Day 36 Post-Op: Back in the World, No Evidence of Scoliosis, and a Mailbox Full of Love

At five weeks out, I feel like I’ve officially rejoined the world. Good timing, because in one week we leave for Costa Rica.

I have never been homebound like this. For weeks, my whole world was my chair, the stairs and the view out the window. Now that I’m out and moving again, my days have turned into a full-speed game of catch up. There are doctor and dental appointments, and physical therapy. There are retreat classes still to finish. And there’s everything to pack and the house to get ready before we go. So there’s a lot on my mind. 

In the middle of it all, I had my CT scan, the second in a three-part scoliosis study. I’ve seen my images before, and they still stop me in my tracks. The hardware runs from my mid-back all the way into my pelvis and appears to take up so much space in my torso. It’s hard to wrap my head around what has actually happened inside my body.

Then I read the report. In refreshingly plain language, it said: “No evidence of scoliosis.”

I keep a running tally of wins, and this one goes near the top. My pre-op back pain is gone. The hump is gone. And now, officially, the scoliosis is gone. There are more, but those are the big ones.

A friend reminded me recently that so much of my healing is happening quietly, with no fanfare. She’s right. While I’m running errands and making packing lists, my body is doing its most important work where nobody can see it, every second of every day. I notice it in small ways. A little more mobility. A little more strength. A little more tolerance. But when I look at those scans and think about everything going on under the surface, I want to weep with gratitude. For science and medicine. For my medical team. And for the incredible design of the human body, and its ability to heal from something this big.

What surprises me most, though, is my spirit. My energy and my sense of self were the things I doubted most. I honestly wasn’t sure they’d ever bounce back. But as my system clears and I feel more like myself every day, I even surprise myself.

The healing may be quiet, but it has never been lonely.

For weeks now, the mail has kept coming. Cards and letters. Talismans and little reminders to keep going. Gifts and food, including one box packed with pickles and olives, and another with a coloring book. Every one of them came from someone in our Five Parks Yoga community, someone who took the time to sit down, write something and send it my way.

I’ve had to open the cards slowly. I can’t rush through them, because each one is so personal. So many of you wrote about what yoga and these classes have meant to you, and what they’ve done for you. I’ve lingered over those sentences, reading some of them again and again, and I’ve shed more tears than I can count. The good kind, the kind that comes from feeling truly seen and supported.

So thank you. For every card, every kind word, and yes, every pickle. I’ve felt you with me through all of it.