Puppy Helps Me Heal

I'm almost a year and a half old now...well my neck anyway. I've been busy living life. I got a new puppy that's helping me heal and I'm helping her heal.

She was born with an eye condition and that eye is smaller than the other. She's such a sweet heart and a barrel of energy. Most pups with this condition are depressed and emotionally messed up. Not my new pup Betty!

I have to bend down to get her. I'm training her so I move around like crazy without thinking about my stiff neck. It's really helping. She just had surgery so I'm busy helping her recover.

I starte a blog called Fun With My Crazy Dogs. Give it a visit if you're a dog person.

There is life after surgery if you take care of yourself!

KNEE PILLOWS MAKE YOUR LOWER BACK HAPPY

My lower back has been killing me when I get up in the morning. I figured it was because I had a couple of sick days last week and didn't stretch.

Last night I decided to put a pillow between my knees as I usually do but haven't been doing because I've been too lazy to go downstairs and get my pillow lol.

I woke up this morning with far less pain. I was doing a double whammy to my back by not stretching it and not sleeping with my knee pillow. BIG MISTAKE!

Here's the pillow I use. It has helped me a TON. Try it out and let me know how you do with it.

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

EACH OF US HAS OUR OWN JOURNEY!

I woke up this morning with lower back pain that could make your hair curl! Since the surgery if I don't stretch my whole body grabs!

My journey is going to be longer than my friends that have had this surgery. That seems wrong. I was in better and am in better physical condition than them I also had a true 3 level fusion 4/5 5/6 and 6/7. They had 2 levels done.

My body gets really mad when I have any type of surgery. It takes a long time for it to trust me again. My doctor said 2 years for me and I really believe him today.

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

PERFECT PILLOW!

Okay I did my research and my experiments. Pacific coast makes amazing pillows! They saved my sleep.

I woke up with no clinks or pops. I didn't have to do any adjusting. I  had to pass this  your way. It's important to get a really good pillow that allows your neck to create it's own support.





Lynn Hahn  www.getrealfit.org

BAD PILLOW EXPERIENCE

When you spend a ton on a pillow you expect it to return the favor and give you pleasurable sleep and good spine alignment. Not always so!

I got one of the tempurpedic pillows. I bought the right size according to their charts but when I woke up in the morning my neck was stuck. I had to get it to pop back in place.

I thought maybe that was part of my new neck but my husband and I went to Las Vegas (ya ho) and the hotel we stayed at had feather pillows. My neck didn't need any tweaking in the mornings.

I called the tempurpedic company and they said the pillow isn't for everyone. If you have a really heavy head ( which I do lol) it can not be the best for your neck. I let it all go when my head hits the pillow.

Be aware that trying out the pillow is important. Unfortunately  tempurpedic won't take pillow back so I'm out $100. I would suggest not getting pillows on line. Go to a store and spend time trying them out.

Lynn Hahn  www.getrealfit.org

MY FIRST COLD

I was so careful not to get sick while recovering. The thought of coughing or sneezing when my head was barely attached was horrifying. I made it over a year but the day has come. I officially have a cold.

We flew to Las Vegas for a trip. Airplanes are not the place to be if you want to avoid being ill. The lack of air flow traps the germs in. I knew that so I avoided planes.

The mere fact that I was able to handle a plane trip and walking all over Las Vegas says a lot for my recovery. I did well. I do hate being sick though.

Lynn Hahn www.getrealfit.org

DOES IT REALLY SHOW?

I saw a friend yesterday who didn't know I had surgery. She's a massage therapist. She looked at me and said, "so how are you?". I told her just fine but I had surgery a year ago and am not fully recovered. She replied, "yes I can tell.

I HATE that! I've always been so free of aging and had such free use of my body. That's basically what she went on to say. Ugh!!!

I had no choice about doing the surgery and I'm glad I did it but I miss being free.

Had I not done this I would be a real mess with a shorter neck LOL. I was fusing in a bad way so it was going to happen this way I get to keep my beautiful swan neck. It just doesn't move like a swan's neck any more.

And life goes on...

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

WENT TO A PARTY!

Okay I went to a party and saw a friend who told me that getting this surgery was a piece of cake. He popped up under my face and said, "surprise!"

