Week 8 Update

This week has been extraordinarily exciting for two reasons:

First, I had a follow up session with Ben Keyes at "RxMassage", which I can already tell has been very beneficial. He has that unique ability to just “feel” adhesions and where muscles are “stuck” and free it all up. Ben also identified that my hips are torqued to the left, along with other structural misalignment (I guess also from years of compensating due to the pain), so correcting that will be hugely helpful!

Secondly, I was referred by a friend (thank you, Renate!!!) to see a Physical Therapist/Athletic Trainer, who rehabs a lot of athletes and sport teams. Even though I said in the past that I didn’t want to get treated by an US-based PT person, I was also still looking for some guidance and structured rehabilitation. I thought I give Bill Biaggi at “Orlando Sports Medicine” a chance. So, as I walk into their facility, I thought to myself “wow, these are mostly young, athletic people in here, and they actually are sweating!”. Bill’s rehab gym looks quite different to the ones I have been to in the past, which gave me a positive vibe.

But here comes the big one: Bill Biaggi not only knew what ADR is, he was actually familiar with my implant AND had rehabbed another patient with the same disc replacement just recently! He also had a student with him to make sure he can teach the next generation about my particular procedure and how to safely rehab patients like me. With that being said, he confirmed what others have told me before: slow and steady wins the race. Because my back muscles are “turned off” at the moment, he doesn’t want me to go running quite yet until some underlying issues have improved.

I am now doing some very specific stretches, and I can already feel how the soreness and ROM is improving in my body. I will see him twice per week for now and can’t wait for the next step in my recovery! In fact, today was my first real workout session and, boy, did he made me work my small, atrophied muscles! I will be pleasantly sore tomorrow from a good workout that didn’t hurt my back at all! I am thinking about adding a “Resource” section to my website to share all this good stuff with others as I learn more…

So, how do I feel? I have no issues walking, sitting, or laying down. The sore area I was so worried about in my mid-lower back appears to be improving, and Bill thinks I may have strained a ligament that runs along the spinous process there when I did that twisting-stunt two weeks ago. Also, my poor piriformis and hamstrings are loosening up ever so slowly.

So, did I go jogging as I originally planned? Nope, not at this time, but I believe that between Ben and Bill, I will see fast improvements in a safe and structured manner. In other words, I am one lucky bionic woman!

There are two more things that really make me feel good: since I couldn’t reach me feet for so long, I got hooked on pedicures, and since I am allowed to do so, I love to take a nice, hot (isch) bath in Epson salt every week. My incision looks good and because it’s so low on my belly, you can’t really see when I wear pants J Oh, and I had a really nice birthday dinner, where I didn’t groan when I was seated/getting up, lol!