RknRusty - StillBurnin - Okay, we have a plan!

If I may interject on Phred's post.. He and some of you others know of my recent back-pain issues that have kept me down over the last several weeks. A recent consult with a "pain-specialist/Doctor" informed me that I'm a possible candidate for "RFL" Radio-Frequency-Lesioning" therapy..

I don't have any pressure on my sciatic-nerve.. as I did years ago.. but I do have degenerative disc disease; arthritis/stenosis and "spurring" of my vertebrae, which is partially due to my age.. but given my previous spinal-injuries; is a bit more "pronounced".

The "RFL" procedure temporarily destroys the nerve(s) using an insulated needle (with local anesthesia) to "burn" these nerves associated with the pain. This treatment is claimed to be much more "lasting" than traditional facet-joint steroid-injections.  

https://thrivemdvail.com/radiofrequency-lesioning-knee-back-pain/

When I hurt my back 25 years ago.. I had two herniated/bulging discs in the lower-lumbar region of my spine. I was a much younger man then.. and Chiropractic therapy helped to relieve the pressure on my sciatic-nerve. That treatment was a Godsend at that time. I haven't experienced that type of pain.. (in my butt and down my leg..) since.

Bob (dkrsn) knows what I'm talking about here.. I hope that we "all" can find a pain-free alternative to what ails us.

roddie wrote:

Bob (dkrsn) knows what I'm talking about here.. I hope that we "all" can find a pain-free alternative to what ails us.

It was Bob's picture of his back that gave me the courage to post my picture.

rsv1cox wrote:Four child births, but the only time I ever saw my wife in pain was when at the end of a 12 hour travel day she had a pinched sciatic nerve.  2 am and we were off to the emergency room.  Doc asked, does it hurt when I press here?  Scream..YES.  Filling prescriptions at 3 am and home by 4.  
 

Yup.. that's "real pain" Bob.. and there isn't much that will relieve it.. outside of opiates; which have their own bad side-effects if you're on them for an extended period of time. They're just a "Band-Aid". Did Audrey see a chiropractor? I did.. and it helped me. It took a few weeks though. Until then; it felt like a baseball-bat was being driven into my ass.

At age 40.. I contracted "shingles"... get the vaccine if you haven't already..

Okay, as I renamed the title, We now have a plan of action.
Tuesday, I check into Palmetto Health Baptist Hospital. That same afternoon I have surgery to pin the neck of my femur together... and whatever else he decides to do about the other nearby fractures.

I will remain in the hospital for a few days and then be discharged to either my home or a rehab facility.

That's it in a more complicated nutshell. Even though I'm a veteran of many tough surgeries, I was much younger and stronger back then. As well as bullheaded and determined to reclaim my life. Not that I'm not that way now, but I gotta admit, I'm ever so slightly terrified. Now that's an ambiguous statement, but so is my state of mind at the moment. This sounds like a simple operation, but I'm a lot lower on endurance than I used to be, and my imagination is a little wild.

I'll be around here until Tuesday, and then I'll see y'all on the other side.
Rusty

Buddy,

All will go well. You have a strength and endurance I could never have. Don’t let me down Rusty. Keep on, keepin on! Rage on Rusty!

Love ya man!

Ron

P.S. I will be praying, because that’s what I do, I believe God can do anything if he sees fit to do so.

I also Rusty Bud. Thinking of you !!

Well all your ailments make me feel a little guilty about my hobbling around for the last week. Last Wedneday I had surgery on my knee to repair a torn cartilage. Walking pretty good again now and hopefully back to work next week.

Rusty, your issues make mine pale into insignificance. There's only one bit of advice I'd like to give you. Use this time as an opportunity to give up smoking, for your own sake. You won't regret it in the long run.

Rod

roddie wrote:

rsv1cox wrote:Four child births, but the only time I ever saw my wife in pain was when at the end of a 12 hour travel day she had a pinched sciatic nerve.  2 am and we were off to the emergency room.  Doc asked, does it hurt when I press here?  Scream..YES.  Filling prescriptions at 3 am and home by 4.  
 

Yup.. that's "real pain" Bob.. and there isn't much that will relieve it.. outside of opiates; which have their own bad side-effects if you're on them for an extended period of time. They're just a "Band-Aid". Did Audrey see a chiropractor? I did.. and it helped me. It took a few weeks though. Until then; it felt like a baseball-bat was being driven into my ass.

At age 40.. I contracted "shingles"... get the vaccine if you haven't already..

No chiropractor roddie, after a day she was good as new. Audrey lived a charmed life until Alzheimer's. She was never sick, not even a rash, or did she ever contract any of the common child-hood diseases. She worked from the time she was 20 until she retired at 57 and never took a sick day.

I had shingles about four years ago, painful but nothing I couldn't stand and took no meds for it. Lasted about three weeks. I always thought the commercials for the shots were over-blown. However, my son did get the shot.

Thinking about you Rusty. Be a good patient, follow doctors orders and I hope all your Nurses are beautiful. Eagerly waiting for your return check-in post here.

Bob

Best of luck and skill Rusky , when this is done you will bee ready for a fresh season at the handle and we will bee watching ! You are in my thoughts and hope to hear from you soon !

Hey Rus.. Don't worry buddy. Modern medicine and surgical-procedures are more amazing and "successful" than ever before. Every aspect of your healing will be taken into consideration.

