Back in the Saddle

[jaybet]

I know that you all really didn't miss me because I usually refuse to pee in the political pool around here, but I was occasionally lurking but not doing much of anything. It's a tale of great pain and great blessings.

In early August I came down with a pinched sciatic nerve on the left side- spent hurricane Irene flat on my back. Couldn't sit, standing only lasted about 2 minutes till the pain was awful. The only thing that relieved it was laying flat on my back.
Did a week with the chiropractor, then a week with steroids and muscle relaxers from an orthopedic friend. THAT didn't work. He set me up for an MRI and, low and behold, the life of my lower back was there for everyone to see. a 4 vert scoliosis, two bulging discs, two herniated discs, another slipped disc, and a fractured vertebrae (all in the lumbar, by the way). They asked me how this could have happended...HA!

Over twenty years as a hands-on contractor, a couple of falls through ceiling joists, two violent protests by angry, fourlegged transportation that were trying to smash me in the dirt, numerous "slip on the ice", and the extreme reconfiguration of a Chevy Vega in my early 20s MAY have contributed to all this.

So I worked as I could and found a spine doctor in the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. Last wednesday I had spine surgery and the pain was gone the next day. Miraculous. I still have issues- some numbness and nerve stuff that should subside, need to lose weight and build my core, and mostly overcome 2 months of narcotic pain killers, but I have my life back. I can walk, talk, work, play music, and last night I went back to my RO spot at public pistol night at my club, saw my buddies and helped a few newbies clear their weapons.

Nearly pain free, with a BRAND NEW GRAND DAUGHTER, gigs lined up, day job keeping me busy, feeling good, and feeling blessed. I'm back.

[BAC]

Glad to see you're up and about again.  Congrats on the new family member!

[alfsauve]

Wow.  What a run.   Glad things are looking up.

I worry about my past abuses catching up with me.  A couple of "car reconfigurations".  Jumping off of high places without the aid of fall restraint devices.  I use to think nothing of jumping off 8' high platforms/roofs.  Had the knee joints rebuilt a few years back to pay for that.  Carrying around far too much weight up and down stairs and ladders.   Wonder when my spine will finally protest


And yeah, I'd noticed you missing.  We all come and go at various times. 

Don't worry about not joining in on the political conversations.  (you either BAC)  Many of those threads I only skim and move on.   Though I do tend to post 2nd Amendment related stuff from time to time.   That's the beauty of the different forums.  You can just ignore the political ones.

Will try to post more gun/shooting related stuff.

[Hazcat]

DUDE!

Why didn't ya call me?  Last we talked was before ya went to the spine snapper and yer friend.  Ya told me you were in extreme pain but ya thought it would work out.

In any case great to hear yer back on yer feet so quickly after the surgery!  Now remember ya ain't a spring chicken anymore.  Listen to the doctor and take care of yerself.


BTW should be a good blues song in there somewhere! 

[crusader rabbit]

I think most of us of a certain age have concerns about the damage we've inflicted on our bodies over the years--at least those of us who tended toward fuller lives.

I have a pair of titanium hips--I used to squat over 500 pounds and that did some damage.

My knees are so shot I have trouble with stairs--see 500 pound note above.

My shoulders (rotator cuff on both sides) give me pretty constant pain--380 pound bench press was my best.

Elbows always hurt--100 pound curls to failure every other day may have had some negative impact here.

All that was a near daily thing for me from my late teens, interrupted by wilderness hikes, rock climbs, ski trips, water skiing and many other activities that take some toll on the old bod.

Of course, I never thought I'd make it past 30, so the most recent 34 years have been one heck of a surprise for me.

Still, I make it to the gym 5 days a week.  I still hunt pig with Haz and Haz Jr.  I'm up for a "limp through the brush" to secure a shot at a deer.

And I still figure every day on the right side of the grass is a blessing.

Oh and Jay, sometimes God's miracles come at the hands of a really skilled surgeon.  I'm thrilled you have managed to become relatively pain free.  I've spent too much time on the other side of that equation, so I know how debilitating pain can be.

Now, just try and remember you're not the bulletproof kid you once were.  When in doubt, remember my motto:  I may not be as good as I once was, but I'm not as good once, either.

I know, it sucks as a motto. But it keeps me out of an awful lot of trouble these days.

Glad you're back, Jay.

Crusader 

[Sponsor]

[Solus]

Whew...you made it to where you can fight back on your feet....much better physically and mentally for that.

Yeah....things do catch up with you.   

When I turned 40, I was looking for positive things...and one that came to mind was that it was not uncommon to live to be 80, so I was only half way there.

Then I realized that the second half was gonna be a whole lot harder and probably not as much fun.

[dipisc]

Hi;

     glad you got the back taken care of. You may want to keep handy 1 of those elastic wrap around back support thingies. Now that you know how your back is going to react and be affected by weather and over use - you will know when you are about to get a "relaspe" and put that back support on for a few days to ensure you dont need to be hauled back to a doctor again.

[Timothy]

Welcome news Jay!

Glad you're back with little or no pain.

I'm sure we could all stand to lose a few pounds, like Crusader, I work out nearly every day or try too.  Keeps me from getting too stiff from sitting on me arse all day.

Keep up the fight, our best to your lovely bride as well.  How's she been feeling?

Tim

[tombogan03884]

If we knew we'd live this long we would would have taken better care of ourselves.
Glad to hear things are getting better.
I hope Maggie is doing well also.

[tt11758]

Jay:

Like everybody else said, glad to hear you're back, and pain free!!  Not much worse than back pain.  I have 3 compression fractures in my low back (rolled down a flight of stairs while trying to make an arrest 30-plus years ago), as well as an unstable disc in the middle (which often makes me feel like I'm having a heart attack), not to mention a pelvis that needs to be smacked back into place with obnoxious regularity (tried to drive a tractor up a tree a few years ago.......didn't succeed).  The knees are also gone, primarily from exceeding the posted load limit for a number of years.

I got to the point where Oxycontin was BARELY taking the edge off, so now I just tough it out, and am WAY too intimately acquainted with ice packs and Icy Hot Patches.

However, as has been said here, any day above ground is a good day.

I did have a little scare one morning last week.  Woke up one morning and was afraid for a minute that I had died in my sleep, cuz nothing hurt.