Thursday, February 16, 2012

Recuperation Ended (Mostly): Part 1

Tomorrow I return for my 7-week post-op follow-up. I anticipate the best as things have gone well. More on that all tomorrow or Saturday after I get the real update from the medical people.

But I was thinking. Football superstar Peyton Manning had the very same surgery that I just had in Decemback in August I believe.

The four-time league MVP missed the entire 2011 season after having his third neck surgery in 19 months, a fusion of two vertebrae.  Link
Last week his doctors cleared him to go back to playing football.

Only someone like me sitting around in a hard cervical collar for the past 7 weeks would have had my reaction.


REALLY?

Well, me and maybe The Onion:
Sports News in Brief
Doctors Clear Peyton Manning To Let 300-Pound Men Slam Him Into The Ground As Hard As They Can
Setting aside the 30 years younger than me that he is, there may actually be some hope for me to become again the great football player I never was.

In all some seriousness, though, it did spur me to make sure I talk to the medical people tomorrow about what I can do to rebuild what I had and build on in greater ways. I am a firm believer in taking care of myself. (Too bad it took until I was 60 to make that commitment.) The relative ease with my three surgeries over the past 3 years is, I believe, partly due to the decisions I made back 5 years ago to start planning for a 60-mile bike ride for my 60th birthday. I didn't know at the time that I would get hooked on it- and staying as physically fit as I can.

I am glad for where I have come in these years. At the same time I am looking forward to what's next. As usual, will keep you posted.

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