My story after all these years/ update/02/03/18 back surgery yesterday

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Hang in there Bob. Maybe you can get relief soon.

Thank you!

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I had my lumbar injection today! The surgeon had ordered it to be at the L3/2 left side location but the doctor doing the injection, (a spine radiologist specialist) felt the the L4/3 left side was in more need of it and would do more help after looking over the MRI and X-rays. L5/4 were fused in 2009.

After the proceeded I was almost totally pain free! I still had some pain that they figure is coming from the L3/2 area, but for the most part it felt great in my back and down my left leg!

I was told that the pain may and usually comes back after awhile until the drug of the injection starts to work, could take up to five days or as little as three. How long that it last will very on each person, but can be repeated, or it proves where the problem is and then can lead to another surgery, number 8. Yes, I'm willing to go into another back surgery if it means lowering my chronic pain!

My breast I can live with no matter how big they are, but constant pain, well, it's a pain!

It has been about 5 hours since the procedure, and the numbing meds have wore off so the pain is back, and the feelings in my leg. I sure hope the meds in the injection work!



Bob

[Paa_Paw]

Hope it gives you the relief you need.

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Thanks Paa_Paw, the good news today is, as I walked around the house doing my morning honey dos my pain increased, however, within an extremely sort time of sitting in my infinity lift chair recliner I was darn near pain free in all the target areas!

God is great!

[Paa_Paw]

Amen.

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I had an appointment in pain clinic today to see if anything could be done to help if the pain caused by the stenosis being done by L2/3 and L3/4 on the left side of my spine. The doc I saw was the same one that burnt my nerves from my SI joint and he did remember both Debbie and I.

After reviewing the exrays and MRI, and talking with us he felt the best thing for me would be to go through another back surgery! This really was no surprise to either of us as this was what we were expecting to hear.

My question to Debbie was would you rather do the snow blowing or mow the grass? She said she wants me to get rid of the pain ASAP so she will do the snow blowing if I can get in for the surgery!

The pain clinic doc said he would send a note to my spine doctor and told me to also send him an email so that he may get the ball rolling!

I also made a appointment while I was there with my primary to look at my right prosthetic knee in about a week! It feels like it may be loose or something. When I go to stand up it feels like a gear is locked and won't disengage, (there are no gears, best way to discribe how it feels) and the pain shoots to a level of 10 but just until I can get it to start moving, then it will settle down! This happens each time I stand up! It started New Years eve.

You know, it hell to get old!

[Paa_Paw]

Your Debbie sounds like a real keeper.  Hopefully the red tape and paper-work do not hold things up for too long.

Incidentally, I am not yet old so you cannot be old either. I will confess that there is an old guy looking  at me in the mirror,   

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Paa_paw this year we will celibate 28 years of marrage in August, but truth be told we celebrate each day that the Lord gives us, as we are also best friends and enjoy each day we have together!

Remember, we are only as old as we feel and sometimes, I'm very old!

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Went in on Friday to the VA to get my knee looked at and left with more questions then answers in one way! The X-rays did show some water or some kind of fluid on the knee so I'm going to orthopedics next week for that. I got my back surgery scheduled for the second week of March unless the knee has a bigger problem then just draining the fluid! I've had that before, and I remember it hurting but not like this, maybe it the prosthetic that makes it worse.

They sent me home with one of those really nice walkers with a seat on it to use in the house to provent falling as I use two cans to get around in side the home. This way I can sit on it to do dishes to help Debbie out too!

I had blood work done too and some levels were high or low! The thyroid meds were chaged again twice in two months and something in the kidneys were high so I have a kidney test to do now!

If it isn't one thing, it's another!

[igotum]

Hang in there man. I went last Thursday, Tu, will go again this evening, and again Fri. Different problems. Mine is plugged up arteries in my hip area and legs(I think). Today I get the results of a nuclear stress test and CTA scan trying to find the blockage. The test involves taking two sets of images of your heart — one while you're at rest and another after you heart is stressed, either by exercise or medication. Seemed like hundreds of pictures taken me laying on that table. Maybe can just put in stents. If not will have to do bypasses like they did with my heart. I can still walk but very slow. Try to speed up and my legs just go to jelly.

 Try to stay positive. Hope you get some relief too.

