The sciatica pain I mentioned a few days ago is now completely gone. I was quite nervous about it, but I just kept doing my exercises more carefully and it's gone now. It seems the nerves were still quite sensitive from the increased disc height, and all the commotion and cooking in the holidays upset them a little.
I'm spreading apart my exercises, so now i'm doing them every other day with a day of 'rest' in between.
If I had a job right now, I would probably feel comfortable returning to half a day of work within the next few days. My back feels very strong, my movements are smooth and flexible, driving is comfortable (big suv), and sitting is tolerable as long as I take the occasional break.
In two weeks I will be going to an Andrea Bocelli concert, ticket I had before I considered the surgery. I can't miss out on it, and i'm positive i'll be comfortable sitting throughout the whole session. Then, on December 15th, I will be taking a 3 hour flight back home (latin america) with my mother. I will be coming back to the US on January 10th. After that I'll drive to Dallas (3 hour drive, if i'm up for it) for a few days to see Dr. Zigler for a check-up and x-rays.
Good luck everybody! I will keep posting updates every few days.