I hadn't seen him since a few months before my surgery. I told him he better not get too close or I'll bite his nose! He laughed and said he heard I had a really tough time with my surgery.

He didn't have 3 levels done and his neck is really short so I think that's why his experience was different from mine. He had the same doctor so it wasn't that.

We had a nice chat and parted saying "God I hope we never have to do that again...but it was worth it this time". We both don't have the insane pain we had before the surgery so all it good.

Lynn Hahn  www.getrealfit.org

LET'S PARTY I'M FUSED!

I had my one year appointment yesterday. I'm fused! Ya Ho!!!

My x-rays looked really weird. There are dots on my fused bones. I found out that those are markers. I feel like an endangered species lol. They keep track of your progress with those dots.

I still have a ways to go. I'm a little stiff. I was told my range of motion side to side may be what it is :( I don't have full range.

My looking up is good because my neck is a giraffe neck! It's really long. I imagine those with shorter necks have more limitations. They do heal faster and easier because the longer your neck is the heavier your head is. I couldn't hold mine up for more than a few minutes right after surgery long neck I have.


I'm coming along well with my exercising. I'm putting together a new workout and hope to be able to shoot it at my two year mark.

Shooting workout DVDs is really tough on the old body. The retakes and such are tiring. I'm a low impact girl now. No more jumping up and down for me. I'm actually sort of glad about that. I was getting really burnt out on the super tough stuff. I'm getting old lol

So there's the update. PARTY TIME!


Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

XRAY COMING UP SOON!

I go to the doctor next week. I get an xray each time I go to make sure I'm healing correctly. That's a lot of rays shooting though me. I try not to think about that.

I was told by some that at a year you feel normal again. I don't. I'm glad I did this but I surely don't feel "normal".

Tomorrow is my year birthday! I am so much better but still I have some discomfort in my neck. It doesn't stop me from doing anything it just is a nagging weird feeling. I can't wait until I can tell you I'm feeling normal. There will be a party!

Lynn Hahn www.getrealfit.org

ALMOST A YEAR YA HO!

My year date is right around the corner. July 27...

I tried to make an appointment with my surgeon. I made it on their website. They must be busy because they haven't answered the request and it's been over a week. Time to get on the phone!

Each day is better. I have to do all my stretching exercises every day and often. If I don't my whole spine locks up.

I'm getting use to the popping noises in my neck. They actually feel good. I know I'm just moving things where they need to be when my stretching causes a "snap crackle pop" sound.

How do you like my little fishes on the bottom of the blog? I try to create a calm environment for you to be in while you read the blog.  It's a tough subject but one that we need to talk and share about. It makes the journey far more bearable.

Take care

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

STILL STIFF WHEN WILL IT END

My son's wedding was this weekend. I did pretty well with my pain but all the turning to talk at dinners and such has my neck really stiff again. I was bad about doing my neck exercises too. ugggg!

I go to my doctor for my year check up soon. I'll let you know what he says. Maybe this is it. I know a young gal that had 4 levels done and she seems to have lots of range of motion. What am I doing wrong??

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

NECK MUSIC

It's taking some adjustment to get use to the snaps and crunched my cervical spine is making. It scared me when it first happened which was at about 2 or 3 months ago. Before that I didn't move my neck very much LOL.

It actually feels good when I can get my neck out of the "stuck" place. I know that it's just gases popping or ligaments moving back into place. It sounds really loud because my joints are near my ears. My elbows and knees have always made "music" and really load to all. I think I'm the only one who hears my neck "sing".

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

LOST WITHOUT MY PILLOW

Me and my pillow strolling down the avenue. That's my song!

I take my lower back pillow with me every where. We went to dinner last night and as usual my pillow went with me. It's a lumbar pillow.

It's amazing how proper alignment supports your head. If I forget my pillow I end up putting my purse or whatever I can find in the curve of my lower back.

I'm almost a year out now and still have some discomfort. I have about a month and hope that magical day I'll feel normal. Won't that be sweet!

I believe I'll always take my pillow because I never want to be in this seat again. Try a lumbar pillow. You'll be amazed how much it helps you support your neck.

Hope all is well with you. I'm open for questions so bring them my way:)

Lynn Hahn  www.getrealfit.org

I'M GETTING BACK TO LIVING!

