Bamboo Strong

 Set-back: “An unanticipated or sudden check in progress; a change from better to worse,” says the online dictionary. I was not anticipating a set-back at this point of the game but all things considered, it all makes sense! Set-backs normally happen after pushing my limits to a new level. I’ve been progressing regularly for the past month, not without pain but at a steady pace. Suddenly after 4 months from surgery, I’m doing more every day and trying to do the normal things that I use to do before surgery, so I’m pushing myself much harder. I hadn’t visited my mother in law Carole in Elgin yet and Tuesday I felt like I was up for the 30 minutes drive to meet her for lunch since Larry is on vacation. Well we had a nice visit but I realized that car rides are still very demanding for me and that night I was exhausted. Attending the Conference for Women on Wednesday was also a big challenge for me and I did it but it was a huge day and I’ve been hurting a lot since then. It wasn’t just my legs that were sore this time; my lower back was hurting too. I’ve been having a hard time going on my daily morning and night walks; I could feel the hilly terrain and I didn’t have enough strength to go the whole distance that I normally do, I’d have to turn around early and often in tears. The nights are always the worse and although I am now actually able to turn in bed to sleep on my side, it has been more painful than usual to pick my body up too move, moaning and groaning, and waking up at all hours of the night in the middle of bad dreams. I’ve been waking up late, exhausted from the pain, and having a hard time getting up because I was too stiff and sore. Today, already 2 days after my big day, I was still hurting a lot, so much so that I had to cancel physical therapy because I didn’t feel the energy to drive there. I went yesterday for a session in the pool and I feel that it was too much, I should have rested all day and instead it was extra exercise that I didn’t need. So today, I decided that I had to rest: I laid in bed almost all day, I put ice on my back frequently, and I listen to my relaxation in my earbuds with my lavender eye mask on. By the end of the day I was re-energized and felt much better.

 Wow, what an accomplishment today was for me! Two months after surgery I registered to the SkillPath Seminars “Conference for Women” thinking that at 4 months from surgery I would be back to active regular self. I am feeling pretty good and I am actually looking almost normal on the outside but I am still recovering and am not quite where I thought I would be at this point. I am still going to physical therapy 3 times a week and I still have a lot of pain and am taking medication on a regular basis. The healing process is not over yet and it will probably be that way for another 2 months, at least until the fusion has taken. On the other hand, I do surprise myself every time I decide to give a try to something I haven’t done since before the surgery. I am slowly immerging myself back into an active lifestyle and it’s a good feeling. Every effort I put in is a reward as am stronger every week and that my improvement curve is moving up steeper. Today was like going to work for the first time in months. I woke up to get ready, put on some business cloths, and drove to the conference for 9am. I was in 1 hour sessions all day with powerful subjects about “Professional growth and development” and “Developing your inner power.” I sat in the back of the class and stood up every half hour like my physical therapist recommended and I managed to last all day from 9 to 4! I was exhausted afterwards but it was so worth it. It was nice to interact with smart women and be intellectually active, it made me feel normal again and it is getting me into the swing of things again.

School started again this morning in Austin but school’s out for Larry… he’s on vacation all week! It’s nice to have my hubby home to spend some time together and he sure deserves some time off as he is very dedicated to his work. I was still sore this morning and I woke up stiff and tired. I needed to move a little so we went out to lunch at Mi Madre’s; the best local breakfast taco place in town! It was a nice outing that made me feel good as it got my mind off of the pain and brought some joy in my day. Physical therapy this afternoon was another good workout and I rested for the rest of the day while Larry cleared his mind off of work and de-stress by playing video games on his giant computer monitors. Tonight I’m aching so we’re taking it easy and cuddling on the couch watching a movie.

