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Annoying Aging and Health Issues


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11 minutes ago, mrflynn03 said:

Well I finally have a real problem. 

Stood up last night to go to bed and hit the deck. So I went to the ER had a bunch of tests and CT scan. 

Turns out I no longer have a functional disc between my L5 and S1 vertebrae. Just a worthless sac of air. So they are grinding together and my S1 is out of position because the bone to keep it in alignment isn't there anymore so my S1 is pinching nerves.  Going to have an MRI to see if I need surgery. 

Eeeeeh….that sounds less than enjoyable. Hope it turns out. 
 

Seen more than a couple of back issues over the past couple of years. My boss who is 55-ish actually had a re-herniated L3/4 disc about 18 months ago. Had it repaired about 10 years ago and it wound up re-herniating on the other side. And my father in law is dealing with bone spurs on his vertebrae. Product of being an underground coal miner for 40 years. He’s holding off on surgery until it’s completely unbearable though. 
 

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On 1/5/2021 at 9:50 AM, rico said:

How many here played a lot of football in their youth?  I swear all my aches and pains are due to all the hits I took in HS.  Can I sue the IHSAA?  LOL

Put me on that list. I’m 39, and noticed that on cold mornings, my ankles are incredibly stiff and sore. Never had a severe injury from the gridiron (broken finger was the worst), just the years of pounding and the usual collection of sprains/twists. 

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45 minutes ago, mrflynn03 said:

Well I finally have a real problem. 

Stood up last night to go to bed and hit the deck. So I went to the ER had a bunch of tests and CT scan. 

Turns out I no longer have a functional disc between my L5 and S1 vertebrae. Just a worthless sac of air. So they are grinding together and my S1 is out of position because the bone to keep it in alignment isn't there anymore so my S1 is pinching nerves.  Going to have an MRI to see if I need surgery. 

Wish you luck with that one! Hopefully they can diagnose and correctly repair. Backs are not to be messed with. 

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30 minutes ago, Zlinedavid said:

Put me on that list. I’m 39, and noticed that on cold mornings, my ankles are incredibly stiff and sore. Never had a severe injury from the gridiron (broken finger was the worst), just the years of pounding and the usual collection of sprains/twists. 

Football and dirt bikes. Went to the chiropractor after being rear-ended when I was 16. On the xray it's showed an old stress fracture in my L5. I knew this was coming just wasn't expecting last night. 

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5 minutes ago, mrflynn03 said:

Football and dirt bikes. Went to the chiropractor after being rear-ended when I was 16. On the xray it's showed an old stress fracture in my L5. I knew this was coming just wasn't expecting last night. 

Ever have minor/moderate pain in that area? When the fluid leaks from a disc like that, it can cause minor nerve irritation. May not have even been anything noticeable as different than everyday aches/pains. 

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6 minutes ago, Zlinedavid said:

Ever have minor/moderate pain in that area? When the fluid leaks from a disc like that, it can cause minor nerve irritation. May not have even been anything noticeable as different than everyday aches/pains. 

On and off for the last few years, but yeah just felt like normal everyday aches. 

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1 hour ago, mrflynn03 said:

Well I finally have a real problem. 

Stood up last night to go to bed and hit the deck. So I went to the ER had a bunch of tests and CT scan. 

Turns out I no longer have a functional disc between my L5 and S1 vertebrae. Just a worthless sac of air. So they are grinding together and my S1 is out of position because the bone to keep it in alignment isn't there anymore so my S1 is pinching nerves.  Going to have an MRI to see if I need surgery. 

Sorry to hear that, Matt...I'll pray for a positive outcome for you.  The most encouraging thing is, today's back surgery is light years better than yesterday's.

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3 hours ago, mrflynn03 said:

Well I finally have a real problem. 

Stood up last night to go to bed and hit the deck. So I went to the ER had a bunch of tests and CT scan. 

Turns out I no longer have a functional disc between my L5 and S1 vertebrae. Just a worthless sac of air. So they are grinding together and my S1 is out of position because the bone to keep it in alignment isn't there anymore so my S1 is pinching nerves.  Going to have an MRI to see if I need surgery. 

