Today I achieved yet another small step on my way to recovery from my recent back surgery. I managed to get my sock onto my  right foot.  It may not sound like much  but it was the absolutely last thing I needed to be able to do, in order to say that I could completely take care of myself, at last as far as getting dressed is concerned.

Actually I should not be too hard on myself. It is now day 15 after spine surgery and I am feeling good. The surgery pains frankly were trivial in comparison to the agony I have been in over the past 5 months - in fact for the first few days post-op the ABSENCE of pain was almost tangible and more significant to me than the discomfort from the wound.

Even though I was only taking one little blue pill 3 times a day - instead of the recommended dose of 2 every 4 hours as needed I decided the heavy duty painkillers were making me crazy and needed to be stopped.  So I stopped, had one bad night of insomnia  but feel a hundred times more myself now and more tuned in to what is actually happening with my body.

On the few days when the sun has been out or even when it was just not raining, I have taken advantage of the weather and my visiting kids, to walk along the sea wall - a little further every day. And not to think about the fact that it takes me 20 minutes to walk a distance I would previously have covered in less than five minutes.

On a positive note I am actually able to think of getting back to dancing - albeit not for months until the bones heal. I was told nothing but walking until I see the docs for a follow-up at 6 weeks - and yes - I am actually not pushing myself beyond what I am allowed to do.

But just listening to my quickstep music as I walk slowly back and forth in our gym makes me happy and as I focus on posture and balance, I have this image of me quickstepping round the Queen's Lounge Ballroom on the Queen Mary in my mind.

Hopefully next year... and for many after that

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