Yesterday was a great day but also a BIG day and I’ve been paying for it. I was very sore when we got home and my legs were aching. Larry and I went for a walk which helped since I’d been sitting a lot between having dinner at the table and riding in the car. I should have rub my legs with my “miraculous Mary Kay mint relaxing lotion” but I was so tired that I didn’t even think about it, I just wanted to go to sleep. I had a rough night: lying in bed is painful, although it’s getting better, there are no comfortable position, it always hurts. Lying on my back is the best but the pressure on my lower back (in the surgery area L5-S1) eventually becomes unbearable so I end-up having to turn on my side. That is a pretty recent achievement for me; I started laying on my right side about a month ago and on my left side (which is the more sensitive side since my left leg was hurting for years from the sciatic nerve being pinched) only 2 weeks ago. It takes me a lot of efforts to turn; I have to position my body correctly, do the log roll, and pull on my headboard, all that while moaning and making ugly faces. Once there I’m good but I can’t stay on my side much more than 30 minutes before having to return on my back. I’ve also been putting a flat pillow under my feet as I was getting bed sores on my heels from lying on my back too many hours earlier on. I also found out that a pillow under the knees can bring relief when you have back pain but after the surgery, I realized that it was causing me to have spasms. I read online from other people who had have back surgery, that they were experiencing the same thing. Today I took it easy because I’m very stiff, so I went for my regular walks, and put ice for relief while having a nice phone chat with my 83 year old grandma Monique, and tonight I’m feeling good again… even stronger than last week!

I’m feeling great and I’m claiming my life back! Slowing down the drugs are making me more alert and wanting to have conversations; pretty much being a normal person again. I missed the last party because I wasn’t up to it yet, but one month later I am! Jerrod and Melissa invited us to a pool party to celebrate the August birthdays of these Leos: Wayne, Eddie, Juli, Chris and Richard. Wayne and Janice were nice enough to host at their beautiful home in Steiner Ranch. They served us a feast and we had a great time getting to know new friends; Amy & Eddie, Jennifer, Juli, and Al. Oddly enough, most of us live at the same condo complex and we’d never crossed path or officially met. It may have something to do with Larry and I being cat people and everyone there having a dog. I take my hat off to the owners as those were the best behaved dogs I’ve ever met; they were the life of the party! I’m thankful to have met Melissa because it is very nice to have someone to relate with since we both had back surgery. She is a terrific person and it has been great getting to know each other and sharing our experiences. Larry was also very happy to meet another husband with whom he could relate to. This whole journey has made me more attentive to people and opened to the fact that everyone has a story and may be carrying some baggage behind the smile that they put on. Time flew by at the party and I had a great time but after being there for about 4 hours we decided to leave before I pushed my limits. I had already spent all morning standing up in the kitchen on my GelPro mat (which helps tremendously to remove tension in my legs and relieve pressure on my spine) making hummus! I love cooking and I’m finally getting the strength back to cook and it feels great. My creative side takes over in the kitchen too and I love to make food pleasing to the eye; it’s more appetizing. So I made what I call my trio hummus: white; garlic & artichoke, red; dried tomatoes and red pepper, green; avocado & jalapeno, and it turns out that it was worth the effort because everybody loved it! The party was about 1/2 hour away, and that added an hour of riding in the car. I can tell that the bone fusion is taking place, or at least that I’m healing, because my spine is getting more and more sturdy; I’m not as sensitive riding in the car like I use to be, feeling every little bump in the rode. I took my noodle with me to float in the pool and that way I was able to hangout with everybody else. Being weightless is heaven and I even hung in the deep for a while, which expended my spine and acted as a pain reliever, without anybody even knowing it. It had been a very relaxing and entertaining day but most of all, a new level and success story for me. I have to admit that I was exhausted and sore when we got back home but it was great to be out there with friends and feel like myself again. Thank you Melissa for giving me this great opportunity!

