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    #1

    I'm back... again!

    Hello my fellow spiney friends. I had to reload Windows on my computer and lost all my contact information. I finally found Brain Talk again and am back. I don't post often, but am glad to be back and check on all my "spiney" friends. It has been ten months since my surgery and I am doing well. Like all of us, I have my better days and my not so perfect days, but that happens at a certain point in life not matter the back problems. I have not rebounded as quickly as I hoped, but I think some of that is my age more than my physical issues. I exercise regularly and walk quite a bit. I sometimes have some tightness and low to moderate pain, but it is not terrible and can certainly be tolerated. Whether that is just arthritis or the after effects of my last spinal surgery I don't know, but it is certainly not going to stop me from doing the things I want.

    I have learned not to be as aggressive with my activities as I was before my last episode. I may well have contributed to my spinal problem because I pushed way too hard and too far from what I should have. Now I just need to have a bit more wisdom and exercise a bit more care with what I will do that I should not. Wisdom comes from being really, really stupid very often . Hopefully I have a bit more wisdom this time around. I most certainly do not want to go under the knife ever again. I will do what I can to avoid that at all costs.

    I hope all of you are doing well and have been moving forward in your lives. I have not had time to read the posts, but I will after I finish writing. Have a Great day everyone.
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    #2
    Big Joe, at least you are showing some wisdom before it was too late. It is hard to tell, as we get older, if stiffness is from recovery or arthritis. It is good to hear your pain levels are under control and I hope you are able to keep them that way. I do like hearing that you are being more cautious with your activity this time during recovery as it isn't work taking the risk of messing up your spine before it heals.

    I am struggling with cervical problems and have turned to massage therapy to try and get the pain levels under control. We are anxiously expecting our second granddaughter as our daughter is due in three weeks. Our son leaves for the Army Monday and Iwill miss having him around but will enjoy having an empty nest.

    Welcome back Joe, I hope you pop in now and then letting us know how you are doing.
    1979 spinal issues, 1993 lumbar microdisectomy L3-4, 1996 360 3 level lumbar fusion L2-5, 1999 open thoractomy fusion T8-9,
    2002 C3-7 herniations and T4-7 herniations, 2004 total disability, a new limited life

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      #3
      Hey Mark...Sorry to hear you are still having pain. I guess I've had pain so long (27 years approx) that I get used to it. The good news is that it is not bad enough to keep me from the things I enjoy. I have to be somewhat careful that I don't overdo it. That is my basic nature. However, I have made a concerted effort to be a bit more disciplined in my activities. I was just beginning to have my "grand buddies" when I first joined the forum. My oldest is not 15. That seemed to happen overnight! We are raising two of them. One is a 14 year old boy, the other an 8 year old girl. They have been with us for over four years now. I do miss just the two of us, but I also enjoy the kids so much that I don't know that it would be as much fun without them. They take a lot of time and energy. They are both special needs kids, but have grown so much and have done so well that we could not imagine them being elsewhere.

      Well, I hope you have a great holiday weekend. Thank you to you and your son for his service. I was in the Navy in the late 60's and early 70's. Hard to believe it was that long ago!

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        #4
        Hi Joe, Yes you and I have had chronic pain for a long time as mine has been a minimum of 22 years but to be truthful I was having chronic pain since I was 14 which has been 42 years but for the first 20 I just fought through the pain not letting it stop me from any activity except for times now and then when it went from bad to severe. With our first grandchild and another coming in a few weeks I understand what you mean about the joy they bring to our lives. I am so happy that my daughter and her husband have decided they wanted to live here in our small town than pursue professional dreams in a city. It is nice to have them 5 blocks away so we can walk down for a visit or they can drop by for a visit or meal. Your two grandkids are blessed to have you as their guardians as I know you and your wife give them a good environment to develop to there capabilities as not ever parent can deal with special needs kids. Yes time flies by at this time in our lives and I want to say Semper Fi to a fellow veteran "swabbie" as you guys had a hard life while out at sea. Did you graduate from pollywog to shellback, Navy's time honored tradition?
        1979 spinal issues, 1993 lumbar microdisectomy L3-4, 1996 360 3 level lumbar fusion L2-5, 1999 open thoractomy fusion T8-9,
        2002 C3-7 herniations and T4-7 herniations, 2004 total disability, a new limited life

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          #5
          Hey Big Joe ~ So good to hear from you! I didn't know you were going to have more surgery! I'm so sorry that it was necessary. I'm glad you're healing well, but don't push it. lol Unfortunately, the older we get, the more we have to be careful, darn it. lol I'm now deemed "inoperable" so this is as good as it gets, and it stinks. lol The lumbar spine is trying to kill me I think, but I'm Irish so it won't get me. lol

          Anyway, so good to hear from you Joe and I hope you'll keep us updated as to your recovery. I know you have 10 months behind you but methinks you have a while to go yet. Take care Joe and God bless. "Peace", Lee
          Recovering alcoholic, sober since 7-29-93;
          severe DDD; sciatica; osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, 2 spinal surgeries, SCS implant & removal, morphine pump trial-didn't work, umpteen injections/epidurals/trigger points,rhizotomy, Racz procedure, etc., therapy, 4 more herniations, now inoperable; lumpectomy, radiation therapy~breast cancer survivor,fibromyalgia;depression; heart attack. On disability.