Here I am! I wanted to share these stretches with you. I'm so willing to answer questions.

Lynn Hahn  www.getrealfit.org

I'M STILL HERE!

I'm so busy living I forget to share my progress with you.

I'm still recovering but am getting so much better. I can sit and work on my computer without feeling like I'm going to die.

I just wanted to check in. I'll share more later.

There are a lot of great tips on the earlier posts be sure to check them out!

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

RELAX YOUR BACK

I've decided to slow down on my massages. The therapist taught me amazing things but he likes to do traction and I'm not suppose to have traction EVER! I keep telling him I don't want traction and then have to ask him to stop when he does it anyway.

The bones are suppose to fuse. If you start pulling them apart that's contrary to the goal.

The device that's really helped me to stretch my lower back is the lumbar extender.

I keep it on the lowest setting so I don't over stretch my back.

I have lumbar bulges on 4 and 5 and hope to prevent them from herniating. My cervical spine had 3 herniated disks that were too far gone to save.

If I skip my morning stretch on the lumbar extender I pay for it later in the day. The whole spine needs help after spinal surgery. Stretching is key.

Traction and stretching are different things.

My general practitioner tells me the most important thing to do is to relax.

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

LOCKED IN!

I'm having so much fun starting to get a life again it's crazy! I still hurt a bit even after 9 months and have to tell myself to relax often because my body still wants to protect its self. It doesn't trust me yet LOL.

I went through a time when I thought life was going to stop for me. I thought I would never have a normal life. I'm just so thrilled that I'm doing things I always wanted to do but didn't have the time.

I love making movies, websites, blogs and creating cool pictures. I was so busy teaching tons of fitness classes and running my martial art school I didn't have time. Life is funny that way. It seems to take away and then give back.

Getting enough sleep is my challenge now. There's so many things I want to get done I tend to go to bed late and get up early!

Bye for now...

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

ADDICTED TO THE COMPUTER!

I'm so addicted to the computer! That was one of my down falls. I was doing way too much computer work and using a cheap chair ( didn't want to spend money). My neck issue roared up and bit me.

It's important to have your work area set up so you don't strain your neck.

I try to use my timer to make sure I get up and walk around every half hour. If I don't 3 hours can fly by!

One of my physical therapists suggested get a timer and set it next to my computer, right in my face LOL.

I was bad today and didn't always use my timer. I'm paying for it ugggg!

I stand up and do exercises too. That really helps. I try to add in plenty of stretching. It feels soooo good!



Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

SET BACK

I had a mild set back on Saturday.

My husband and I went to a really cool fund raiser. I was doing well until they had a bunch of speakers. I like to look at people when they talk so I tried to turn my very uncomfortable chair toward the speaker so I didn't strain my new neck.

Man can they talk a lot of these functions! Between the chair and turning, my neck got really angry! I tried to find a place to lay down for a bit to let the muscles have a break and stop spasming but no luck. My sweet husband took me home.

I cried a bit on the way home partly from the discomfort and partly because I felt like I took a step back. My husband looked at me and said, "think back to where you were a few months ago." He was right, as usual, I have come a far way but I'm use to being so strong and independent.

So the next day was Mothers Day and it was wonderful. I had nice chairs and everything worked out well.

Knowing that the ups and downs will come will hopefully let you continue on your path of healing or to know what you may be facing if you're just going in for surgery. I am glad I did this just want to be totally healed and forgetting what it was like LOL


Lynn Hahn  www.getrealfit.org

EXERCISE HELPS!

I don't know if everyone responds as I did but I went from this to completely de conditioned with one swipe of the knife!

I got such mixed information about what it was like after surgery.

My surgeon was a no nonsense talker. "You will have to change your life, it will take a year to feel close to normal and 2 years to be able to become as active as you will be able to be".

He went on to tell me I would not be able to do high impact sports or exercise after having 3 levels fused in my neck...ever! I would have to learn to walk up hills or find other ways to get in shape.

I thought he was exaggerating!

Others told me it was going to be no big deal, that I'll be up and about in no time... Yeah right!

At this point in my recovery I am believing him. I'm 9 months out and still feel a bit stiff and sore. I'm doing my DVDs but only the low impact. I'm grateful to be able to do that. I'm not as firm as I was before but I know that will improve as time goes on.

