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Hey, friends.

It’s been really busy, as is usually the case in late May / early June when the school year ends. I’ll get back to some kind of consistency here soon enough as we settle into summer’s rhythm.

But while I have you, a quick update on the neck situation. I saw my doctor for my six-week post op visit on Friday. The good news is that he’s really happy with the way it’s healing. The inserted titanium discs are where they belong and the bones are just starting to grow around them as expected, and the six screws that are holding the anterior support plate in place have good purchase. Everything is as solid as can be. He told me I no longer need to wear the collar, which is terrific news. That frees me up to drive, to travel, and to not look like a gigantic dork in public.

Even better, my symptoms continue to improve. My right arm and hand were noticeably better as soon as I woke up from surgery and have continued to rally. My left hand took a month or so to start coming around, but it has. Let’s call it 25%. I have a long way to go there, but I’ve (literally) dusted off my guitars and am starting to run some scales and ohter rust-busting exercises. If it keeps improving I’ll be in good shape at some point hopefully not too far distant.

There was also a bit of an unfortunate surprise. The doctor told me he doesn’t want me returning to normal activities until he sees me again at the end of July. No running, no lifting, no golf, no cycling, no swimming.¹ This was extremely disappointing news to receive, to say the least. In fact, to be completely honest, it was pretty close to devastating. I didn’t expect that I’d be back to where I was a year ago, but I thought I could at least start that journey. All I’m allowed, really, is walking. I’ve been pretty good about that, getting 2-3 miles in almost every day since surgery. But it’s boring. It’s a slog. It’s not like running or cycling. It’s slow and stupid and I fucking hate that I’m stuck with that and only that for another seven weeks.² I’ve gained ten pounds since surgery, and only about a half-ounce of that is titanium.

If this sounds like privileged whining, well, so be it. I’m grateful for the improvement, and I suppose in retrospect it’s not entirely surprising that I’m not able to get back to moving like I expect to. But this additional delay was never communicated to me. Don’t get me wrong: if I’d known this going in, I’d have absolutely done exactly the same thing, but I’d have had my expectations set correctly, at least.