It seems that my misfortune of living with chronic back pain has made me sort of impervious to pain. Or at least neuropathic enough to be able to handle more pain than expected.

Yesterday I had surgery. Right on my tail bone, essentially. I had a spinal block which is one of the strangest sensations I have ever experienced. I was able to wiggle my toes but couldn't feel them. I told them to move and they moved, but they felt disconnected from my body. Nothing else from my waist down worked, though.

Once out of the OR I slowly began regaining use of my legs. That too was weird. I sent a command to raise my leg and it jerked upward. I had no fine motor control. It was all or nothing, odd.  However, I regained the use of my legs much quicker than the doctor anticipated. So quickly, in fact, that I was released out the front door before he had a chance to get back and give us more detailed instructions for caring for the wound site. The wife and I were slightly confused at the generic instructions on the sheet that the nurse gave us, so we called the Dr for clarification.

He asked how I was, and was alarmed to hear that it was only slightly uncomfortable. In nearly every other case of this type of surgery, people hurt so badly they need to keep a constant flow of Vicodin flowing just to cope. I hadn't taken anything and was helping with dinner and dishes just a couple hours after getting home. Even now, the next day, I barely notice it and it only bothers me if I sit wrong or it gets hit by something. I was laying on my belly in the living room watching TV earlier and one of the kids starts running toward me, every indication was there that she was going to jump on me the way kids do... I screamed, her eyes grew to saucers in realization of what she was about to do, and skillfully she rerouted her path and landed on the couch instead. I thought I was done for, but all was good.

Anyways, I'm not sure why it doesn't hurt right now despite everyone saying that I should be laid out in pain right now. I don't care. I'm just glad I'm relatively comfortable and I should be out and about again in no time.