I am out of the hospital and out of physical rehab.  My staples come out on Friday.  I can walk farther than I have in months; the surgery was definitely a success.  There is some pain at the surgical site, but that is to be expected. 

After the surgery, I walked all over the rehab center.  Every where I could because it was so wonderful to be walking again, even with that back brace.  I walked mostly in the middle of the night to avoid stumbling over a bunch of people, but sometimes I walked very early in the morning, before too many people got there.

My first roommate was 96 years old and didn't talk much.  My second roommate immediately reminded me of my mother, was even near my mom's age.  We got along great, swapping stories about our families, swapping lunch stuff, and helping each other get through the day.   Made the days go by faster.