12 Days Post-Op: The flight back home
General Comments:The last few days have been wonderful. I've seen tremendous improvement every single day. Muscle spasms are virtually non-existent, incision pain has never been present, and back pain is barely there. The only times when I experience any sort of pain are after sitting down for a short while. Car rides are absolutely terrible, but have been getting better every day.
The Incision:My staples were removed 9 days post-op. The incision looks wonderful! I think I understand why I barely experience any pain.. they stapled the incision in such a way that it was 'bunched up' so as to not create any pressure against the healing.. By the time I had my staples removed, the staple holes were separated by at least a centimeter more than when the staples were in place.
The Flight Back Home:I just made it back to Houston. It hasn't been an easy day, but it hasn't been terrible either. The main reason why it wasn't terrible was the wonderful seats in my Continental flight, the help my mother gave me, and the wonderful staff that allowed me to lay flat for the landing. The way to the airport was painless, despite the crazy cab driver. I walked around the airplane a couple of times and experienced virtually no pain during the whole flight. The car ride home, however, was dreadful.. I don't blame my back for being a little pissed off.. it was a very long flight! Now I am lying in bed and the pain instantly disappeared. Now I am back to where I was yesterday: in bliss. I can't imagine peolple that fly a week or less post-op AND without these flat-bed seats. You have to fly when you feel comfortable with your back. Not only was my flight non-stop to houston (10 hours) with flat-bed seats in first class, but I was a good 12 days post-op AND with help from a family member. I'm very happy with my decision to stay in London until I felt comfortable flying. Here are a few pics from the trip:
The Incision:My staples were removed 9 days post-op. The incision looks wonderful! I think I understand why I barely experience any pain.. they stapled the incision in such a way that it was 'bunched up' so as to not create any pressure against the healing.. By the time I had my staples removed, the staple holes were separated by at least a centimeter more than when the staples were in place.
The Flight Back Home:I just made it back to Houston. It hasn't been an easy day, but it hasn't been terrible either. The main reason why it wasn't terrible was the wonderful seats in my Continental flight, the help my mother gave me, and the wonderful staff that allowed me to lay flat for the landing. The way to the airport was painless, despite the crazy cab driver. I walked around the airplane a couple of times and experienced virtually no pain during the whole flight. The car ride home, however, was dreadful.. I don't blame my back for being a little pissed off.. it was a very long flight! Now I am lying in bed and the pain instantly disappeared. Now I am back to where I was yesterday: in bliss. I can't imagine peolple that fly a week or less post-op AND without these flat-bed seats. You have to fly when you feel comfortable with your back. Not only was my flight non-stop to houston (10 hours) with flat-bed seats in first class, but I was a good 12 days post-op AND with help from a family member. I'm very happy with my decision to stay in London until I felt comfortable flying. Here are a few pics from the trip:
