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