Sheryl went through something similar Bruce (as she has no doubt told you) and is a different person now. Time is what it takes. I want you in 10km running condition when you come to visit!!!
|
   
   
|
|
Sheryl went through something similar Bruce (as she has no doubt told you) and is a different person now. Time is what it takes. I want you in 10km running condition when you come to visit!!!
Thermal underwear style guru.
"Exclusive international distributor of Jeff Brown Hunt Club clothing."
Supplier to the rich(?) and infamous.
Cheers from New Zealand
Jeff.
Sorry to hear you're going through this, Bruce. Listen to the docs!
The solid soft lead bullet is undoubtably the best and most satisfactory expanding bullet that has ever been designed. It invariably mushrooms perfectly, and never breaks up. With the metal base that is essential for velocities of 2000 f.s. and upwards to protect the naked base, these metal-based soft lead bullets are splendid.
John Taylor - "African Rifles and Cartridges"
Forget everything you know about loading jacketed bullets. This is a whole new ball game!
Had the same surgery this Jan except choose to have cadaver bone placed between the three vertebra. Throat stayed sore for about 2 weeks but other than that felt better than I had in 6 months after waking up. Prior to the surgery was taking 3-4 pain pills a day and after never needed any! Within a month was back to walking 5 miles a day. Was limited to light weights the first 6 weeks but was given a clean bill of health to do anything I wanted 10 weeks post op. The most difficult part of recovery has been trying to build up the muscles in my left arm and shoulder as they were so weak I couldn't even pick up a cup of coffee. As a lefty my handgun shooting is still pretty bad but it gives me a good reason to hit the range often.Originally Posted by historicfirearms
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
It will take a long time to regain lost strength. I hit the gym hard for the last 4 months and my left arm is still noticeably weaker than the right. Replacing muscle takes an extreme amount of dedication so please make sure you do your part.
Last edited by snowwolfe; 10-07-2014 at 12:49 AM.
East Tennessee
Bruce,
Sorry to hear of you tribulations, but happy that they have a treatment that works. Ten, twenty
or thirty years ago you would have been in bad shape without treatment, so it is fantastic that
you have this reprieve.
Take care, be a good patient and you will maximize your "bounce back". I have had a number of fairly
serious things done over the years and am amazed that pretty much everything still works OK.
Well, one knee isn't all that whippy, but I can still put on a 40-50 lb pack and hike all day if
I get a few good rest periods - altho not as fast as I once was, at 63 years old.
In any case, be thankful for our wonderful medical care - and pray that Obamacare doesn't
completely crash the system and stop forward progress.
Best wishes!
Bill
If it was easy, anybody could do it.
As much as MCTP is considered a relax assignment, I found after I left that it had been wearing on me much worse than I realized at the time. Part of that was it being a geographical bachelor situation for me which was my choice, but the fact is that it was a different kind of stress than most assignments. I really have come to detest travel since then, I was already on my way there, but I will refuse to fly anywhere if I can possibly avoid it now. You made the right call to wait on that surgery.
The deer hunting and such will always be there. You'll recover enough to do all the things you want to do eventually, the trick is gonna be to be patient, relax and heal before you try. For a guy like you, that'll be a challenge, but you gotta do it.
Jeff,
I do hope that I'll be back running again soon. And today was better than yesterday so its a good progress.
Bruce
I Cast my Boolits, Therefore I am Happy.
Bona Fide member of the Jeff Brown Hunt Club
When I had the lower back surgery it was one day at a time. Started being barely able to move even getting out of bed was a struggle, by week 6 I was walking 1/2 mile a day
im one of the naysayers. My first back surgery did nothing. Pain level was about the same but felt differnt. They found out that i blew the disc about the one they fixed during recovery. I sure didnt do anything to cause it. After the second surgery i actually got worse and the doctors couldnt figure out what i just wasnt healing and the pain was constant and where before i had some tingling in my left leg now it is about completely numb. Found out about a year later that my ciatic (spelling) nerve was damaged. Nobody admitted anything but im sure what happened was a slip of the scalple during surgery. They told me that nerve would probably never heal and recomended a spinal stimulator to block the nerve pain. They put me again in surgery (two surgerys in two days) to install that and it seemed to heip some but sure wasnt a cure. After about 6 months i couldnt use it as it actually caused pain. Went back to the doctor and they took some more xrays and mris and found that the leads to my spine had come loose. So back to surgery again. I think the main probablem with all of this is that every time they do surgery theres scare tissue created and its just a recipe for more problems down the line. I lived on narcotics for about 2 years until i just said screw it and threw them away. The spinal stimulator helps a bit when its real bad but theres nothing they can do about my numb left leg. Bottom line is if i could go back in time i wouldnt have had the first surgery. I had alot of discomfort but it wasnt something i couldnt live with and all this mess did was make me worse. Right now Id have to be crawling on my hands and knees in pain to let them cut me again.
