Suffering back pain?

[Granny]

Suffering back pain?.... simply for the lack of a better title

I have been reluctant to post this on Chit-Chat as I didn't want to appear that I was looking for a pity-party, and also I just didn't know enough about what was going on to do what I would call a sensible post. The CTB gang has been with me all the way through this and I think most of them are pretty well up to date on it.

I started having some pretty serious back pain problems sometime during mid-August, possibly going back as far at the end of July. Anyway, after a painful trip to the ER, some X-rays, Ultrasound and an MRI I ended up having back surgery on September 25th and I am now pretty well out-of-commission for a while. The surgery went very well and I am told I have a very good chance of a full recovery if I am careful, and do exactly what the doctor tells me to do. That being said, I probably won't be (as JC tells me) strutting my "grumpy old ass" out to many events for the rest of this year. So CNC guys, I won't be making the Fall Bash this year. The Fall Jamboree, and Veterans ride is also off the calendar and the same goes with about anything else that pops up for the rest of this year.

I hope to get my two sons to help me before cold weather to winterize my boat and camper and I will sit back over the winter and hopefully get myself back in shape to greet the spring of 2014. I just felt it was probably well past time for me to post this up. So far I am doing very well. JC probably knows what is going on with me as well as anyone, and I have no problems with him (or anyone else) sharing the information. There are no secrets!

Looking forward to seeing y'all again when I can get back out!

 

[McCracken]

I feel your pain. No pun intended. I've fought back pain for roughly 10 years. I ruptured some discs in my back and took steroid shots for a couple years till I was half functional. All I can say is do what they tell you to do and do not overexert yourself. it's just not worth it to set yourself back after you've made progress. good luck.

 

[Mulishajoe]

Take it easy the event's and wheeling will still be here when your up to par.

 

[transman731]

sorry to hear you had to go through all of that. what did you have done?

i suffered from back pain for many years until i could no longer function. i saw many doctors about it until one had a solution that i was comfortable with. all the doctors i saw were hell bent on fusing the discs and inserting rods. to me that was a no-go. i had 3 bad discs of which 2 were completely gone(l2,l3,l4), as a result of the years of "dealing" with the pain. the procedure i had done took fat out of my ass and made new discs and "installed" them in place of the discs that had disappeared.
i was walking and released from the hospital the next day and back to work in 8 weeks.(2 of those weeks were from a severe head injury that i had gotten the day after they released me to go back to work) my only instructions for post surgery were, i couldn't sit in a chair,(either laying down or standing) i had to walk for as long as i could stand it every day. they wanted me to be able to walk a mile after 3 days and 3 miles a day after a week. knock on wood, that was almost 15 years ago and i have been ok ever since. i still have pain every once in a while, but a trip to the chiropractor usually clears me up for a few months.

do as the doctors say and hopefully every thing goes well. i wish you a speedy recovery , as joe said, all of those things will be there when you are feeling better.

 

[BRUISER]

sorry to hear that.. Hope your recovery goes well and let us know if you need anything..

I have 2 herniated discs in my lower back so I know some of the pain you have or had..

Dont worry about the Fall Bash.. get better and we will see you next year

Ken C

 

[Granny]

sorry to hear you had to go through all of that. what did you have done?

As the Doc wrote it...

DIAGNOSIS: Lumbar disc herniation on left with caudal migration and right sided disc herniation on the right at L4-5

SURGICAL PROCEDURE: Bilateral lumbar L4-L5 discetomies and decompression

DESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURE: Incise the back, separate the muscles, decompress the nerves by removing parts of the bone, ligament and disc at L4-L5

And a cut & paste from an earlier post on CTB forum: (saves me typing... and mistakes)

Long time CTB member Don Custer had back surgery today and is recovering well after a 2.5 hour surgery. Things went well and no complications are expected. The Dr did find damage to other discs and quite a bit of nerve bruising. The hope is that healing will take place in both discs and nerves now that the major problem has been addressed. Don should be home Thursday. No driving for 2 weeks, no lifting for 6 weeks. The Dr really wants him to come back slowly considering the other disc issues and it could be several months before he is back to his old, cranky self. Keep praying for Don and Darlene as they recover together!

