no back surgery
Here’s a quick update on my visit yesterday to the neurosurgeon.
No surgery recommended at this time. Woo-hoo!
I may need it someday, he said, and my life will not be "symptom-free." I can hang with that.
Things I can’t do: move refrigerators and couches or help people push off stalled cars. No problem. I’m also not supposed to put any vertical load on my spine, which means bye-bye squats forever. I’m not crying over that one either. Once upon a time I was a pretty decent squatter, but I must admit I always disliked the king of bodybuilding exercises. No shoulder presses–which I definitely will miss.
But when it comes to weights, the beauty part is that we can work around just about any limitation. There are plenty of other shoulder and leg exercises I can do.
In a word, I’m delighted with the no-surgery news.
There are challenges/opportunities in this situation too: I’m spurred to be more creative with my workouts; to try new things (e.g., yoga for pain management); to work harder on abs and back extensors.
So I’m grateful and relieved and feeling gung-ho.
April 3rd, 2005 at 10:54 am
Good to have you back.
The situation sounds pretty hopeful. We’re pulling for you!
April 4th, 2005 at 7:01 am
Yay! I’m so glad that no surgery is required right now and that you can at least work around the problem. That’s all great news!