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Been there DOING that,I was 25 when I blew out 2 disks, bottom 2 on left side, lived with the pain ever since. Fr first 10 years maybe 1~4 times/year I would end up aggravating it to point I HAD to take a break from what ever i was doing. the next 5 years it got worse, till last jun i could no longer do much of anything... Had to have it fixed, though knowing it was getting worse I signed up for extra insurance 4 or 5 years back & kept it up to date. this helped a lot. I spent all of June, July and most of August unable to walk or set or lay flat. spent 2.5 months with legs in air flat on my back (legs on couch.) they cut me open in july 29th was going to be a 2or 3 day stay, ended up with 3 weeks after infection and much worse than the x-rays & MRIs showed. It was near end of august when they said if I could walk out I could go. It took a walker to go but I left. was on PT and home healing through mid November b4 I went back to a desk job part time, and was doing PT daily on my own and 2 times a week through January. I used a cane to walk up till about mid may and was back on the cane this past October. I have little to no feeling in my left leg from knee down (pins & needles 100% of time and major cramping if something bumps the foot ever sense.) I still do my PT stretching daily which helps some... Best thing was a GOOD PT person. first one I had was worthless provided by the military. I went outside VA system to get a good PT person on my own who actually HELPED me.I'm figuring at 42 years old I should be in a lot better shape, (I was a body builder when I was injured) and was active duty military when I was hurt on the job moving stuff after D.S. Military has picked up pretty much most of the bills & left me live with the pain for last 17 years ever sense. i cant stand on one leg anymore for much of nothing. I had been a highly paid electrician in heavy industrial but I cant climb ladders or lift more than about 25 lbs. I stager around the yard like I'm drunk and yet the 10% disability rating is all they will give me... 4 years ago I was clearing $50K, last year and this year I was lucky to get 20K~23K due to fact I lost the jobs I was doing, no longer capable... Something you may end up facing as well. when the body no longer does or can do what it used to you simply have to accept the things you cant change and change the things you can... Yep I'm still not smart enough to know which ones I can change and too dang stubborn to accept the onces I cant change! and havent got a bit of serenity or an ounce senility!!! Jbest thing I can say is to try & stay active, do as much PT as you can with out making it hurt worse, if it starts to hurt stop and then go back a little while later. take some good anti-inflammatory pills on regular basis while healing & doing the PT even if you are not HURTING at the time. These things need to be in your system for a day or two prior to them actually working very well. I found Alieve worked about as well or better than anything they prescribed. Also had to get an actual agronomic chair for working in the place I was / am working for when it went out did get me a pretty nice one and made a big difference.... Also try and loose as much weight as you can to get the extra lbs off the back/legs & joints. I have gained about 10 lbs back in the last few months as I couldn't keep as active over the last year, been trying to stop eating but when I'm cooking it tastes much better. have to go on a Plain Grits & Beans diet (that would make me loose a lot of weight fast!:o)Mark
Motohed, I can sure see why you're in a funk, but Spiker has shown you that you're not as bad off as you could be. There are many others on the forum that have various afflictions that will never get better. Unless I misunderstand something, your condition should be temporary, and you should come out better than before. I sure hope that is the case!! You can use this time to expand your mind. You obviously aren't dead from the neck up, so start using the Internet to look up things you've always been curious about. It can be real entertaining. Better yet, go back to the beginning of this forum and start reading it. If you don't laugh out loud or shed a tear every five minutes, you might be dead from the neck up! Another thing you might do is study up on something that will help you when you're back on your feet. I know one old guy who has no legs. He rebuilds hydraulic cylinders and pumps. His Granddaughter works with him and does all the moving of stuff. You ain't gonna be like him, but he demonstrates what a fella can do if he really wants to. He was in the woods until the accident took his legs, but he is still active in the industry that he loves and still gets to see all of his old logger buddies.One more thing before I shut up. Don't be ashamed to accept help. Check with your State and County to see what programs might be of benefit to your family. Food stamps are there for people who can't work. It doesn't have to be a permenant thing. Just don't let your children go without the things they need because of pride.Most of all, be thankful for what you have...a wonderful Wife and a whole covey of kids to love. You'll get through this time and look back on it as "the good ol' days.
My cousin (brother) passed away early part of this December due to bone cancer. Lost his job about 3 years ago when the company folded. Then was diagnosed with this about a year ago. Bills are no longer a problem.
I didn't mean to sound quite so preachy, Motohed. My point is that as long as you have your mind, you should be able to find something interesting enough to keep you from going nuts before you can get back outside. Being from the South myself, I have a hard time understanding why you would want to go outside in Rhode Island this time of year anyway. Mrcaptainbob, my heart and prayers go out to you. I lost a Brother to cancer several years ago, so I know just how you feel.
Sounds to me like you are going to be NOT physically working for some time. Now might be a good time to do as DanG stated, and look for someone reliable to put in charge of things your Bride can not really handle. There sometimes HAS to be a BOSS, so, you might start looking at that side of things, and see if you can get things moving along better. Good luck on the recovery and RELAX. Your Bride is correct, you will get through this
I lost my first wife in a car accident & was devastated for a few years. One of her Aunts gave me a copy of this poem http://www.barefootsworld.net/footprints.htmlBe thankful for what you do have because you never know what tomorrow brings.Get well soon. jim
Better yet, go back to the beginning of this forum and start reading it. If you don't laugh out loud or shed a tear every five minutes, you might be dead from the neck up! Another thing you might do is study up on something that will help you when you're back on your feet. I know one old guy who has no legs. He rebuilds hydraulic cylinders and pumps. His Granddaughter works with him and does all the moving of stuff. You ain't gonna be like him, but he demonstrates what a fella can do if he really wants to. He was in the woods until the accident took his legs, but he is still active in the industry that he loves and still gets to see all of his old logger buddies.One more thing before I shut up. Don't be ashamed to accept help. Check with your State and County to see what programs might be of benefit to your family. Food stamps are there for people who can't work. It doesn't have to be a permenant thing. Just don't let your children go without the things they need because of pride.Most of all, be thankful for what you have...a wonderful Wife and a whole covey of kids to love. You'll get through this time and look back on it as "the good ol' days.
