Re: Healing Holidays . . .

[Guest guest]

Hi Debbie best wishes to your daughter for a complete recovery. Sorry

to hear about your problems but if you have lived with some of it

yhou already know it will change your life. As for the low lifting

weight, I gave up touching anything over 20 lbs years ago. Its a pain

but not as much as the after pain from lifting 50 lb bags of feed. If

you haven't already get yourself some big barrels to have someone

else load up with food for you and then you will be set. I try to

have hub do mine when he is home then I am ok till he gets back again

usually. If not I improvise lol. Its not easy but after dealing with

neck, leg and back pain for almost 7 yrs now I am getting used to

adapting to doing things different all the time. If you need any

ideas for around the farm let me know maybe I have a few I have

figured out that might help. Best wishes for dealing with your other

problem. And hopefully a better New Year for your entire

family.Sharon Group Owner

>

> Our oldest daughter's L5-S1 fusion surgery was a success, and she

got home the day before Christmas! For an 18-year old, she is taking

it very well, not really complaining much, and already working to get

off the pain meds so she can think clearly again. Not only did she

have a transitional/segmental lumbosacral problem, there was a

ruptured disk as well. Having a back brace was optional, mostly

because the neurosurgeon didn't think they could find/order a 30-inch

waist size, so we are working on that now, before she goes back to

school next Thursday. Daughter isn't travelling much until we get

something, although she's using an oversized brace we put together

from two other braces temporarily.

>

> Am wondering why the neurosurgeon used such small staples on her.

Mine were a lot thicker and I'm jealous. :0 Hubby bragged that the

incision from his microdiscectomy was glued (no staples at all). We

get her staples out on Monday.

>

> Also, I had an ortho consult for my hips the day after Christmas at

another Tulsa facility. This lady was really good; she looked at the

fresh x-rays and then asked if it hurt where she was pressing on

parts of my leg/hip. I had no idea there were so many sensitive

nerves there, but I'm sure she found every single one of them.

Diagnosis surprised me - not only did she confirm the sciatica

problems from (already known) spine/back problems that I had at L4-L5

(fused a year ago), she also diagnosed Sciatica RLE (Right Lower

Extremity) and discovered Greater Trochanteric Bursitis. Now I have

to research these things so I know what to expect. She did tell me -

honestly - that I would probably have to learn to live with this, as

there was no good way to fix it and I'd had it many years already.

She suggested a change in lifestyle (not hauling anything around here

on the farm). I asked for a specific weight limit and she said 10-12

pounds was realistic. I about fainted! My neurosurgeon said to do

whatever I felt like, although I'm avoiding the 50-pound sacks of

livestock feed like I used to move around.

>

> I received an injection, believe it was Depo-Medrol. Hubby was

such a smarty pants - while they were getting the injection stuff

ready, he said " man, that's a big needle " . THANKS A LOT dear! <G>

She got it in the right spot, if pain was any indication. This

reminded me of the Pain Management shots I had (different facility)

in my mid-back, which did not work BTW because they did not consider

the thoracic problems (two small herniations, osteophytes, etc.) that

were actually in the same area.

>

> I am still needing to find a neuro that will work with my thoracic

problems. Apparently my current one chooses not to address this

area; he claims it will probably go away on it's own in a few months,

as my spine muscles start to realign things. They are (realigning),

but the problem with a suspected fractured facet joint (pars defect)

or transverse process is certainly not getting any better. And I

discovered, totally by accident, that pressure on this thoracic area

seems to help, but I don't know why. This is all on the left side of

the T7 to T9 area. I rolled a soft play ball thing that we have at

home under that area while resting on the couch, and the pressure

there (for over an hour) helped. Anybody know why that would made

sense? I don't understand, but it did.

>

> Sooo . . . it has been a very interesting holiday season for us.

But we were together, and that's what counts. Our Christmas was very

low-key and fairly quiet, all things considered with the trips hubby

and other daughter made back and forth to Tulsa every day, and the

cold wet weather. One trip going home was very bad with the highway

being partially frozen.

>

> If we are lucky, we'll make it to a New Year's Eve party with the

Sunday School group, since we missed all the Christmas parties with

the surgery and doctor appointments.

>

> Debbie Dahl

> Oklahoma

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Debbie best wishes to your daughter for a complete recovery. Sorry

to hear about your problems but if you have lived with some of it

yhou already know it will change your life. As for the low lifting

weight, I gave up touching anything over 20 lbs years ago. Its a pain

but not as much as the after pain from lifting 50 lb bags of feed. If

you haven't already get yourself some big barrels to have someone

else load up with food for you and then you will be set. I try to

have hub do mine when he is home then I am ok till he gets back again

usually. If not I improvise lol. Its not easy but after dealing with

neck, leg and back pain for almost 7 yrs now I am getting used to

adapting to doing things different all the time. If you need any

ideas for around the farm let me know maybe I have a few I have

figured out that might help. Best wishes for dealing with your other

problem. And hopefully a better New Year for your entire

family.Sharon Group Owner

>

> Our oldest daughter's L5-S1 fusion surgery was a success, and she

got home the day before Christmas! For an 18-year old, she is taking

it very well, not really complaining much, and already working to get

off the pain meds so she can think clearly again. Not only did she

have a transitional/segmental lumbosacral problem, there was a

ruptured disk as well. Having a back brace was optional, mostly

because the neurosurgeon didn't think they could find/order a 30-inch

waist size, so we are working on that now, before she goes back to

school next Thursday. Daughter isn't travelling much until we get

something, although she's using an oversized brace we put together

from two other braces temporarily.

