Had my six month follow up today. I had 14 years of back problems, starting with a snow shoveling incident. On Jan 2 of this year I had anterior surgery to fuse L4-S1, and replace L3-4. Two days later posterior surgery for a rod and screws. Today I got a new x-ray, everything looks great. Really this visit was a formality, I feel great, my back feels solid as a rock. I am just working though rebuilding my stamina. I had gone a long time without meaningful exercise before my surgery, and stuff just got weak. Now I am finding that some areas had been neglected for longer than I realized. You get cautious with back pain, and you back off from things that challenge your pain. My hamstrings are so incredibly tight, trying to sit on the floor with my legs flat is a stretch for me. No leaning forward, just sitting. Annoying, but I will get that resolved over time. Between physical therapy and now pilates, my gluteus muscles are stronger than they have ever ever been. My core is good too. Not great, but making progress.

This is after a busy and really fantastic weekend that started on thursday. I am a photographer, and thursday night I got to work an event that I had never even considered, midget wrestling. It was very fun, and working the event was very active. Up and down from a 3 foot stage, bending, crouching, this event required full mobility and strength. It made me realize just how much I had been holding back before surgery, and maybe not getting the best images possible sometimes. I also had a strange moment where I thought back to the day after surgery, in the hospital bed, working hard just to get to a sitting position, and now I am casually hopping up onto that stage. Friday was some extended sitting at my desk to edit photos. Photographers spend more time editing than shooting. Saturday was back to the same venue for Mixed Martial Arts photography. Up and down a ladder, in and out of the cage, on my knees to shoot awards ceremonies. Again, super active, and totally pain free. A work friend commented that I was more mobile than he has seen me in years, and he commented that I looked really happy. A few people have commented on that, how they hadn't thought of me as a grumpy person before the surgery but it is clear that a weight has lifted. Sunday was more photo editing, more chair time, and then an engagement shoot with a fun couple. That went very nicely, even if it wasn't as physically demanding. I have to be more personally engaged for those, direct the subject more, and it did feel much easier without so much attention on how to do the work without stressing my back.

At todays visit we did x-rays, some poking and prodding, questions, that sort of thing. My doctor follows my instagram, and had seen my running pictures and was aware that I am doing pilates. He was up to date on all my physical therapy notes too. He really makes me feel listened to, and that gives me confidence. It is pretty impressive that he can reference conversations we had years ago. I mean I remember those conversations, but I only talk to one spine doctor, he talks to different middle aged men with back problems every day.