Brain Says Bye-Bye To His Back Brace

For 2 months now, I've been wearing a back brace. It was fit for me following my fall on November 24th in which I broke my back. I remember the first time I put it on in the hospital. It felt so snug and secure and it made my back feel instantly better. I was thankful for my brace. Fast forward 60 days.

The last several weeks whenever anyone asked how I was getting along with my brace, I told them it was less of a brace, and more of a straight jacket. The very thing that had made me feel safe and secure had now become a sort of prison. I wore it diligently like I was told to. But at night I would take that thing off and lay in bed. The feeling of relief when taking it off was amazing. I knew that my back was feeling a lot better but until I had the latest round of x-rays to prove it, the brace had to stay.

I had my x-rays yesterday afternoon and then met with my doctor afterward. The thing about bones is that they heal slowly. My fracture wasn't that severe but you could barely tell a difference in the images taken yesterday from ones taken in early December. My heart sank. I was going to have to keep the brace on, wasn't I? The doctor went over the images with me and then said the magic words. "You can ditch the brace." FINALLY.

Now I'm not back to normal yet. I'm still on a 15-pound lifting restriction until the end of February. But after that, it's all systems go! There were days in the hospital that I didn't think I'd ever feel normal again. Now, the finish line is in sight.