[Firerescuefin]

Hey Dale,

That is a battle that each of us fight every day. There are days you win, and days you lose. How to remain proactive in light of a current episode or as we begin to fear the next one is difficult. Maria mentioned that she takes comfort in the natural/predictable flow of her episodes. I try to everything that I can to make the situation better from a knowledge and exercise standpoint. That was what led me to the surgery...I had done all I could do. I knew (or believed) the issue was mechancial and could be fixed with the right doctor performing the right surgery. Now its my job (in my mind) to get as fit as possible to maximize my quality of life and head off future episodes/preserve other portions of my spine. That might scare others to death, but a sedentary proposal would be emotional suicide to me.