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View Full Version : Im not going to make my hike in May......



STICK
03-24-2010, 15:07
About 6 years ago I found myself lying on the floor unable to get up and in excruciating pain. My back felt like it was broke and pain was shooting down my legs and into my feet. I thought I was going to have to get an ambulance to come get me. It took me about 40 minutes to get about 100 ft to the car (most of that was just trying to get up~oh and I was laying down because it felt better for me to lay down when it was hurting, but it got worse and I couldn't lay there, I had to get up.) I went to the hospital and the xrays were fine. I took about 2 weeks off work on a mederol dose pack and other NSAIDS and muscle relaxers. It took about 2 months before I was able to move comfortably without fear of it hurting again.

3 years ago, it did it again. This time I just got one of the docs to call me in another dose pack and ate motrin and tordol and sat it out.

2 years ago, it happened again, but much worse. I very very slowly made my way to the car again and my wife brought me to the hospital. This time we got an MRI. It showed I have a herniated disc at L5/S1. It was bulging pretty bad. I took another dose pack, took injections in my back, more motrin, tordol, lortabs, and muscle relaxers. I was out for 3 weeks. About 2 1/2 months later I was back to ok, but still cautious about my movements.

Now this past weekend it happened again. I had went in to work (on call back) to do a closed reduction hip. After we reduced the hip I helped lift the patient to place the xray board and I felt my back tense up, but it was ok. I came home and was getting ready to go to the park with the kids (it was a beautiful day) and then I was going to come back home and play with my new tarp. I simply turned to get a paper towel, and that was it. I was in the bed all day Saturday and Sunday. Monday I tried to go to work, but only got as far as driving there. I couldn't get out of the truck hardly. Tuesday I made it in and changed into scrubs but that was all I had in me. Today I went in and got changed, but it is still to much.

So I got an MRI, again. Now it's twice as bad as it was 2 years ago and the anesthesiologist recommends surgery asap (of course he did last time too). He showed me where it is protruding and even I could tell that it wasn't right (again, I could tell last time too. This time he pulled the two up next to each other and I could see how it has gotten larger.)

So I have an appointment to see the spinal doc Friday to discuss surgery. And yes, we discussed it 2 years ago as well. I went to physical therapy for a while, it got better and now here I am again.

I have been planning my first solo hike from Neels Gap to Fontana for a few months now and it comes up in May. I am pretty sure I wont be able to make that now. Even if I get my surgery done in time and wait the 4-6 weeks I don't think that that will be a good idea for me to carry my 40 lb pack 134 miles in 10 days up and down mountains.....really sux. For this reason I was debating putting it off again thinking that in two months time I would feel better enough to get out there and still be able to do it. Of course I am not going to do this, but you know what I mean. I was so excited about getting out there.

So I guess now I wont be using my new tarp this May, and I wont need to get that SPOT that I was going to purchase today......

Anyway, just wanted to rant for a minute.

10-K
03-24-2010, 15:12
Anyway, just wanted to rant for a minute.

Ah man.. that sucks out the wazoo... I read your post twice looking for loopholes that you could use to rationalize making your hike but it sounds like you're doing the right thing.

Let me be the first of many who will say, "The trail isn't going anywhere."

Hooch
03-24-2010, 15:17
Sorry to hear this Stick, hope you're on the mend and feeling better soon. Maybe you can get that sleeping bag you were wanting out of the deal as a "Get Better Soon Present" from the Mrs.

Mrs Baggins
03-24-2010, 15:17
Well, the good news is you're only 32, you can get it fixed now and be all healed in a few months, if not a few weeks if you're otherwise fit and healthy and you do what the doctor tells you to do. Better that it happened while you were at home and could get help than somewhere on the trail. You're gonna be fine and you'll be out there again!

tagg
03-24-2010, 15:19
sorry dude, i know you've really been looking forward to this trip. get the surgery, rest up, and hopefully you'll be as good as new and can still go in october as you were planning. you're young and the trail isn't going anywhere. i hate it for you, though!

