I can’t dwell on whether or not I should have gotten the surgery. I did and I need to move on. The next three months will be about healing. I can’t do much. I’ve been told not to bend, twist or lift over 15 lbs for 4 months. That’s pretty limiting. So I’m trying to walk twice a day for at least two miles. So far I’ve only been doing one mile walks every 2 or 3 days. That’s not good enough. I have recently added dumbbell exercises – curls and military press. My surgical pain is just slightly annoying, maybe pain level 3. The old pain (mid-back) is pretty much the same at PL 7-8.
Assuming this surgery was another red herring, I think the next step is an MRI and probably a PET-CT (PET for diagnostic purposes, CT to check on repair structure). To get this, I think I need to find a “spine doctor”, an orthopedic surgeon or a physiatrist. It may be time to resume looking for that needle in the medical haystack. Maybe I’ll start with California Orthopedic. They have a lot of orthopedic surgeons and physiatrists. I need to find a doctor that is interested in a challenge and willing to work with me. You’d be surprised how hard that is to find in a doctor. I just want some imaging and maybe some diagnostic injections.
The other thing I should probably do is explore the idea of rectus trigger points. I should be able to explore that on my own and when healed, make an appointment with Dr. Sawyer. For now, I need to shut down my negative thinking and come up with next steps in my search for a diagnosis. I should make an appointment with Dr. Salahuddin. I should check forums for radiology places. It’s too bad we can’t make appointments with radiologists. I need to drink more water and eat better, meditate and resume projects like guitar and robotics. Most of all, I need to try to enjoy life. Hopefully it will all be over soon.