Exercising with Back Pain

I recommend you discuss any exercises you do at home with your PM doctor or your PT if you have one.  Even they sometime do not know what is best for you.  A doctor I saw for a second opinion, at my one year mark after fusion surgery in '09, sent me to PT.  I trusted he knew the best place for me to go.  

During the time I was going 2times a week I felt like I was hurting more, not less.  The PT kept telling me it was just soreness and I was working out some of the tightness causing my pain from loosing mobility at L4/L5 site.  I not only fought through for the 6 weeks but continued to do them faithfully at home for another 6 weeks.  At some point I felt as though I was sure I was feeling worse. 

I obviously had other issues going on with my back, including constant inflammation.  What I learned when I started seeing my PM doctor and we discussed more PT was that I needed to see a PT who specialized in patients recovering from back surgery.   He was skeptical since we'd tried everything but knowing I would see someone who works with patients like me he wanted to give it a try since I was willing.  The first thing I discovered was some of the stretches I was still doing at home was a "no no" if you'd had a spinal fusion.  ONE of the reasons I wasn't feeling any better.  

Make sure if your orthopedic or GP orders PT for you that you see someone who knows how to treat someone with your specific conditions.  I knew before I read this article because the second PT I saw went over with me what to do but more importantly what NOT to do if you'd had back surgery.  I couldn't seem to get the link to copy and paste but at least you can see what you would need to search for to find article if you cannot read from here.  I would also recommend signing up for the newsletter.  Your able to choose specific subjects you are interested in reading.  I chose chronic pain, back pain , pain medications and sleeping/ insomnia with chronic pain.  You are not bombarded with emails either.  I believe I get one every 3-4 weeks.  Under the 5 foods for fighting pain is cherries.  One of my personal favorites.  Yummy.....love this season especially for that reason.  

Top Picks: 10 Tips to Reduce Pain

Chronic Pain Thursday, May 23, 2013

Time to Change Your Pain Plan? Take our assessment to see if you're managing your pain or if your pain is managing you. Get Started ›   • The Difference Between Acute and Chronic Pain   • Truth About Top Pain Treatments   • 12 Ways to Fight Daytime Sleepiness

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I'm sure my fellow pain suffers out there understand good days and bad days.  I'm so grateful for the good ones but they don't come often enough.  It also messes with your mind making you think, " is something really wrong with me?"  You wonder how you can feel that way one day and another barely drag yourself from bed.  I've been experiencing that often lately.  

On Saturday (day before Father's Day) my brother, his family and my mom came over to visit. 
My daughter and her family came for a short time and my son also spent the afternoon with us.  We had a grand time.  My niece really enjoyed the pool.  She loves to swim and does it well.  My husband spent quite some time with her and P in the pool and later when my son came he stayed in a good while too.  My niece should have been water logged.  

I got up that morning thrilled that I was having a great day!.  I went out with my husband to take care of a few things and even did a little cleaning when we got back.  After I had food prepared my daughter and her family arrived.  From that time on until 9 that night I didn't stop.
I was in the pool for awhile, (relief) but other than that I was mostly on my feet.  About 2 hours before everyone left I could really feel the break through pain starting.  I start fidgeting when this happens.  I start to hurt but can't do anything about it and don't know what to do with myself.  No sooner than we closed the doors from saying good bye I was crying.  I picked up a few things, took pain medicine and got on the heating pad.  I couldn't get to it fast enough.

Sometime we want to just enjoy ourself so much we're able to distract ourself from the pain.  One of the reason my therapist encourages me to get out with friends.  Sometime it works, sometimes not.  Being with my family worked.  When it was over it hit me hard though.  I was awake until 1 before the pain medicine finally took the edge off.  I then took 4 ibuprofen and was able to go to sleep.  Would I do it again...absolutely!  I guess what I'm trying to get across is what I mentioned earlier.  You can be fine one day, one hour, or one moment and then it slams you from no where.   When I read my fellow pain bloggers they describe the same kind of feelings which helps me understand I'm not crazy. 

My incision is looking better.  I've starting putting some butter cream on it so hopefully in another few months it will be back to the way it looked when healed the first time.  I can't remember what happen, I think I lost my balance, but I bumped my battery area and it's been sore about a week now.  Hoping that's all there is to it and it will go away.

At 5 weeks

Poppa with P and look closely you see my niece underwater

My son with my niece on his shoulders

I see my therapist this Friday for the first time since before surgery on May 8th.  I think she'll be surprised to see how well I'm doing.  We'll have a lot to catch up on.  I've been thinking all week all the things I wanted to talk about next time I'm on here writing and I can't remember the first thing.  I guess I need to start writing them down.  Hope your not bombarded with the pictures.  I had a hard time choosing a few.  Most of my family has seen but you guys have to understand I do have several friends who are not on Instagram and obviously my followers who are not friends/family haven't seen either.  

My mom and brother on top and my SIL and niece in the middle

Four generations <3

Hugs to everyone with H.O.P.E.
Theresa

What does not satisfy when we find it was not the thing we were desiring.

C.S. Lewis