Doc's orders

Howdy all.

We went to my post-op appointment today. It looks like everything is going as it should. My stupid skin had a reaction to the glue stuff they paint over the incision. I didn't even know it, as I react to everything... I thought it was just supposed to itch like crazy. Anyhow, he peeled and rubbed, and diddled around back there for a few minutes, watched me walk, answered all the questions I had written out over the last week, and sent me on my way. I go back in January for an x-ray to check progress towards fusion and then again in 6 months if needed!

I can drive once I am off the narcotics, and I am to increase my walking every week, doing as much as I can comfortably do.

I have only three restrictions. No bending, lifting, or twisting. BLT. But even the twisting he wasn't too worried about. I keep waking up twisted, and he said it was no big deal. He really said that the only thing I need to be careful of is my incision, that my screws are so big that there is no way anything could happen to them.

So, things are overall better than I had expected them to be. I am taking it slow, but not too slow. I don't feel completely confident in everything, so I am super careful. Like today I took my first unsupervised shower and started wishing I had brought my phone into the shower in a ziplock or something. If I had slipped, I don't know what I would do... I just sat on the hospital shower chair thing more than usual and took everything real slow.

I would say I'm on my way.