Oh my goodness long time no see people!
I’m very sorry that I haven’t updated this in what feels like forever, I’ve gone back to college and had work and well that’s pretty much it so I’m not really sure why I haven’t updated this but hey ho I am now haha.
How are you all? I hope you are all well.
Now that I am back to normal and back to college I have been doing well in my assignments so far and coping with the walking, carrying my bag and the buses that I have to catch. I feel normal again and I love it! I have also been allocated my work experience which is at a children’s nursery which I’m super excited about as I’ll be with them for 3 weeks and it’ll be over the beginning of the Christmas period so the little children will be super excited as will I haha. By then I’ll be about 5 months post op that’s nearly half the time they give for recovery and I feel like I’ve done so well already. It is pretty crazy that I am already 4 months post op pretty much as it really doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since I went into hospital.
Being back at work as well is also great as I’m much more comfortable and less achy when I get home. I do still get achy and tired but so much better than I was before. It’s also great as I can get money and get everyone’s Christmas presents that I want to be able to get them.
I have recently just been on a weekend break with my boyfriend and his family to Butlins and I went swimming for the first time since my operation and wow it honestly felt like nothing had never happened. I felt so much more comfortable in the way I looked and how I felt in the bikini I was wearing. This operation hasn’t only just helped my spine from getting worse but it has helped me massively with how comfortable and confident I am with the way I look and how I feel in my body. I am able to wear the clothes I want and not worry if they don’t sit right or look the way they should because guess what! They do sit right and look how they are meant to and that makes me so happy. 💛
But overall I am still so happy with how well I’m recovering and getting back to my normal routines.
Speak soon,
Katie x
Hey Katie! I have a 52 degree lumbar curve (I forget what my thoracic curve is) and I'm probably getting surgery in the next few months. Thanks for writing about your story! Super helpful and gives me confidence lol. I was wondering do you feel way more stiff than before? Like are you always aware that you have rods in your back? Also, is there anything that you feel like you can't do because of your new fused spine? Thanks again!
ReplyDelete-Abi
Hey Abi, So sorry I haven't got back to you until now, life has been pretty mad haha. You're more than welcome, I'm so surprised anyone has actually read my blog about my journey, I'm so glad it has helped you feel more confident about the whole thing. It's hard to say, now that I am nearly 4 years post op I don't really notice that I have them, there are movements that I feel restricted in, like bending over, I tend to use my knees more which from a manual handling point of view is perfect hahah. It does feel different, it's hard to explain but I have very little to no pain which I'm fully aware is extremely lucky as sadly not everyone becomes pain free. Even though I'm now nearly 4 years post op I haven't really explored what I can and can't do, other than the specific things my surgeon said I wouldn't be able to do like sky diving (no issues there as terrified of that) and contact sports (again, no issues as didn't do that beforehand), I do find a lot of walking or day to day activity can cause me to get quite achy at the end of the day so do find myself lying in bed having a stretch to help ease the tightness. A heat pad is also a good shout for the colder months as I find those worse than the hotter months because I'm tense with trying to stay warm etc. If there is anything else I can help you with please feel free to message as I'm completely open and honest about my experience as I had all the same questions when I went through it.
DeleteKatie x