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            #6
            Im semi-retired now. That means I'm as busy as ever...but don't get pair for it. Kind of like owning your own business without the paperwork I turned 63 last week and am amazed I have made the journey this far. I guess being Irish by descent makes us tough. I get to spend a bit more time with the grandkids, and playing music. When I worked on the instruments or built them, I would often have enough of them and not really feel like playing them. I can play now for fun and enjoy it so much more.

            I am working very hard at being smart about my recovery. Fortunately, my grandson that lives with us is 14 and already 6'3" tall and quite strong. He does most of the carrying and never fusses about it. Anyway, it is good to hear from both Leeaelle and Mark N. I try to stop by every few days and check things out. Have a Great Day!

            Comment

              #7
              This forum is acting nuts = pardon the double post
              Last edited by Leeaelle; 09-05-2012, 08:37 AM.
              Recovering alcoholic, sober since 7-29-93;
              severe DDD; sciatica; osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, 2 spinal surgeries, SCS implant & removal, morphine pump trial-didn't work, umpteen injections/epidurals/trigger points,rhizotomy, Racz procedure, etc., therapy, 4 more herniations, now inoperable; lumpectomy, radiation therapy~breast cancer survivor,fibromyalgia;depression; heart attack. On disability.

              Comment

                #8
                Hey Joe ~ Do you remember me from WAYYYY back in like 1996? I just was wondering if you did. I always signed my posts "Peace, Lee." I had to register as "Leeaelle" cause someone else had Lee as their user name, and anything else close to Lee was taken, so I had to come up with something. LOL

                Exactly what instruments do you play, anyway? I'd like to know -- I totally love music, and respect anyone who can play some instrument. I'm pretty much limited in that the only thing I can play is the organ. I taught myself first, and THEN took lessons. Not the way you should do it, since you get bad habits by then. LOL

                Anyway -- good to see you're recovering well, which is obvious since you're so BUSY! Wow~ Keep us posted. Hugs, Lee
                Recovering alcoholic, sober since 7-29-93;
                severe DDD; sciatica; osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, 2 spinal surgeries, SCS implant & removal, morphine pump trial-didn't work, umpteen injections/epidurals/trigger points,rhizotomy, Racz procedure, etc., therapy, 4 more herniations, now inoperable; lumpectomy, radiation therapy~breast cancer survivor,fibromyalgia;depression; heart attack. On disability.

                Comment

                  #9
                  Joe, it is good to hear you now play the instruments instead of just working on them. It is nice to hear you have something that you can enjoy during "retirement". It sounds like you have a grandbuddy that can do the heavy lifting for any chores you have. Grandkids are such a joy as I know my granddaughter brings a spark back into my life every time she is around. It brings back the good memories that my kids brought into my life as they were such a joy to play with as is my granddaughter now. I hope you can stay away from the business enough to enjoy your retirement and let those grandbuddies show you the joy that they bring into life.
                  1979 spinal issues, 1993 lumbar microdisectomy L3-4, 1996 360 3 level lumbar fusion L2-5, 1999 open thoractomy fusion T8-9,
                  2002 C3-7 herniations and T4-7 herniations, 2004 total disability, a new limited life

                  Comment

                    #10
                    I play guitar (both acoustic and electric), bass, mandolin, and banjo. I used to play Dobro and Steel Guitar, but that was a long time ago. I've played guitar for nearly fifty years. I get to play with some of the best in the business and I truly enjoy that. That could only happen in Nashville. Music has been a big part of my life since I was young. I never intended for it to be my life, it just happened that way. I am most known for repairing, restoring, and building stringed instruments. I have really enjoyed that, and still do some basic repairs and setups. Today I replaced the neck on a banjo for a friend. I don't do it nearly as much as I used to, but I don't want to do that much. Now I get to pick and chose what I do and enjoy it that way. Sometimes I would spend so much time with instruments in my hands and working on them that I did not want to play them when I got finished at the end of the day. Now I can focus on picking and just having fun. I do some gigs for pay, but usually just for fun or jam sessions and I play in our church band. It is quite an incredible band with incredible musicians, but it is Nashville!

                    I certainly remember Peace Lee. It has been awhile, but I have not forgotten. It is good to see you again on the forum. I visit from time to time and check in on it a couple times a week. It is not like it used to be in our heyday. Then there were dozens of new posts every day. Now it is not as populated. I don't think all the oldies found the new site, but maybe they have gotten better and don't need us anymore. Have Great Day!

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