Today I had my one year post op check up and was relieved to be told that all looks ok with the fusion and that all restrictions are now lifted! Woohooo!
My surgeon said I can now do anything I like including rollercoasters and bungee jumping!! (I don’t think so somehow…) It’s amazing that after all I’ve been through I can now just do anything and go back to normal, I think it’s truly amazing how the body recovers and what they can do nowadays.
It’s great because for the first three months I had to wear a brace and was told no bending, lifting or twisting to protect the fusion. I walked for about an hour most days for exercise from about 4 weeks post onwards – I was actually surprised how soon after surgery I could walk again.
After 3 months I was told I could go back to the gym and walk on the treadmill and cycle but no cross trainer or contact sports etc.
For the past 6months I’ve been trying to get on with my life but have not really been sure about what I can / can’t do so it’s soo good to finally be told I can do anything I want to again!
I was quite worried before the appointment as I know sometimes there are (rare!) complications where the spine doesn’t fuse and I was also worried whether the metalwork would be ok but I was reassured that everything was still in place thankfully. And he thinks that the spine should be fused fully now after a year – this is also a relief as for the past year I’ve been on edge worried to do anything incase I damage the fusion!
It was actually quite an emotional experience going back to the hospital one year on and thinking that this time last year it was just after my surgery and I would have just been taken to the ward from HDU. Walking past the ward I was in today and the smells in the hospital just brought it all back to me. Just thinking about it makes me shudder as I remember how ill I felt and how I could hardly move and I remember just thinking at the time ‘What have I done?!’
It’s taken me 12months to realise that it was worth it and I’m now glad I had the surgery as one year out of my life in the grand scheme of things really isn’t much and overall, it has improved my life and confidence for the better.
I had scoliosis surgery in 2010 and blog about my experiences living with scoliosis. My aim is to raise awareness of scoliosis and help and inspire others with the condition.
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