u/FarResearcher33

Hey all, last August I had a fusion with cage done for L4/L5. My nerve pain and lameness was pretty much instantly resolved, and I have recovered pretty well. I walk 10 km a day without discomfort and really don't have any back pain at all, with one exception.

When I need to sit for longer than half an hour or so, I get back pain on both sides of my middle/upper back. It feels like a muscle ache. The only thing that relieves this pain is lying down, although standing/walking can help too if it hasn't gone too far.

I'm concerned because this August I'm supposed to start dual studies and will spend half the week in school, sitting down. Suddenly I'm not sure I'll be ready and this worries me. Today I had to come straight home after a doctor's appointment because I was already in pain, for example.

Has anyone else experienced this and if so, how did you improve your upper back strength without lifting weights? My surgeon said the surgery was a success, I'm allowed to do "anything that doesn't cause pain" and that I should listen to my body, but I am not allowed yet to do weightlifting.

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Every day I am visited by two crows while I walk my little dog after breakfast. They fly in with a magnificent theatrical swoop, then hop up to me and wait for treats. They ignore my dog and are always very respectful to us both. Week by week they trust me more and more and come closer and closer. Nowadays they stand literally at my feet. I have been feeding them like this since last winter and it's a real highlight to my day.

Every now and then my husband takes over the morning dog walking duties. When he does, he says the crows "swoop" his head. This morning he told me that he actually felt their claws touch the back on his head.

My guess is that the crows recognize my little dog, expect treats from the accompanying human, and then try harder to get his attention when he ignores them. That said, today I visited our park without my dog to test if they would recognize me. They saw me from a tall building across the street as soon as I entered and flew right up to me.

Recently there was a click-baity article about how crows were "attacking" people in the city. My husband read the article and now he is a little afraid of them, I think. He's a very good guy and an exceedingly gentle person, but now he says he's not gonna bring snacks for the crows. Do I have to stop feeding them so they leave him alone? Any arguments I can use to convince my husband to carry a treat or two for them when he goes out in the morning? Seeing my cromrades every day really makes me happy and I would rather not stop, but I don't want to ruin my husband's day, either.