Good luck with that. Praying for a speedy recovery!

My shoulder has been bothering me for the last 2 months. Going to Physical Therapy now. Minor rotator cuff issue. No idea what aggravated. Just getting older and 50 years of wear and tear.

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1 hour ago, FKIM01 said:

Sorry to hear that, Matt...I'll pray for a positive outcome for you.  The most encouraging thing is, today's back surgery is light years better than yesterday's.

You got that right...having those 2 disks replaced in my neck made my back pain free for the first time in years...

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1 hour ago, IUFLA said:

You got that right...having those 2 disks replaced in my neck made my back pain free for the first time in years...

What was your recovery time like?

My wife goes to a sports therapist that I know from high school. So she put a recommendation in to a specialist in Bloomington.  Have an appointment next Thursday and looks like diagnostic injections? may be a possibility.  

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2 minutes ago, mrflynn03 said:

What was your recovery time like?

My wife goes to a sports therapist that I know from high school. So she put a recommendation in to a specialist in Bloomington.  Have an appointment next Thursday and looks like diagnostic injections? may be a possibility.  

My doctor told me, we can do PT, we can do injections, but only one thing is going to fix the issue... surgery.

So I had the option of fusion, or disk replacement. Being the fusion would have reduced my range of motion by 20%, I chose the replacement. 

I took 3 weeks off of work, and managed the pain with ibuprofen after the first week.

I was pretty much pain free after 6-8 weeks, including the incision (they go through the front).

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My wife has had both spinal fusion surgery and a discectomy. Neither has gotten rid of her pain. She went back to the surgeon, supposedly one of the best in the country, and he told her he wouldn’t do a third surgery as the first two haven’t helped. She has been in pain management for several years and hydrocodone and Gabapentin are daily dosages.

In my humble opinion, back surgery is a crapshoot. As a younger person, you probably will get relief from surgery. My wife will tell you that if she could do it all over again, she would not have had surgery 

 

 

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2 hours ago, Steubenhoosier said:

My wife has had both spinal fusion surgery and a discectomy. Neither has gotten rid of her pain. She went back to the surgeon, supposedly one of the best in the country, and he told her he wouldn’t do a third surgery as the first two haven’t helped. She has been in pain management for several years and hydrocodone and Gabapentin are daily dosages.

In my humble opinion, back surgery is a crapshoot. As a younger person, you probably will get relief from surgery. My wife will tell you that if she could do it all over again, she would not have had surgery 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, IUFLA said:

My doctor told me, we can do PT, we can do injections, but only one thing is going to fix the issue... surgery.

So I had the option of fusion, or disk replacement. Being the fusion would have reduced my range of motion by 20%, I chose the replacement. 

I took 3 weeks off of work, and managed the pain with ibuprofen after the first week.

I was pretty much pain free after 6-8 weeks, including the incision (they go through the front).

I'm not sure what led to this. Years of football and lifting weights? 

I had a dirt bike accident in fall 1998, cruising to my grandpa's farm, come over a hill on a gravel road. I remember the truck pulling out in front of me and waking up in the ditch, that's it. I refused to go to the hospital because 2 a days were 2 weeks away and I broke both bones in my left wrist the year before and I'd be damned if I will sit out another season.

I could barely walk for two weeks. But it worked itself out and here I am now at 36 looking at back surgery.  Oof. 

@Steubenhoosier

I don't take pills especially narcotics.  I turned them down last night. The pain isn't unbearable yet but I've dealt with it before. I guess I will deal with it as long as I can. But I have never and won't start ingesting pills. 

Edited by mrflynn03
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What's wild to me is the therapist my wife goes to,the one that got me an appointment next Thursday, her mom was one of my grade school teachers and her brother, who I graduated with was in the truck that pulled out in front of me. An a friend and fellow offensive lineman, it was his sister who put me in that ditch. 

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5 hours ago, FKIM01 said:

Sorry to hear that, Matt...I'll pray for a positive outcome for you.  The most encouraging thing is, today's back surgery is light years better than yesterday's.

