I know. I was just goofing. He’s the light of my life.
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FITTING BACK INTO MY JEANS
Well, I weighed myself this morning, and was pleased to find that I did NOT gain as much weight as I originally thought. only about 3-4 pounds. I even fit into my fave jeans again.
I dont know if you guys could care less about this post, but I am guessing that one or two women can relate to what I am talking about. And I believe that I did this without much care, just by not lying on my back staring at the ceiling anymore. Up and About! And in motion.
signing out,
DM
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Hooray!!! 
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So amazed that you’re walking 1.5 miles already!! Your focus and dedication through this is epic. Swimming seems like the ideal exercise (floating through the water with the pressure off your back) and I look forward to your posts about it in your 6 months.
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LEFT MY BACK BRACE AT HOME:
Oh my goodness. Here I am walking along with the silly walker, and my husband noticed that I wasn’t wearing my back brace. He wanted to run back upstairs to get it, and I told him that it wasn’t nessesary bc I was with him and I had the walker, and it was highly doubtful that I would fall to the ground. It was weird though. I could feel the freedom of walking like, almost, a “normal” healthy person.
But then my back began to hurt. I didnt want to injure myself. Would this injure me? I already fell 3 times to the ground and did no damage. What was the worst thing that could happen now? A low blood sugar was the only thing I could think of. My blood sugar was 99 when I left the house and I had take one glucose tablet (4gms). I had a destination in mind, and it wasn’t outlandish. Totally reasonable. And I wasn’t far from home. If my back began to hurt more, I could simply go back upstairs.
well, I sat down on a nearby bench and tested my BG. 70. Took another 2 tablets and continued on my journey. I felt wonderfully free. And I realized that I was completely free of all of the pre-surgical pain . 100% free. even my hip and groin didnt hurt anymore!!! The only pain I had now was surgical pain. Pain where the stitches were (and oh so itchy), pain beneath the muscles where they had gone digging, pain beneath my belly button where they had removed some bone marrow so they could remove the herniated discs and make cages to separate my vertebrae. But all that pain would heal and I would be completely free of ALL pain.
I cannot believe that I went through the journey I did. All of the epidurals, the branch block, the medication, the opioids, and all of the nasty side-effects from all of the medications.But I did. I wanted to try everything before entertaining the surgery. And then it was a matter of choosing the right surgeon. I got lucky. I found just the right one. what are the odds of that happening?
I know I’m just babbling now. But its nice to just come in here and share my thoughts. Just an average day during post-op. and when I was done with my walk my BG were 104. (they ended up going down to 94 an hour later, but this was something I could feel proud about. And that was certainly nice;and it was wonderful to be outside in this absolutely beautiful weather. 
signing out,
DM
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@daisymae YES! That is a VICTORY! I won’t lie, you had me on the edge of my seat for the first couple paragraphs. But ahhhh, deep breath… that realization that it’s the surgical healing pain that you need to move through to get to the end. Wow, that is fantastic news. I am really, really happy for you. For that realization AND for the beautiful walk you had today. xoxo- Jessica
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DMs WALKER WITH YMCA CERTIFICATE CARD:
Just wanted to show off and show you some of the little things that keep me going each day: my Get Well Card and my YMCA year admission certificate.
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I’m so glad you are feeling better!
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ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER MUSCLE:
So this afternoon my sugars plummeted down to 31. This is a tricky low bc your entire body feels it. The shaking, the sweating, the blurry vision…All. you want to do is raise your BG ASAP, and on top of that, your thinking is not that brilliant 
. So, I drank 1/2 Cup of apple cider. Then my husband was eating some freshly baked Challah bread with jam, so I thought, that cant hurt, I’ll have a little of that myself. But then I liked the jam so much that I had another piece with the jam. In 45 minutes my BG had rose to a comfortable 102. Yahoo, I fixed that problem…BUT, noooo.In another half hour my BGs rebounded to 160! OMG, so it was time for me to make the most of the beautiful weather and go for a nice long walk. I grabbed my husband and dragged him outside with me (I am still dependent on someone to help me with my balance). After about 1/2 hour of walking I thought I would test my BGs knowing that they would have certainly come down to at least 120. Nope. They hadn’t budged at all. Pump problem? Perhaps. Maybe I should walk some more and see if I see any progress. Nope. So it was time to go upstairs and change my pump out (maybe it was a poor site, perhaps it was a bad infusion…) I also gave myself an IM correction shot of 1 unit. But after all of that, it was still magnificent outside, so I decided to grab my husband and drag him out again and continue walking. Now, perhaps you have guessed, and guessed right, that my surgeon believes walking to be a miraculous version of PT. “Walk, walk walk,” is all he says. “Strengthen those leg muscles, stand up straight, keep your balance…”
anyway, I ended up walking for an hour and a half. This is pretty much the most exercise I have done since I left the hospital. My iPhone said that I had walked around 2 miles (remember, I had spinal surgery and I walk like a tortoise : very very slowly). At 4pm, I called it quits. my thighs had started to burn, and the stupid back brace I have to wear was killing me (it pushes right into my stitches and into my spine. Miserable)
Anyway, my thigh muscles were killing me. Throbbing, burning, stinging, exhausted. They didnt want to walk anymore. they called it quits at 4pm. So I called it quits and went upstairs. And then, realizing I hadn’t taken my afternoon medications, I started cramping up. The left side of my spine began to kill me. I ripped that back brace off immediately. Phew. big relief. (I had felt, wearing that damn brace, like I was wrapped up like a birthday package.)
