Feeling pretty lousy actually, especially since two days of sightseeing in Macau on the weekend. I feel the way I felt before the ops - all spasmed up to the mid-back.

I can't even exercise because of the pain. Lying on my stomach and arching my back is especially painful. This wasn't the case a few weeks ago. I suspect that my L4-L5 joint is weak and inflamed, so my strategy is to wait for the spam to wear off (helped by showers and heat packs and rest) and then start gentle exercises again. I don't want to take anti-inflammatories as they are supposed to interfere with the fusion.

I also should mention that I have some pain lying on my left hip on a hard surface. I can't figure that one out. This has been with me for about a month.

Surprisingly, I am sleeping pretty well. Perhaps it's because I'm exhausted and it's the holidays and I'm not sleeping in the afternoons (except today). Now that I am well rested, I am going to try and exercise my left rotator cuff again and see whether I can shake my shoulder problem with the help of the physio who's working on my neck / shoulder. Previously, the lack of sleep meant I never had the heart / energy to exercise enough.