Good days and bad days - Microdiscectomy +7

"You will have good days and bad days"
More wise words from musical Jo came to mind today. Today was more on the bad than good side. The underside of my foot was tender when I woke up, where previously it had been numb. This I took to be a good sign, but as the day progressed the numb/tense feeling in my little toe grew worse. Added to that I felt sciatic twinges in my left buttock and thigh. I hope that this could be a sign that the nerves are starting to fire again after a year of numbness. But I'm feeling the effects of a lack of info right now, and searching on the web only gives you the horror stories. That was one of the reasons I started blogging about my recovery.

The weather was crappy so I couldn't go out. Instead I had to do whatever exercises I could manage inside. So I started with a few very gentle stretching exercises as recommended by the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford. Then I decided to walk around the house and up and down the stairs. It occurred to me that I need to ensure I walk with a good posture so that I heal correctly. So I took a hard-backed book and walked around with it on my head. Even going up and down stairs with the book

An artist's impression of me earlier (kind of)

I wouldn't want you to think that I did that all day. It was maybe 15 or 20 mins but at least I felt I was doing something. I felt low at times today, and exerting any modicum of control over the situation helped to lift the spirits.

Ginger beard
I haven't shaved since my operation. It is reassuring to see that my beard still gains a ginger tinge when it hits a certain length.

Ginger beard

Boxset watch

TV

Utopia - full series (6 episodes)

Sopranos - S1 eps 1-2

Parks and Recreation - S1 eps 1-2

24 - S1 eps 1-4

Film

The Muppets 4/5

Beginners 3.5/5

Friends With Benefits (partial) 3/5

Jeff Who Lives at Home 4/5

Gratuitous pictures time

7 days after the op

and also a pic of the last 5 days of pics all together.

So after Day 7

• Pain is still manageable but the sciatica twinges are worrying
• 2 nurofen taken but no tramadol. I will take a diazepam tonight to relax my muscles and hopefully ease sciatica symptoms.
• Bored