Lloyd,
I sympathize with you and your pain. I lived with my daily neck pain and numbness for nearly 3 years before this surgery occurred. I will tell you that I delayed the surgery for almost 2 years because I didn't trust the Army doctors to try to repair me while I was on active duty as I felt their focus was to slap a "bandaid" on the issue and not actually work to heal my problem.
When I retired and moved home to Indiana, I had done my homework and knew that all neurosurgery at the VA Center was actually done with the Indiana University Medical School so I knew I would have the best care available in the state.
I do hope you try to receive some more care on your sciatic nerve. You definitely don't need to have to deal with the pain and numbness every day. I lost a former soldier of mine to suicide this year because the pain he was dealing with everyday seemed to be a catalyst for him to forsake his life as well as depriving his wife and 5 children of a father and caregiver. The blasé issuance of large packages of drugs instead of a complete medical care/surgery by the Army doctors is the primary cause of his suicide. He was faced with living with pills that closed him out from being an active member of his family and didn't do anything to fix his jacked up back. I wish he hadn't taken his life but he came to his decision without thinking of the damage to his family. But at the point in life he was in, that was the "Cure" he choose. I can only say that it was not the cure that anyone that knew "Goose" would ever advise.
Bruce
I Cast my Boolits, Therefore I am Happy.
Bona Fide member of the Jeff Brown Hunt Club
The narcotics get old, I have cut back on mine because they aren't really working and I refuse to go to morphine. Pain level is bad but you live with it and it becomes a nuisance most days with the occasional "okay I can barely move today so take it easy" day. Only reason I need my neck fixed is because it makes me feel like I can't breathe on the left side. Always feel like I need to yawn/short of breath but I am not. Lungs are in great shape for my age according to the tests they ran me through
Glad your surgery went well Bruce. Do follow your doctors advice for your recovery. I have had over 30 surgeries and when I was younger I would push the recovery and it did cause me a few problems. I actually caused some of my incisions to leave wide scars by lifting heavy weights too soon. I was working for Cummins diesel back then.
I had the last nerve ablations that the doc will do to my C spine this spring so now if the pain gets worse I face the same thing. The Phoenix VA sends this surgery to Barrows so I should be in good hands there. I am feeling ok for now and really want to reduce the amount of pain pills I take.
My sons girlfriend goes for surgery in a few weeks for the same thing but she is getting cadaver bone. She is around 35 years old and I hope she does not have to repeat the surgery.
Seems like this surgery is more common now than it was previously as I know quite a few people that have had it or are going to need it soon.
I think about the same. Almost 10 years of it gets you used to it and you just take it in stride. For the most part i can still do what i want if im careful. I have a couple bad days a month that the chair is home but its nothing i cant deal with and in all reality taking narcotics doesnt make real pain go away it just kind of numbs your mind and lets you melt into the chair for the day. What ive found is when i take them and melt into that chair im actually worse the next day so i just buck up and work through the pain.
Glad to hear that your getting better. I had major surgery in 86 and have a 10" long scar on my lower back. Your in better hands now days with the progression of technology. Take car of yourself and you will be up and shooting in no time. Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.
Glad to hear it worked for you. I have had a total of 4 spinal surgeries including two metal rods and ten vertebrae fused, 8 months in a body cast. I have also since had a procedure on my neck for pinched nerves that caused a loss of muscle mass in my arms and another procedure on my lower back for the same thing with my legs. So, I know of where you come. Hang in there sparky it gets better fairly quickly.
Hey Bruce,
I've had three separate surgeries on my neck in 25 years, that last one almost killed me. The pain you're feeling in your throat is from being intubated for the surgery. Unfortunately when you are out, the anesthesiologist from my experience, appears to just shove that tube down your throat leaving it extremely sore but it beats your throat closing up during surgery and dying from it.
I have about 3-4" of titanium in my neck now and movement is very limited but I am grateful they were able to fix the disks (read = remove....) and get me back to a somewhat normal life. The pain prior to surgery was extreme, no painkiller in the world would tone it back but now I'm able to function pretty much normally.
The scars I have from the surgeries make it look like I've had my throat cut before, I'd like to be able to say something cool when someone asks about it like "Oh I got that in a knife fight at the Riverside (Bar in Alanson, MI.....) but it's simply due to degenerating discs.
The really good new for you and I is that if this had happened 75 years ago, we would pretty much be dead men.
Prayers for a speedy recovery man and the throat pain WILL go away..........eventually................<grin>
Art
”Only accurate rifles are interesting”
——Townsend Whelen
In a time of universal deceit , telling the truth is a revolutionary act
—- George Orwell
Its Day 9 and yes, the pain and numbness has left the hands and arms so the surgery can be considered a success. My throat and back of my neck is the part of me that hurts the most now. A lot of my neck muscles were cut and pushed aside for the surgeons to place that artificial disk in place. And Art, you are right about the Gas doc just shoving the tube down the esophagus. I coughed up a scab out of my throat yesterday!