.....old, cranky self, huh?... speak of the pot calling the kettle black!

OK... John has all the facts correct... so I will simply add some more...

I got home from the hospital this afternoon. I consider it nothing short of a miracle that I am standing and walking, both pain free. I simply do not hurt at all... I pray it lasts. To add frosting to the cake I have not taken any pain medication whatsoever since I came out of surgery on Wednesday. Other than a slight bit of discomfort where my clothes rub my back where the incisions are I feel fine. I have a drain tube coming out of my back going into a plastic vacuum pouch. I have to record the total amount of fluid that accumulates in the pouch in an 8-hour period. Once this drops to a certain level then the drain tube can be removed. After that I can shower daily and the bandages can be changed. On October 7th the staples will be removed. From there it will all be up to time and whatever God has in his plan for me. I am very thankful that I was referred to this particular neurosurgeon. Everyone I have talked to that knows him, or knows of him, has made it a point to tell me just how lucky I am to have him taking care of me. That means a lot!

That pretty much sums it up.

sorry to hear that.. Hope your recovery goes well and let us know if you need anything..

I have 2 herniated discs in my lower back so I know some of the pain you have or had..

Dont worry about the Fall Bash.. get better and we will see you next year

Ken C

I hope to be back to normal by spring... or whatever normal is in my case.

 

[mbalbritton]

Been there too. Herniated a disc in my lower back. I had back surgery where they clipped the hernia off and stitched it up. I followed the Dr.s orders to the T and I've been fine since.... until recently when I felt a pop in the same spot. have a little pain now and then, but not like I did before.

best of luck with yours.

 

[Tom@Hilltop_Machine]

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

 

[Granny]

Thanks to all!!! I still seem to be doing OK. I got the drain removed from my back and got to take a shower yesterday... talk about nice.... WOW!

I'm still taking virtually no pain meds other than one Hydrocodone at bedtime which seems to make me sleep better... other than that... nothing. I'm walking about 1/2 mile 2-3 times a day. The doctor and nurses all said walking was the best thing I could do for myself... so I will be off again in a little while.

 

[krzyabncanuck]

I have been dealing with back pain since I was in a school in the Army . They tried to fuze my back numerous times over the years but I kept saying no to Army Quacks. Now that I am out I find they are on the cutting edge and kinda wish I had something done. Maybe one day. Glad it has worked out good for you so far and wishing you the best.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[mommucked]

Thanks to all!!! I still seem to be doing OK. I got the drain removed from my back and got to take a shower yesterday... talk about nice.... WOW!

I'm still taking virtually no pain meds other than one Hydrocodone at bedtime which seems to make me sleep better... other than that... nothing. I'm walking about 1/2 mile 2-3 times a day. The doctor and nurses all said walking was the best thing I could do for myself... so I will be off again in a little while.

That's awesome! I'm glad you've gotten some relief. I have a herniated disc at my pelvis and 10 or 12 years ago it was very debilitating w severe sciatica. An orthapedic wanted to put in a cage and fuse but said I was too young for that. I finally got relief after 2+ years of agony from 3 epidural steroid injections. I,ve recently started to have trouble again and am trying hard to be carefull and hope it will go away soon. I hate taking pain pills because they've made me hurt my back worse, when i'm feeling little or no pain.

 

[cardudenc]

I hate to hear this Don,but glad to hear you are doing well and almost pain free. Thats probably the best news I have ever heard from anyone this soon after surgery. and transman's statement. I have never heard
so now for the question. who is your Dr? yours and transman. they have been trying to cut on me for well over a yr. after my recent surgery to repair 3 ft hernias, 1 tore loose 6 wks later. there is about no way. and of course, I have never spoken to anyone that wasnt still having trouble after back surgery. I have 1 herniated and 1 deteriorating disc. almost every month my med dosage gets increased. but it never helps. so i would love to hear who you guys went to. and wish you both well with continuing to be pain free

 

[Granny]

Still no complaints as of this morning... no pain meds needed yet, and feeling pretty good. Walking about 1/2 mile 2-3 times as day.

