Bamboo Strong

It is my 39th birthday and a lot has happened in a year. We hosted a potluck party at this time last year and I was very happy to have all my friends gathered together but my smile was hiding a lot of pain. I was actually considering the idea of back surgery and I was very scared. I knew that if I chose surgery it would be a big ordeal and it would change my life forever. I didn’t know if I was strong enough to get through it and if my family could stand the long recovery period. Needless to say, surgery was inevitable, and just a couple months later, it was on the books. I did it, and it sure did change my life. It is now behind me; the worse is over, the best is to come, and I am an improved woman! It’s a terrible feeling to worry when you’re in the unknown but I trusted, I was brave, and it was all worth it. I found strength that I didn’t know I had and I got incredible help and support from my family and friends. This year we had a Blind Wine Tasting Party; I was painless, happy, smiling, and I meant it. The friends who saw me last before I had surgery and knew that I was hurting thought that today I was in great shape, the ones who had seen me during my recovery thought that I had improved tremendously and looked great, and the ones who just found out what I went through would have never guessed and thought that I looked normal. I feel fantastic and am ready for many more birthdays!

Yes that’s me; 4 screws, 2 rods, and bone growth! My surgeon says that the fusion is a success judging from the results of my x-rays. Dr. Smith is very proud of me and is happy with my progression during the last 9 months. I look good and I feel great but that is all because of my hard work since the first day that I got up to walk the very first time, only 2 hours after surgery! That is why it is important to keep going with a good daily exercise regimen. I’ve been prescribed advanced physical therapy so that I can push my limits and keep reaching new levels. I’m getting stronger all the time and I finally feel normal again!

With a clear mind and a strong body, I’m ready to go back to work and hit the ground running! After a good one year break, I am now rested, rejuvenated, motivated and stronger than ever; both physically and emotionally. Recovery has been a process and I finally reached the point where I feel normal again. I want to put my professional skills to good use and take on challenges. I feel ready to assume the responsibilities of an everyday job and pursue my career goals. Working on my resume and starting my job search is very exciting and encouraging. I was a bit at a loss when starting to update my resume so I reached out to Jennifer Cunningham who is a professional resume writer. I highly recommend her services as she is an expert in her field and her positive feedback gave me a lot of confidence. I now have an awesome resume that is the perfect reflexion of my professional self and I’m ready to show it off to employers… Let’s bring home the bacon!

What an awesome day it is for me: my advanced physical therapy feels more like a workout these days. I have gone from basic abs tightening, to low impact repetitive exercises, to Pilates machines, and now I’m actually breaking a sweat and even burning calories on the stationary bicycle. It feels great, what an accomplishment! I’m slowly regaining my physical strength and feeling better about my self everyday!

I’m back in physical therapy for advanced exercises. I’m working hard and it feels good. I almost feel like I’m exercising at the gym as I’m actually breaking a sweat and raising my pulse; I’m finally burning some calories! I use Pilates machines and pull my body weight with my arms, working my abs, to tighten my back muscles. I’ve reached a new level and that’s an awesome feeling. My back feels strong, I move around normally, I twist and turn without giving it a second thought, and I get up from chairs easily. The best of all is to be able to sneeze and stretch freely without pain (I use to take that for granted). My physical therapist is impressed with me and very happy with my constant progress!

 I made it; 7 months from surgery and I’m finally off of the pain medication! I had no idea that it would take this long to wean off the Hydrocodone. Prior to my back surgery I thought that I would have pain medication for about a couple of months during the acute pain and that one day I would just stop taking them. Well it doesn’t work that way! Those narcotics are not that simple to get rid of and as much as I don’t have an addictive type of personality, our body and mind get used to being medicated. At first the meds gave me headaches and made me nauseous but then when I tried to lower the dose, I would also get headaches. I use to say that I’d rather hurt than be nauseous but sometimes the pain was too much and I preferred laying there sick to my stomach just to get some relief from the back pain. So I had to do it very slowly with the help of my doctor. In the end, the process is very simple: stay on schedule (for example one pill every 4 hours) and keep cutting the pills down (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16) until one day you’re taking 1/16 every 8 hours, then twice a day, then once a day, and finally you completely forget to take it because you don’t need it anymore!

It’s that special date that happens only once a century! On top of that it is full moon so many babies are being born; yes, apparently that is true. For myself, I have reached the 6 month mark since my back surgery and I am doing great. I can pretty much do all my daily activities normally at a slow pace as long as I keep a strict exercise regimen. Lifting, bending, and sitting are the three movements that I still need to watch for: I can carry my grocery bags but I’m not allowed to lift heavy boxes (probably never will be), I need to squat down on the floor to pick up items instead of bending forward (as should everybody do), I can sit for long periods of time but should get up every 30 minutes to not get too sore. I have gained a lot of physical strength this past month during my 3 week vacation in Quebec to visit my family. I was a bit anxious on the plane ride there but totally comfortable for the ride home. That trip gave me my confidence back and I no longer feel like a sick person. I am weaning off the pain medication (Hydrocodone), which also helps my recovery tremendously. I am now only taking 0.625 MG every 8hrs (cutting down 10 MG pills in 16th!), meaning that I am less blotted, I no longer feel nauseous, I can focus, and I am mentally ready to take charge of my life again!

I had a great vacation and I feel like a new woman but it sure is nice to be back home! I am recharged, I got my energy back, and I have new resolutions. I feel better both emotionally and physically then before I left for my trip and I’m ready to get on with my life. I didn’t write on my blog for a while and I really missed it. It’s a kind of creative therapy for me and it lights me up like painting does. I like to let the words flow out of my head like when I let the colors splash out of my paint brushes in front of a white canvas. I enjoy letting the words happen; it clears my mind and fills me up inside. Of course I also never want to lose track of my main purpose of doing this blog which is to share my story in hopes of helping others who may be going through a difficult ordeal such as back surgery like me. Y’all take care of your selves!

Just back from a 3 week vacation in my homeland of Québec! I had cabin fever really bad and had to get out of town. It didn’t take me long to buy my plane ticket after getting the O.K. from both my surgeon and physical therapist to travel 2000 miles. My poor husband needed a break badly too, although “bless his heart,” Larry would never admit to it. He loves me so much, and I love him dearly too, but we are 2 very independent creatures who need some air once in a while. Prior to surgery I use to travel more than 25% of my time for work and we’re used to be apart. So I took off to let him breath and I went to recharge my body and soul on familiar ground with my family and friends. I was with my people and spoke French the whole time which was very nice to let my brain on autopilot for a while. Of course Larry and I missed each other terribly and there’s nothing I was happiest about than being back in the arms of my soulmate!

“Red Flowers Trio”
I painted this for my parents as a present for their new home. For a while now I have been feeling an inner void and recently my desire to create have come back to the surface! I am an artist at heart and I can no longer suppress my talent. I thought that I was being a responsible adult by dedicating myself to my career but somehow my path changed and I was only suppressing my true self. I finally figured out that working too much and too hard doesn’t fulfill me and it is actually not only damaging me physically but also emotionally. Now that my body is almost healed-up, I have this desire to use my natural talent again. For me painting is a form of therapy; an exhilarating feeling that allows me to express my emotions. When I face the white canvas, I let the brushes and the paint colors guide me into this trance that fulfill me inside and makes me happy. Art is my passion and it’s what I want to pursue!