Microdiscectomy 6 years on

"Blimey, it's 6 years since I had my operation" I said whilst sat at the breakfast table the other week.

I've not really thought about it much until recently.  I've had a bout of flu, serious lay me in bed for a week flu and I didn't run for 16 days and didn't walk for 13.  This was too much for my poor back and it complained loudly, it likes movement.  My sciatica flared up and I've had shooting pains in my thighs that I'm hoping relate to nerve pain rather than a myriad of horrid diseases I've google-diagnosed.

So I was pondering my back woes, across the years.

Putting this current lack of movement pain aside, things had been pretty much carrying on as normal.  If I walk or run gently I'm fine and stay mostly pain free.  If I sit around or run too much I have back pain or leg pain, simples.

I'm good at remembering to not sit a lot, I stand in meetings, I lean against walls in training sessions, I book aisle tickets in theatres and cinemas so I can stick my legs out and wiggle them.  I sit in the office at work and home on saddle style chairs and they work for me.  Too much driving or working out of a different office without back friendly chairs and I start to suffer.  I think it is pretty much the way it will be for me, after so long I can't see it ever getting any better but I've just about got the management of it licked - flu debilitation aside.

I went tobogganing at a snow-dome the other week, I did 3 rounds of it before realising that the pulling of the toboggan and the bouncy escalators up the slope were making my back hurt and I stopped.  This is good news because I can trust myself now to say "no, you have to stop this or you will regret it" but I am also prepared to do things to give them a go instead of living permanently in fear that I will hurt myself and return to the pain I had at the beginning of this journey. 

I should do more core strengthening exercises, I go through months of planking and then get lazy with it.  "Must try harder" will be written on my gravestone, but all up the back is currently manageable and the pain tolerable.  It'll be interesting to see what happens over the next year especially with the leg pain currently having a bit of a resurface.

I have created a page of links for my Microdiscectomy posts and other links I have found helpful. You can find it here.


PLEASE FOLLOW THE MEDICAL ADVICE OF YOUR DOCTOR.
WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME.