Back surgery mix?

[Kosher Fried]

My back is ok, but my Wife's is not ... I'll follow you following KF.

Pro tip: save any of that stuff you may be prescribed when you are discharged from the hospital, i.e. the Walker, a Portable Commode with the parallel bar type handles, the "Reacher," .... anything.

My only re-use so far has been to retrieve Spike's ball with the Reacher when he lets his ball go under the neighbor's fence, but we and/or our Humans have a history of encountering unexpected problems from different directions. Those hospital type pee bottles that look like German beer mugs may come in handy too ... ya never know

Bro I got allll that shit and then some.. Those grabbers come in handy for all kinds of shit. And the walker will go in the attic once I stop having to use it first thing in the morning when I'm still wobbly.

Also saving the rx stuff for future use... Goes good in a kit bag or ifac

 

[Wilson6]

Well this is timely. Pretty much same situation, S1 - L4 needs fused. Had them cleaned out twice and nothing more that could be done. Drop foot on the left and some numbness tingling on the right, but no pain until 12/19. Had COVID the week before, took the week off from the gym then light legs on 12/18, felt fine. No pain anywhere and thinking maybe I should take a week off more often. Then Monday morning an ache in my left hip, had to lunge back on my left leg to fix some equipment and it felt like someone put an ice pick in my hip joint. By Weds of last week I had to use a wheelchair at public events, couldn't walk more than 50' with intense pain in the hip. Went in for x-rays of the hip and also asked they do my lumbar region with ext/flxn to make sure I didn't have instability. Some old age hip issues and spine was stable so nothing that could explain the pain. Had a hip MRI on Friday, it was a struggle to hold still in the magnet bc of pain. MRI showed again some mild age/lifting hip issues but nothing that could cause that level of pain. By Friday it was radiating and following the sciatic tract, I knew it was back at that point. Went from zero pain to 10 in 3 days without trauma to the back. I go on Medicare on Feb 1 and trying to make it until then bc the doc I want to see if out of plan currently. Can't walk, work or lift. Always something. Dreaded fusion, now looking forward to it.

 

[Wilson6]

Has anyone had an epidural for sciatica pain? Does it help?

 

[Wilson6]

The other advantage we have is HRT and/or something additional to reduce the loss of lean mass and aid in recovery (both tissue healing and bone fusion). Imagine being the average old guy going into fusion with a T of 200. The catabolic stress and pain would likely put that number in the castrate level along with tanking E2, both needed for recovery from surgery, preservation of lean mass and facilitating the fusion process.

 

[rawdeal]

Well this is timely. Pretty much same situation, S1 - L4 needs fused. Had them cleaned out twice and nothing more that could be done. Drop foot on the left and some numbness tingling on the right, but no pain until 12/19. Had COVID the week before, took the week off from the gym then light legs on 12/18, felt fine. No pain anywhere and thinking maybe I should take a week off more often. Then Monday morning an ache in my left hip, had to lunge back on my left leg to fix some equipment and it felt like someone put an ice pick in my hip joint. By Weds of last week I had to use a wheelchair at public events, couldn't walk more than 50' with intense pain in the hip. Went in for x-rays of the hip and also asked they do my lumbar region with ext/flxn to make sure I didn't have instability. Some old age hip issues and spine was stable so nothing that could explain the pain. Had a hip MRI on Friday, it was a struggle to hold still in the magnet bc of pain. MRI showed again some mild age/lifting hip issues but nothing that could cause that level of pain. By Friday it was radiating and following the sciatic tract, I knew it was back at that point. Went from zero pain to 10 in 3 days without trauma to the back. I go on Medicare on Feb 1 and trying to make it until then bc the doc I want to see if out of plan currently. Can't walk, work or lift. Always something. Dreaded fusion, now looking forward to it.

Has anyone had an epidural for sciatica pain? Does it help?

The other advantage we have is HRT and/or something additional to reduce the loss of lean mass and aid in recovery (both tissue healing and bone fusion). Imagine being the average old guy going into fusion with a T of 200. The catabolic stress and pain would likely put that number in the castrate level along with tanking E2, both needed for recovery from surgery, preservation of lean mass and facilitating the fusion process.

Hate hearing all this, W6. You have been a great blend of medical science and bro-science here, and some of our newer members may not be aware of that yet.

Hoping the best for you ... please teach us more as you learn more from your own experiences.

 

[genetic freak]

I don't really have anything to increase the recovery of your back that you are not already doing. I would add you could do some light band work for your chest, upper back, shoulders and arms while your are sitting in the recliner to keep atrophy at bay. Also, some knee extensions without any weight and just focus on squeezing hard at the top each time.

Watch the EQ if you are running it for a long period of time. I know you want the RBC up to aid in the healing, but I don't know what your experience is with using it. For some, it can skyrocket your RBC as little as 4 weeks on just 200 mg a week. Others are just fine. However, it is also something that is impacted by age. They may have been fine running 600-1000 mg a week at 25, but at 200 mg a week at 45 they have problems.

Good luck. I hope you heal up and recover quickly.

