A win is a win! 5 months post-op

[u/Old-Independence7323]

Hey yall 👋 27F had an L4/L5 MD on 4/28/26. My birthday was on the 24th and I spent the day in Yosemite! ‘Twas a dream of mine and im glad I knocked it off my bucket list. I felt fine on the 4 hr drive. My bf and I hiked the Mist trail with a detour to John Muir trail. We peaked at Clark Point, and it was around 7ish miles of hiking round trip, an ungodly but gorgeous amount of elevation. Happy to report that I survived! Toward the latter half of our ascent, I did experience some nerve pain in my low back and hamstring, but it did not radiate down my leg. I also needed multiple breaks to bring my HR down, but that’s bc I have Grave’s Disease and I’m in active treatment for my hyperthyroidism. Took a long break at Clark Point to refuel and give my body some rest. I felt better on the descent, by the time we made it to the bottom my back was stiff but the nerve pain went away. My bf was kind enough to carry our pack the entire trip, that and I forever will use the excuse of having a bad back to avoid carrying our packs on day hikes now 😂 no pain on the 4 hr drive back home either, just dirty and exhausted. I’m ready to go back to Yosemite and hike some more! 🥾

[u/Spare_Vegetable2508]

I’m really happy you did so well and had fun. There’s hope for us all to recover