It may have started with a fall off a Bosu ball in December 2022, balancing or attempting to balance on the flat side and rocking back and forth and side to side except not balancing so good and pitching off backwards. Nothing to catch me and I fell flat on my back and thunked the back of my head. So a concussion which kept me inactive for six weeks and I counted myself lucky nothing else was apparently hurt.

But six weeks later when I could begin getting active again, walking, bike riding, etc., a pain flared up in my lower back and right leg. I couldn’t walk half a block without needing to stop and sit or bend over forward for some relief. I thought it was a tight piriformis but stretches and steroids did no good so after x-rays, physical therapy, an MRI, and a back injection, I had laminectomy surgery originally scheduled for late July, 2023, to clean out some bone spurs, etc., and hopefully relieve painful pressure on a nerve.

From first pain to first surgery was nearly six months and during that time I went through all the required events to treat my pain with a conservative approach. And the pain was from a pinched sciatic nerve which ran down my back and leg and also resulted in tingling in the leg and foot which often made me check to make sure water wasn’t running down my leg.

Then I got Covid. We had planned a once-in-a lifetime hiking trip to Switzerland with the family more than a year previously and that had been scheduled for early July. I debated about whether to go. Knew I couldn’t hike but also knew I would be able to get to several scenic sites via train and thought I could enjoy dinner with the group, etc. My doctor loaded me up with Gabapentin and Hydrocodone for the trip and so I went. For someone whose world had been defined by four walls, this was an uncomfortable and painful deal. Think carefully before taking on such an expedition. As I said, once in a lifetime. And then I came home with Covid. I was up-to-date with vaccinations and was traveling with good masks, but….As a result, the surgery, as required by the hospital, was delayed a month after my initial positive test. I was lucky to get it rescheduled for late August; all the hospitals in our vicinity were backed up for any kind of procedure. Perhaps, the result of Covid and delayed elective surgeries, compounded by the reduction in medical personnel to perform the procedures. There was always a multiple week or month delay in getting an MRI or having PT set up or just getting doctor appointments scheduled.

Anyway, the laminectomy, which apparently works in about 80 percent of cases such as mine, didn’t solve the problem. I had more PT for several weeks but to no avail; it only made things worse. By late fall then it was another MRI and CT scan, and the diagnosis was spondylolisthesis and lumbar spinal fusion surgery was recommended at the L4, L5, and S1 levels. A lot of research by me went into a decision about whether to have the surgery or not. It’s basically a question of a “want” versus a “need.” I didn’t technically need the surgery; I could manage to putter around the house as long as I didn’t stand too long, or sit too long, or try to walk more than a few blocks. But I couldn’t handle going to concerts or theatre or church or anything that required sitting for more than an hour. I couldn’t bicycle with my husband; just the lack of any kind of exercise was frustrating as well as unhealthy. My world had become smaller.

I had just celebrated my 76th birthday so I asked myself how many years did I really have left. On the other hand, I’m ONLY 76 and have always been active. But, the most difficult part of daily life was sleeping. My pain and tingling always seemed to cause problems when trying to find a comfortable position in bed. And most often moving around in bed would generate what felt like a lightning bolt shooting down my leg and not in a good way.

So I talked to people who had the surgery in the past to mixed results. Some said it was a major life changer, others never got over their original pain. A friend who is an orthopedic surgeon said it’s a trade off, one pain for another. One friend had the experience of multiple fusions, a common occurrence because fusing a couple of vertebrae puts more pressure on the spine above and below the fusion. It seems like most second fusions occur four to five years after the first.

But, I wanted to be active again, to ride my bike and hike a bit, to be able to travel with the grandkids, so I decided to go forward with the surgery. The decision was made in December and I could have had surgery at the end of January but I put it off to March 1 to give myself more time to try and get in better shape plus it gave me six months after the previous back surgery. Also, I made the mistake of looking at a calendar that had astrological signs (this was one of my mother’s quirks) and the signs weren’t right for late February when I originally was thinking about surgery. I needed to wait at least a week. I know it’s crazy and stupid. I know. But I wanted all the good Juju I could get.

Back to getting in shape. I had been told by a friend who had lumbar fusion surgery that strong legs were needed so I did some minimal strength training – squats – and also tried to make sure I did 30 minutes of cardio most days of the week. The latter was a combination of treadmill, elliptical, and recumbent exercise bike. I also tried to eat healthier and lose a few pounds.

I did discover that any exercise using upper body weights was impossible because of pain. So I gave up on that but was able to do modified planks off a bench, push ups off a stability ball, and a few simple upper body exercises with three-pound weights while sitting on a stability ball. Did a lot of hamstring stretches, as well as birddogs for the core. These were usually easier from a prone position on a stability ball.

We actually spent a month in Florida during this time to avoid the cold Midwest weather and be able to get outside more. Near where we stayed was a walking track made from rubber and plastic held together by epoxy which was definitely easier on the joints than concrete and asphalt. I was able to walk the 1.4 mile track using two trekking poles and stopping four times (there were three benches along the path plus a wooden bridge) to sit and relieve my pain. At this point I felt like I had recovered from the laminectomy surgery; the feeling of having a small board in my back had pretty much gone away.

The two weeks prior to surgery were spent with primary care and cardiology doctor visits and blood work. One key item was my A1C level. It had to be below 8 or no surgery. Interferes with healing. That was fine but of all things, I tested positive for a UTI. I had no symptoms and had never had such before to my knowledge. So I get a round of antibiotics. At my pre-op appointment with the surgeon a week before surgery, I am told if the UTI is not gone, then the surgery will be postponed. Just great. Fortunately my lab work was good and March 1 was just a few days away.