Stressing a bit.

[Boerrancher]

For those of you who don’t know much about me, I tend to be very resolute, self reliant, and extremely independent. Many of the old timers around know my story when it comes to my physical condition and how my last tour of duty left me with major spinal issues. Even with everything I still had more good days than bad. Six months ago that changed and I became almost helpless more days than not, requiring assistance with many of the activities of daily life.

To make a long story short, after being passed around the VA system for 6 months like a bad penny, I finally got into see a neurosurgeon on the private healthcare system, and am scheduled for spinal surgery tomorrow. I have multiple ruptured disks, and multiple areas of stenosis due to arthritis. I know a lot has changed in the last 10 years, but my father walked in for nearly the same surgical procedure and never walked again. Needless to say I am a bit stressed.

The Doctor assures me that I will be walking and have feeling again in my legs a couple hours after the surgery. If true, it will be a great improvement over what I have now. Walking across a small room is an excruciating endeavor at the moment, and often times the pain is intense enough that I black out and fall. I have been living like this for over half a year but I am still walking. According to all the research I have done the greatest risk is infection with this procedure, and 100% of all patients experience some if not total relief. Still it is hard for me to get past the fact that a similar procedure destroyed and eventually ended my father’s life.

For those of you who are of the praying type, keep me and Dr Matz in your thoughts and prayers tonight and tomorrow. I don’t usually ask for things because if I can’t make it happen on my own then it wasn’t meant to be, but this time I feel the need to ask, because I dont want to end up like my father. My walking isn’t that great but I still force myself to do it.

Thank you in advance,

Joe

[JBinMN]

Wishing you the best! & Prayers.
:)

[MrWolf]

You are in my prayers. I am going to a neuro surgical appointment this afternoon to see what can be done with some of my back and neck issues. Good luck.

[Pine Baron]

Joe, you are in my prayers. Attitude is everything. Stay positive.

[Mohavedog]

Joe, I have been impressed to respond to your post to offer some sort of relief to your concerns. I'm sure you are fully aware of the advancements in neurosurgery these past several years and I have confidence that your procedure will be totally successful. Now, my prayers will be for the Lord to give you peace and solace going into this to know that you will come out of this with an abundance of health that you haven't had for a long long time. Be ready for your life to change in a positive way.
A friend (who doesn't know you personally) who's praying for you.

[Daveco]

Prayers for both if you. I've had several back and neck surgeries and fusions so know somewhat what's going through both your heads. Boerrancher, it sounds like you're a very determined and mentally tough person and it sounds too like you're going to suck it up and drive on no matter what the outcome may be. That sort of attitude will take you a long way in your recovery! Hopefully you'll be up and around in no time!
Best of luck to both of you, and keep us posted on y'alls progress!

(I don't post very often but check in here about every day.)

[Dieselhorses]

You are most definitely in my prayers! Anything in God's hands never goes south as any outcomes are in His plan. "All things work together for the Glory of God!" Trust Him with everything you got. We'll all hear from you soon!

[sparkyv]

Prayer sent.

[gon2shoot]

The VA and medicine are different now, count on the doc, trust in God, walk out with your head high and chest out.

[Preacher Jim]

Joe you will be in my prayers along with the entire medical team working on you.
Another show me guy.

[Battis]

I had a similar surgery 2 years ago. Before the day, I was concerned. I spoke with the Dr's office and they told me that on a scale of 1 - 10, what he was doing to my back was a .5. They've come a long way in the past 10 years. And they were right - I was fine. The important part is after surgery. Do what they tell you.
Good luck.

[elmacgyver0]

Prayers and good luck to you.

[lightman]

Prayers offered. Hoping for a great outcome.

