Fellow posters....

[Mattingly23NY]

What's the future hold in store for your back AL? I too have had multiple spinal surgeries. Taiibone-S1-L5, all Lumbars, to T-12 are metal discs replacing the natural ones, which blew out in 86. I took pain pills for 18 yrs. Physical Therapy, Hot Tubs & packs, a semi truck full of Ben Gay & Volratin, Lidoderm patches (never work a joke), trigger points, epidurals, facet blocks, chiropractors refused to touch me all that time. A lower back of metal, discs & rods from the tailbone to the belly button. Followed by a rare MRSA staph infection gone into meningitis, due to my 3rd spinal neuro-stimulator (by Medtronics). The 3rd installed stim, turned gangrene with MRSA infection, (you know the new age of penicillin resistant based bacteria, only 5 anti-biotics existed for, of which most people cannot take half of them without liver faillure). 6 weeks in the hospital in quarantine, on a PIC Arterial line pumping Vancomycin 1/4 inch from the heart valve, Released from the hospital, & was on the damn PIC line for 6 more weeks at home. That liked to kill me. But let me warn you, if there is anyway at all to avoid surgery do just that. I screwed my back up by falling off a 15 foot roof, hit a brick wall a couple feet off the ground. Never missed a day of work either. That happened on a Saturday, I was at work (hunchbacked, eating Norco like M&M's for months). That was at 32 yrs of age. At 50, in 2004, I went under the knife for the back. (I already had my rh arm removed to take a 11" benign mass out, along with 3 other surgeries on the same shoulder, for the mass, & 2 rotator cuff repairs, & a rebuild last). Had the duff repaired on the LH too. Had a umblilical hernia surgery at 34. Shoulders at 35-38, still managed to work.

I know to well what you mean, when you say, you feel like a very old 40, man do I know what you mean. Rick knows better tho' he has a much worse back condition than I ever have had. Yet, I warn you surgery often may relieve some pains, sharp ones. Yet it will leave you probably with never ending lightning bolt sciatica's & or neuropathy, where you lay in bed & watch the nerves make your muscles spasm, when your toes move involuntary, the calf muscles squeeze with spasms so bad you scream to your wife to go get the chainsaw to relieve the pain. Brother, I have been there, & without those pain pills, you awaken to the real pain, that is & will forever be. At my age, I quit taking all pain pills, muscle relaxers, all pills for the back, shoulders, moreso the back. It is hell everyday, but life is clear without pain pills, Life is grand a view when the clear wrap veil is torn.

Sorry for rambling on Al, all I'm saying, is my back aches worse than a exposed nerve, makes a toothache feel minor. Cold air alone, makes the metal in my back & shoulder go apeshit! I can't fathom shoveling snow, not only cuz I can't lift a shovel anymore, without screwing the back up even worse. I can't handle the cold air, that alone is killer. I hope in the future, your back gets stronger, and surgery can be prevented, yet if it is required wait til the right time, to late, & its much worse. To young, and your disabled for life. Like Rick and I have been to long.

My 2 cents, thanks for listening,

(Back to basic posts-simple one liners)

BTW-59 is the best one line poster in the history of Yankees Message Boards, He is our Yogi Berra, no doubt, & Yogi was MR. Clutch in W.S. History, and a 3 Time MVP.

 

[BigDaddyAl1973]

Wow...that is all I can say. I feel terrible moaning out my injury after hearing the horrors you two gentlemen have and are going through. My primary doctor told me that I should seek pain management and a surgeon. My first reaction was lets do pain management to relieve the pain then try physical therapy and lose some weight. I dont want to see a surgeon unless there is nothing more then what I can do for myself.

I've already had lower back surgery back in 1996. I had a disc removed and another fused. I remember the horrible pain waking up after that surgery and its something I dont want to go through ever again.
I have a scheduled cortisone shot for march 17th. The first of three. Im hoping for some relief then start a program of exercises to help build up the area.


Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

 

[Mattingly23NY]

Your going about it the proper way Al. Losing weight (was at times over hyped from my docs I thought. Tho' in the long run 10 years later, I did begin to reap that benefit, compiled with gym self PT work outs, always ending in a hot jacuzzi with back against a jet. Or a hot whirlpool, and yes bone chilling ice baths at the gym. (Those hurt more than are good, the ice that is, tho' it does knock down inflammation, and/or arthritis. Arthritis is another thing. Once you get it, your time is even more limited when you should have surgery if recomended. I was found to have arthritis in both hips, shoulders, & my lower back as well as Neck, knees and both ankles. The surgeons at Kerlan-Job Clinic (founders of the Tommy John surgery). Documented as much when I was but 35. I knew I was in trouble back then. Once the back is strengthened with metal, the hips work overtime, and wear out. Quarterly injections in both hips help alot these days. It's only a matter of time, before hip replacements become necessary. Ask Rick, he just went through a hip replacement, never good. Arthitis travels to all overworked/stressed joints, like a virus. A rebuilt back with arthritis, is like changing your tires on your car, with alignment out, which wears out tires in a 1/4 of their warranted life of wear. So you will have that going on soon too.

