It has been 10 months since I had my L4 and L5 vertebrae fused.  The results have been great!  I have been very pleased with the results.  I no longer have any lower back pain – not even when I run or play basketball.  The only thing that hurts when I play basketball is my ego from time to time.  As far as the back goes, I have spent time pulling weeds and even spent extended hours shopping in the mall with my wife and my back was fine.  I did not experience any pain or tightness associated with the impingement of my sciatic nerve.  I also did not have any muscle spasms where my back locked up and I had to walk around like a 90 year-old man looking for a lost contact lens.

Yes, the surgery has been great!  Now there were some challenges early on in the first couple of weeks – you can read about them on some of my earlier posts, but all in all God has blessed me with a wonderful recovery.  He has definitely been with me throughout the journey.  The hardest part was being patient and not doing too much beginning about week number 3.   Patience finally paid off and now I am back to doing all of the things I did  before the surgery, plus a whole lot more, except that I have no lower back pain.

I am back to my regular schedule and I am able to pick up my two year old granddaughter and fly her through the house – plus I was blessed with another granddaughter too carry around the house at the end of last year!  I am able to lift weights and participate in sports without any restrictions (I was released to work out at about 7 months past the surgery).  All in all, I have to say that life is good and God is great!  As David said in Psalm 22:22

I will tell of Your name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.  Psalm 22:22 

Yes, the Lord has blessed me during this process.  But I must say that even if I had not had as good of an outcome, I am still blessed.  I was blessed before the surgery, even on the days when my back ached.  I had a Savior who loved me and was always with me.   I had a wife and children that the Lord had surrounded me with who cared for me and loved me.  I have been blessed with a good job, a nice home, wonderful friends, a good church family and a host of other blessings.  Even on the bad days, I was blessed.  Yes, even on the bad days, life is good and God is great!  I hope you have such a relationship with the Lord that you can experience His love and blessings even on the bad days.

If you would like to know more about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you can send me an email directly at pastorpstephens@aol.com