[georgerkahn]

My sincere best wishes and prayers for both you and the entire medical team working on you. My younger son's mother-in-law had similar surgery last summer, after the crippling results of an automobile accident's affects got to the point where she viewed surgery as her only option. The only regret she now voices? That she should have underwent the operation a few years before! I see no reason why you, too, cannot voice a similar sentiment! (She was laid up for 3 to 4 weeks, after which she walked, and did things (according to her daughter) she hadn't even dreamed of doing post the accident)
geo

[osteodoc08]

Take care of yourself brother. Prayers sent for quick recovery

[Texas by God]

Prayers are with you. As stated, follow the post OP instructions to the letter. They dont make that stuff up for grins.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Larry Gibson]

VA has been good to me. As mentioned a lot has improved. I'll be praying for you anyway.

[maxreloader]

Stay strong Joe! My thoughts and prayers are with you in mind. Thank you for your service and hopefully you make a full and complete recovery!

[Hickok]

Prayers in the name of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus for your health, a successful operation and recovery.

[blackthorn]

Prayers and best wishes from our house to you and yours.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Praying for you, the Dr, and all the staff at the Hospital...for the best possible outcome.

[abunaitoo]

Any kind of surgery is stressful.
You have to be confident that the surgeon knows what he is doing.
If not, look for someone else.
You will come through this.
We are all pulling for you.

[BigAlofPa.]

Prayers for you and the medical team. I know how you feel. Before i had my hip done. I was a nervous wreck. I talked to someone who had it done then the night before my surgery. She made me feel much better. Today 7 years later im glad i had it done.

[Boerrancher]

Thank you all. I have had one heck of a day. At 3 this afternoon the Neurosurgeon’s PA called me and ask if I had the CD of my images from the MRI, I told her”No, I thought you did!” In her defense someone else in the office was supposed to be taking care of things while she was out for medical reasons herself. Needless to say I had to make a 5.5 hour round trip to the VA hospital to get another copy of my MRI images. Luckily there was a water main break outside of the wife’s school this morning and the school closed about the time they were supposed to be opening and she was home to get me halfway across the state and back.

Once again thank you all and I will post when I am conscious again.

[Wis Tom]

Praying for you sir, and for a quick and successful recovery.

[1911sw45]

Boerrancher I am praying for you and your surgery team and your family.

[Pete44mag]

Joe my prayers go out to you and your entire medical team. I pray the Good Lord will bless you and you have a speedy full recovery!

[Wayne Smith]

I'm praying for your medical team and for your recovery. Joe, God is with you no matter what happens.

[jcren]

Prayers sent

[bedbugbilly]

Prayers are with you today for complete success for you and your surgical team and a speedy recovery for you. I understand your thoughts about all of this but at some point you need to rely n your faith that all will go well. I know your Dad is on your mind and what happened with him weighs heavy on your mind, bt trust me, he will be with you today and watching over you. You'll remain in our prayers and we look forward to when you can let us know how you are doing.

[375supermag]

Hi...
Prayers sent for a successful surgery and recovery.

[Boerrancher]

Well folks I am happy to report that I am out of surgery and resting in my Hospital room. The Dr seemed to be pleased with everything, though he did have to do more work than he expected. I have already been on my feet taking a few steps. And soon they are going to walk me up and down the hall. I feel like I have been beaten with a baseball bat, but it was so nice to stand up and feel the floor beneath my feet an not have searing pain all over my legs. Thank you all for you prayers. I believe they helped. I will stay overnight because the Dr wants to make sure there is no infection. Tomorrow morning I will be home. No heavy lifting for a while just lots of walking. It looks like I will have plenty of time to try out my mosin negant mold and my 220 gr 308 mold for subsonic 300 BLK loads

[square butte]

Great News - Prayer sent up for you and the Dr.'s - and the Mrs.'s

[Preacher Jim]

All praise to the Lord for guiding this surgery to success. Glad you are feeling good now do what you are supposed to do and healing will be completed

[jsizemore]

I remember when Christiaan Barnard had the first patient survive a heart transplant. That was 1967. Look at far it's come since then.