 

[Kosher Fried]

I don't really have anything to increase the recovery of your back that you are not already doing. I would add you could do some light band work for your chest, upper back, shoulders and arms while your are sitting in the recliner to keep atrophy at bay. Also, some knee extensions without any weight and just focus on squeezing hard at the top each time.

Watch the EQ if you are running it for a long period of time. I know you want the RBC up to aid in the healing, but I don't know what your experience is with using it. For some, it can skyrocket your RBC as little as 4 weeks on just 200 mg a week. Others are just fine. However, it is also something that is impacted by age. They may have been fine running 600-1000 mg a week at 25, but at 200 mg a week at 45 they have problems.

Good luck. I hope you heal up and recover quickly.

Unfortunately neurosurgeon hasn't released me to do any activity at all yet or I probably would, including using my high dollar recumbent bike.. Maybe after my 2 month follow up tomorrow

You're right on the eq, though. I've already decided to quit running it. My hypocrite levels are high enough naturally that the Dr recommends that I give blood regularly.. So I'm not sure adding this was a great idea. Rbc count was already high normal (yellow {green, yellow, red, etc})

I did move some ammo around last night because I'm shipping it after it sold. Probably about 36lbs. Really feeling it today. Not enough for pain meds, but I'd put it at a 4 of 10... So not great and as my wife says, pretty stupid of me.

 

[Kosher Fried]

Has anyone had an epidural for sciatica pain? Does it help?

I've had about 14 of them in 5 years.

They work. Especially if you do it once, and come back in 2 weeks for round 2. 3-6 months max relief. But pretty sure that's what degraded my discs from bad to 1mm nonexistent. It was already happening, but it spead it up.

Moderation, I guess. I wonder what 2 rounds a year would do for relief. Something I bet

 

[Kosher Fried]

Ok

Had 2 month followup today.

Everything looks perfect.

Got the brace off today. So no longer using that even though I feel like I need it. But they said (and I agree), my core has atrophied even more so I need to start using my stabilizers again on my own. And start pt 3x a week starting next week.

Of which I'll be sufficiently geared up for.

Upped my test (mix of test cyp, enanthate, and test Dec) to 450 mg/wk. And now that's all I'm on. Well and the 3-4ius per day of gray top gh (6 months of the pfizer good stuff was just too cost prohibitive. Like $3600-4500 depending on dose and length vs $1200 for 1200 ius..

 

[Kosher Fried]

Another thing to note about suboxone

It's strong shit. I've been on opiates for 14 years as needed. 5 years daily. And the last few months the 180 10mg per month i was prescribed wasn't even enough. So I absolutely needed them. If you're just trying to ween off after a few months of even oxycodone, just ween.

Suboxone also contains a small amount of narcan. Supposedl you can't od if you keep taking more suboxone. But you won't get a buzz. And of you try taking MORE opiates they just won't work..bit rest assured you can od that way.

Interesting stuff and I have no idea how long I have to take it.

But again just ween off if you can

I'm sure it's gonna be a while before I can stop using it myself.

 

[Glycomann]

About the supplements for injury, When I was younger i concluded that going natural was the best way to heal a catastrophic injury or surgery. I had several during my athletic career. I tried it both ways and that's what I found. That was when I was younger, HPTA still recovered fast and I always seemed to have beeter healing powers than most. When older i saw that GH could possibly help but my thinking is that one should stay at the top of normal range for one's age. Side effects are not an indication that a drug is working, probably the opposite. TB500 and BPC157 could help. These two are used to heal connective tissue and I have used them with success for tendonitis in the past after age 50. As far as androgens I really would not use more than a replacement dose. Personally, I would stay in the top of normal range for my age-ish. The rate of recovery increase you think you might have is probably not that great as far as androgens unless you are deficient. Sex hormones are important for soft tissue and especially bone health but balance is a key in this. i don't think we want a dysmorphic process happening because of an unbalanced ratio of these hormones. so bioidenticle hormone in the normal range would be my approach. The problem with exogenous hormone supplementation is that you take the healing process out of nature's hand risking a compromized balance of processes during the healing process.

 

[HardManifest]

I use to have a sciatica issue when I would lift adding weight to the spinal column. I stopped doing those kinds of lifts. I don't do any exercises that have a spinal impact. Fuck that. I stopped it as soon it appeared. I want to say the sciatica for me appeared after I broke my femur back in 2010. Maybe two or three years after that. Any how. I havent had it reappear. thank God. For squads or hams I use the chair. It still builds using that equipment. Fuck dead lifts or shit squats. No sir.

My mother-n-law had a two of her lumbar verts fused b/c of the Sciatica. I want to say she had it done in her mid sixties. A year or less ago. She doesnt exercise. For someone that doesnt exercise at that age her recovery was really fast. She had to wear a back brace for about six months. I see her frequent. She looks happy with no pain. Living with pain is a bitch. It tends to create assholes.

I want to say her Ortho surgeon was bad ass. So if you decide to do it find the best Ortho in the field. Dont go with some Dougy Houser chump.