The not knowing was the worst for me. I didn't know if I would ever be able to sit in a chair with no back or be able to get a big hug from friends. I couldn't do either for the first 4 to 6 months. I felt like my head was going to fall off!

It has gotten much better for me. I know I have to make changes in my exercise routines and such but the pain I was having is not there anymore so it was worth it.

Today I'm grateful to be able to get up and try to do something with my life. I'm getting back on the horse!


Lynn Hahn    www.getrealfit.org

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Some people choose to have physical therapy and others don't. Your insurance may not cover it or your doctor may not want you to have it.

I'm a big believer in physical therapy but I also am cautious. I've had great PTs and bad ones.

My first PT was really bad! He didn't listen to me at all. He was stretching my neck which most doctors say No NO to. Your neck is trying to fuse. You also know your limits better than they do so they should listen to you!

I asked him not to stretch my neck but he told me I had to. It's a long sad tale but I finally left and filed a complaint with the company he worked for.

I went to my surgeon and told him what the PT did and he ran tests. He did an xray that showed a crocked plate. Thats not unusual but since I was hurting he did a cat scan. It showed that one of the screws was very close to my main artery.

The doctor thought he might need to remove my plate but it turned out that I was fusing well enough to hold the screw away from the artery. It would be more risky to do another surgery than to let my body take care of the screw. I had to take it easy.

The PT could have really hurt me. It's good that I set a limit! I highly suggest listening to your own instincts and letting the PT know if you think something doesn't feel right. Going to your doctor to check things out is a good idea!

My second PT was amazing! She listened to me and we got a lot done. I'm sooo glad that I went to her.

She worked with me for a few months. I then went on to a fantastic massage therapist.

Even though I'm a fitness expert, I don't specialize in spinal issues. I needed to have someone guiding me so I was able to get started in my recovery on the right foot!

Lynn Hahn    www.getrealfit.org

MY SCAR

I have to admit I'm a bit vain. I was worried about having a scar on the front of my neck.

My surgeon went in through the front of my neck, pushed everything a side so he could get to the cervical spine and do his work.

This is a common approach for this surgery. If a surgeon goes in from the back of your neck he has to deal with your spinal cord. He generally cuts through the muscles in the back of your neck too.

Going in from the front prevents those challenges. No muscles were cut in my neck, they were pushed aside. Having a scar seemed like a better deal for me. I hate healing from surgeries.

This is my scar only a few weeks after surgery. It's much better now. A little make up and it's not that noticeable.

It was scary for me at first because my scar looked worse when I had the steri stripes on. They put stitches inside but used steri strips on the out side.

I had blood on my stripes so that freaked me out. I was really afraid to take the strips off. They wanted me to let them come off naturally but mine held on for dear life and I had to encourage them to come off.

I waited until they were on for a couple of months and then slowly and gently rolled the ends a little every day until they came off in the shower.

My mind played tricks on me. I thought the scar would open up and that would be BAD.

My neck was very numb around the incession for about 8 months. It's still slightly numb but I believe that will pass.

My scar is really a good thing. It reminds me that I have to be more careful about jumping around, lifting heavy things and such. I do not want a repeat surgery which can happen if you don't make the adjustments needed in your daily routine.

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

READING MADE BEARABLE

Reading was an issue for me. I started with books on tape and then advanced to using a book holder. Holding a book was too uncomfortable for me.

I still use the book holder and will always. It's tough on your neck to look down and read.

I learned to set up my computer so I was looking straight ahead with my book stand next to it so when I type I don't look down.  I also learned to keep my arms down while typing and using my mouse.

My chair is one with all the bells and whistles so I can adjust it to my body. My feet are to be flat on the floor. I was taught to have lumbar support and arm support. I love my chair!

It took about 2 or 3 months before I could work on my computer. Then I only was able to sit for 15 to 20 minutes at a time. I needed to lay my head down after that to rest my overwhelmed neck muscles.


Lynn Hahn    www.getrealfit.org

TIME FOR A LITTLE EXERCISE

At my 6 week extremely restricted time, I was able to go to a physical therapist.

I was given neck exercises and they gave me exercises for my transverse abdominus muscle. That's the muscle under your pelvic floor. It's really important to have a strong TA muscle.

The TA muscle helps to support your back. It's like a girdle holding everything together.

