Soooo?

I guess one of the questions that I have been asked to most is "how did you break your back?"

It really is not a simple answer and I honestly do not know when it broke only when we were able to diagnose it. A myriad of causes exists and many of them would fit my injury very well. Generally though it is something that happens over time and then one day, "BAM!" it is there. I remember that day very well as it was the most pain I had ever had until that day.

I had been having lower back pains prior to the "big day" and had seen my primary care doc. He sent me off for some X-Rays thinking that the pain and leg numbness might be Sciatica but the X-Ray showed Grade I spondylolisthesis. Since I still had mobility and only limited pain I was given ibuprofen and a PT regimen to help increase muscle tone in the area.

The Coup de Grace for me believe it or not was a freaking paint can lid. I had been painting the baby's room for most of the morning and when I was done like anyone else would have I bent over to close the bucket of paint. When I stood up that was all she wrote. A muscle spasm like none other dropped me to the floor. What really sucked was I was upstairs and home alone. I just laid there for a few minutes and then pretty much crawled my way to the stairs. As this was a Sunday I had to call my doc's answering service and he called me back. When I explained what happened he told me that is known as a flair up. I went and saw him the next day and was referred out to a Neurosurgeon.

The neurosurgeon is really where the journey begins as it was through him that I went through most of the pain management as well as the surgery.

I would say the biggest issue I deal with is that I do not present as a disabled person. I can walk unassisted for the most part, but when I am in stores that have carts I use one even if I am only getting a few items. If I am at the mall I can walk around for most of the day provided I stop and sit every 20-30 minutes.

I think my family was the biggest hurdle. I come from a military and very athletic family. I took them quite some time to come around to the fact that this is something that makes life a bit more interesting. I think their "come to Jesus" was when they saw me in the hospital after surgery. I think that was also the point that I realized that this is something that I will deal with forever.

I remember being all gung ho about returning to work as soon as possible. I thought 90 days post-op would see me back in the brewery doing what I really loved to do. The day I went to see the doc post-op to have the staples removed was a big smack in the face. He told me that I would not even start PT until 30-60 days post-op and that 6 months was probably the soonest he would consider allowing me to go back to work and that would be only part time and would require a position that allowed me to sit/stand as needed and not lift more then 20lbs. The brewery was definitely out of the question.

I will have to finish this later as my youngest just came downstairs and is looking for some breakfast.