STICK
03-24-2010, 15:20
Thanks, 10-K. Trust me I have been sitting here for the last few days now trying to figure my way around it, (I have been posting a lot on some forums trying to talk my way through it) but I know that the best thing is for me to go ahead and do it. If I would've done it 2 years ago, I'd still be going on my hike in May and I wouldn't be stuck here hurting right now.

I am thinking about the hike that my wife and I will take in October now. Through the Smokies. At least that's what we have planned.......

tagg
03-24-2010, 15:21
Maybe you can get that sleeping bag you were wanting out of the deal as a "Get Better Soon Present" from the Mrs.

ahh, yes - the "poor me" gift. fantastic idea!

HikerRanky
03-24-2010, 15:25
Sorry to hear about the upcoming surgery, but you are making the right decision. Having something like that going out on the trail is NOT a good thing.

Get well soon!

Randy

STICK
03-24-2010, 15:31
Actually the "poor me" gift I am thinking is a thru in about 3 years (maybe 4 depending on bills).

I just finished AWOL's book last night. I woke up this morning in mid dream about coming to a shelter that wasn't what I thought it was and so I had to move on to the next one. It had just started to rain, late in the day, and the next shelter was a few miles away. And it was on my thru....

sidebackside
03-24-2010, 15:31
I hate to hear that brother, truely I do. Was this hike planned when we met in the Smokies? For some reason I remember you talking about it. Could've been your trip in Oct though. Nonetheless, sorry to hear about that. As you know it's best (not favored) to go ahead and get it done. If the hike doesn't work in May, like you said, you've got one coming up in Oct. Best to make sure you stay healthy for you and your son so when he gets older you guys can take, by then, your long awaited thru-hike!!http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif

sidebackside
03-24-2010, 15:34
I just finished AWOL's book last night.

Glad you decided to get it? What'd you think?

Mountain Wildman
03-24-2010, 15:35
Good luck!!!
I am in therapy for a back sprain, not as bad as your situation.
I am planning a Thru for next year. Who knows, Maybe you'll be there also!!!
Your in my Prayers!!

Snowleopard
03-24-2010, 15:35
Since this is a work injury, file an incident report if you haven't already. Even if you don't want worker's comp, it's really useful to create a paper trail saying this is a work related injury in case it acts up later. Don't necessarily trust the worker's comp people at the hospital where you work. My former employer (a medical school) had some great people, but their worker's comp people were not employed to watch out for our benefit.

I'm sorry that your hike is going to be delayed. I had a herniated disk that was excruciatingly painful for a while. The physical therapy (no surgery) helped and I'm 80 to 90% OK now. Your story will certainly get me going back to doing my core exercises and stretches.

Use this time to reduce the weight of your pack. Learn to sew if you have to.

Ender
03-24-2010, 15:40
Best wishes towards a speedy recovery from the surgery. You have what sounds like an identical issue that a friend here at my work had. He got the surgery, and was out of work for a while recovering, but he's better than ever now. He's said that he wished he got the surgery sooner, rather than dealing with it for so many years.

Anyway, heal fast!

STICK
03-24-2010, 15:40
Snowleopard, that sounds like an awesome idea. Maybe I can find someone with a cheap sewing machine.

Sidebackside, the book was awesome. I had been reading it for a while, just a little here and there, letting it soak in. It is a very good book and made me feel like I was there. Like I said, I finished it last night and woke up on the trail.......

Alligator
03-24-2010, 15:49
Sorry to hear all that. I had a microdiscectomy a little over two years ago now. It might even be the same disc. I was out backpacking within three months of that. My doc cleared me for everything besides downhill skiing and horseback riding. I had a speedy recovery and so can you! Hope things go well for you.

sidebackside
03-24-2010, 15:52
. Best to make sure you stay healthy for you and your son so when he gets older you guys can take, by then, your long awaited thru-hike!!http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif

So your thinking about taking a thru-hike in 3 or 4 years???

STICK
03-24-2010, 16:12
Thanks Alligator. That's exactly what I am having. However the anesthesiologist says that if i put it off any longer it risk becoming an emergency surgery. It's getting to big to look the other way now. Thank you for you post.

Sidebackside, I am hoping 3. We are doing the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace and in 3 years we will have all our bills paid off and gone. For the next 3 years I'll just have to change my envelope from "blow money" to "Thru-Hike"......of course I would still have to get the rest of my gear cause right now all my stuff is way to heavy.....

Cookerhiker
03-24-2010, 16:15
Stick, I have felt your pain (actually it was my pain;)). Fortunately, I found a successful treatment which I described on this thread (http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=14922). You'll find some other WBers' experiences related there as wel.

Cookerhiker
03-24-2010, 16:21
Stick, here is the machine (http://www.drx9000spinaldecompression.com/) which successfully "sucked back" my herniated disc. That was 3 1/2 years ago. Less than one month after the treatment, I hiked 150 miles of the John Muir Trail (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=4830)

JAK
03-24-2010, 16:34
I wasted my thirties mostly just getting fat.
3 years will go fast. Get well. Grow strong. Stay strong.
Best regards.

Sassafras Lass
03-24-2010, 16:37
So sorry to hear about your medical problems. I'm in my mid-20s and back in high school I had x-rays done at the chiropractic clinic, and sure enough, I have some collapsing vertebrae (for lack of a better term). It pinches now and then, noticeably since I've gained back 25 lbs, but nothing terrible, especially not to the degree you are facing. Mine's inherited; when I was around 7 my dad had surgery on his spine.

We welcome your rant :) And it's very true that you are still young, and just think - when you DO hit the trail, you won't be stuck in an ice storm, doubled up in excruciating pain and unable to pitch a tent!

I wish you all the best! :D

Roland
03-24-2010, 16:45
You are wise to put your health first.

Yes, this is a disappointment, but it will help you appreciate the opportunity to hike even more, when the time comes.

All the best!

Jan LiteShoe
03-24-2010, 17:14
Stick, here is the machine (http://www.drx9000spinaldecompression.com/) which successfully "sucked back" my herniated disc. That was 3 1/2 years ago. Less than one month after the treatment, I hiked 150 miles of the John Muir Trail (http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?trailname=4830)

Cooker,
Did you buy the machine or go to a center that had one?

Lyle
03-24-2010, 17:29
I also suffered a ruptured L5S1 back in the mid 80's. At the time I was about your age, working as a Paramedic. Lifted a critical patient, had to get someone to help my partner unload at the ER, I was out.

Treated it conservatively with bed rest, pain meds, muscle relaxers for 6 months, off work entirely with no improvement. Then underwent a chymopapayne (sp?) injection into the disk. Another month off work, then one year in dispatch only. Since that time I have been cleared for return to full duties. I have had no recurrent problems. Very occasional muscle strain, but that lasts a day or two, then goes away.

Since that time, I backpack regularly with no problems at all (knock wood). The only restrictions, no jumping from higher than two feet, and no skiing of any kind - I can live with that, though I did enjoy cross-country in the winter, make do with snowshoeing now.

I say all this to encourage you that your back can get permanently better. They no longer do the injections that I had, but there are lots of new procedures that can solve the problem, listen to your doctors, tell them you want to start with conservative treatments, and go from there. Get a second or third opinion if it will make you feel better.

Best of luck, seriously. I know exactly what you are going through.

Cookerhiker
03-24-2010, 17:33
Cooker,
Did you buy the machine or go to a center that had one?

Jan, this is not the kind of machine that you take home. I went to a chiropractor. At the time (2006), there were very few practioners in the Washington DC area where I lived at the time. Based on my perusal of web references, it appears the majority of docs using these machines are chiropractors but some ortho. docs are as well, and it's become more widespread. Worked for me!

Blissful
03-24-2010, 17:40
sorry to hear this. Hope everything goes well and you feel better soon

STICK
03-24-2010, 17:46
As much as I hate this, I know that I am blessed that it is happening the way that it is. It could be worse. I wouldn't even want to think of this happening on the trail. It's miserable enough in the comfort of my own home.

Thanks everyone for your kind words, encouragement, and making me understand that the trail will be there when I am done. It sounds silly, but sometimes I want to be out there so much I actually wonder what if something does happen to the trail, natural disasters and such.....anyway. Thanks everyone.

STICK
03-24-2010, 19:47
Here are some pics of the disc that I had my wife take with the camera. It looks tiny doesn't it? It sure does hurt though.....

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu88/STICK13/DSC_0083.jpg

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu88/STICK13/DSC_0089.jpg

Kel, the "Stickman"
03-24-2010, 21:04
OUCH! That LOOKS painful! ...Stick, please know that we are all sympathetic to your plight. The only thing more painful than that herniated disc is "not hiking". I have two friends that are suffering from same issue, one scheduled for surgery tomorrow, the other going in for a procedure Monday. Both "young", active, softball players. They were both strongly cautioned not to wait... and are both hopeful for complete healing with proper care. ...and on and on I go. Anyway, seeing the pain these two are in, I know you are suffering. Please know that I and many others will be keeping you in prayer for a full, speedy recovery, and more days of happy hiking. Lotta miles left in them old shoes!

Stickman

Funkmeister
03-24-2010, 21:27
In 1990 I had a laminectomy to address a herniated L5/S1 disc. I felt better the night of the surgery than I did for six months before the surgery. I went the rest, meds, stretching route to no avail. Surely you will be better by next year to attempt your hike again.

Best wishes.

sparky2009
03-24-2010, 21:46
Stick, Sorry to hear about your back. Hope that your recovery is quick. I agree with Snowleoperd's advice on reducing pack weight. Pretty easy to get under 30lbs. Just do the research. It will also help reduce back strain.

STICK
03-24-2010, 21:51
Sparky, I have that lightweight list made out. Trust me. Now I just gotta squeeze it in in between dr payments.

johnnybgood
03-24-2010, 22:11
The good news is that spinal/lumbar surgery has made significant progress in the past 20 years and often the recovery time and rehab will have you back on the trail in no time. Circle your start date for next spring and continue making those thru-hike plans.

You did the right thing by putting your health first, ...but you already knew that .

Keep your spirits high and best wishes. :)

dmax
03-24-2010, 22:25
I had a microdiscectomy in '08. I know what your going thru. Last year in Sept I had to have a fusion. It took awhile to heal from that because I started smoking again the day I got out of the hospital.....Today I put a pack on for the first time. I walked a couple of miles up to Beauty Spot and hung out for a couple of hours enjoying the nice warm day. And also being thankfull that I could make it up there!

STICK
03-25-2010, 00:52
JBG, I won't make the hike in May, but I am still planning me and my wifes thru hike of the Smokies in October.

And yea, Ill have to circle a date next spring to do the Neels gap to Fontana. Hopefully in 2013 I can do a real thru......

Dmax, congrats for getting back out there today. Im sure that you were happy to be out there. I am counting the days till I can get back out there.

Trailweaver
03-25-2010, 00:58
I'm soooo sorry to hear that your trip's delayed and that you have disc problems. I've had the very same . . . had surgery in 1996 after being bedridden for several months. After the surgery, I was in "surgical pain" but the herniated disc pain was gone, and I actually was in less pain than I had been in for several months.

I took me about a year to recover fully. . . maybe you won't have some of the complications I had. I did a lot of therapy and a lot of walking. I also had water aerobic therapy, which was a tremendous help - exercising my legs in the pool and walking in water up to my waist. Do exactly what your doctor and therapist recommend - no cheating after surgery will mean you get to hike sooner rather than later and that you don't have another "oopsie" to your back.

