Recovery Ahead of Schedule

I had my appointment with Dr Hu yesterday December 12th and everything is progressing perfectly. Dr. Hu reviewed with me all the Xrays showing the before and after and he said it was looking great. In reviewing the Xrays it seemed strange seeing the spine inserts and rods that are screwed on ( Pretty Big Screws), you could clearly see the change in the spine spacing and alignment. As the old pain in my leg and back are completely gone the surgery obviously has been successful.At this stage there is very little pain in my back just a little stiffness and minor pain in my lower back related to the surgery, which Dr. Hu said will subside in the next couple of weeks. So for now the recovery continues to be walking, unfortunately with the weather here in Calgary, more snow yesterday and minus 30 degrees, I can not get outside so walking consists mostly of laps around the house.
My next appointment is for January 5th when I will have another Xray and if everything keeps progressing at the same pace I will be able to start my rehab program. The good news is that I will be able to travel and so Sandi and I plan on going to Palm Desert on the 15th of January for a couple of weeks. The Physio Therapist will outline a program that I can do for a couple of weeks in Palm Desert. Much better than hanging around in the Calgary weather.
This will be my last update for 2008 so I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Keep in touch through EMail or Blog.

One Week Later

Well it is hard to believe but one week has passed since my surgery. Reflecting back on the week I would like to express my gratitude to the wonderful nurses and staff at the Foothills Hospital who helped and encouraged me. Also thank you to DR. HU and his surgery group. The Spinal Fusion procedure was obviously a success as the pain in my right leg, related to the pressure on the sciatic nerve is completely gone. The only remaining pain is the stiffness/soreness in my lower back which I am managing with one or two percocet pain killers daily. The pain is not that bad, no worse than the minor hockey/soccer injuries that I have experienced over the years.
The last couple of days I have been out walking around the block and I am more mobile everyday. The only drawback is that it snowed last night so the street are to slippery to go out today. Boy I wish I was in Palm Desert.
I cannot believe the progress I have made in the first week and I hope this continues.