Good morning, y'all. Just thought I'd post an update for a barely-noticed thread on here. I had my twin surgeries on November 5th and 6th (first to fuse my L5 vertebra to my S1, through the front, and the second through the back to do clean-up around my nerves), was out of the hospital on Friday the 9th, and have been slowly recuperating ever since. I've had far more positive days/events than negative ones, thankfully, but as this is a slow process (I'm officially off work until January 2nd) I'm engaging in something called "moderation", whatever that is.
Many of my friends and family are extremely worried that I will grow accustomed/addicted to the oxycodone prescription they gave me upon release, and I have been working with my wife (who's taken the entire month of November off to assist me through my first half of recovery) in order to keep on top of things - I'm the one in charge of telling her where my pain level is at on a 1-10 scale, she's in charge of making sure pills are dispensed only through her and according to the schedule we're on. So far, I've been limiting myself to one oxy about every 12 hours (prescription says every 4-6 as needed) and one Norco (pre-surgical pain pill they kept me on during my hospital stay) at about noon each day to supplement the oxy and to give me a bit more pain relief/fever reducer from the acetaminophen they include with the opiate. On that front, we're as wide-eyed and realistic as we can be. We've had family members and friends both become addicted over the years and we're doing our best to stay ahead of that particular issue while not discouraging the healing process by making my pain level to the point where I can't do the normal daily exercise I need to do (right now, two 10-minute walks per day) because I can't concentrate on it.
I'm so lucky that I have a support system surrounding me that starts with my family (my 18-year old and 10-year old are stepping up with household chores I can't do at present, like walk the dog and take the trash down two flights of stairs) and continues through my friends and colleagues. I'm still going through my first full week at home, but already I am in less pain than I endured over the last 4 years of working/home life. Considering I'm not allowed to lift/carry anything more than 4 pounds, it'll be quite a while before I pick Red Five up again, but I'm patient. I've ridden public transportation, after all.
I could go on and on here about how I've finally figured out what I want to do as far as my next musical project is concerned (an epic concept album for this time of anti-album mentality), how the new year is already being planned out insofar as rearranging our bedroom and converting a corner of it into an actual recording studio instead of the pseudostudio I've been playing with, but these are still plans and not my current reality. My reality is recovery, and I'm devoting my attention to getting that in the pocket just like a good bass line. Meanwhile, thank you for taking the time to listen to this guy ramble.
Many of my friends and family are extremely worried that I will grow accustomed/addicted to the oxycodone prescription they gave me upon release, and I have been working with my wife (who's taken the entire month of November off to assist me through my first half of recovery) in order to keep on top of things - I'm the one in charge of telling her where my pain level is at on a 1-10 scale, she's in charge of making sure pills are dispensed only through her and according to the schedule we're on. So far, I've been limiting myself to one oxy about every 12 hours (prescription says every 4-6 as needed) and one Norco (pre-surgical pain pill they kept me on during my hospital stay) at about noon each day to supplement the oxy and to give me a bit more pain relief/fever reducer from the acetaminophen they include with the opiate. On that front, we're as wide-eyed and realistic as we can be. We've had family members and friends both become addicted over the years and we're doing our best to stay ahead of that particular issue while not discouraging the healing process by making my pain level to the point where I can't do the normal daily exercise I need to do (right now, two 10-minute walks per day) because I can't concentrate on it.
I'm so lucky that I have a support system surrounding me that starts with my family (my 18-year old and 10-year old are stepping up with household chores I can't do at present, like walk the dog and take the trash down two flights of stairs) and continues through my friends and colleagues. I'm still going through my first full week at home, but already I am in less pain than I endured over the last 4 years of working/home life. Considering I'm not allowed to lift/carry anything more than 4 pounds, it'll be quite a while before I pick Red Five up again, but I'm patient. I've ridden public transportation, after all.
I could go on and on here about how I've finally figured out what I want to do as far as my next musical project is concerned (an epic concept album for this time of anti-album mentality), how the new year is already being planned out insofar as rearranging our bedroom and converting a corner of it into an actual recording studio instead of the pseudostudio I've been playing with, but these are still plans and not my current reality. My reality is recovery, and I'm devoting my attention to getting that in the pocket just like a good bass line. Meanwhile, thank you for taking the time to listen to this guy ramble.