Your better off with the surgery then busting your head on the tub trying to take care of business in the middle of the night.

[JBinMN]

Congrats & it is great to hear(read) you are upbeat & looking forward to getting about in a better way!
:)

Yes, Prayers are great!
;)

Take care , don't overdo anything, & get better!
:)

:drinks:

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Glad everything went well. Keep the updates coming through the recovery period. It'll help pass the time!

[Boerrancher]

It is hard to explain how good I feel. I haven’t taken any pain meds. The pain I do have from the surgery is so minor compared to the pain I was experiencing, it is insignificant. The night nurse just came in and offered me Percaset and I turned it down. A mild muscle relaxer and a couple of Tylenol will be fine.

I can’t thank you all enough for the prayers. I was expecting so much more pain and discomfort. Now maybe I can once again enjoy life with the grandchildren and the wife.

[tommag]

Prayers offered up for you and your surgeon.
A bit late, I see. Glad things are looking up!

[Dieselhorses]

Yessss! PTL! TY Jesus!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

It's so good to hear this great news.

[lefty o]

good luck. i sure hope you get long lasting relief from the pain. i lived in it enough years to know it is no fun.

[45workhorse]

Prayers sent.

[smoked turkey]

Joe I am a bit late in wishing you well and praying for a good outcome on the surgery. However I can still offer up my prayers for a total and complete healing on your surgery, as well as a speedy recovery. Yes prayers work and I am so thankful for a God who is touched and has great love and concern for us. I am just across the state from you so it is the least a neighbor can do. I pray that you continue to progress in your healing.
Stan..aka smoked turkey

[lead-1]

Glad to see the surgery went well for you and continued Prayers for a full recovery. Don't over do it.

[David2011]

Just saw this. I’ll offer prayers for your continued healing and thanks to God for guiding the surgeon’s hand. Enjoy the new lease on life!

[curdog]

Praise God and I will pray for a full recovery for you. Thank You for your service...…………………………..curdog

[MrWolf]

Well folks I am happy to report that I am out of surgery and resting in my Hospital room. The Dr seemed to be pleased with everything, though he did have to do more work than he expected. I have already been on my feet taking a few steps. And soon they are going to walk me up and down the hall. I feel like I have been beaten with a baseball bat, but it was so nice to stand up and feel the floor beneath my feet an not have searing pain all over my legs. Thank you all for you prayers. I believe they helped. I will stay overnight because the Dr wants to make sure there is no infection. Tomorrow morning I will be home. No heavy lifting for a while just lots of walking. It looks like I will have plenty of time to try out my mosin negant mold and my 220 gr 308 mold for subsonic 300 BLK loads

That is great news. I will probably be undergoing a decompression surgery beginning of November. They will also be keeping me overnight to watch for infections. Waiting to find out which procedure insurance company will approve. Please keep us or even me in pm updated as I have been dealing with my issues for 25 years. I was told they can't fix my neck, thorasic, or lower back pain but he thinks he can help my leg pain.

[lightman]

Thats good news! Please take it easy and follow the Doctors orders. Guys are bad about pushing things. I know!

[shdwlkr]

Joe prayers for you and your doctor. I deal with arthritis in all my joints and yes some days life seems to be a real challenge, but I do what I can and live as best I can and realize that even with all my issues in life it is still a great life. Stay positive and lets see what develops.

[Boerrancher]

That is great news. I will probably be undergoing a decompression surgery beginning of November. They will also be keeping me overnight to watch for infections. Waiting to find out which procedure insurance company will approve. Please keep us or even me in pm updated as I have been dealing with my issues for 25 years. I was told they can't fix my neck, thorasic, or lower back pain but he thinks he can help my leg pain.

