One year ago today I underwent the SDR procedure at Barnes Jewish in St. Louis. I still remember most of the day as if it were yesterday.  From getting the first dose of medication to “relax”  before the operation to waking up after the procedure as I was getting moved to the ICU. The impact of the surgery did not really hit me until 3 days post op when I had to stand up for the first time since the surgery. After trying, and failing to stand up the first time  — moments later I was able to stand up and I felt 2 foreign objects that felt like overcooked pasta where my “al dente” legs used to be.  That is when it dawned on me that everything was likely to be different going forward.

Since then I have experienced the success and frustrations of intense physical therapy and done things that I never thought I would be capable of doing.  After more than 10 years of constantly searching for a treatment and seeing countless doctors who advised me to:

• “Get over it.”
• “Be happy you can walk.”
• “There is nothing more you can do.”

I finally found a treatment that has made a substantial difference in my life.

I still feel as though I have more work to do in terms of strengthening my lower body and overcoming some challenges.  But I really look forward to  finding out what my body is capable of!