Done riding..........

Sorry to hear this Scott,when one door closes another one opens.....

Scott, I am sorry to hear about your back problems. I know you have great Doctors and lots of advice already but I am going to give the short version of my story.

I lived with back pain for over 20 years until it got too bad and I lost feeling in my left leg and the ability to lift my left foot. The CAT scan showed a bad herniation at L4/L5 and smaller one at L5/S1. The L4/L5 was compressing the spinal cord bundle to about 1/2 its normal size. Once I saw that I had both disks removed. My two sons were also young and I wanted to be able to play with them. Luckily my vertebra were stable enough so I did not need any fusions.

That surgery was about 12 years ago. I did a lot of walking around the neighborhood after that as recommended by the Doc. I could feel improvement for about 7 years as my Doc had told me. Last couple of years I try to go to the gym first thing in the morning and do 30 minutes on the elliptical machine every other day. It really helps to loosen up my back, tones the muscles and increases endurance for sawing wood or whatever. Every morning I don't go to the club I spend a couple minutes streching in bed before I get up. I also try not so sit down too much.

I also need to lose about 20 pounds since my spare tire is not good for my back either. I am 53 now and I can still feel improvement in my back as long as I exercise and strech and don't do anything stupid. I do OK riding mountain bikes (bicycles) in McAllister Park and KTM200s at Zars Ranch. I try to avoid rocks and stand up before I hit obstacles.

One of the riders in the San Antonio Dirt Bikers club is a chiropractor. He told me that a lot of back problems are because we don't stay hydrated enough. So I try to drink more water now. Both my Mom and Dad had these same two disks removed and neither one drank much water.

I wish you the best of luck, Steve

Steve,
Thanks for sharing your back issues I love to hear success stories! Saw another Doc. about it and he came to the same conclusion as the others. If its getting better at all on its own leave it be. He also confirmed that most of this started in 96 with the compression fracture of the vert. that the disc is inbetween. Tore ligament in 2001 on same two verts and that took a year to sorta heal. He talked about disc removal/replacement but said to wait and see how it is in six months. I was doing a mile and a half on the elliptical, 20 min. before the "blowout". I'm now able to walk about a mile and that helps. Walking has always helped with my previous back injuries. My right leg is working better now so thats helped with walking.

I agree on the hydration. I drink a gallon of water everyday and up to two in the summer. I hate to say it but my knees feel so much better since I've been off of my bikes.........I also need to loose about 50 pounds but I have the metabolism of a hibernating bear, not easy without exersize. I can do my job just fine, help coach my daughters softball team and fishing seemed to be ok so my attitude is good. Keeping the 430 in my pic so I can take a spin around the neighborhood once in awile. Just trying to avoid any spinal compression, seems to be the aggravator with it.

Real sorry to hear about that. I went through a bad auto accident just a couple of years ago, nearly lost my left arm, and then when it was staying, nearly had no function, was also in a wheelchair for 6 months with orders of no weight on either foot, due to ankle and hip breaks, etc. At one time, I had big guns/arms, now, my left upper will never look the same, till the tissue regeneration technology comes along further (and I can get some new muscles, I keep telling myself). My accident was the end of '08, and it still, and I'm told will forever affect me. BUT, I gotta say, a back injury is about the only injury besides a head injury, that I think would be potentially worse than what I went through, and still am going through. My mother has had ruptured discs in her back for as long as I can remember. Had surgery some years back, which alleviated one pain, while seemingly trading it for a whole new set of pains from the trauma of the surgery itself. Have seen the tears flowing as I helped her into and out of bed just to get up, far to many times. I had widespread massive nerve injury from my shoulder down my arm, which I would equate to perhaps the sensation of your arm being in a cremation furnace, while being repeatedly run over by semi trucks or locomotive trains, while being electrical shocked, all at the same time. For months it was swelled up to the size of nearly my upper leg, with knuckles on my fingers being the skinny spots on my hand. YET, I still feel for anybody with back issues. Heck, I could walk, even when I had broken bones, and was, because one arm in a wheelchair kinda hampers things a bit. Two functioning arms and wheelchair = wheelies, and a kinda good time, making the best of it. Only one functioning arm, and one that hurts more than you knew a limb could hurt, while being in a wheelchair = real frustrating times trying to move about, unless turning one direction continously gets you where your trying to go.

