Quote Originally Posted by jessmarimba View Post
Jane - thank you for the encouragement. I've had no contact with the doctor but the therapists just kept using the phrase "frowned upon" when I mentioned anything athletic. Glad to hear you're up and going

Can I ask - I've had a good chunk of titanium screwed into my back too - did your incision bruise over as it was healing? From what I can see, my back looks horric right now, and it hurts, but I can't tell if it's the bruise or the screws bothering me...?

Let them frown all they want. Just tell them their faces will stick that'a'ways. If you stay stagnant, your body will deteriorate. Just make sure you start back into work again slowly. Let your body tell you what it's capable of. Go from there. If you quit moving, you will really QUIT moving. I'm serious.

I don't remember what my back looked like. I was pretty doped up, as I had massive road rash injuries along with other broken bones to add to my back injury.

I do know, that if I move the wrong way against the steel, it will hurt like the frikken dikkens. I mean screaming meemee hurt! My skin around the incision is numb, but my pain receptors are hyper sensitive. I feel no pressure sensations, no cold or hot sensations, no touch. Just extreme pain if there is a tiny amount of pain. I do end up with bruising on my back if I do crunches, but maybe that area is just more predisposed to bruising. I have no idea. Bruises are badges to me. So are scars.

I would consult with your doc about the bruising part. Maybe you have a screw loose (er... Please don't take that wrong? ) You could need the hardware adjusted, or maybe you can have it taken out. I can opt to have mine taken out if I can cough up the $90,000 surgery, and the months of down time. NOT. So, it stays. I'm proud of it, actually. It means I survived something way bigger than me.