George,

Hopefully, everything will work out OK, and with todays new surgical techniques, herniated disk surgery is now done as a minimaly invansive and the results are far better than just a decade ago. However, don't be in a rush to go back to doing things the way you did in the past. I'm sure the surgeon will restrict what and how you can lift things for the next few months. This is a precautionary step to avoid severe injury to the area where the disks are removed, and to allow the vertebra to fuse naturally, which takes several weeks. Play it safe, let someone else take care of the store for a while, and take some time to smell the roses.

Good Luck,

Gary

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Travlin' Easy