I had minor issues for a few years, but didn't think much about it. Then, last August, I hurt it doing yard work. I used the chain saw to cut down a bunch of branches hanging over the roof. Hillsborough County requires you to cut everything into pieces no more than four feet long and bundle them together. I was bent over with the snips for a couple of hours and my back started to bother me with about five minutes to go, so I finished and got cleaned up. All that twisting and turning while bent over wasn't good for me. It got worse over the next couple of days, so I went to my primary care physician, who gave me a shot in the rear, along with steroids and other pills. I got tired of sitting around a week later and figured I would skim the leaves out of the pool (We've since had the screen replaced, so no leaves.). The third time that I swung to the left and jerked hard to get the leaves off of the net, I dropped to the ground. Just then, my wife yelled, "Bob! The painter's here! You need to sign the contract.", so I dragged myself into the breakfast area, pulled myself up onto the chair, and signed the paperwork. My hands were shaking, and not because I was writing a check!
My primary care physician was booked solid, so their office sent me to the Florida Orthopaedic Institute. They took x-rays. The doctor commented that my spine was bent to the side. I told him the reason for that was because I couldn't put any weight on my left leg. I got a shot, steroids and pills and they scheduled physical therapy. Ten visits later, my improvement plateaued and we discontinued the PT. I had an MRI and the neurologist said I had bulging discs at L4 and L5. The neurosurgeon at Fla. Ortho thought I would be a good candidate for an epidural steroid injection. Referred to another doctor, more tests, then I had the injection, followed by more PT. and follow-up visits. Not much better. My left leg was still numb, with occasional shooting pain. While weak, it was no longer giving out on me. I could walk, but not run. I also have muscle atrophy. Back to the neurosurgeon, who finally recommended surgery. In the meantime, several wrestling buddies recommended an inversion table. I used one for a couple of months, also with minimal results.
My best friend's wife is a nurse, and she strongly recommended Florida Biospine. I went to them for a second opinion and they were surprised that the other surgeon let it go on this long. I decided to go with Florida Biospine for the surgery. My gut feel was that the other guys were good, but this guy was better.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will fix everything, and I'll do my best not to do anything stupid to adversely affect the outcome. I'm keeping a positive attitude. although I did give my wife my passwords to my financial accounts so she won't have to track that stuff down if I wake up dead. I'm not worried, but she always worries about everything. She says she has to, because i don't worry about anything.
I'm looking forward to getting back to normal. I'm getting soft and flabby after nine months of not working out. I'm also keeping my fingers crossed that i'll be in good enough shape to go out to dinner on my birthday next week (while wearing the back brace).
Anyway, enough of the history lesson. Let's get this thing done!
