I am sorry to hear of all that you have been through. I encourage you to do your best to remain optimistic with the success of the outcome of your surgery. It is scary and it is very difficult at first but I truly believe that if you follow the helpful hints that everyone has posted on this board, you'll do fine.

Part of my agony came from the fact that they cut through so much muscle. I have a 7-inch scar on my back to prove it. But muscle does heal relatively fast. The physical therapy was very tiring for me, it still is at times. But you must do it, don't slack. And again, I think extra vitamins really help. Take a trip to the health food store and let them know what you're up against. I found them to be very helpful here.

Another part of my agony was simply that with the exception of my cats, I live alone so while my son was great about helping me, he doesn't live here and has a very demanding job hence, he was limited to how much he could help. Much of the general stuff was stuff I had to do or it didn't get done. By the same token, don't just let everyone do everything. Try to do what you can.

When it comes to the big stuff like our big snow storm that left 4ft high drifts on my walkway, obviously that is stuff that my son took care of. Things like laundry I did. Vaccuuming he did, etc.

I am due for my next X-ray soon and my son states he'll take me back out on the golf course as soon as he gets the okay from the doctor.

Be patient, be strong, keep your chin up. Healing takes 12 to 18 months of work. And I offer the best of luck to you. The vet I take my little ones too told me that his brother had the same surgery one year ago and he is back on the ski slopes. He stated that I would probably find that I could actually do much more after the healing process is complete and I believe that's true.

One more thing, on that dreaded time when women feel so bloated, my back hurts. I eat a lot of foods that help prevent that now. I read that for every 8 lbs of excess fat particularly on the stomach area, is pressure on the spine. The walking helps if it's done correctly. I did a search on walking and it does show how to walk to keep good posture. This really helps too.

Please keep us posted!