Email from Mr. Boeree

Here is the email response I got from my surgeon in the UK, Mr Boeree after he viewed my 6 month xrays:

Your X-rays look really good.   You can see that you have good movement through the disc replacement (flick between the flexion and extension views).  The implant is clearly completely bonded to the bone now and is essentially part of you.   It is working well and remains in an excellent position.

 

There aren't really any additional restrictions over and above those that I suggested at the outset.   I am pleased to say as well that I have not seen any problems with the M6-L and I simply get more enthusiastic about the implant the more I use it and the more we see really good outcomes such as yours.

From this point, my surgeon in the US wanted a follow up in 6 months and then probably only once a year after that.  

 

At this point, I feel really good, although I think I will always be extra cautious with my back.  I avoid extreme movements with my back like bending forward and exerting pressure to try and see how far I could bend, or extreme twisting.  Normal bending and twisting are fine, but I don't try to force my range of motion past what comes naturally.  I used to twist to crack my lower back and I do not do that at all anymore.  I used to do yoga that involved lots of bending and twisting, which I no longer do just to be safe.  I'm also cautious about lifting very heavy objects (think 50lbs or more) and will probably try to avoid moving furniture up stairs from now on.  Perhaps my new disc could handle all of this, but the risk of finding out that it couldn't is not worth it to me knowing what would be on the other side if something went wrong.  I'm waiting for spring to try some jogging, although I feel like I could try it now if the weather was nicer.

 

I'm still probably a little gun shy after all I've gone through, but at this point I'm very glad I had the surgery and very happy with the results.  I don't think my back will ever be as good as it was before the injury, but it is light years ahead of where it was before the surgery.

6 months = all good

I have reached the 6 month post-op milestone and am still doing great.  No major problems to report.  I still have some minor leg sweating from time to time, but it is less than it was.  I can sit for as long as I want without pain, but after a long day of sitting all day, I sometimes notice some slight decrease sensitivity/numbness in the outside part of the soles of my feet, but it is very very minor and goes away after laying down for a little while.  Not an issue at all, just something I noticed.  I have not tried any jogging as it is winter here and I figure it best to wait until all the ice is gone, but I feel like I could if needed.  Although, I have switched to using an elliptical for my cardio as I figure it would save on the repeated impacts the disc would have to endure.  I don't need to go back for xrays again for another 6 months and then just once per year after that.  Here are the 6 month xrays: