Call it pride or whatever, but I have difficulty asking for prayer.

[Artful]

Glad to hear you got some rest - I'll continue to keep you in my prayers.

[Preacher Jim]

Lord the family of cast boolits has joined to lift our brother Charles to you for pain relief and healing of this problem. You Lord are our only source of help in times of trials and we ask you to help Charles.
In Jesus name Amen

[smokeywolf]

Lord the family of cast boolits has joined to lift our brother Charles to you for pain relief and healing of this problem. You Lord are our only source of help in times of trials and we ask you to help Charles.
In Jesus name Amen

Amen.

A few hours of decent sleep work wonders both physically and mentally.

[Blackwater]

Char-Gar, I've been where you are now, and I can fully understand what you're going through. I too had to "wait my turn" for surgery, and that period was the hardest I've ever spent on this earth! But I got through it, so I'm sure you will too. They gave me morphine, but I couldn't take it because of some side effects, so mostly, I just stayed in bed, afraid to move, most of the time. I look back and still don't understand how I got through it, but .... I did. And you will too, and you can't believe how much better you'll feel after the surgery! I'm guessing they'll fuse the vertebrae? When they do that, be SURE to do EXACTLY what the docs say, and you'll never ever, ever have that pain again! It might occur in another location, but that one will be forever cured. At least you have that to look forward to. God be with you my brother!

[308Jeff]

Prayers sent for you, buddy.

[Ken in Iowa]

Prayers sent for you, buddy.

From Iowa too.

[buckwheatpaul]

Father, Please come to the aide of Char-Gar and give him relief from his back injury. Please bring him comfort at this time and continue to give him comfort until his back is healed. Father, You are the one we come to for help because You are our Father and Fathers help their children. Please grant this prayer and the prayers of those praying not only for Char-Gar but for all the people that come to us to ask for prayers. AMEN

[w5pv]

Prayers sent

[ghh3rd]

Praying for you ... sorry to see you in so much pain.

[No_1]

Tomorrow is the day, hopefully your Dr. can provide the solution to your pain Charles.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I just seen this thread.
Prayin for you (and your family), Hopin you get some more rest.

[Char-Gar]

Tomorrow is the day, hopefully your Dr. can provide the solution to your pain Charles.

Yes, I am off to the back Doc at 2 pm. I feel certain this will be a process with imaging and all sorts of tests. But thanks to the prayers of good people, I have made it this far and am sanguine about the future.

Thanks again to all who offered up prayers, God has heard them and has been gracious to me.

[Pine Baron]

Char-Gar, may God lead you through this and provide a healing solution. Keep your eye out for the angel he will send, He always sends an angel.

[Blackwater]

God be with you my friend!

And your OP has had me thinking about "pride," and how we manifest and use it. And in my life, too, I've always felt I was supposed to be self-sufficient and self-reliant. Now, I realize that we're all dependent on each other, whether we always choose to acknowledge and perceive it or not. "Pride goeth before the fall" keeps echoing in my head! I've long been hard to "humble" enough to recognize that I am NOT the determining factor in how things go and how they work out. Yeah, I'm supposed to give my best efforts, but I'm FAR from being the determinant! And when I humbled myself more appropriately, I've found I fare a lot better, and find more assurance and reassurance in life. Us old dawgs may learn slow, but .... when we do, we generally learn pretty well! So harken to the words of Christ, and less to your own strength and prowess. Things tend to work out better, especially at our ages! Funny how that works, ain't it?

[Char-Gar]

The visit with the spine doc went well. He was able to give me a cocktail of meds to allow me to get some rest. I will have an MRI and then back to see him in a couple of weeks. I will then know whether it is injections or surgery.

Thanks one and all for the prayers.

[sparky45]

Steroid injections helped me heal, praise the Lord. Facet joint disorder is what I was diagnosed with and the injections were directly into the facet and the Anesthesiologist did the injections with the aid of Fluoroscopy. Pray you're getting better by the day.

[shoot-n-lead]

Greats news...hopefully the injections will get the job done.

Thank you, LORD, for blessing Charles.

[Pine Baron]

Thanks for the update Char-Gar. God's will be done. Did you see the angel?

[Blackwater]

Thanks for the update and still praying for you for a full "fix" of the problem. Half-measures really don't seem to do well, and certainly not for long. I am SO glad I got mine fused! But I'm no doc, and best advice is to listen to the docs, and if you're unsure, to get a 2nd opinion. One of my docs is also a friend, but I've never let that stop me from getting a 2nd opinion. That old saying "Two heads are better than one, even if one is a goat's head," seems to apply here, I think? When I first hurt my back, my GP wanted me to have surgery right then. I loved the guy, and respected him greatly, but told him emphatically "NO! Not until I ask around and see what kind of results surgery is bringing right now." I may not be the brightest bulb in the sockets, but that was one of my best decisions, I think! 80% of the people I talked to who'd had back surgery back then (1981) said they were either no better, and a significant portion said they were even worse AFTER the surgery! Not being bright, I mulled it over, and finally decided no surgery for me - at least not at that time. Back surgery was in its infancy and "learning stage" at that time, really, and I wasn't inclined to volunteer to be another guinea pig for their learning curve! So 30+ years later, I finally HAD to do something, and .... gee golly wow am I pleased with the results! A neurosurgeon did mine, and I believe pretty strongly that they do the best "back jobs" out there, compared to orthopoedists. Not really sure why, but of those I've talked with for the past 30+ years, that's been a pretty consistent pattern in the reports I've seen.

There is nothing more disabling than not being able to get around, and a bad back will do it, and eventually, make it near impossible to even go use the bathroom! So proceed carefully, and God bless your doc and you, and give you great results.

[Char-Gar]

My Doc is a Neurosurgeon with a good reputation. The MRI is scheduled for tomorrow morning.