Hey Melissa... I'm so glad to hear that you are improving and can even work some now. My wife is a nurse and works on a surgical floor with many ortho patients and also gastric bypass patients. I know how physically demanding being a nurse can be.
Regarding standing... you've seen the videos of me skiing and playing tennis. Although I could not sit for 10 minutes before my surgery, I can now sit for hours. However, even at my high functioning level, I still hate to stand still or do the 'museum stroll'. I can do it... I just don't like it. I had 2 posterior surgeries prior to my ADR, so I don't know if I have damage from my DDD, collateral damage from prior surgeries, collateral damage from ADR surgery, or other pain generators that were not addressed by my surgeries.... it does not matter to me. My pain is still so very low compared to what it was. My point in this is that you don't know how good you are going to get... hopefully, you'll keep improving. If you must return to 12 hour shifts, can it be to a position that does not include the intense physical demands of working the floor? If doing so will be too much, I hope that you are in a position to put your spine-health first.
I'll be interested to hear what Dr. Regan says.
Thanks for posting.... I'm excited about many of these new technologies and it's great to have some first-hand experiences here.
Talk to you soon. All the best,
Mark
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