Twenty weeks have now passed since my surgery, and I’m still struggling. Now that the ultrasound has shown no blockages in my lower extremities, the chiropractor feels that I may have a pinched nerve near my spine. Yes, the surgery has proven that I’m not “heartless” or “spineless,” as some may have accused. However, the pain that radiates through my legs have made walking very uncomfortable, a key exercise component in my recovery. The doctor put me on a stretching table, more like the rack used for torture, to relieve some of the pressure on my back and applied electrical massage to the area through a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) device. The soreness was unbearable when he then applied direct pressure with his fingers to the inside of my left thigh. This was not the case on the right side. 

It was obvious that Dr. Frankenstein “had gotten on my nerve” and that more treatments would be needed. The next two days my lower back has been stiff and sore. I’ve continued to go to the gym to use the stationary bike and rowing machine but have had to cut the treadmill time back, with cramping sensations in my left thigh and calf. I’ve tried to make up for it by walking and running in the shallow end of the pool and trying to swim the breaststroke. I’m not yet strong enough to do the laps I once swam, and there’s still some discomfort in my healing chest incisions. I’ve also had a little bit of swelling in that area. 

I’ll go back to the chiropractor next Monday and Wednesday for more treatments and will use the weekend to work out the soreness in my lower back. Sitting and lying down are comfortable, but being on my feet can be painful. It’s hard to believe that I used to run every single day before this surgery. However, the anesthesia, bed rest, medication adjustments, and slow recovery time have changed the game. Admittedly, it’s been much harder than I thought, as I struggle to even put down in words what it’s like to go through all of this. The initial intent of this blog was to be humorous, but please wait!