“Oh My God It’s Friday!”
That always means a good day for me and a big weekend ahead. Somehow my Fridays are always busy and I usually feel good by the end of the week so I take advantage of it to get stuff done: First; I exhausted my self vacuuming the condo… NOT; my awesome iRobot Roomba did it all for me! Second; I had lunch with my good friend Sandi. We hadn’t talked since before the surgery and it was real nice to catch up. Third; I had physical therapy and my therapist likes to work me harder on Fridays… knowing that I have 2 days to recover! All jokes aside, Diana is awesome and today she actually said that she would take it easy on me but I told her not too because that’s why I was there for and it’s worth the efforts when I see the steady results. Fourth; I had a date with my husband at the Flix theater where we also had dinner and his best friend joined us. James also hadn’t seen me since before the surgery and at this point I look pretty normal and he said that it was good to see me up and around. We had a quick chat before the movie started and his nice comments made me feel good. Finally back home after a full day, I was pretty tired but I was starting to feel in my muscles the work that I did at physical therapy earlier. A healthy person looking at me doing my exercises wouldn’t think that I’m doing much but contracting my abs, pivoting my pelvis, and bringing my knees up while lying and holding down for 10 seconds requires quite some strength and dexterity. Tonight I can definitely feel it, so much that my back and legs were throbbing and the pain kept me awake. I had to use one of my nifty tips and get my iPod out, put my earbuds on, and listen to the man’s voice on my relaxation music; he takes me away in my dreams every time!

I’m resting today from my hard work in the pool yesterday. Larry even took my car to go to work so that I wouldn’t be tempted to get out of the house, because running an errand always turns into 2 or 3 errands! I couldn’t even get out of bed early enough this morning to go for a walk with Larry before he left for work because my body was still aching and needed to rest and recover from yesterday’s physical therapy. Frankly, it’s been like that since I started land therapy a couple of weeks ago. I still managed to wake up early enough to go for a walk at 80 degrees before the big heat started and that woke me up and felt very good. I stayed calm all day, made dinner, and after watching a movie, we went for another walk when the darkness came so that it would be 90 degrees instead of 105 with a harsh sun. I’m very fortunate to have an unbelievably understanding husband, Larry has been fantastic since we started this journey on surgery day, April 26. He tells me that taking care of my back and healing is my job and I take it seriously!

Today I had lunch with my good friend Kate. What a trooper; she was waiting for me at a table while I was waiting for her in the lobby. We finally figured it out and you know what I’m going to say… yes, I’m blaming the drugs! We had 4 months to catch up on  and I’ve missed her a lot. We had a great meal at Maggiano’s in the Domain and we sat in a booth! That’s a big deal for me; I use to choose the hardest straight chair in the restaurant and now I don’t even mind a softer seat. I had physical therapy in the pool that afternoon and it was a big workout. I love the water and always enjoy getting in the pool because I’m weightless and I have zero pain. On the other hand, that’s the danger, because I don’t feel anything, I have to be careful not to push too hard because I feel it when I get out of the water and that gravity hits again. Diana made me do new exercises and I am very sore tonight. I lift my legs above my waist so my knees and hips are hurting but of course I know that it’s all for the best!

