2 Weeks Post-Op

I’ve been moving through my milestones in PT quickly. I’ve transitioned from a walker to a cane (it’s leopard print, of course), and I get to use it for some of my upper body PT exercises, too.

I’ve been walking up and down the apartment stairs since last Friday, and this morning I walked outside for the first time- half a block and back. My next goal is to walk down the block, down the stairs to the subway, and back again. My biggest concern is other people on the streets, but hopefully when they see my (b*tchin’) cane, they’ll go around me with care.

Most days, my pain is well-controlled with the muscle relaxer and pain killer. Each day I see how movement truly is medicine, too. My nights are still really hard. I wake up every 2 -3 hours with severe burning pain in my legs, with numbness and tingling worse on the left. I’m told this is the nerves healing from being moved and irritated in the surgery, and it should go away in the next few months. In the meantime, I’ve re-started Gabapentin (hopefully just temporarily, since I did not like the side effects when I was on it before) and bought some crazy compression-massage booties that make me feel like I’m training for a mission to Mars.

All the pets are doing well, too. I was worried about not being able to handle Kaa given I can’t bend, lift, or twist, but Ryan carries him over to me and he just lays and snuggles with me. Like mine, his spine is still misshapen and compromised, but he seems adjusted to it and not in pain. #goals

Bella enjoyed the storm that brought 4 inches of snow last week.

Rex enjoyed staying inside.

As 2025 comes to a close, I share Mariah’s sentiments:

But I do like the idea of deciding for ourselves what we’re leaving behind this year. Set that sh*t down. As for me, I am leaving behind the stress of deciding about surgery, second guessing my choices, and imagining all possible outcomes of surgery. I’m happy to set all that down and be on the other side of it. Now I’m excited to enter 2026 in this bionic body, and to meet each moment as it comes.

Cheers! 🥳🍾🥂

Renée