I sure don't want to paint a black bleak future for you, just prepare for the worst and pray for the best.

Like I said, Al, your approach is perfect, spot on! Always begin with the least intrusive procedures/rehab first. Eliminate all those till they no longer work, then take the next step up. Keep in mind, its so easy to take a strong pain pill then work out, or after a workout, but that's masking the reality of how severe the problem really is. Take the pills out of the equation, and you'll see surgery may be more imminate than expected. I only strained my back/shoulders/hips/knees/ankles worse than prior to working out, but didn't know it due to the blinding mask of those strongest pain pills known to man, (wont mention them here). Without them, I couldn't work out without laying in bed for days in a daze, & tremendous unbearable pain.

When you've exhausted all other resources, you will know its time. To reiterate, this is the hardest decision to make. Not to old, and not to young, (as once your cut on with 4 discs in question, you will probably not be able to work again, and SSDI doesn't pay to well, unless you have a pension to go with it. 401Ks disappear to soon. Work as long as you can, but don't wait beyond your 55th year, many surgeons don't want to rebuld a spine later in age than that, unless its a dire emergency. At 55 the patient doesn't heal like they would at even 46-48 (or sooner). I need my neck worked on, 3 blown discs, stenosis strangling the sciatic off shoot nereves. Calcifications big enough to twist the neck spine, in a S of scoliosis. Yet, I won't let them work on it, as I'm scared to death if anything goes wrong, I would be paralyzed for life from the neck down. I have to bear and live with that pain with no recourse.

I've said enough, but no, Al please air out your physical conditions to us, if you have to even PM (private message it). You have a better knowledgeable group here, who have been there done that, who I found have been very helpful over the last 10 years. There's alot more than experienced yankke fan-atics here, but also men who have been through hell and back phsycally from our own experiences. It surpised me how many had been through what I did in 04. Some worse, and I thought what could be worse, than waking up with 6 ripped out discs, metal enough to set off metal detectors. I woke up in Recovery, first words, (not my styel either), told the RN, "I don't know what the F#@K you gave me for pain, but its no F$#@ing working, its giving me a god d#$n migraine from hell". I asked my wife, is there an Axe buried in my head, thats what I feel like". She said no axe, let me set the nurses straight. The gave me Morphine, when I was maxed out and intolerant to Morphine. So like a NASCAR pit crew, they have tape the put across my chest, of the strongest pain kller (name with-held), soaks up immediately into the heart, where its placed, plus a big shot of the same thing, then after hours I crashed hard. Only to wake up in the middle of the night, with my wife exhausted and finally asleep, in a courtesy bed next to me. I didn't want to wake here, so I grabbed for the ice water, and in slo-mo, I saw the pitcher tip, spilling on me, knew I couldn't move, and sucked it in the screamed, drawing in my 3 full time dedicated nurses to only my room, (as each of 48 bed patients also had 3 nurse). My NASCAR nurses held me up, changed the bedding in a Daytona minute. Stunned, I realized, the key to any surgery procedure:

1-Shop around, (it took me 3 years of looking) for the best qualified surgeon with the best track record, who was noted as the best by every doctor and surgeon I went to.

2-Make sure your hospital is able to accomodate you with at least 2 full time nurses, which 1 nurse alone usually has 6 rooms and patients by herself. That will never work, ensure you have fulltime personally dedicated nurses, who aren't afraid to call your surgeon if its 3 am at night, (to change medicine amounts or types.)

3-Enusre you wife or someone who knows you well enough to handle all your needs to the nurses, you will be out of it, to do what a wife can do for you.

4-Take the pain pills until your truly rehabilitated. In my case, I'm still not rehabilitated, but in as bad of shape as ever prior. however one needs to detox over and over, as you build up immunities to the meds. Once you realize they are killing you liver and kidneys, try to get off them long prior, or we all pas premanturely.

Now, "Honey where did I leave that chainsaw, can you walk out to the garage to get it, I start it, and bring some tournaquets, and alot of towels with you. If you can find my butane torch bring that too, I got some searing of arteries to do afterwards. Just to get a couple hours of sleep". LMAO.