I knew this day was coming just didn't expect it so soon. Thanks for the support.  Been a rough few months. 

I have definitely been blessed with my new job because with all that is going on I wouldn't be able to make it at my old place. 

I have a very good insurance plan and time and a phenomenal manager. 

Also just found out yesterday I work with one of my wife's cousins in law. He's working from home right now. 

But a week after I started I get a text from someone I used to work at my old job with. Same shift schedule, it helped transitioning into my new job having someone familiar around who I consider a friend.  

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11 hours ago, mrflynn03 said:

 

I'm not sure what led to this. Years of football and lifting weights? 

I had a dirt bike accident in fall 1998, cruising to my grandpa's farm, come over a hill on a gravel road. I remember the truck pulling out in front of me and waking up in the ditch, that's it. I refused to go to the hospital because 2 a days were 2 weeks away and I broke both bones in my left wrist the year before and I'd be damned if I will sit out another season.

I could barely walk for two weeks. But it worked itself out and here I am now at 36 looking at back surgery.  Oof. 

@Steubenhoosier

I don't take pills especially narcotics.  I turned them down last night. The pain isn't unbearable yet but I've dealt with it before. I guess I will deal with it as long as I can. But I have never and won't start ingesting pills. 

@Steubenhoosier is right though. There are no guarantees. My doctor told me that going in. I'm one of the fortunate people that surgery worked out for... 

Edited by IUFLA
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19 hours ago, mrflynn03 said:

Well I finally have a real problem. 

Stood up last night to go to bed and hit the deck. So I went to the ER had a bunch of tests and CT scan. 

Turns out I no longer have a functional disc between my L5 and S1 vertebrae. Just a worthless sac of air. So they are grinding together and my S1 is out of position because the bone to keep it in alignment isn't there anymore so my S1 is pinching nerves.  Going to have an MRI to see if I need surgery. 

Hate to hear this.  Hopefully they can find a solution without surgery, but if not, most people I know that have had some sort of back surgery are ultimately glad they did.

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Got my CT scan results today. Basically my Lumbar region is wrecked.  3 bulging disc's, what they call a vacuum disc, born spurs, facet hypertrophy, compression fractures, etc.  

But a chiropractor who I went to high school with and who was recruited to work for the New England Patriots, and works with my wife got me scheduled with a top notch specialist in Bloomington 2pm Thursday.  Have an awesome manager, coworkers who actually care, and a healthy insurance plan. 

So at least I've got a good team behind me. 

This is not my scan but one of my problems. I haven't seen mine yet.  Probably what slipped and set this off. 

1056988985_images2.jpeg.2ae1393b181c101b90c96da9a3df43da.jpeg

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19 minutes ago, mrflynn03 said:

Got my CT scan results today. Basically my Lumbar region is wrecked.  3 bulging disc's, what they call a vacuum disc, born spurs, facet hypertrophy, compression fractures, etc.  

But a chiropractor who I went to high school with and who was recruited to work for the New England Patriots, and works with my wife got me scheduled with a top notch specialist in Bloomington 2pm Thursday.  Have an awesome manager, coworkers who actually care, and a healthy insurance plan. 

So at least I've got a good team behind me. 

This is not my scan but one of my problems. I haven't seen mine yet.  Probably what slipped and set this off. 

1056988985_images2.jpeg.2ae1393b181c101b90c96da9a3df43da.jpeg

Of course I saw the scan first and freaked out (I think that is the final lumbar into the coccyx isn't it). I hope yours isn't that bad.

Sounds like you have a good support structure. Good luck man !  

 

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2 minutes ago, Joe_Hoopsier said:

Of course I saw the scan first and freaked out (I think that is the final lumbar into the coccyx isn't it). I hope yours isn't that bad.

Sounds like you have a good support structure. Good luck man !  

 

Not sure. A have 1-2 grade spondylolisthesis which is what that scan shows. Could be worse though. So I've got that going for me. 

It's at my L5-S1 joint. My L5 has the compression fracture. 

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