First Out-patient Physical Therapy VIsit

I went to my first out-patient physical therapy session yesterday and I knocked the socks off the therapist, who was fully prepared to see me in a walker. After all, he's been dealing with these kind of cases for thirty years. Well, the truth is, I am SUPPOSE to be hunkered down over a walker, shuffling along. That's the way it usually goes. In my case, I've had such a large basket-full of loving support and my body responded by kicking into gear prematurely.

Mr. P.T. spent thirty minutes measuring all the bones and found that everything aligns nicely. That was a BIG DEAL to me. The next hour was spent doing a series of about twelve exercises. WIMPY exercises. Not at all like the stuff that my Cruella Deville Pilates teacher had me doing for the last two years. (Think of that evil character in 101 Dalmatians and you will understand the nature of the torture I endured.) I am HUMBLED by these wimpy exercises. But I understand.

You see, in my back, there are hundreds of bits of bone that my surgeon grafted from my old fusions (done in 1966) and from the three ribs he detached. He placed them between twelve of my discs. These bone morsels need to grow and attach themselves to my spinal discs so that they will never ever curve again.

CAREFUL is the name of the game for me now. It doesn't come naturally, let me tell you. But it's the way I need to lead my life until the all the smidgens of bone FUSE and become a part of my spine.

A LITTLE EDUCATION: For most people, it is good to have a spine that moves freely. Well, MY spine seems to have had a very extensive view of that freedom and moved way to the right and then way to the left. If you want a visual, here's what it looked like before surgery:



As you can see, this is NOT good. I needed a spine that stayed right in the center. Thus, twelve of my discs have been rearranged in a more conventional fashion (straight) and then fused.

So, I am learning a new style. I must hold myself back. I must do wimpy exercises. I must behave conservatively. FOR ONE ENTIRE YEAR. Yep. That's how long it takes for bones to fuse. My challenge will be to accept my limitations graciously.

None of this behavior for 300 more days . . .