Hello my fellow crocheters 🧶

If you’ve been following my series about spine surgery, you already know that in the last post I talked about the surgery itself — and some unexpected events that made the whole experience even more interesting than planned 😄.

Today, I want to talk about what happens after you’re finally allowed to go home 🏠.

Two Patients, One Household

After I arrived home, Peter and his grandma tried really hard to make my first days as comfortable as possible 💜.

The plan was simple (at least on paper 😄):

• on Saturday, my mom would arrive 💚
• on Sunday, Peter’s grandma would leave 👋

Because my mom and Peter’s grandma wanted to meet, we decided that for one night they would both stay — sharing the couch like true heroes 😄.

So how does a household with two patients after surgery look? Very interesting 😂. And slightly chaotic.

Neither of us was used to dealing with post-surgery limitations. Peter is a very active person 🏃, and suddenly he started to understand my struggles much better — why certain movements hurt, why some things simply weren’t possible.

When my mom arrived, she cooked for us 🍲. And let’s be honest — when your mom takes care of you, you suddenly feel at least 20% better 😄.

First Limitations Hit Hard

I wasn’t allowed to sit for longer than five minutes ⏱️. My options were very clear: walk, stand, or lie in bed.

One night, I woke up with a very urgent need to go to the bathroom 😅. I managed to get there, did my business — and suddenly felt dizzy 😵. I fainted.

I don’t know how long I was unconscious, but I woke up to my mom screaming at Peter to call the ER 😨. That screaming is what actually woke me up. Both of them were stressed and checked on me constantly afterward to make sure I was okay 💙.

Rediscovering Basic Life Skills

The first days after surgery were… eye-opening 👀. Things you normally do without thinking suddenly become complicated: putting on clothes, taking a shower, going to the bathroom.

Only after surgery on your lower back do you fully realise how important this part of the body really is 😅.

I have a large convertible bed, and my parents brought me an additional memory-foam mattress, which helped a lot 🙌. Lying down was manageable. Sitting was not.

Putting on clothes became a whole new discipline. I started with sweatpants — because socks were completely out of the question 🧦. I simply couldn’t bend enough.

Those first days, I needed help from either Peter or my mom for almost everything 💙.

Wanting Independence (and Losing It)

Little by little, I tried to take small steps toward independence 👣. There was one thing that drove me absolutely crazy: Peter wanted to do everything for me. If it were possible, he would probably breathe for me too 😂.

On one hand, it was incredibly sweet 💜. On the other hand, it was very frustrating 🙃.

I knew I had to learn to do things on my own — because there would be times when I’d be home alone 😐. And emotionally, it was hard.

The Bathroom Boss Fight

Showering was another challenge. At one point, I realised how much easier life would be if we had a shower corner instead of a huge corner bathtub 😮. Who even puts a massive corner bathtub into a small apartment bathroom? Why?

We had to buy a small step chair (usually for kids) and a non-slip bathtub mat. Without those, slipping and falling would have been catastrophic 😨.

Getting into the bathtub — and back out — was extremely painful 😭.

That was the moment I realised that my mindset would decide how this recovery would go. So I chose humour therapy 😂. I started making fun of the situation, celebrating small victories instead of focusing on limitations.

Celebrating Small Wins

I don’t remember exactly how long it took until I managed to put on my sweatpants by myself — but when it happened, I marked the day with a red marker in the calendar 📅. It felt like climbing Mount Everest 💪.

I was still on painkillers and other medication, so everything felt heavy and slow. That’s when I discovered what I now call the Kama Sutra for the disabled 😂. Very creative positions. Very questionable angles. Under different circumstances, maybe suitable for after 10 PM 😉. But difficult situations require creative solutions.

After about 1–3 weeks, I mastered the disabled Kama Sutra well enough to put on both socks 🧦🧦. Another red circle in the calendar 📅.

Dark Humour & RoboCop Mode

I prefer dark humour. And I’ve noticed that many people with visible or invisible disabilities develop a very specific kind of humour 😄. You can either let it break you — or you can laugh at it.

The Social Insurance Plot Twist

About one month after surgery — on my birthday 🎂 — the social insurance company came to check on me. Of course they did 😂.

There’s one blind spot in our living room where phone signal randomly disappears 📵. And yes — I was lying exactly there when the lady called. No signal. No missed call. No callback notification. She left a note saying she couldn’t reach me 😐.

Later, we spoke on the phone. I explained the situation and even sent her a screenshot showing that there really was no missed call 📸. She laughed and said it was probably a glitch in the matrix 😂.

Walking Toward Recovery

My only real rehabilitation option was walking. One night, shortly before midnight 🌙, I couldn’t sleep because of pain. I asked Peter if we could go for a walk. That became a tradition 💜.

Every day, we walked a little further. A few metres more. Slowly. About three months after surgery, I managed a 5 km walk — a huge milestone.

Walking helped me rebuild some muscle 💪. I had lost a lot before and after surgery, and the difference between my left and right leg was very visible. The left leg had been numb for a long time, and I often dragged it behind me.

Us, Walking Together

Those daily walks were also a blessing for our relationship 💛. We were still a very new couple, already dealing with a difficult situation. Walking gave us time to talk, to learn about each other, to connect.

And somewhere between my birthday and Valentine’s Day 💝, something very big happened.

But that’s a story for the next part 😉.

Stay tuned 💜