>

> Am wondering why the neurosurgeon used such small staples on her.

Mine were a lot thicker and I'm jealous. :0 Hubby bragged that the

incision from his microdiscectomy was glued (no staples at all). We

get her staples out on Monday.

>

> Also, I had an ortho consult for my hips the day after Christmas at

another Tulsa facility. This lady was really good; she looked at the

fresh x-rays and then asked if it hurt where she was pressing on

parts of my leg/hip. I had no idea there were so many sensitive

nerves there, but I'm sure she found every single one of them.

Diagnosis surprised me - not only did she confirm the sciatica

problems from (already known) spine/back problems that I had at L4-L5

(fused a year ago), she also diagnosed Sciatica RLE (Right Lower

Extremity) and discovered Greater Trochanteric Bursitis. Now I have

to research these things so I know what to expect. She did tell me -

honestly - that I would probably have to learn to live with this, as

there was no good way to fix it and I'd had it many years already.

She suggested a change in lifestyle (not hauling anything around here

on the farm). I asked for a specific weight limit and she said 10-12

pounds was realistic. I about fainted! My neurosurgeon said to do

whatever I felt like, although I'm avoiding the 50-pound sacks of

livestock feed like I used to move around.

>

> I received an injection, believe it was Depo-Medrol. Hubby was

such a smarty pants - while they were getting the injection stuff

ready, he said " man, that's a big needle " . THANKS A LOT dear! <G>

She got it in the right spot, if pain was any indication. This

reminded me of the Pain Management shots I had (different facility)

in my mid-back, which did not work BTW because they did not consider

the thoracic problems (two small herniations, osteophytes, etc.) that

were actually in the same area.

>

> I am still needing to find a neuro that will work with my thoracic

problems. Apparently my current one chooses not to address this

area; he claims it will probably go away on it's own in a few months,

as my spine muscles start to realign things. They are (realigning),

but the problem with a suspected fractured facet joint (pars defect)

or transverse process is certainly not getting any better. And I

discovered, totally by accident, that pressure on this thoracic area

seems to help, but I don't know why. This is all on the left side of

the T7 to T9 area. I rolled a soft play ball thing that we have at

home under that area while resting on the couch, and the pressure

there (for over an hour) helped. Anybody know why that would made

sense? I don't understand, but it did.

>

> Sooo . . . it has been a very interesting holiday season for us.

But we were together, and that's what counts. Our Christmas was very

low-key and fairly quiet, all things considered with the trips hubby

and other daughter made back and forth to Tulsa every day, and the

cold wet weather. One trip going home was very bad with the highway

being partially frozen.

>

> If we are lucky, we'll make it to a New Year's Eve party with the

Sunday School group, since we missed all the Christmas parties with

the surgery and doctor appointments.

>

> Debbie Dahl

> Oklahoma

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you for your comments, Sharon. I just had no idea that my chores around

the farm would be affected so much. My mother always said I " worked like a man "

because I did so much. Now I know it has been TOO MUCH. I am learning how to

divide up bags of feed and scoop more often. I will also drag sacks of feed in

a slow manner, bring them to the edge of the pick-up bed and then open them, let

some pour out into 5- gallon buckets in small quantities and then it's more

manageable. Just takes more time. And boy do I have a lot of time!

I am so bored most days, because it's too cold to get much done outside this

time of year. It gets depressing, because I've always been a Do-er. Now I've

got to change my habits and try to find a way to get things done.

No longer able to haul hay bales to the livestock, nor help hubby during the

haying season either. It was difficult for me to not help and I felt very

guilty about him doing all the work. Used to be, I could load the first 25

bales on the trailer, then the second layer of about 20, then he would do the

top row and we'd have about 60 bales per load. This year he did it all himself

- did 20 bales per load with his little truck and not the low trailer. I think

he put 600 bales in the barn.

The nice thing is, this will last a very long time! So we may not have to do

any next Spring.

Debbie Dahl

[Guest guest]

Thank you for your comments, Sharon. I just had no idea that my chores around

the farm would be affected so much. My mother always said I " worked like a man "

because I did so much. Now I know it has been TOO MUCH. I am learning how to

divide up bags of feed and scoop more often. I will also drag sacks of feed in

a slow manner, bring them to the edge of the pick-up bed and then open them, let

some pour out into 5- gallon buckets in small quantities and then it's more

manageable. Just takes more time. And boy do I have a lot of time!

I am so bored most days, because it's too cold to get much done outside this

time of year. It gets depressing, because I've always been a Do-er. Now I've

got to change my habits and try to find a way to get things done.

No longer able to haul hay bales to the livestock, nor help hubby during the

haying season either. It was difficult for me to not help and I felt very

guilty about him doing all the work. Used to be, I could load the first 25

bales on the trailer, then the second layer of about 20, then he would do the

top row and we'd have about 60 bales per load. This year he did it all himself

- did 20 bales per load with his little truck and not the low trailer. I think

he put 600 bales in the barn.

The nice thing is, this will last a very long time! So we may not have to do

any next Spring.

Debbie Dahl