I am home and I will tell you personally that my leg pain is gone. The leg pain was so bad at times I begged God to let me die. It felt like a combination of fire and electricity in my legs all the time. The pain would get so bad my legs wouldn’t work or support me. I did get some pain relief through Alpha Stim. (Something you may want to check into). The Alpha Stim would totally eliminate my pain for several hours with just a 20 minute treatment, but I still had no feeling in my legs nor much control. It is hard to walk when you can’t feel how your feet are orientated to the ground.

The pain from the surgery is so much less than the pain I was experiencing that I have not taken any pain meds post op. They offered me Percocet and I told them I didn’t need it. Just taking a muscle relaxer to keep the back muscles relaxed because they are heavily bruised. I wish I could have gotten this done sooner, but I had to go through all the VA red tape, and then be outsourced which was great because I got to research and choose my Dr. I got in under the wire because the 30th is his last day. He is going to take a pay cut and go to Cheyenne Wyo and work there, because they have no Neurological services. It is a bittersweet thing for me because I developed an excellent relationship with him and looked forward to having him around to do this again for me when my other disks go, but having family in Wyoming who have had to travel to Denver to get treatment, they as well as the rest of the folks there will be getting a truly gifted Doctor.

[Huskerguy]

It is hard to make a blanket statement on all these back surgeries. My wife has been having back issues, stenosis and bulging disc in L5 for a couple years now. We know the neurosurgeon well as he goes to our church so he talks pretty straight forward to us. There are several levels or procedures to most back surgeries, for simplicity, I will keep it at two for now.

The first level they can leave most of the bone, add a piece to stabilize the spine, clean things up and there is no fusion. The second is more intense, more recovery time, more bone removed, more hardware installed and there is fusion. They showed us two different models with the hardware and coming from a former auto collision guy, it was quite impressive for the major category # 2 model.

To be certain, there are horror stories galore on back surgeries and also many successful ones as noted here. Some of it is due to the timing of the surgery, did things go too long before seeking help and there are many better products these days to insert into your back. It seems to us (wife and I) that being in generally good shape, get yourself as strong as possible and do the work they ask will go a long ways to recovery. Just making the spine better without getting stronger all around it doesn't always help.

Take care of yourself and I am going to offer some prayers for you as soon as I hit send. Blessings

[GOPHER SLAYER]

Joe, I am praying that the medical help you receive will have you up and walking soon with no pain or medication.

[DIRT Farmer]

Brother Joe may the hand of the Lord rest on you and yours.
Alan

[bedbugbilly]

So glad to hear the surgery went well and you finally have relief. Continued prayers your way for continued improvement - take it easy and heal.

I'mnot a vet but have many friends who are and the VA "red tape" is something that hold never be. I'll give President Trump a lot of credit for the help he has given the VA but there is much more work to be done to get rid of the "dead wood" and improve the service to you men and women who served.

Glad you are feeling better and home . . . let us know how it's going.

[Boerrancher]

It is hard to make a blanket statement on all these back surgeries. My wife has been having back issues, stenosis and bulging disc in L5 for a couple years now. We know the neurosurgeon well as he goes to our church so he talks pretty straight forward to us. There are several levels or procedures to most back surgeries, for simplicity, I will keep it at two for now.

The first level they can leave most of the bone, add a piece to stabilize the spine, clean things up and there is no fusion. The second is more intense, more recovery time, more bone removed, more hardware installed and there is fusion. They showed us two different models with the hardware and coming from a former auto collision guy, it was quite impressive for the major category # 2 model.

To be certain, there are horror stories galore on back surgeries and also many successful ones as noted here. Some of it is due to the timing of the surgery, did things go too long before seeking help and there are many better products these days to insert into your back. It seems to us (wife and I) that being in generally good shape, get yourself as strong as possible and do the work they ask will go a long ways to recovery. Just making the spine better without getting stronger all around it doesn't always help.

Take care of yourself and I am going to offer some prayers for you as soon as I hit send. Blessings

I wanted to respond to this yesterday but didn’t have the time due to being discharged and the long trip home.