One exercise I was given required me to lay on my back and put my feet on an exercise ball, engage and hold my TA muscle by contracting like taking a bowel movement and holding the lower abs tight while I rolled the ball toward me and then back 20 times. I had to do 3 sets.

You'll want to get the okay from your doctor or PT before you do any exercises. You might want to ask them about this one. 

I was given lots of exercises using the ball. It's a great thing to have!

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

WALKING AND BONE FUSION

Walking a lot does help with bone fusion!

I started to walk around my house a few days after surgery. It was tough. I felt like my head was going to roll off my shoulders.

My doctor did not like me to wear my soft collar. I had to sometimes so I could walk.

I didn't like taking pain pills so I stopped them after about a week and used Tylenol. I was told not to use Ibuprofen because it slows down fusion. I wanted to fuse as fast as I could.

I did take pain pills at night if it got too painful for me.

I worked up to 2 half hour walking sessions a day per my doctors orders. I wasn't able to walk fast until I was at least 6 months post surgery.

I walked the neighborhood so I knew where all the pot holes were. I didn't want to fall down or get chased by dogs.

The kids made fun of me sometimes because I walked so slow. I didn't care for that much but hey kids are kids.


Lynn Hahn    www.getrealfit.org

BONE STIMULATOR

I was give a bone stimulator prior to my surgery. I was lucky because I got a representative that was very well informed as to the short comings of the device.

She told me to wait until I stopped having spasms in my back to wear the stimulator.

I waited 5 weeks before I wore it. The back spasms were still there just not as bad.

I hated that thing from the day I put it on! I'm really small so didn't fit right. It dug into my shoulders and made me cramp worse than I already was.

The representative told me to put a towel under the device and to squeeze the back of it together so it fit better.

I had to wear it 4 hours a day. I was told an hour at a time was needed, anything less than that was not effective. I split my time into 3 sessions.

They told me to wear it for 6 months so I wore it for 6 months and then had a chocolate party when I got to take it off!

I have no idea if it helps with the fusion but that's the theory.

Lynn Hahn  www.getrealfit.org

A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME

Before surgery I was in great shape. I'm a fitness specialist and a lifestyle and weight management coach who lived what I spoke of.

I was told I would be "de-conditioned" right after surgery.

Boy were they right. My body was so angry it just gave up. I actually lost 10 pounds of muscle!

My only form of exercise was walking for 6 weeks. I wasn't allowed to lift weights or work exercise bands.

I came up with isometric exercises and my favorite was just squeezing my exercise ball. I squeezed every muscle I could lol. I was so weak it was crazy.

After 6 weeks I was able to do some more bed exercises but nothing extreme. I'd never seen "love handles" on my waist before the surgery. I sure did afterward.

I'm so glad I kept trying to get strong and I'm so glad I respected how slowly that needed to happen.

Lynn Hahn  www.getrealfit.org 

IS IT GOOD TO USE A RECLINER?

A lot of people told me to sleep on a recliner. I learned that wasn't such a great suggestion.

Your spine uses surrounding fluids for nurishment. It doesn't make it's own. Your spine needs nurishment to heal.

A recliner doesn't allow you to lie flat so that fluid is sent away from the area that needs to be healed.

It's also very hard to get out of a recliner. I wasn't able to do that for a few months.

My sweet husband got a special "zero" gravity recliner for me. It really helps me now.

When we're watching movies ( which I love to do) I sit in the recliner. I'm able to get through a whole movie. I wasn't able to hold my head up well enough to sit on a couch or chair that didn't have head support for several months.

I was not allowed to wear even a soft collar after 6 weeks. They put a big plate and screws in my neck to support the structure while it healed. The plate and screws will hopefully stay with me forever.

The muscles in my neck were so weak daily tasks were not possible for quite a while. Not all people have as much trouble as I did with weakness. My neck is really long. One of the doctors said I had a "giraffe" neck LOL . She's right!

So think twice before you decide to sleep on a recliner after surgery.

Lynn Hahn    www.getrealfit.org

SATIN PJ'S DO THE TRICK!

After I had surgery I was shocked at how heavy my head was! My body did not appreciate the intrusion and my muscles went limp...

