Hi Wherewolf and welcome to this AWESOME site!! It is full of WONDERFUL people who pour their heart and soul into every post so others can hopefully learn from their experiences. It's a GREAT place to be for support and advice!

As far as being active, I'd recommend what feels comfortable for you but ONLY with your doctor's blessing!!!! As Mark said earlier, I just hit my 6 month anniversary (today actually) and golfed this past weekend. Since it sounds like you were very active before, I'm guessing that you had the paddle implanted to secure the leads better??? I had the paddle implanted since I am relatively young and wanted to regain some of my former life activities. I am former military, played college and then competitive volleyball (3 - 4 nights a week and on weekends) after that, worked out, ran, golfed (I think 45 holes was the most I played in a day).....my motto was "no pain...no gain". If I didn't come away from a work out drenched in sweat and feeling pushed to my farthest limits, it's wasn't a complete workout, and I'd continue until I got to that point. I can't express the high I got from a great work out like that....yes, I was crazy at times!!! So obviously, when my pain became so severe that I had problems walking and was bedridden at times, it was literally killing me....mostly mentally.

But now, I am gaining some of that old life back. I have realized that my life will never be the same. I can't play volleyball ever again. Maybe if I were NOT the type to go full speed....I tend to have this problem where I cannot let a ball drop without at least getting a touch on it which means hurling my body in any way possible on the ground, and I've accepted that. HOWEVER, I can work out, run, walk, and golf....maybe not to the extreme that I did before but I am still getting enjoyment out of it.....just a different kind.

I'm sure your doctor will let you know when you are ready to start with your activities. Hopefully, you have a great relationship with your Dr. Mine knew from day one that I wanted to golf again so that was my #1 goal. To my surprise, she actually told me that I could start golfing about 3 months after the surgery. She said that the paddle had the leads so secure that even if she were to go in and move them she would really have a hard time. I thought that was GREAT but had a lot of hesitation and realized that I was not ready emotionally to golf that soon. My mind was so conditioned to think that if I were to do something physically fun like golf, my body would pay me back for the next 2 - 3 weeks in ways that I was not prepared to go through again. So after telling myself that I can do this and walking more and more, I felt more physically and mentally fit. I had to hit some smaller milestones before reaching my #1 goal.

I can tell you that I am very sore but I truly believe it is complete muscle pain.....because I actually smile when I move and feel the pain. It reminds me that I am alive and starting to live again.

So, I'd like to think that I am getting back to an active lifestyle! It may not be the same exact one that I had before the pain but you know what.....I'm NOT the same person I was before the pain!! I'd like to think I've become a better and stronger person through my journey so far and that life would be way too boring if things remained the same.....besides, we wouldn't learn anything if it were always the same!

Good luck in your recovery!! Just don't push yourself too much too soon! Trust me on this one as I did and had to take an extra couple weeks off from work. It was not one of my brightest moments!!!