First off, not to denigrate the neurosurgeon at your church but not all neurosurgeons and facilities that have them are created equal. The problem you describe with your wife, is very similar to what I had, in the exact same location only mine was worse. My disk had fully ruptured pinching the spinal chord. To make matters worse, years ago I fractured my L5 vertebrae and due to my other injuries they didn’t discover the fracture until it had healed improperly. This fracture lead to excess bone build up, which caused the two nerves branching off at the L5 to be pinched off as well, and lastly, the main ligament that holds the multiple vertebrae together had thickened in that same area and had to be thinned as well. Needless to say a lot more work than repairing a bulging disk.

The first type of surgery you describe is an older outdated method of dealing with stenosis caused by a bulging disk. The new process is called the X-stop procedure and is done as outpatient. Because mine had ruptured I was not a candidate for the X-stop, not to mention the other issues I described above that were discovered once I was opened up. Then there is the fusion which you cover pretty well.

The reason I bring all this up, is because I spent at least 40 hours or more researching the different Neurosurgeons and the facilities they work at in my state and the surrounding ones, as well as the different procedures used to treat my condition as described by the MRI report. It was scary as hell at some of the outdated practices still being used. Medical technology has made huge leaps and bounds in the last couple years in regards to spinal surgery, and if your surgeon is not spending half of his time continuing his education, and the facilities he works at are not buying the latest equipment, you are dealing with lower quality care and can expect lower quality results. Once again not trying to disparage your doctor, but research has taught me that they are not all created equal.

[Char-Gar]

It is hard to explain how good I feel. I haven’t taken any pain meds. The pain I do have from the surgery is so minor compared to the pain I was experiencing, it is insignificant. The night nurse just came in and offered me Percaset and I turned it down. A mild muscle relaxer and a couple of Tylenol will be fine.

I can’t thank you all enough for the prayers. I was expecting so much more pain and discomfort. Now maybe I can once again enjoy life with the grandchildren and the wife.

I wish you could have seen the broad grin on my face when I read this post. God is good!

[Boerrancher]

I wish you could have seen the broad grin on my face when I read this post. God is good!

Yesterday evening was a bit rough, as was this morning. The Dr told me days 3-5 would be a Bear as far as muscular discomfort. I also ran a bit of a fever last night but it was gone by mid morning. My granddaughter was out this afternoon, and we spent about 30 minutes walking around the yard picking wild flowers growing at the edge of the yard. The only reason we went back in was because my legs got tired. Not using ones legs much for 7months has taken a toll on my endurance which I was assured would come back the more I walked. All in all I am really surprised at how well I am doing. Thank you all again for the prayers.

[MrWolf]

You are making my decision a bit easier. Got my son to agree to take a day or two from work and come out here and take me in for surgery and pick me up from the hospital the next day. I live alone and am planning it so my girlfriend would be out the afternoon my son leaves and she would stay overnight. Sounds like you have no real limitations. Glad you are doing so well.
Ron

[Naphtali]

PM sent.
For those of you who don’t know much about me, I tend to be very resolute, self reliant, and extremely independent. Many of the old timers around know my story when it comes to my physical condition and how my last tour of duty left me with major spinal issues. Even with everything I still had more good days than bad. Six months ago that changed and I became almost helpless more days than not, requiring assistance with many of the activities of daily life.

To make a long story short, after being passed around the VA system for 6 months like a bad penny, I finally got into see a neurosurgeon on the private healthcare system, and am scheduled for spinal surgery tomorrow. I have multiple ruptured disks, and multiple areas of stenosis due to arthritis. I know a lot has changed in the last 10 years, but my father walked in for nearly the same surgical procedure and never walked again. Needless to say I am a bit stressed.

