Content Warning: Spine surgery
A year ago I had a micro discectomy to remove a herniated spinal disc in my lumbar spine. Prior to the herniation I was a 5 day a week bike commuter on my trusty ‘95 Diamondback Ascent EX drop bar conversion (2nd photo).
After nearly a year of painful recovery in which I re-herniated the disc, I finally got well enough to do a complete rebuild of the bike into an upright cruiser (1st photo), and am taking short weekend rides to build up my strength.
There’s still a lot of recovery to go before I’m back to bike commuting again, but I wanted to share in case anyone in a similar situation could use some optimism. Living with chronic pain can truly be a pit of despair, and I have the utmost sympathy for anyone in that situation.
by J_Sweeze
3 Comments
Love the color! I just finished up PT for my back and during that time all my 2 wheeled transports got their cockpits tweaked. I ride for fun/exercise, and its not fun if I can’t walk the next day…
Good luck with the back, seriously. I have had a few issues over the year. Had an L5-S1 microlamectomy about 12 yrs ago. Prolonged recovery but since then (touch wood) I’ve been pain free. However the last 5-6 years I’m dealing with an arthritic elbow which is less well behaved and I’ve had to make some big changes to accommodate it.
Perfect stem for someone with back injury!