Post by ordinaryshaver on Nov 20, 2018 22:22:39 GMT -6
Well, as all yall probably know by now, I have had some health issues here in the not so distant past. I wanted to take a moment and say a few things.
Let me say right out of the gate and say this everyone that has commented, asked questions, or sent good vibes and prayers. It does mean alot, and while I would be remiss on saying it every time, I DO APPRECIATE it very much.
2. As far as an update goes, well here is the gist of it. I will need surgery, I do not know how invasive the surgery will be, or to what extent they will need to go to fix the problem. Here is the basic situation, and I will try to dumb it down as much as I can and explain it the way it was explained to me. I have 3 discs that are messed up. The L4,L5,and L6. All 3 are bulged, herniated, and slipped. L4 and L5 have started to show "signs" of basically starting to wear down. L6, If I remember correctly is the worst one and the reason for the pain that I have coming from that area is due to the nerve. I have a chronic pinched nerve that to the best anyone can tell without poking around inside, is essentially being compressed by the disc. That explains the loss in feeling of my lower leg, and right hand sometimes. It doesn't last for long, but it gets longer each time.
As far as surgery, I am planning to have it next summer when SWMBO is out of school and on break. I will be at the hospital for up to a week, and then home on limited movement for 5-7 days. After that, I will have to have help putting on shoes, pants, anything that requires bending over. I will not be able to work for at least a month, depending on how I progress. After that initial month, I will have the joy of going to physical and occupational physical therapy that can last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. So, needless to say, I am going to be recovering from this for the foreseeable future.
Right now, I am on a "nerve pain blocker" and it does help. However, it does nothing for the actual pain of the discs being slipped, as that is actually more of a muscle, than nerve issue. I am also on what is basically a higher does of Tylenol. I must drink lots of water, as one of the side affects is dry mouth.Well, one of the side affects of drinking more water, is having to release said water more often, so while I am still in constant pain, I get to add peeing every 30 minutes or so to the list of annoyances.
There is a limited amount of time I can be on the nerve blockers, as they can be damaging if left on them for too long, hence the reason for the time frame for surgery.
Unfortunately, I cannot just go see a chiropractor, or massage, as the issue is more wide reaching than they are able to help. I am also exploring various methods of "non traditional" remedies.
I laugh about my situation and am in good spirits, as I know there are those out there with more health issues than I have. I try to laugh, and laughter does go along way to helping at least temporarily provide a bit of relief of some of the stress, worry and pressure.
So, in conclusion, I get to have back surgery, and have at least 6 months of therapy. I will continue to update yall as I know and understand more.
Thanks again for the well wishes, it truly does a heart good to know that there are friends here that care about you.
God Bless, and Great Shaves
Aaron
Let me say right out of the gate and say this everyone that has commented, asked questions, or sent good vibes and prayers. It does mean alot, and while I would be remiss on saying it every time, I DO APPRECIATE it very much.
2. As far as an update goes, well here is the gist of it. I will need surgery, I do not know how invasive the surgery will be, or to what extent they will need to go to fix the problem. Here is the basic situation, and I will try to dumb it down as much as I can and explain it the way it was explained to me. I have 3 discs that are messed up. The L4,L5,and L6. All 3 are bulged, herniated, and slipped. L4 and L5 have started to show "signs" of basically starting to wear down. L6, If I remember correctly is the worst one and the reason for the pain that I have coming from that area is due to the nerve. I have a chronic pinched nerve that to the best anyone can tell without poking around inside, is essentially being compressed by the disc. That explains the loss in feeling of my lower leg, and right hand sometimes. It doesn't last for long, but it gets longer each time.
As far as surgery, I am planning to have it next summer when SWMBO is out of school and on break. I will be at the hospital for up to a week, and then home on limited movement for 5-7 days. After that, I will have to have help putting on shoes, pants, anything that requires bending over. I will not be able to work for at least a month, depending on how I progress. After that initial month, I will have the joy of going to physical and occupational physical therapy that can last anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. So, needless to say, I am going to be recovering from this for the foreseeable future.
Right now, I am on a "nerve pain blocker" and it does help. However, it does nothing for the actual pain of the discs being slipped, as that is actually more of a muscle, than nerve issue. I am also on what is basically a higher does of Tylenol. I must drink lots of water, as one of the side affects is dry mouth.Well, one of the side affects of drinking more water, is having to release said water more often, so while I am still in constant pain, I get to add peeing every 30 minutes or so to the list of annoyances.
There is a limited amount of time I can be on the nerve blockers, as they can be damaging if left on them for too long, hence the reason for the time frame for surgery.
Unfortunately, I cannot just go see a chiropractor, or massage, as the issue is more wide reaching than they are able to help. I am also exploring various methods of "non traditional" remedies.
I laugh about my situation and am in good spirits, as I know there are those out there with more health issues than I have. I try to laugh, and laughter does go along way to helping at least temporarily provide a bit of relief of some of the stress, worry and pressure.
So, in conclusion, I get to have back surgery, and have at least 6 months of therapy. I will continue to update yall as I know and understand more.
Thanks again for the well wishes, it truly does a heart good to know that there are friends here that care about you.
God Bless, and Great Shaves
Aaron