My dear mother in law Carole asked if I could share some of the tips from the Nutritionist at Well at Dell and I would love to:
1. DRUGS: When I asked her about what to eat when taking my medication, especially at night, she said that a food containing fat would help with the digestion and to avoid the nausea. That’s probably why the Peanut Butter Cups work for me but honestly, that’s not the healthiest choice! The ideal food would actually be yogurt and for some reason I have never been able to make myself like yogurt my whole life. If you like yogurt, that’s the solution! So she suggested a teaspoon of peanut butter with a cracker with a glass of milk (the milk being the fat). Eating something with the pills is important but finding the right amount of food (not too little / not too much) can affect someone from getting nauseous or not.
2. BREAKFAST: that’s the only time that I’m not hungry and as we all know, it is the most important meal of the day because it gets our metabolism going and gives you energy for the rest of the day. Especially now that I take pills in the morning, I have been eating breakfast on a regular basis and I find myself not starving around 10am. I have 3 good breakfast options that I eat regularly; oatmeal cooked in milk with a mashed banana and vanilla essence, hard boiled egg with salt and pepper on toast with orange juice, and a peanut butter toast with a sliced banana and a glass of milk. Of course yogurt is always a great option for the ones who like it and berries are also great as they are full of antioxidant and keep you regular (which is important as one side effect of medication is constipation).
3. SNACKS: Carole and I talked about this one; if it’s not in the house you can’t eat it, but these days I have weird sweet and salty cravings right about 2 hours after taking a pill and if it’s not in the house, well I can drive now, so I go get it at Walgreens! Sometimes it seems like chocolate, ice-cream, or chips are the only things that will keep the nausea away. What I use to do before the surgery, and that I forgot about, is to prepare 100-200 calories snack bags with nuts, dry fruits, and dark chocolate chips. It’s easier if it’s prepared ahead of time and you can eat the whole bag because you know exactly what’s in it. Also fresh fruits and veggies are a great snack.
4. CHEESE: I heard somewhere that these days, we treat cheese like a condiment and we add it on everything just like we do with ketchup! Well cheese is good in moderation and too much of it is a lot of extra fat and calories. The best example is cheese on a salad; there’s no better way to ruin a healthy meal (other than fat dressing of course). As much as possible, it is preferable to choose fat free cheese although it doesn’t melt and really doesn’t taste the same, so 2% cheese is still acceptable.
5. LUNCH: I like to keep it light and have a more substantial meal at dinner when my husband comes home from work. So hummus with 5 pita chips and veggies is great. I like to make a variety of hummus and it’s easy because I make the regular recipe, split it in 3 and then add different ingredients. I have a trio favorite; “White, Green, and Red:” The first is artichaux and garlic (strong), the second is avocado and jalapenos (hot), and the third is red roasted pepper and dried tomatoes (sweet). The artist in me likes to make food pretty and appetizing! Salads full of veggies with turkey or imitation crab, a few croutons, and a light olive oil and vinegar dressing is also a great lunch.
6. AVOCADO: is it good or bad for us? I’ve heard both; that it’s healthy but also that it’s fatty. Well it is a fat fruit but the healthy kind of fat. The nutritionist said that one portion is 1/2 an avocado so you can make guacamole for 2 with 1 avocado! She said that I could have it as much at 2 or 3 times a week and it’s a great addition to a salad. I’m very excited about this one because it makes me feel like I’m treating myself!
7. WEIGHT WATCHERS: this is the best way to make life changes in the way you feed yourself, to learn good habits, and to have a healthy weight loss. If a miracle diet sounds too good to be true, well get over yourself… it is! I have done Weight Watchers years ago and I got good results. It actually taught me healthy eating and proportions. Every now and then, life just throws you a curve ball and you get sidetrack. Some get back on track on their own and others need a little more help, that’s what Weight Watchers can provide. Their updated program actually appeals to everyone now because you can join the weekly meetings if you gain from the support group and if that’s not your thing, you can follow the program online! It’s a good way to be accountable for and to set a goal and reach it.
I hope that these tips are helpful and please let me know if you have other suggestions!

I hate the drugs; they make me sick to my stomach! I stopped taking some of them during the day because I’d rather tolerate the pain than feeling nauseous. I still have to take my pain medication (Hydrocodone or Vicodin, Lorcet, Lortab, Norco) every 4 hours especially now that I’m doing physical therapy but I really can’t stand the upset stomach and headache. It’s frustrating because I want to get back to my normal daily activities but it’s difficult because I can’t focus and concentrate. A while ago I started taking the muscle relaxant and the pill for the sciatic nerve (Methocarbamol or Robaxin, and Gabapentin or Neurontin) at night only. I still need them when I sleep because my back and sciatic seem to hurt when I lay down and that my muscles are at rest, although I only rarely have mini spasms any more. I tried to do some research on Hydrocodone and nausea, and all I could find was that it’s pretty much inevitable. My founding said to drink 6-8 glasses or more of water a day to avoid constipation and to make sure to eat when taking the pill but also not eat too much. If I get nauseous it may also mean that the dose could be too big for what I can tolerate. So the only way out that I can see is to try lowering my dose again, which will eventually happen anyway. I have no problem with that since the longer I take these drugs, the higher the risks for long term side effects are. I would say that medication has been one of my biggest challenges of surgery and I welcome any advice that anyone may have on that topic.