So I am about 8 months out from my surgery and thought I should give an update. Overall I am doing great. I am much less sore than I have been, though with occasional twinges of pain, but much much better than it has been. I did have to take a break from work for a little while at the beginning of December because I was so sore and run down, but am doing much better now.
The scar is doing pretty well, though as you can see is still pretty red most of the time. Hopefully that will improve, though it is much less sore, but I am still using a pillow bellow the seatbelt when driving.
As for the results from the surgery, well that has been phenomenal. The most telling thing was a couple of trips to museums over the holidays with my mom and wife, and I never had to stop from being tired (when I would have previously had to stop many times). It is an amazing difference! And I have been doing an average of about 7000 steps a day, and lately that has included 15-18 flights of stairs (taking the subway has not only added steps, but also flights of stairs to my daily exercise) and that is in addition to a walk on the treadmill in the morning. And once it warms up a little I plan on doing the 2.1 walk around the veterans center near me again (did it with my mom while she was here, and since, but 41 degrees is pretty cold, especially with how much I am sweating). Still seem to be overly sweating. Especially once I stop I sweat a lot! In fact I am bringing deodorant, a new t-shirt and a towel to work so that I can dry off and don’t smell at work. Embarrassing, but at least I am getting exercise.
I had lost weight after the surgery, but gained it all back and more pretty quickly, and the recent holidays didn’t help. Have been trying to eat lots of salads and very healthily lately, and for a few days now have been trying the 8 hour diet, where you only eat in an 8 hour period in day. It actually seems like a diet I can do (as I never used to eat breakfast and have gained most of my weight since I did start eating breakfast). And you can supposedly even eat fatty foods, though I am trying to eat as healthily as I can while doing it. Right now 11AM I am starved (as I am eating at noon till 8 PM), but so far have been able to to it. Once I get used to it, I could see doing this forever.
Now the brain thing. Well I still have it. My memory sucks compared to pre-surgery! Things like I need kleenex at work and I have it in my car with my bags, which I get when I park, and I keep forgetting the kleenex. Even when I thought about it earlier in the morning. Memory is just not what it used to be. I really hope that improves. Creativity seems to be coming back, though a big hard drive failure which lost me a lot fo a current personal project has thrown a monkey wrench in things. Hopefully this will all be better in the next few months. One can only hope!
Back is still out, and I do need to go to the chiropractor again soon. Haven’t been much as the activator helps, but not like a real adjustment and my chest has to really heal before he can do that. Not sure if he will wait till a year for that, but I am having some serious back pain!
So overall I am doing great, and am so happy I got the surgery and it is behind me. Have also talked a bit with someone who had the surgery after me and read my blog, and it helped. So I am so happy about that. Glad my experience could help someone else! Awesome!