Dr. Roy in Salisbury is my neurosurgeon, and I think my comments pretty well express my opinion of him.

If I understand correctly you need to be referred to him (I was): http://piedmontneurosurgeryandspine.com/

 

[Granny]

Quick update... I am still doing fine, listening to what the Doc told me, being careful and walking. I tried going a little further yesterday, but I believe short walks more often work better for me than longer ones so I am pretty much sticking with what I posted above. I go in on Monday to have the staples removed. If the Doc tells me anything new I will let y'all know.

 

[Granny]

Got the staples (15 of 'em) taken out today... WOW does that ever feel good! They were beginning to itch and irritate. I don't go back again until Nov 6th, but all the previous restrictions still apply, except I can drive some after this week. Still pain free, still making progress, and getting damn good at doing nothing!

 

[Dylan W.]

So..your pain was not from crushed nuts OR arthritis?

Glad you are feeling better!
Did you shave that sasquatch off your face yet?

 

[Granny]

^^^ Ha Ha Ha.... Nope!... at least not this time around! Appreciate it!... and Yep, it came off in the spring. Come around once in a while and you will know these things.

 

[Dylan W.]

^^^ Ha Ha Ha.... Nope!... at least not this time around! Appreciate it!... and Yep, it came off in the spring. Come around once in a while and you will know these things.

You got me there Don...I'll be coming back around more in the future.

 

[transman731]

i will have to look for paperwork to get my doctors name.
i never had staples or stitches, they put steri-strips on me and my scar is about 2" long.

the day i came home from the hospital, the wife went to cvs to get my prescriptions filled and left me alone in the house. the doctors told her i would be under the influence of the morphine for 24hrs, but should be fine after that. she left and i somehow developed the feeling of bugs in my hair. (enter the effects of morphine) when she got home from cvs, i met her at the door with a pair of scissors in hand and about 10 spots of hair left on my head.(couldn't reach everywhere) i have been shaving my head ever since.

glad your feeling better don.

 

[rodney eppes]

Wow Lee! Good thing you didn't think it was crabs, no telling What you might have cut off!

 

[Granny]

Appreciate it, Lee. Rodney has a good point there. I'll bet you're glad it was just your head that was itching!

Looks like I might also be off the Hydrocodone now... I forgot to take one before I went to bed last night and I actually slept better, and longer. I'm going to skip it this morning and see if I notice any difference.

 

[Granny]

It has been 24 days now, the back is still doing fine, and I have been off all meds for well over a week. I still have almost 3 weeks of strict restrictions to go, then whatever comes next.

I had a good scare this morning when I woke up. My back hurt, and I did not feel good at all. I told my wife something was wrong, but I just could not pin point the problem at the time. A little later I felt a stabbing throb in my left side and I could feel something move. In spite of the pain, I breathed a sigh of relief and actually laughed. This was all around 9:00 am. About 12:30 pm I went to the bathroom and pee'd a 3mm kidney stone. My day is going very well now!

 

[upnover]

SUmmmbaaouch!
That had to hurt!

Glad it was short lived and passed!

 

[Blkvoodoo]

that would have ( and has ) lingered inside me for weeks causing me grief ! been 13-14yrs since the last one, hope it never happens again ! Back pain, well......

 

[Granny]

SUmmmbaaouch!
That had to hurt!

Glad it was short lived and passed!

Not so much this time... just that short spell early, after that a couple calm hours and it passed. I have had a half dozen or so stones over the past 20-30 years. Some have hurt terribly, made me sick, and put me in the hospital... I would actually call this one "Easy".

that would have ( and has ) lingered inside me for weeks causing me grief ! been 13-14yrs since the last one, hope it never happens again ! Back pain, well......

It's been 2-3 years since the last one, and some do take longer to pass. I also have current prescription of Percocet handy at all times... just in case of a nasty one.