My back is revolting...again. :(

TruWrecks

Banned
And no, I didn't take a picture of my butt to post. :rofl:

For the last three days I have been ignoring pain in my lower back. I thought I pulled a muscle. It got so bad yesterday I couldn't ignore it anymore. Yesterday morning I could hardly walk or stand. I went to the doctor yesterday and found out why.

I have a disc that is pressing against the L4 root nerve that goes down to my right leg. I had a similar problem with the L5 root nerve in my left leg a couple of years ago, and that ended in surgery (as some here might remember). About 1/3rd of my L4-L5 disc was removed after several months of dealing with it. That caused some permanent nerve damage for my left leg. My doc also told me they can't trim any more out of the L4-L5 disc or there won't be enough to support the vertebrae from rubbing each other. The L4-L5 vertebrae are already touching if I try to bend backwards any amount. Having potentially the same problem with my right leg is not what I wanted to hear today. :banghead:

I don't remember doing anything to strain my back that bad. Maybe age is just catching up with me. Just because we are meant to grow old doesn't mean I have to grow up. :whistle:

The next few weeks are going to determine what happens next. Hopefully I will be in good shape to ride next spring. It's not like I'm going to stop now, but I will be more careful when I ride for the next few weeks. :please:

Currently I'm holding the pain off with some good meds. The only problem with the meds is that I would need to take enough to be DUI if I tried to ride or drive after taking those. :rulez:

Note to everyone: Even if you are not abusing your body things can happen. Take care of your spine. It's the only one you have.

:beerchug:
 
You need a rack in the basement :laugh: Hope you get to feeling better soon. Do you walk sideways ? Been there, done that :poke:
 
I feel for you. I have a few herniated disks in my neck from improper posture while sitting of all things. Spent a couple months in physical theropy before deciding whether or not to get surgery. My neck is only slightly uncomfortable now, but they rearched my spine in PT to take the pressure off my neck, and now I spend most of my time feeling like I have a knife sticking in between my shoulder blades. Don't know what I'm going to do about that yet, it could just be the soft tissues aclimating themselves to the new curvature. Still riding though. I'm not much for meds, so I'm just griting my teeth and bearing it for now.
 
Last November I had L4 & L5 discs removed and replaced with a double fuzion. Degenerated, dehydrated, slipped vertabre and compressed by 70% in L5 and 50% in L4. I never had any tramatic injuries there but I lived with the pain every day for a year and a half with siatica in my right leg so bad my toes went numb. The surgery was the best choice I ever made. No more pain. I can still feel the nerve moving around in my rear when I wiggle my toes but I can live with it. Still no more pain. I have much sympathy for you bro. I have felt your pain. Good luck with it in the future.
 
I crushed my L1 when i was 18 yrs old in a car accident ...never been the same. A hot shower in the morning is the least i need to get going everyday. Then a crack of the back and neck, and i'm usually good to go... sux
 
Well, I got tired of laying around doing nothing and decided to vacuum my house today, taking it easy, with catastrophic results.

I can feel burning sensations in both legs in different spots. I keep checking to see what is poking my left foot, burning my left calf, pushing on my right arch, and touching my right knee. All of this and my back is throbbing too. I had a friend over that thought I was going into shock because I was cold and sweaty. Hopefully the VA will call back shortly. Doing nothing is killing me slowly. I can't stand the pain meds, but I will have to deal with it until something is done. Anti-inflammatory, muscle relaxers, and pain meds have bad side effects when you take them all together. Tomorrow I will be calling the VA at 8AM when they open. Hopefully I can get in for an MRI early next week before anything else falls off. :whistle:

This really sucks because it looks like it's going to be Busa weather this weekend. I'll be spending the weekend laying around listening to Faith No More and Guns 'N' Roses.

I'm done for the season, ready or not.

Sorry about the rambling. I'm getting cabin fever from being stuck at home for a few days.
 
Man I feel for ya. I've had two back operations in 1.5 years. First one in 09/08/01 then another one 5/29/03. I went 8 months in pain before opting for the first operation. When i hurt my back again in May of 03. I only waited 4 weeks before I couldn't take it any more. I was in more pain after the second surgery then before. But that was because they had to go through scar tissue. It took 2 months to recover.
 
Is there anyway you can see other docs outside the VA system? You could be waiting awhile. My Grandfather was basically butchered at the Richmond, Virginia VA hospital. He had back problems too. They operated a few times, but he eventually lost the use of his legs and the paralysis just kept creeping up his body. He was 67 when he died. Choked to death on meds that were given to him at 1:30AM by a nurse at the VA hospital. The one here in St Louis isn't much better either, based on my experience with them. It makes me SICK that our government can't do better for our veterans. And people want our government to run health care for the entire country? ???

God Bless, I really hope you can find some relief soon.
 
Time to sell the busa and buy a Goldwing :whistle:


Don't do it!!!

Vfr poster.jpg
 
Hope you start feeling better bro, just take it easy in the interim. Hope you start to feel better soon, if not Firedog will volunteer to ride you around on YOUR busa, since that seems to be his thing nowadays:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
Well bro, If it's any consolation, I've always found your front kinda revolting as well... :whistle: :poke:

Heal up...

If it's skeletal find a D.O. Nobody can fix a back like an Osteopath, remember that Chiropractors are just beneath Attorney's and do little more than "FIX" their wallets. If it's muscular, does your health plan cover massage therapy? Feels freaking great, though the ones that accept any sort of insurance don't usually offer the uh.... Happy Ending. :whistle:

From the sounds of it though, you need to stop messing around with them 25 year old cheerleaders, they'll wreck your back every time... Heal up Bro.

Oh and last time I had a spasm drop me to the floor? I was putting on a freaking sock bro... a sock, laid me out and had me cringing and twisting go figure.
 
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Is there anyway you can see other docs outside the VA system? You could be waiting awhile. My Grandfather was basically butchered at the Richmond, Virginia VA hospital. He had back problems too. They operated a few times, but he eventually lost the use of his legs and the paralysis just kept creeping up his body. He was 67 when he died. Choked to death on meds that were given to him at 1:30AM by a nurse at the VA hospital. The one here in St Louis isn't much better either, based on my experience with them. It makes me SICK that our government can't do better for our veterans. And people want our government to run health care for the entire country? ???

God Bless, I really hope you can find some relief soon.

I've had nothing but world class medical treatment through the V.A. At Wilford Hall Med Center in Texas and at Offutt AFB my surgeon was the Cornhuskers Orthopedic surgeon who was also a reservist.

Your story is horrible and sad, and I am not trying to discount it. I'm just saying that I've had great success with the VA Hospitals. Though I do understand that they are busier lately and wait times have increased.

Hell I miss the Doctors and medical care I had available while active duty...
 
The Neurosurgeon at the Puget Sound VA is one of the best in the U.S. He works with the instructors from the University of Washington Medical Center. I don't let anyone take a knife to my body that I don't trust.

I got someone on the phone today and they are setting up an MRI and CT to check everything out. I should know by Monday morning when it will happen.

Out-patient care for Veteran's should be much better, but I have found the Seattle VA in-patient care to be above average for the VA.
 
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