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Well, here it is, September 21st... 69 days post-op and I saw the surgeon today... had a complete physical including an MRI and (drum roll please) I have been released by the surgery clinic... Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty, I'm free at last... (thank you Dr. King for the perfect opening quote.)
The surgeon told me they had never released a patient prior to 90 days post-op and those few were all much younger than me and had much less extensive surgery than I did. In fact, I am their new "poster-boy" for what can be accomplished by laminectomy and disc replacement surgery combined with a regimented rehab and physical therapy schedule. They asked that I release my medical records (anonymously, of course) to the University of Minnesota Medical School as a case study, which I did.
It is now just a matter of sticking to the rehab and physical therapy schedule and "becoming" the new man they promised me and I, in turn, promised myself. I am still about 120 days, I figure, from full recovery but that is almost 6 months ahead of the time frame the docs gave me when all this started... I have officially lost 52 pounds, by the same scale they weighed me with the day of the surgery, in this 69 days, am 69 days smoke-free, and come the middle of January will have lost the remaining 70 to get to that 220 goal... Hell I weighed 220 the day I graduated Boot Camp at Parris Island... I don't think I will be able to get smaller than that lol... so the die is cast... I am physically sound according to the surgeon, the rest is up to me...
This will likely be the last entry to this blog and as such I want to take a moment here to thank all of you that have been following and commenting. Your support is one of the main reasons for this being so successful as it provides great motivation to tough this out and make it happen... wouldn't want to let you down, yanno?? My heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you...
And speaking of rehab, it's time for my afternoon walk... 9 miles today... care to join me?? C'mon, the fresh air will do you good....
Jeff
