Hi Jackie,

You know what, you sound just like me. I miss my activeness so much as you say it was a great way to clear my head and deal with the stresses of the day. Now I feel like that's all been taken away from me, like you I too push myself just that extra 5 min. Sometimes I pay the price for it and somedays I don't.

I've also put on alot of weight since i stopped being so active and with all the meds I find it difficult to lose it. I also find that all my energy goes towards staying strong and coping with pain. I don't have the concentration or the energy to work on a real diet and when I do I lose nothing. My doctor reckons that is the meds.

Hopefully one of these days we will both be free of this tortuous back pain and be reliant soley on our stims so we can walk 5-6 miles a day and maybe swim a little bit, i'd love to be like Kim, i'm very jealous (and happy) of her although i'm aware she is over a year sincer her surgery and we're both very recent.

It's nice to know I'm not the only one here that misses their exercise and the energy it used to give me.

all the best,

Sinéad