless, and once I got sore it escalated.
At uni I am managing much better, although that seems to have ups and downs because I still am not working full-time, but close to. I have to remember not to be too hard on myself and just do what I can. I had my doctoral confirmation, which is a 25min presentation on my research, and then a discussion with an academic panel afterwards. I passed, and went home and lay on the couch totally worn out, and didn't get up for the next few hours, only to go to bed. I did the same today after driving to Hamilton and back in a day to see a friend. So things like that, do tend to wear me out. It's cool though that I'm getting wiped out by tiredness, and not so much pain.
Today was really fun, Glenis (mother in law) came over and did my garden, it's a job I'd love to get stuck in and do, but can't... She cleared all the weeds out of my vegi patch, while I ordered some more seeds online to replenish the parts that have been pillaged. I am getting really frustrated that I can't do a lot of things that I would like to do, like digging holes in the garden, a full day of tidying, etc... I would love to be a normal 27 year old, but I guess I can settle for being the best I can, cos that's still reasonably intact!
Bryan and I are now getting married, which is so great. You can see on the older blogs just how much he has done for me while I was recovering. We have always had a really strong relationship, but it has brought us even closer and made me even more willing to support him when he needs it, and look out for him.
So all up, 9 months is a good place to be. I am still improving, so that is positive in itself. I hope that I continue to improve and end up super-bionic woman :)
Where am I at now... well, I'm doing well at the gym, am building muscle and am having a lot less pain I think because of those efforts. I still get pain, but it is nowhere near what it was. I went to Rotorua last weekend and went for a one hour horse trek, nothing more than a meander on horseback, but I loved it. I actually struggled not to cry I was so happy to be back on a horse. I had a spa afterwards just in case, but I was good. The way home in the car was the worst part, because driving all the way back to Auckland on bumpy roads was relentless, and once I got sore it escalated.
At uni I am managing much better, although that seems to have ups and downs because I still am not working full-time, but close to. I have to remember not to be too hard on myself and just do what I can. I had my doctoral confirmation, which is a 25min presentation on my research, and then a discussion with an academic panel afterwards. I passed, and went home and lay on the couch totally worn out, and didn't get up for the next few hours, only to go to bed. I did the same today after driving to Hamilton and back in a day to see a friend. So things like that, do tend to wear me out. It's cool though that I'm getting wiped out by tiredness, and not so much pain.
Today was really fun, Glenis (mother in law) came over and did my garden, it's a job I'd love to get stuck in and do, but can't... She cleared all the weeds out of my vegi patch, while I ordered some more seeds online to replenish the parts that have been pillaged. I am getting really frustrated that I can't do a lot of things that I would like to do, like digging holes in the garden, a full day of tidying, etc... I would love to be a normal 27 year old, but I guess I can settle for being the best I can, cos that's still reasonably intact!
Bryan and I are now getting married, which is so great. You can see on the older blogs just how much he has done for me while I was recovering. We have always had a really strong relationship, but it has brought us even closer and made me even more willing to support him when he needs it, and look out for him.
So all up, 9 months is a good place to be. I am still improving, so that is positive in itself. I hope that I continue to improve and end up super-bionic woman :)
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Pre-op 2000
This is before I had any surgery on my back. It's looking at it front on. You can see the base of the spine is where it connects to my pelvis, and then how the top is out of line with the bottom, This made it look like I had one big hip, because my ribcage was off to one side.
Pre-op 2007
Here is how my spine looks now, you can see that the part that has the rods is straight, then at the top the unfused part goes off at a different angle. The surgery tomorrow is to fix that, by putting a rod from about 2 vertebrae up and 3 or 4 below the junction.