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Hang in there man. I went last Thursday, Tu, will go again this evening, and again Fri. Different problems. Mine is plugged up arteries in my hip area and legs(I think). Today I get the results of a nuclear stress test and CTA scan trying to find the blockage. The test involves taking two sets of images of your heart — one while you're at rest and another after you heart is stressed, either by exercise or medication. Seemed like hundreds of pictures taken me laying on that table. Maybe can just put in stents. If not will have to do bypasses like they did with my heart. I can still walk but very slow. Try to speed up and my legs just go to jelly.

 Try to stay positive. Hope you get some relief too.

I can't say my legs feel like jelly, but they feel like they're not going to hold me up, more like they are going to collapse and just full of pain. Left side is from the back all the way down to the foot, caused by the back, and right side from the knee down, caused by the knee!

Good luck with those test my friend! If you end up in the hospital for awhile, shot me an email with the room number and I'll give you a call to help you kill some time, or call me if you got your cell, and my number with! Hospital time can be a real drag!

God bless,
Bob

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I seen my surgeon about my knee pain today and he said that my knee cap is getting caught on the scare tissue that has formed after the totall knee replacement! This knee was replaced in November of 2006 so I hope the other doesn't follow the same path as it was only 3 months later in February of 07!

We decided that I would need surgery to remove the scare tissue, however I would wait until after the back surgery in March before moving forward on the knee! The knee surgery would not be as bad of a surgery and I can manage the knee right now more then the back!

I also had the ultrasound on the kidneys today and bladder due to that high level in my blood work. The level wasn't that bad but being a diabetic they want to look at stuff I guess. From what I understand other problems in your body can cause this level to go up even like a ripe in a mussel. I know what it's called but I'm not going to try and spell it, it starts with a "K" I think and sounds like carotenes.

Of course I don't have the results of the ultrasound yet, but I'm not really worried about that at this point being the level was a hight normal.

[skinny-s]

Hammer, Bob if I may.
   My problems seem insignificant compared to you.  Just 6 months from L4,L5 fusion, total right hip replacement 11 years ago and a left knee that is reminding of the meniscus cartilage removal 25 years ago, candidate for total knee replacement.   X ray,s of the back look's like an old road map of Wolf Creek Pass. Got the old man complaints of the body wearing out and boobs.  Not that I ever abused it ; )  , played hard and am glad that I have the memories.  Lately I have been converting old slides and photos to digital and they bring up a lot of good memories.  Reading your story I gather your life was not lived in n armchair either.  When pain starts to get the best of me I do some mental trips to the places I have been and things I have done.
   By the way happy belated birthday 1/22 if I am correct.  Just remember illegitimi non carborundum. Take care and my thoughts are with you.      

      Other Bob

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Yes Bob, you may as Bob is the name, well actually it's Robert but it was just dad that called me that when I was in trouble! Lol

You're right, I had a great life while I was healthy! Navy diver, buisness owner, 3 of them, fathered 5, but lost one when he was just 6 years old. 4th grandchild on the way. I over did everything that I did! I was fit, and strong as hell! Even now with hands full of arthritis I can put my "farm boy" son-in-law to his knees with a hand shake!

I also was involved with law enforcement, and still support my city PD with a backup VHF repeater. I'm also a Ham Radio Operator and have all the radio repair equipment in my radio shack for maintaining radios and repeaters, so I do this as a volunteer, however, that's getting harder to do, but they are really good about providing someone to assist me if I need it.

I still enjoy life, like deer hunting with a shoot from a vehicle permit, I use my ATV. I love to fish, both summer and ice fishing here in Minnesota.

Thanks for the birthday wishes, and yes I turned 57 on the 22nd.

Bob, no matter how bad it gets, I plan to do my best to keep on enjoying life the best I can, and I hope you do the same! God bless!


Bob

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I received a call yesterday from my primary care doctor just after taking a couple Tylenol for a headache that I had all day. She told me that the news was not to bad except giving all the issuses that I had with my body and two surgeries in the near future made it so the news was worse then it would be for most people!

She said the main thing that I needed to do is not take ANY over the counter pain medication at all! That includes Tylenol, Advil, Aleve, or and others that are sold over the counter by any name! Funny thing is I hardly ever do take any of these, exept that today "yesterday" I had taken two doses for the headache.

The other thing that I need to do as always is continue to try and lose weight, ya easier said then done when you can't walk very fair, so the only way is not eating!

Now, my big question was, what about pain medication after surgery! I usually get hydromorphone, so will that bother my kidneys? She didn't think that it would and with a back surgery and a knee surgery coming soon and most of the common pain meds are like eating "jolly Ranchers" for me I don't have a lot of choices in prescription pain medication either!