Had to wave goodbye

[brd7666]

Well, yesterday I sold the bike. I hated to do it, but life sometimes requires us to do things we don't want to do, but need to do. I am accumulating medical bills right now, and I didn't want to have that payment. Next Saturday I am having surgery on my lower spine. L4/L5 is herniated, and they are going to cut off the bulge. I'm trying to remain optimistic about this, but it's not easy. The reason I say that is because I have quite a bit of arthritis in that location as well, or spinal stenosis. So my fear is that the operation I'm having next week isn't going to solve all of my problems. If it doesn't, I will be looking at another operation that involves injections. An epidural steroid injection (ESI) is a combination of a corticosteroid with a local anesthetic pain relief medicine. Corticosteroids are strong anti-inflammatory medicines. Relieving swelling and inflammation can take pressure off nerves and other soft tissues, which can relieve pain. The local anesthetic medicine helps give you immediate pain relief. Corticosteroid medicines take longer to have an effect.

 

I have always been the kind of person who has wanted to work. I'm not afraid to work, and I don't want to stop working. There is a chance that if these things don't work for me, that I will have to go out on disability. I sure hope that doesn't happen.

 

Some people say, have the operation, others say don't do it. It's my body, and I'm going to do it. I'm not afraid to say that I'm scared. I'm 48 years old and this is not something that has been easy to deal with.

 

Someday I hope to have another bike. I will still hang out here, because the people here are a bunch of good people. If I ever get another bike, you all will be the first to know. Thanks for listening.

[syscrusher]

My GF's brother-in-law just had back surgery in August and he's now feeling so much better. He's back to smoking big chunks of meat over the Labor Day holiday and getting around very well. He had vertebra fused and a couple titanium rods inserted to keep that portion from moving. It sounds like your surgery will be quite a bit less radical than that. Your doctors must think that you can get good results without such radical surgery. I'd expect that they're right and you should be fine. If not there's lot's more that can be done.

Don't worry, be happy.

[BlueSky]

Last year a co-worker had a back operation to relieve the pressure on his sciatic nerve from his bulging disc. It worked great for him. One thing that I have noticed is that when my lower back is giving me fits, if I cut my caloric intake in half, my back pain almost goes away. This tells me that my problem involves arthritis or gout which is a form of arthritis.

[cowpuc]

WOW BRD,, I can totally relate to your situation (and I KNOW lots of others here can too).. I have had 5 back surgeries myself and KNOW full well of the suffering that goes with both the issues leading up to and after surgerys.

My friend, I tried everything from pain killers, therapy and even electric shock therapy (they implant a wire along side the spine with electrodes on it, then implant a small pace maker device that sends a signal thru the wire to disrupt nerve signals - worked great until my body rejected the device).. I can tell you that without the surgeries I would still be in a wheel chair today!!

It took a long time to hook up with the correct Neuro Surgeon who finally found the bone fragments at my L5/Sac on an MRI and those were very very tough years on both me physically and emotionally.. Besides being extremely draining on finances, it was also VERY hard on our family life.. I also spent over a year in a turtle shell (and good lord, the drug therapy was unreal) before life began to settle back down..

There is nothing fun about living in pain, not being able to sleep at night, being grumpy with the ones you love, not being able to do the things you love.. Those are very very hard times my friend!!

I HIGHLY commend you for taking the steps to find relief and for having the courage to do so!! I know of all the scary info (being told the things that can happen both during and after surgery is disconcerting to say the least) but can also tell you, to me it was worth the risks and I am sooooooooo glad I did them!!

As I recall, removal of part of the disc is called a Discectomy (sp).. If that rings a bell with you and nothing has changed in the procedure, I have some very strong advice.. Talk to your Doctor about this.. When they remove that little piece of meat from the bulging disc a "void" is present where the bulge once was.. That tiny void takes time to fill in to the point that the shaved edge of the disc has support.. If pressure is applied to the spine and presses down on the remaining disc before the void fills in the disc can easily reherniate - NOT GOOD!! I was told that most failures with this type of surgery are the result of the above!! People come home feeling great and wanna get right back to living and overdo it... Listen to your Doctor closely!!

You have my thoughts and prayers Brd for an excellent recovery and a return to the madness we all love!!

Godspeed

Puc

[venturesome]

I had a herniated disc in 1985 at the age of 40, with subsequent surgery. I was bedridden for 2 weeks with severe pain and since I was an active pilot, was very worried that I would not be able to fly again. The surgery totally alleviated the pain and I flew for another 20 years, and would still be flying if I could afford it! A lot has been done regarding procedures and recovery time, so your outcome is positive.

We are all a family here and wish you a speedy recovery.

Keep us posted.

[Donvito]

Hi Brian,

 

Just want to let you know that I wish you the best. We have communicated via this site but we have never met. I hope we can meet some day.

 

As you know, I live in Palm Harbor, so if you need anything, let me know and I will do what I can to help.

[Barrycuda]

I have been fortunate to ride with Brian on several occasions. Stand up guy, class act and a good guy overall. As a therapist, and one who used to work specifically in a neck and spine center, I won't go into my philosophies etc. Getting the surgery done at an earlier age is a bit beneficial. With today's advances in science and medicine, there are so many more things we can do to help our bodies. Brian has already helped his own cause by dropping excess weight. Good news there! For those who do not know Brian, he is a valued member of the VR site, at least IMO. There are plenty of post surgery things that all are encompassing related to your successful recovery. Make sure you go through every available option/ treatment. This is a new chapter. You have my number if you need anything, and if you can't call or text, ask the lady....

Keep me/ us posted.

[Phoneman1981]

Good luck with your back operation. Your health is most important.