We're all here for you Rusty. In spirit, we'll all be there in the O.R., peeking
over the "mechanics" shoulder. If we see something amiss, we'll let him know.
Karma will take care of the rest, along with prayers.
Hang tough brother.
Bob

Sounds like a good plan RR...
You'll get many of our prayers too !!!!
God Speed............
Steve....

I'm with you friend ...!

I wish you all the best Rusty. A buddy of mine, 10 years my senior, went through double hip surgery recently  and by today is an active sailor again. You will also make it and will recover soon I am darn sure.

Thanks for all the support from you guys, I appreciate every one of you.

I'm pretty sure it'll go well. When I posted the other night, I was in sort of a funk, not yet having processed all the rush of flashbacks I was having of my previous surgeries. You know what rattles me most... of course you can't know... but it's the part when you wake up in recovery and find you are intubated, so of course cannot talk. If I knew any more morse code than "...---..." I could blink it to my wife, but she doesn't know it either.

So what am I so worked up about??? No not the tube. It's not even uncomfortable. I don't mind it at all. It's that my wrists are lashed to the sides of the gurney and I can't move my hands. I DO NOT LIKE THAT!... To put it mildly. It induces panic in a big claustrophobic way. And it is forfreakin'EVER before they will untie me. If, before they knock me out, I could convince the anesthesiologist that I will not try to remove the tube if he frees my hands, I'd be okay with that. They can't administer any happy-medicine in recovery because they want to clear all that anesthetic chemical out of my blood. Spinal anesthesia would likely eliminate the tube, but the Lovenox I inject for 3 days prior to bridge between coumadin and carving doesn't play well with a spinal procedure and can lead to paralysis. YIIII!.

Okay, I've greatly exceeded the TMI limit, but I have hereby revealed my biggest fear with surgery. And it too will pass. That's what I like about time. No matter how horrible right now is, it'll eventually be yesterday, even if I count every tick of the clock.

Like y'all have told me, I really am one tough son of a gun. Lots of docs and nurses have told me so. But I just don't know if I'm as tough as I used to be. It seems all I really fear - is fear itself... to paraphrase Sir Winston Churchill.

Whew. I apologize.  Maybe writing about it might help. Maybe I will get a spinal after all. I'm damn sure not gonna Google anything else that might stimulate my imagination. I would not ever post any of this on any other forum. And I hope I didn't give any of you the heebie-jeebies.

Now is when I decide whether to delete all but the first sentence or post the whole whiny thing..............................................................................................okay here goes

Maybe a childish thing Rusty but I oftentimes carry one of my favorit 010 engines with me as a good-luck token when I e.g. fly long haul flights overseas, or go to the regular reporting session with the ultra-capitalist private equity owner of our company,  or when I underwent a cancer surgery back a few years ago...my own Traveling Engine......so far I survived all these crappy events, and whether or not due to the 010 having been with me does not really matter anymore...by today I do not dare leaving it out from my travel set for fears good luck will instantly turn its back on me....Supers -Tee(Dee)-tion....take one of your favorit ones with you too.

Rusty, I feel your fear and acknowledge that your facing it head on will in turn lessen your fear and strengthen your resolve to get through the procedure with sucess!  
Just remember to think happy thoughts or of your happy place as they administer the knock out drug. Imagine your starting the pattern with a great running plane on a windless sunny day, and go with the flow....
I know when I was put under, I was in a racing go cart, like Mario Kart, and woke up just as I was approaching the finish line, I remember trying to ask them to let me go back, so I could finish!! What a trip!!
Good luck there Buddy You will do just fantastic.

Rusty,

You've got this. Between all of our prayers and good thoughts your pre-procedure fear should be the worst part for you. Plus, we are all counting on you to recover completely so we get some new videos and stories from you. I am still praying for a great surgery and a quick and complete recovery!

Best wishes my friend,

Bob

Hey Rusty,

I know that feeling. So much so that I take medication to make it go away. Just know you are not alone.

If you tell the nursing staff and doc what you experience they will take care of it. Don’t suffer in silence...

Cribbs74 wrote:Hey Rusty,

I know that feeling. So much so that I take medication to make it go away. Just know you are not alone.

If you tell the nursing staff and doc what you experience they will take care of it. Don’t suffer in silence...

Excellent advice, Ron.
Bob

Saturday morning and hoping things are well with you ole bud.
Kim

Kim wrote:Saturday morning and hoping things are well with you ole bud.
Kim

Oh yeah, I'm fine. Now I feel a little dumb for posting all that whiny stuff. I'm fine and I'll be fine. Even better after it's all over. I do appreciate all the kind words. I'm usually not so vocal about my ailments. Just pre-op jitters, I guess. I'll give y'all updates after there's something useful to tell.
Thanks,
Rusty

Oldenginerod wrote:Last Wedneday I had surgery on my knee to repair a torn cartilage.
Rod

Way to go Rusty.  Some times you just gotta have a whine to get things off your chest.  Most surgeons know their stuff pretty good, so in my case the actual surgery didn't worry me a bit.  What I struggle with is being forced to go to sleep when I can't stop it.  You always have the feeling as things start to fade away, "Is this the last thing I'm ever going to see?  Am I gong to wake up again?"  Some how I missed the fact that the anaesthetic had been administered.  The guy must have slipped it in while he was talking to me about something unrelated.  I guess that's part of the art of the anaesthetist.  They're wheeling me into theatre and I start thinking, I feel a bit funny in the head, then, goodnight. I was gone.  Opened my eyes after a blink and, "hang on, this isn't where I was".  It's a funny feeling, but at least these days it doesn't knock you around for hours like it used to.

Rod