And yes, I think I will be shooting small-bore rifles and pistols for at least a year before I bring the big guns back out. Luckily 2 of my 3 sons like to go to the range with me and they can shoot them until I can recover them.
I got a Romanian TT-33 Tokarov to play with (new pistol and new caliber for me) during my recovery. So I'm be hopefully shooting this pistol by next week. I think I be shooting my 22LR pistol and this one for a while before I get back to my regular 45s.
Bruce
I Cast my Boolits, Therefore I am Happy.
Bona Fide member of the Jeff Brown Hunt Club
Glad things are progressing well for you Bruce. I'm in the same boat as Lloyd.
Was under the care of an internist, neurosurgeon and pain management doc for many months. Was on the high octane pain killers for about 5-6 months and getting less and less relief. Took myself off the prescription pain meds, chose not to have the surgery, clenched my teeth and pushed through the pain. Found out early that massage/acupressure helped a great deal. Wife and daughter were massaging me 6+ times a day. Wife used a sharpie to mark pressure points.
Had much pain down the left leg. Peroneal nerve was and still is a source of pain. Left calf muscle is in a permanent clench/cramp.
Don't know which is worse, lumbar or cervical problems. Massage although providing a shorter period of relief than pills, has worked extremely well for me. Not sure that's a viable option for cervical problems.
Been about 6 years now. Like Lloyd, I have a couple of days each month when even after taking a big (800mg) ibuprofen, leaving the house is not an option. The pain, although sometimes beyond an annoyance, you learn to live with.
Funny thing, about once or twice a month, I'll lay down on the bed and hit just the right position that nearly all the pain disappears and the sensation of being without that pain that I live with day in and day out sends me into fits of laughter.
smokeywolf
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms *shall not be infringed*.
"The greatest danger to American freedom is a government that ignores the Constitution."
- Thomas Jefferson
"While the people have property, arms in their hands, and only a spark of noble spirit, the most corrupt Congress must be mad to form any project of tyranny."
- Rev. Nicholas Collin, Fayetteville Gazette (N.C.), October 12, 1789
Bruce, I took a week and a half off work after my surgery. After that I was back in the front-end-loader pushing snow. I took it easy for a month or so with my neck. The weirdest part for me way laying down in bed at night. I just couldn't find a position that felt like it wasn't putting a lot of strain on the neck. Everything healed up quicker than I thought it would.
I still have a little trouble swallowing food sometimes, especially dry stuff like pretzels and popcorn. Whatever they jam down your throat seems like it needs a redesign!
I was a dog on a short chain.
Now there's no chain.
Jim Harrison
Before the surgery, I was laughing at 800mg of Ibuprofens. We called them "Grunt Candy" when I was in the service. The neck pain would radiate all the way down to my elbows before the numbness in the hands would progress up to block out the pain. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks since surgery and the difference is amazing. I still have pain but the scale has dropped down from 8s to low 2s and I'm hoping that it will continue to move along doing better each day. I made it 18hours today before I started feeling neck pain and had to take one of my prescription Hydrocodones. Yesterday I was able to handle the pain from the surgery with 2 Naproxen 500mgs so I know I am doing better than before when I was taken about 2000mg of Ibuprofens at a time to handle the issues. I considered the damage I was doing to my liver was being offset by all those "Ibos" killing the pain in my neck until I could get the surgery down and determined the pain management was worth it.
I still eat everything in small bites. I think when they went in from the front, it basically re-ordered everything in there and its going to take time for the new normal to be something I'm used too.
I get to see the doctor in 2 weeks for my first follow-up and I'm so far pretty darn happy with the result. Only 2 episodes of mild numbness in my right hand in 2 weeks is a positive as I expected that this would be the first of a couple surgeries to fix this after I was told they only replaced a disk with the last surgery. I've marked the dates and times and length of numbness and what I was doing prior to the events to give that data back to my doctor. But having momentary or short duration tingling is a lot better than 3-4 hours of tingling and numbness every day prior to this last surgery.
I Cast my Boolits, Therefore I am Happy.
Bona Fide member of the Jeff Brown Hunt Club
As we get older we typically heal noticably more slowly. Been less than two weeks, seems like you're healing like a younger man. Good on ya.
smokeywolf
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms *shall not be infringed*.
"The greatest danger to American freedom is a government that ignores the Constitution."
- Thomas Jefferson
"While the people have property, arms in their hands, and only a spark of noble spirit, the most corrupt Congress must be mad to form any project of tyranny."
- Rev. Nicholas Collin, Fayetteville Gazette (N.C.), October 12, 1789
Posting Permissions
| BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
| BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
| BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
| C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
| HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
| PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
| LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
| GC | Gas Check |
Reply With Quote