[Nairek]

Well, my trip to Florida is officially over. It's back to the frozen tundra of NY BOOOOOOO!

I did push myself a little bit on the trip. We did a lot of walking which I wasn't doing much of back in NY. I am taking more pain killers here than I was back home. However, I have to say that I don't regret forcing myself to move around more. I think I really needed to do that in order to prepare my body for the prospect of going back to work soon.

I have my 6 week post op visit tomorrow morning. We'll see what the x-rays look like. I'm still a bit sore across my abdomen & still dealing with some muscle soreness. I wish my "new" pain would go away but the darn thing just refuses to back off. I know, I just have to take it easy & let my body heal. I'm just frustrated that it's taking so long though.

We took a 2 1/2 hour drive down to Southwest Florida to see my dad who I haven't seen in a few years. He was happy to see how well I was doing. I left my cane in the car since I felt well enough to walk without it. We walked a few blocks down to the beach & even with the pain meds on board, that "new" pain just gnawed at me. It's weird how it just comes & goes like a very sharp ache. I'll have to have a talk to my OS about it tomorrow.

I managed to set off the metal detectors at both airports. There's nothing like hearing someone yell "I need a female assist over here!" I just laughed. Between the cage in my back & the bone growth stimulator hanging off my belt, it's a given that I would set stuff off.

Anyway, I hope to respond to the PM's that I have received while I was gone by this weekend. Things were really crazy before we left for the trip & I just didn't have the chance to respond.

Karin