I took my medications, and took a muscle relaxer too ( I try to avoid taking this med bc it knocks me out. Puts me right to sleep.)
I guess I am beginning to strengthen my muscles back to their regular selves. Slow and steady. One day at a time. And no matter how much it hurts, all I can think about is getting into that pool again and swim. That is my goal. Push myself as hard as I can without injuring myself each day. Tomorrow I am planning on walking from my home right into the main drag of downtown Brooklyn to do some grocery shopping (Yes, of course I am bringing my husband with me! Who else would carry all the shopping bags?) If I can make it there and back I will totally have achieved something magnificent. Another grilled cheese, perhaps? 
signing out,
DM
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We’ve had this discussion many times before. But I feel okay saying it again because I know that I have made this mistake a million times more than you. It’s not even close! 
So because I’ve done it wrong more than anyone, I can say it again and I know you won’t hate me for repeating it.
Be aggressive when treating highs.
Be conservative when treating lows.
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STRENGTHENING MY THIGH MUSCLES:
So I am still trying to figure out my ICR for breakfast time (sometimes 8am, sometimes 10am). I realize that you, yes you, (Eric) have told me a million times that all carbs are not alike, and so when I bolus, I should keep that in mind. I just cant seem to get that just right.
But today I bolused for 3 (very small) sugar-free 1/2 Cups of rice puddings. I have tried this before (many times) and I still havent been able to figure it out (I’m a very slow learner )
before eating my BG was 110. and then 1.5 hours after finishing eating, my BG had spiked to 159. I thought that this would be a perfect time to begin a walk. Well I thought that this would be a more appropriate time to bring my BGs down instead of taking more insulin so I headed outside to the garden in front of my house. (It was absolutely beautiful outside today. Magnificent) well after 45 minutes, I tested my sugars and they had come down to 100. I wanted to continue walking so I took a GTab and was on my way.I walked for another half hour, and my BGs came down to 49. Egaads. I decided to just go upstairs. call it quits before lunch, and then go out again later.
MY THIGHS:
One of the great things that has come from all the walking is that I’ve been able to strengthen my thigh muscles. This has allowed me, slowly, to be able to walk around a bit without my walker. I will only do this inside the house bc its carpeted. Outside it is cement and its totally uneven and I am still quite wobbly. DANGER, WILL ROBINSON!(As I’ve mentioned in some other post, I have already fallen 3 times onto the floor, and all I could think of was how I might have totally injured my spine.so, careful I would go)
But this strengthening of my thighs has allowed me to heal faster and better. Also, it has alleviated a lot of the surgical pain. And I’ll do anything for faster healing and getting off of these opioids. so, for me, walk, walk, walk, walk 
(Also, the strengthening of my thighs has allowed me a lot of freedom with the simple things I wasn’t able to do on my own: Pulling on my pants, putting on socks, putting on my shirts and sweaters, reaching for things I wasn’t able to reach just a couple of weeks ago. **I like the more mobility and independence. The stronger my thighs, the more I can do on my own…bottom line.
so that’s some of the latest.
signing out,
DM
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Love that!!! That’s my motto, too!
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Couldn’t agree more!!! But I know you really notice it especially while you are healing. Btw, I loved “Lost in Space”!!! I am so glad you are healing what seems to me to be fast and finally getting some relief from the awful pain. We are all so pulling for you, DM!! 
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A SHORT BUT IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENT:
Just keeping in you in the loop: yesterday I walked 3 miles. my legs are burning with recreational pain, but I plan on getting out there again today and to shoot for the same (only bc I want to go to Macy’s and there is no parking nearby .)
but still, if that is my motive and inspiration, so be it
signing out,
DM
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“recreational pain.” Oh dear.
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TO MACY’S AND THEN SOME:
So today I went to Macy’s and back, and then laps around my apartment’s garden. in total, I walked 3.5 miles. I am exhausted, Also, my BGs are in the 50s.
Question, does anyone experience this:I have low BGs and I am trying hard to bring them up to TR. All afternoon I am stuffing my mouth with “treats” without success. my BGs won’t budge. Then hours later, its as if all of those carbs and all of that sugar surges at once, and my BGs spike very high.
signing out,
DM
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@daisymae when I had my knees replaced I had that same problem as 8 started rehab. My BGs would plummet, stay low for hours on end no matter how many simple carbs I threw at it (I even tried @Eric 's glucagon microdosing trick) only to find that 5 or 6 hours later when I was finally sedate and my pain was managed that my BGs would soar.
The only correlation I ever found ony end was exercise vs pain management x carb intake = anyone’s guess what your BG will be.
Glad you’re healing Ms @daisymae! Keep after it and remember your swimming pain free goal.
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Yep, definitely experience this. For a few minutes I think I’m cured, but then the carbs do in fact kick in!
So proud of your progress, DM. And love the new term, “recreational pain”!! Macy’s is indeed an inspirational destination to do a lot of walking!!!
Hah, yep!! I had a pretty surprising run today. I spiked UP 100 mg/DL just a few miles into the run. It was surprising because this almost never happens. Usually it is the opposite, I drop the first couple of miles, which is why I always have @20gm of carbs in gel. Not today. I guess this would be an “anyone’s guess” day! Maybe stress. My baby pup got hit by a car yesterday and was in ER several hours yesterday. She is going to be fine, thank goodness, but it was traumatic and trauma always spikes me.
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Glad your pup will be ok… Stress will definitely do it. (Giving a heart to a post about your pup being hit by a car somehow seems wrong, sorry. I am ecstatic though that your pup will be ok!)
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