The Doctor assures me that I will be walking and have feeling again in my legs a couple hours after the surgery. If true, it will be a great improvement over what I have now. Walking across a small room is an excruciating endeavor at the moment, and often times the pain is intense enough that I black out and fall. I have been living like this for over half a year but I am still walking. According to all the research I have done the greatest risk is infection with this procedure, and 100% of all patients experience some if not total relief. Still it is hard for me to get past the fact that a similar procedure destroyed and eventually ended my father’s life.

For those of you who are of the praying type, keep me and Dr Matz in your thoughts and prayers tonight and tomorrow. I don’t usually ask for things because if I can’t make it happen on my own then it wasn’t meant to be, but this time I feel the need to ask, because I dont want to end up like my father. My walking isn’t that great but I still force myself to do it.

Thank you in advance,

Joe

[Boerrancher]

You are making my decision a bit easier. Got my son to agree to take a day or two from work and come out here and take me in for surgery and pick me up from the hospital the next day. I live alone and am planning it so my girlfriend would be out the afternoon my son leaves and she would stay overnight. Sounds like you have no real limitations. Glad you are doing so well.
Ron

I suggest that you not be without assistance for the first 3-4 days. I have done really well but, last night(Friday), I took my first shower post op. There were no real issues of getting undressed, but getting completely dried off and getting re-dressed was a challenge and required some minor help from the wife. I completely lack flexibility even more so than prior to the surgery because of the soreness and inflammation from the surgery. Walking has been great, up and down the stairs no problem, but drop something on the floor, and I need help retrieving it. Sometimes if I sit a bit too long my muscles will get tight, and I may need a bit of a hand to balance me when standing. I feel great, better than I have in a very long time, but I still have a ways to go before I am doing backflips. Heh, who am I kidding, I could never do a backflip.

In all honesty I really don’t have a lot of limitations other than the soreness from the surgery, and the no lifting anything over 10 lbs for the next month. I really don’t need help except for those rare instances which I mentioned above. I’m 49, and I am sure that age will always play a part in any recovery. 20 years ago, two days after knee surgery I jumped out of a plane just so I wouldn’t loose my jump status. Today I wouldn’t even consider it. Older and wiser I would like to think. You should do well if they only have one are two areas of concern, and it is not going to be a total fusion. The few things I have been mildly struggling with, keep getting easier every day and will soon be no trouble. I fully believe Walking is the key I have already walked miles inside my house. In the last couple hours I have walked almost 2 miles. The more I walk the less sore I am.

[smoked turkey]

Joe I am getting ready to hit the sack for today. but I wanted to check on for the purpose of seeing how you are doing. From what I see you are doing fantastic. I can see from your posts that your attitude is great. I believe that is a tremendous help in your healing progress. To put it mildly, I am elated to see that you are making it so good. You have already been an encouragement to a couple of guys. I expect there will be many more too. Oh yes I agree that jumping out of an airplane is not a good idea. :).

[Bulldogger]

I suggest that you not be without assistance for the first 3-4 days. I have done really well but, last night(Friday), I took my first shower post op. There were no real issues of getting undressed, but getting completely dried off and getting re-dressed was a challenge and required some minor help from the wife. I completely lack flexibility even more so than prior to the surgery because of the soreness and inflammation from the surgery. Walking has been great, up and down the stairs no problem, but drop something on the floor, and I need help retrieving it. Sometimes if I sit a bit too long my muscles will get tight, and I may need a bit of a hand to balance me when standing. I feel great, better than I have in a very long time, but I still have a ways to go before I am doing backflips. Heh, who am I kidding, I could never do a backflip.

In all honesty I really don’t have a lot of limitations other than the soreness from the surgery, and the no lifting anything over 10 lbs for the next month. I really don’t need help except for those rare instances which I mentioned above. I’m 49, and I am sure that age will always play a part in any recovery. 20 years ago, two days after knee surgery I jumped out of a plane just so I wouldn’t loose my jump status. Today I wouldn’t even consider it. Older and wiser I would like to think. You should do well if they only have one are two areas of concern, and it is not going to be a total fusion. The few things I have been mildly struggling with, keep getting easier every day and will soon be no trouble. I fully believe Walking is the key I have already walked miles inside my house. In the last couple hours I have walked almost 2 miles. The more I walk the less sore I am.

