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I am eight months out from my third lumbar fusion, and can deal with the numbness and pain that comes when I hike or stand in one place for more than a little while. I can stretch out of that.
But now it is shooting our from the right side of L4-5 into my hip and down my leg, dang it. Couldn't get much sleep and couldn't hunt elk Wednesday -- barely could on Tuesday. Guessing from bitter previous experience that there is a new bulge somewhere in there, but this last one also involved rods and screws. Boys and girls, take precious care of your backs when you can. Once they start to fail, they just keep failing according to what I have been through for the past 20 years. And to top it off, I have the devil of arthritis dancing on my old spine.
Sorry for the rant. Just letting off some steam while I wait for my surgeon to return my call ...
I hear ya Bill at 65 my body is failing me too.
Praying things get better for ya pard.
Because I Can, and Have
-------------------------------------------------------------
USAF-72-76
God Bless America.
Disclaimer, not responsible for anyone copying or building anything i make.
Always consult an expert first.
It sure is tough Bill. there is no easy way out. doctor put x-rays up on the wall bout 12 years ago and with a smirk on His face said "look what a life of labor did for You." the last few years I worked 100lb boxes I threw around My whole life seemed like 300. this year I left a rope over the roof to hold on to when I clean the gutters and chimney. one day at a time. stay strong.
I've mentioned it here before... I have a best friend (now my daughter's father-in-law) who tried numerous pills, several surgeries and all kinds of stretching and exercise -- and the only thing that has permanently helped his back was: Accupuncture
Now this is one of the most conservative guys you'd ever meet, but he was desperate -- and skeptical when they put pins in his forehead and neck and everywhere except the lower back -- but he got relief from the pain!
He started at 3X per week, then 2X to 1X, then once every 2 weeks, then 1X monthly -- and now he only goes if he's stressed at work or overdoes it and "feels something coming on" in his back.
It may not work for all, but it has CHANGED his life for the better.
Just an opinion, but your back is capable of sustaining permanent damage from the littlest things. Gentle exercises to warm it up before hard labor seem to help. If acupuncture helps, then do not be ashamed or afraid to use it. There is no one cure that I am aware of to fix back issues. Good luck, and I really do hope all of you with back issues find something that helps besides using opioid pain relievers. Opioids are useful, but they are a terrible risk as addiction happens to many who are trying to not take too much.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
Thanks friends. This stuff just comes with the terrain of age, genetics and life and work experience.
My surgeon's office is calling in a "steroid pack" that I will take for six days. Hope it really helps. I have an interview next Wednesday for a part-time job that I'd like to get and I would hate to hobble in with a cane ...
Cut out salt and sugar for the next 10 days due to the steroids. That type raises blood sugar and tricks the kidneys into not filtering out sodium. No need to be nervous, irritable, nauseated, and puffy from water weight gain. Yes, that type of steroid gives you some of of the symptoms of PMS.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
I also use an Acorn back brace that is AWESOME, and a Xynex Nexwave nerve stimulator - they got me in the deer stand when I could barely walk without them...! The manufacturer of the Acorn is waiving co-pays until the end of the year I think.
Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws "first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.
Sorry Dude! Bubbles has been having back issues for the last couple of years. Pushing 30 years on her feet in high heels at the bank, has taken it's toll. She's been through several treatments at the Clev. Clinic. The best thing so far has been an epidural (sp) shot and as goofy as it sounds, yoga lessons. The stretching every morning has done a lot of good for her. When I can get her to do it au natural it does a lot for my days too!! At 52 she's still a beauty!!
jb
Last edited by 2ndovc on Fri Dec 13, 2019 7:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
jasonB " Another Dirty Yankee"
" Tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"
Dang I hate to hear about that Bill. That pain sounds an awful lot like when I ruptured a disc. Discectomy fixed me for that particular session, but I remember being ready to eat my gun before the surgery finally happened. Backs: when they decide to punish us they really go after it with a vengeance.
The greatest patriot...
is he who heals the most gullies. Patrick Henry
Earl, your healing experience is a bright spot. So few backs get healed and stay healed the way yours has.
Finally found a comfortable position in bed this morning in the wee hours, when the small dog next door decided to serenade the moon.
Doc, I have a very good back brace with pull tighteners that helps a bit.
Hoping this course of methylprednisalone works its magic.
Jason, I won't go there out of respect to your happy marriage!
Those nerve stimulators do help for some, but there is not anything that works for everyone. We have too much variation in our genetics for that to happen. Do not give up. There is something that will help.
Jason, you are a lucky man. Make sure your wife knows how you feel about her. Having a great spouse sure makes life better.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
piller wrote: ↑Fri Dec 13, 2019 9:03 am
Those nerve stimulators do help for some, but there is not anything that works for everyone. We have too much variation in our genetics for that to happen. Do not give up. There is something that will help.
Jason, you are a lucky man. Make sure your wife knows how you feel about her. Having a great spouse sure makes life better.
It certainly does. Second time for both of us, but i think we got it right. We look after each other, this getting older thing ain't easy. I have lower back pain from a fall on a construction sight but it only bothers me if I get really stressed out. I've managed to realize what causes the painful spikes and can deal with it. The tail bone injury part won't ever go away , but as long as I have a comfortable vehicle( I spend most of my day in a pickup), it usually isn't a problem. Really crazy part is up until four years ago we were both as healthy as a horse.
jb
jasonB " Another Dirty Yankee"
" Tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?"
Well, friends, the course of steroids did virtually nothing for the back pain, so I'll be driving the 80 miles to El Paso to see my surgeon this morning. I hope to gosh he has a plan. Wish me luck if you would.
This is getting old -- like me!
Prayers sent. I see quite a few people getting injections that contain a steroid and a long lasting numbing agent into the back. It seems to help most of them to some degree. No, it does not help all of them. Again, it is the variation among us. Nothing works on all of us. Whatever route you and your Doctor decide on, I hope it works without side effects.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
Because I Can, and Have
-------------------------------------------------------------
USAF-72-76
God Bless America.
Disclaimer, not responsible for anyone copying or building anything i make.
Always consult an expert first.
As of yet, Texas is not doing anything about Gabapentin. There is a pretty fair amount of evidence making its way to the light of day that it is causing some addiction. As Old No 7 says, be careful with it.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
The taper off is due to it being originally an anti-epilepsy drug. Suddenly stopping high doses of it may trigger seizures, even if you have never had seizures. No medicine is completely safe.
D. Brian Casady
Quid Llatine Dictum Sit, Altum Viditur.
Advanced is being able to do the basics while your leg is on fire---Bill Jeans
Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up---Robert Frost
piller wrote: ↑Fri Dec 20, 2019 4:36 pm
The taper off is due to it being originally an anti-epilepsy drug. Suddenly stopping high doses of it may trigger seizures, even if you have never had seizures. No medicine is completely safe.
Now that I am up to full strength on that prescription, I do feel very slightly loopy. I will be glad to get off of it. Hope the MRI shows what needs to be done.
At 52 she's still a beauty!! 
