Progress Report: Week 31

I am ending my seventh month post-surgery. Overall much less pain. I am still working on becoming more active and I can't stress it enough -- whenever I start to have back pain, if I walk or swim for 30 mins or more, it improves significantly. All I can guess is that it has to do with getting blood into the lower back and to the disc.

One sort of minor thing that is sort of minorly concerning me is that my foot/toe seems to be slightly number than they were say, 6 weeks ago. I am guessing this is nerve damage, but I guess time will tell. I can feel it along the outer edge of my baby toe, and on the sole of my foot a little along the edge and then this strange numb pocket almost in the center of my foot. I am wondering if scar tissue is compressing the nerve, but I don't have any other symptoms so maybe it's just nerve damage. We'll see.

Still having pain when sleeping but I think that is my mattress because I feel fine at work. Suffered a little flare-up this past week but it's getting better. I didn't do anything that I know of, but work has been very stressful and I've been chained to my desk. So that is not helping.

I would like to have child(ren) in the next couple of years. Sometimes I worry that my back problems are going to either keep it from happening or make it very painful. I have read online accounts that plenty of women have the surgery and go on to have normal pregnancies. But then you have to lift your child for what, the next 7 years of their lives? I am just wondering how all of that is going to play out. This is another reason I'm working so hard to lose weight. Still swimming, although not nearly as much as I want to, to strengthen my back. Can't recommend that enough, and it's something I never would have imagined myself doing.

But overall the results are still positive. I am still glad I had the surgery. I still feel I am doing SO much better. I know I am doing better already than many who go through this. I just want to be totally "normal" again. I have to remember that I'm well on my way.

Progress Report: Week 28

It's my seven-month anniversary today. Still feeling pretty good, overall. Still numb in my foot, maybe slightly more numb lately, but not dead-numb. I have been walking and swimming and it helps. As soon as I slack off the back pain returns. Pulled my back slightly trying to vacuum under the bed--something I haven't been able to do since surgery. You don't even want to know what was under there. Scary stuff.

Some pain still when I wake up but I still suspect the bed. Also still whenever I do something, like vacuum, my toe/foot edge goes numb. I suspect it's scar tissue or something compressing the nerve. It might always be that way. I guess it's my body's way of saying, "Cool it!" We'll see how that is by January 2010.

So overall things are good. People think I am totally well though and am pain-free. If only. I am doing everything I can for that day to come, though. I have heard that for every 10 lbs you lose, it's 40 lbs of pressure off of your knees. So what is it like for your back? It has to help. So that is my main goal this month, to some weight. I'd like to try pilates too but I don't feel I'm ready for anything like that. Yet.