One of my doctors made it clear that the best way to sleep was flat on my back using a flat pillow or one with the cervical support. I chose to use a cervical supporting pillow.

She taught me to approach my bed from the side, hold the back of my head and roll into bed. Yeah right!

I would stick to the sheets! I wasn't able to roll my dead weight onto the bed very well. I learned a great trick on line! Satin sheets!

I tend to toss and turn at night which was a problem before I purchased my sheets.

Satin sheets made my life sooo much better :)

Lynn Hahn      www.getrealfit.org

DIET BEFORE SURGERY

I went on line and looked at several ideas on what to eat the day before surgery. I compared notes and came up with a simple low fat diet which was pretty boring LOL but I stuck to it. Here's the site that I used.

http://www.hss.edu/conditions_your-diet-preparing-for-surgery.asp#7

My surgeon wanted me to fast for 12 hours before my surgery. I did so.

I didn't do very well after surgery despite the bland diet. I'm very small and they gave me too much anesthesia so I threw up when I got home. (My surgery was done out patient)

I hope that if I was given the right amount of anesthesia that would not have happened. Who knows but I tried to set myself up for success. As you know that doesn't always happen.

So on I went anyway.


Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

PREPARING YOUR HOUSE

I put as much as I could out on my shelves. Bending over is not advised or comfortable. It took me a few months before I could even start to bend over.


I bought this gripper at the drugstore so I could pick things up off the floor without bending over.

I put my food on the countertops and on the high shelves in the refrigerator. I put my plates and silverware on the counters.

I put my cosmetics on the countertop in the bathroom. I bought face wipes so I wouldn't have to bend over to wash my face. I put a glass in the bathroom so I could brush my teeth and rinse without bending over.

I put clothes out on my dresser. I bought tops that zipped up because putting clothes over your head is painful. It took me about 6 months before I could comfortably put clothing on over my head.

I'll keep adding to the list. For tonight I'm tired so time to go to bed :)

Lynn Hahn    www.getrealfit.org

PREPARING FOR SURGERY

I'm a real prepare freak! I found out as much as I could about this surgery. I couldn't find a complete walk through of anyone's experience, which is why I decided to do this blog (:

One forum I found was helpful...  http://www.spine-health.com/  they can get pretty rule oriented on the site. Be warned! They don't like folks talking like doctors. They just want people to be able to talk about their experiences.

The forum has great info and not so great. Some people get into the muck. My back ground in fitness training has taught me that some people are not willing to do the physical work needed to get better. So keep that in mind if you visit the site and get "scared". Some folks just like to be miserable.

I found out what to eat before surgery, how to set up my house after surgery, what help I'd need after surgery, how long my recovery could be and much more...

I'm going to share that info with you step by step.

Lynn Hahn www.getrealfit.org

WHY I NEEDED SURGERY

Choosing to have a cervical disc fusion is the last resort.

I suffered from a sport injury about twenty years ago. I was left with very little use of my left arm. They wanted me to have surgery back then but I had a small child and my family needed me to work. I declined the surgery.

I worked very hard to get the use of my left arm back. I got most of it back and did pretty well most of the time. I would have pain off and on but I was able to get over it.

In May of 2009 my world changed. I had never done much computer work and found myself in need of "lots" of computer work. I spent way too much time with my head and arm in bad positions.

I woke up one day and all I could do was scream. I was in so much pain. I had to keep my right arm over my head.

I went to several doctors and did physical therapy but nothing worked. My MRI showed 3 of my disc were shot and my neck was off slightly between two of my vertebras.

I struggled for about 6 weeks and my husband finally said, "you NEED to see a neurologist!

He told us he could help me with my neck issue but he couldn't fix damaged nerves...that was his way of saying I was going to have some real damage if I didn't get surgery.

I scheduled an oppontentment for July 27th 2009.

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org

THE BEGINNING

I wanted to share with others that have gone through cervical disc surgeries or who are soon to be undertaking the challenging surgery.

I had my surgery July 27th 2009. I was not prepared for what followed.

I had always been in top shape so I thought I'd just fly by this but "surprise" I didn't. Each person is different and each surgery is different. I had 3 levels done so mine was on the ugggg list.

It's taken me time but I'm doing well so I wanted to share my story with you in hopes it will help you on your journey.

Lynn Hahn   www.getrealfit.org