Thrilled to hear you are doing so well. I had back surgery last December for a much more minor condition and it took several months to feel better. Now I'm still learning how my "new back" feels and takes daily life stresses. All the old tricks I used or over a decade to mitigate pain or prevent strain don't all work, or work as well as they did. It's annoying to have to learn new tricks and techniques, but it;s still much better than it was with severe sciatica.

A word of caution if I may: I strongly suggest you make a self-pledge to maintain the 10 pound limit MUCH longer than a month. I'm 9 months out of surgery and must limit to 35 pounds, which is less than I could heft before even with sciatica (and my bag of tricks and techniques, OK and pills too).

One bad lift (too heavy, too overextended, imbalanced and tipped, etc.) can set you back weeks in recovery. It's hard to limit oneself, but worth it in the end.

Regardless, VERY happy to hear you've obtained some relief and some enjoyment with family and being outdoors.

Bulldogger

[MrWolf]

Thanks for updating Boerrancher and comment Bulldogger. I really struggle to lift heavy things but manage. The ten pound limit for an extended period could be something to think about. Even dog food bags weigh more than that. Might have to get things a lil more straightened out here before I have the surgery.

[Wayne Smith]

I am following this thread, Joe. I'm looking at surgery for L4/L5 'severe central stenosis' and a couple of disks gone. So far, and God willing, wearing a back brace and limiting what I do is working. I'm avoiding surgery as long as possible, and especially as long as I can continue to work. Since I work sitting down and all the heavy lifting is mental that may go on for a while.

[Wis Tom]

Checking back on this thread, very encouraging, and praying for all, with bad backs.

[Boerrancher]

Coming up on 3 weeks post surgery. I still have a bit of muscle soreness around the surgery site, but other than that I am still pain free. I am still watching what I lift in keeping with the 10 lb restrictions, but I am walking a great deal and enjoying the fall outdoors. I’ve also been able to enjoy shooting again. It really sucks to have multiple ranges literally in ones own back yard from 25 yds to 1003yds and not be able to enjoy them. All spring and summer I had to just look at my guns and ranges. Yesterday my oldest boy and I got some quality range time in and are looking forward to fall youth Firearms deer season. This is his last youth season. At age 16 you are no longer allowed to hunt until regular season. It has been a fun 8 years watching him hone his skills, and be successful every year. I was worried I would miss it this year but that no longer seems to be the case. I highly recommend to anyone suffering with back problems that keep them from enjoying life, do some research, find the best Doctor and facilities you can and at least have a consultation. For me it has been life changing. I don’t have the pain I had 10 years ago, because they were able to fix what they couldn’t fix back then.

Thank you all and best wishes,

Joe

[shdwlkr]

Good to hear you are on the mend and looking forward to life again. Have fun with your son.

[OldBearHair]

Well here it is 10-14-2019 and I just found this post! Read every page and prayed along for each of you guys with back problems and now we just need to give God Praise and Adoration and pray for Mr Wolf and everyone else that are waiting for surgeries that they are successful. This is a super outcome for Boerrancher and blessings to him and his family...

[lightman]

So glad to hear that you are doing well. But, not only honor that 10# weight restriction but watch out about over extending and any quick bumb, step, jolt, ect. Walking is probable your best exercise to recover from back sugary with.

[MrWolf]

Joe glad you are doing so well. Been thinking about early December for mine. I moved it back some after reading your comments. I need to make sure some things are done before the operation. Thanks again for sharing your experience.
Ron

[sparky45]

Wow!! All good news BR, so glad things went fantastic for you, it's about time you were able to catch a break. Get back to Knapping those fabulous points.