![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/post-surger-aids-2029-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"post-surger-aids-2029-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nAs you read this post your first reaction may be that some of it is a little more personal than it needs to be.<\/p>\n
But my blog followers include many family members and personal friends who should be kept in the loop regarding tomorrow’s back surgery. And I’ve learned from experience that even blog followers I’ve never met (many of us have become quite close friends over the years) don’t particularly appreciate being kept in the dark, so today’s post is my attempt to cover those bases, in one… swell foop.<\/p>\n
I report to St. Mark’s Hospital at 5:45 AM tomorrow for a five-level lumbar spinal fusion which will put me out of commission for a good long while. Following are some of the preparations I’ve made in anticipation of a long and difficult recovery. I’ll also include a more specific request of my readers for suggested reading materials to help me pass the time.<\/p>\n
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I think I’m about as prepared as I can be, physically if not emotionally. This is some of the medical equipment I already have.<\/p>\n
One of my biggest concerns is getting out of bed. Following my previous surgeries, getting out of bed was absolute hell so I’ve rigged up a contraption that I believe is going to make it easier and much less painful.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I call it my rope-a-dope. It’s a rope attached to the wall at the end of my bed that I can use to pull myself to a sitting position as I’m swinging my legs over the bed’s edge. I’ve tried it and it seems to work surprisingly well. Don’t worry, the rope won’t pull out of the wall – it’s secured to a 2×4 wall stud with a sturdy metal hook. It isn’t pretty but at this point that’s the least of my worries.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a previous post I asked blog followers for reading suggestions during my recovery (I’ll be using my new Kindle Paperwhite). But in reviewing the responses I realized that I need to be more specific about the kind of reading I prefer in a situation like this.<\/p>\n Generally I’m not a fiction kind of guy, I much prefer nonfiction. And for this recovery my plan is to mostly avoid reading about birds and nature. I do a lot of online reading about those subjects while I’m researching my blog posts, so my hope is to stick to other subjects as a change of pace.<\/p>\n Thirty years ago I built floor to ceiling bookshelves for either side of my living room fireplace that include a total of 14 shelves, mostly filled with books. Five of those shelves have the types of books on them that I’m hoping to be reading during my recovery. So I thought photos of those five shelves, with brief descriptions of the type of books they contain, would be the most effective way of communicating to my readers what kinds of recommendations I’m hoping to get.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n So there you have it – my surgery preps and a more specific request for reading suggestions than I’ve made in the past. Thanks in advance for any you might provide.<\/p>\n See you on the other side.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/rope-a-dope-2028b-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"rope-a-dope-2028b-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/books-1.jpg\" "\\"books-1")
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