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