Aren’t there some spine specialists on here?

You're such a fucking tool... Glad you're home.

 

In fairness to me, I was there for almost 2 weeks. It wasn’t like I showed up Monday and was like “Fuck this, I’m out!” and left Tuesday.

I met with the Neurosurgeon and he showed me all then MRIs and xrays. Everything seems to be in order and he believes those sensations are just from all then trauma/inflammation of surgery.

The nerve channels are all open. So it should get better with time. We’ll see.

 

I'm really happy for you.. Take it easy and enjoy sleeping in your own bed.

 

glad your home Chris. hope it feels good to sleep in your own bed tonight. Ski

 

I really hope you aren't pushing too hard, too soon. Sometimes your body just needs to chill for a little bit, before you go hard at it again.

You should only be comparing yourself, to yourself. How other people are doing is immaterial.

Best wishes on your recovery.

 

I can’t wait to hear the stories of the pool treadmill battle with the other handicap.

 

I think burpies would be the best thing for a guy in your situation.

Seriously, don't over do it. Train hard, rest hard.

 

So you were such a pain in his ass that it was easier just to give you the evaluation and then stay late to catch up on his reports. Good job applying the squeaky wheel theory to the situation.

 

I know how you feel, at least three times I reached the point where I couldn't take one more night
in the hospital (it's the nights that suck the worst) and I became enough of an asshole that they
realized it was time to let me go. I'm usually a great patient, though I can be tough to keep in bed sometimes.
Down at the hospital the nurses nicknamed me "The Walker" because I'd be wandering the halls at 3 AM,
pulling my IV and equipment poles behind me. During the day they insisted on having a therapist with
a big belt around my waist walking with me, slowing me down, plus the halls were full of people and I was
a wide load, but at night the halls were mine. I'd take the elevator to visit other floors, too.

Anyway, you got out, be happy with that and be a good boy, don't overdo it.
Write down a reasonable schedule of home therapy and then stick to it, don't do extra because you're
feeling a little better today, that's how you get yourself in trouble.
Maybe get someone to supervise you if you find you can't be trusted to not overdo.

I'm on the third day of a Medrol pack and it keeps me from sleeping which is why I'm
posting this at 4 twenty-something in the morning. Aside from the sleep issues, I love Methylprednisolone.
I'm nearly pain-free for the first time in 7 months and it is such a relief. It won't last but I really need the respite
for a few days. Constant pain makes you crabby and unenjoyable to be around, even for someone with a
normally sunny disposition like myself. Come noontime I'm going to be able to enjoy walking the dogs
with the old ball and chain.

 

You know how it goes, whatever it takes

 

Dude, that is excellent advice! I could probably sit here and think of 76,973x when that would have been handy.

Having a goal and doing whatever is needed to achieve it has never been a problem for me. My problem is that i am either "ALL in" or "fuck it". Once i make my mind up that i am "ALL in", i tend to go way overboard. Im not going to lie, there have been a couple of times that i have had setbacks with injuries from pushing too hard, too soon. And it was usually because "I feel pretty good today, i think i will try to.....".

I already have an appointment to get things started with an outpatient PT. The first meeting is an assessment. I can get them to not only tell me what i can do, but also tell me what i cant do. And then try to just stick to that, regardless of if i feel like doing more or not.

It sounds good in theory anyway...

 

Yeah. Sounds great. We know you LOVE being given boundaries and told to stay in your lane. This trait is only matched by your patience.

 

Shit. I got nothin’.

 

Pretty accurate.

 

I'm glad the MRI results were good. You're still a tool, though.

Seriously, I understand about being done with the rehab center. On both of my really long stays, no one could have talked me into staying longer when I decided I was done. Each time, I just got up one day and said "that's it." Did not even need to argue with anyone. They could tell by looking at me. The crucial difference is that things were not going to get significantly worse because I was going home. I mean, in the same way it's no different than being thrown out of a third floor window, or a fifth floor window. You get to a point where the extra shit doesn't scare you.

In your case, however, there are potentially some benefits to staying, but more importantly, a lot to lose if you leave and things go wrong. I'm not going to tell you to stay (or go back). As I said, I am very familiar with that "it's time to go home" feeling. At that point, no one can make you stay. I'll just hope for the best outcome for you.

 

You already said in this thread the best way to get you to do something is to tell you that you can not do it.

Just imagine how pissed off you will be if you push so hard that you fuck yourself up worse and end up hobbling around not being able to do anything for another year or more.

 

Dude seriously, IYC is right. Guys like us have that bullheaded tendency to overdo it when we are having a good day during a recovery process, all just to fuck ourselves up unrepairably. I’ve got some I can’t take back but wish I could. Great example: Ronnie Coleman. Also, if you’ve really powerlifted or whatever your choice of iron game is, through the years then you already know the golden rule that newbies haven’t learned.........many times over, “Less is More”. Good luck and godammit be patient dude! You’re in it for the long haul now, not a 1 time max effort And done.

 

This post is specifically talking about the nerve channel work, and my legs. Nothing in this post has anything to do with my spine itself, the artificial discs, hardware, etc.

For the guys that have had similar type procedures (or the specialists on here), what kind of recovery time is typical for the nerves/etc?

That is what started it all, was my right leg going numb. Now that it is all said and done, both knees are numb.

I have seen the results of the surgery on the "before" and "after" MRIs. It was clear that the nerve channel to my right leg was almost non-existent due to the broken fragments closing it off. And now, i can see that it is wide open. All of them are. He had them do multiple MRI's and xrays, so we reviewed the entire spine, top to bottom. All of the nerve channels are free and wide open.

However, both of my knees are numb, and i am getting some really bad stabbing pains in my left knee. I mean bad, as in, overwhelming. But it will only last a few seconds, and goes away.

Is that just from the nerves healing and "regaining communication" (for lack of a better description)? If so, does anyone know what kind of recovery time i am looking at for the nerves and shit?

 

I damaged my peroneal nerve (runs from the outside of the knee down through the top of the foot and controls toe lift) in a crash that broke off a chunk of the tibeal plateau. I Could not lift my foot at all initially. My research and experience with this suggested that, in general, nerve recovery mostly occurs within one year, and can be enhanced with exercises and massage, presuming the nerve bundles are accessible. Western and Eastern medicine diverge on neural treatments, but nerve recovery/regrowth is not very well understood or predictable in either. I would seek a biophyaical sports doctor trained in Eastern medicine specific to recovery after all the initial surgery and recovery options have been pursued from your current (western) doctors/staff. Just my take. YMMV.

 

Amputees call it phantom-pain. Research it for more/better info.
My understanding is, it is the individual wires 'searching/calling' for their corresponding servos/TC/ecu's/blinkers/etc. You still have your complete harness intact, so they will/should eventually wire back up.
I say, so far, so good, brother.