It took a while for me to trust that I could backpack. . . I was afraid of the weight, the repetitive motion, etc., but I've done it. The lighter your pack, the better you'll be, but you know that already.

And, as someone else has said - file your work related injury paperwork, and do it now. Worker's comp is not for the worker - it's for the employer!!! Also - and I think you've done this already - see the doctor of your choice - not the worker's comp doctor. I have a permanent deficit because I kept seeing the WC doctor - who delayed my surgery, causing me significant pain and the permanent deficit.

Certainly hope you get this done and over soon. . . then you'll be better sooner!

STICK
03-25-2010, 01:10
I will be doing paperwork. I don't know if I will do it tomorrow. My back feels like it has gotten worse today so I may not go in to work at all tomorrow. Friday when I go see the doc I will have to stop back by work to talk to them and I will see about filling it all out then.

And yes, trust me. Its the doc of my choice. I am having to go out of my network to see him so my insurance won't cover near as much. I don't understand how all that stuff exactly pans out, but I would rather go to this guy than the one that would be "cheaper (cause ins would pay more)" for me.

Thank you everyone for your kind words. You all make it a little nicer.

I hope that one day I can meet some of you, but on the trail.....

jrwiesz
03-25-2010, 03:23
...I say all this to encourage you that your back can get permanently better. They no longer do the injections that I had, but there are lots of new procedures that can solve the problem, listen to your doctors, tell them you want to start with conservative treatments, and go from there. Get a second or third opinion if it will make you feel better...

I agree with Lyle, start with conservative treatments. Avoid surgery if at all possible, then only as a last resort. Get as many opinions, from reputable people, as you can. Seek holistic, alternative treatments. Look into improved diet; diet is one area that most people neglect. Exercise faithfully. Lose weight if you are obese or overweight.

You are relatively young, you have ample opportunity for surgery if other means are exhausted and unsuccessful. But, surgery is forever, you can't take it back. And if you choose surgery, make sure you do your homework there. Get the best surgeon you can afford, and ask the tough questions.

Good luck with whichever path you choose, just don't be too hasty with the decision. :sun

STICK
03-26-2010, 19:27
Well, I talked to the doc today. He said the disc is actually ruptured rather than just bulging. Anyway, we set up for me to get a microdiscectomy April 6th. The great thing is that he said I would be able to return to work a week later.

So, Ill still miss my hike, but maybe I can still take a few days to go and hang out or something. What about the traildays? Isn't that sometime at the end of May or something?

Cookerhiker
03-26-2010, 19:56
Trail Days is May 14-16.

Hope the doc's right about the surgery's success.

singingpilgrim
03-26-2010, 23:35
I'm so sorry about your back and hope the surgery and your healing goes smoothly. Just thought I'd extend my sympathies.

Trailweaver
03-27-2010, 02:10
Your surgery must be a newer technique than what I had years ago. . . I'm so glad that you won't have the long recovery time I had. I cannot believe you could go back to work so soon. Still. . . it's surgery, so take it easy at first. Maybe you've said before what you do, but I haven't seen it. . . so what is it, again?

It's interesting that you're keeping busy making stuff sacks in your "down time." It looks like you're doing a great job. With 11 yards of material you should be able to make quite a few!

STICK
03-27-2010, 11:14
It's a microdiscectomy. I think part of the reason he said I could go back to work is because it will just be one level. I could go ahead and have the whole disc removed and have L5/S1 fused, but he believes that this will be all that I need. And of course I will be on light duty. I work in surgery as a scrub tech. I won't be able to lift patients, or the heavy instrument trays and of course I'll be limited to the surgeries I can assist on, but at least I'll get to go back to work and get paid. And of course like any surgery there are potientials and risk's so........

Yeah I would love to be able to figure out how to make stuff like quilts and sleeping bags or whatever. Sewings actually pretty fun, or maybe it's cause I know I am "making my own gear." I'm just glad to that I am able to be up enough to play with the sewing machine. For the first few days I was stuck in the bed.