As was previously touched on, I can guarantee, that even if the riding has to be out, it will open up other opportunities, or at the least you'll be exploring other things. Not being down, and bed ridden, I can say with certainty, a boring or bad day able to walk, beats the best day stuck down unable to move any day, any day.......

Keep your spirits up, take stock in all to be thankful for, as you kinda eluded to, it beats having to not ride anymore. Far more positives, despite the immediate seemingly bummer of not being able to ride.

Good thoughts your way, and best of luck...........

Thanks for the words. Your very descriptive, highly accurate, hit it right on the head description of your nerve pain is exactly the way my right leg has felt! I love the description!!! Ive tried to explain it but lacked those comparisions. Saw the Doc. today and he's sending me to a pain management specialist. He is ordering spinal injections with a nerve block and steriod. He gave me an oral one and it worked pretty good for just a couple of days. With that he said I should respond well to pin point injections- no pun intended! Has some hillbilly Doc try that in 2001 on my back and it took him a few stabs to find the right spot, I was just about out of patience. These injection will be done under imaging. Worth a try, glad needles never have bothered me. Sold my 96 KTM 360EXC and my Kawasaki street legal bike. Took the money and bought some go faster stuff for my 39 Chevy coupe so I'm having fun with that. I can still powershift the four speed so life is still good...............Thanks again for the words.

You bet! You'll be fine regardless, I can say that based on your obvious great attitude. I'd also forgot some mention of a 427 or something like that in a prior post. I raced some, and rode bikes a ton, until strip/street classice musclecars took over as I became old enough to drive years ago in the 80's. Classic cars, and ones with some muscle, especially 4spds, are a endless addiction all by themselves. So your set, as far as things to take your thoughts and time. Glad your into 4spds. I'm slowly gaining interest in the pre late 60's stuff. Lots of fun to be had there, as I'm sure you've been doing for years already. Real musclecars have three pedals, not just two!

On main topic; Oh boy can I relate to much of what your touching on. I've been going to a pain management since early on post surgeries/accident. Actually, my PCP had been handling those prescrips early on, and I remember thinking, oh cool, he'll just keep kicking out the scripts (cuzz my PCP is a cool younger doc, and he and I have a good repore). Then I recall one day coming in, and telling him how many Percocets I was on right then, and that was on top of the 3600mg's of Neurontin or some such insane high number he didn't even know you could take and live lol, (nerve pain modifier) that I was taking per day. I recall him looking at my like he couldn't believe I was sitting there talking to him, as though I hadn't taken but a fraction of that amount. I think he was sh***n twinkies that my tolerance was so high to the meds, and couldn't believe I was even awake lol or able to talk. Bam, off to the pain managment docs he sent me.

My mother has been getting those pin point type injections more recently. Wish she had been receiving them for years myself, but she'd tried so many things, and so many doctors, that she'd given up on docs for a long long time. They seem like a miracle shot though, so I think you'll dig those. Though at first, they make her numb from the waist down, which makes leaving the docs office a bit of a challenge, cuzz she can't feel her legs, and thus can't walk or stand. Hopefully they won't quite do that for you, but I think they give her a real high dosage, which causes that level of side-effect for the first hour or two post injection.

On the pain management docs. Just be aware, one office might have a standard routine they follow, that may or may not be ideal for your situation. The first place where my PCP had sent me, that I was going to for nearly 2 years, I come to find out since switching to another, was operating with their hands tied. Or so they thought. First place, would tell me that there wasn't much else we could try. Then, due to insurance change, I go to a whole different office, and come to find out, this other place is so much more cutting edge, and not afraid to try a whole bunch of other meds that the first place considered not even an option. So just be aware, if your not being prescribed something that works like you'd hoped, depending, another office altogether might open things back up to new options. My challenge on that front, has been pain relief enough to have some kinda life, while also mitigating med side-effects, which can be nearly if not as bad as the reason your taking the damn things to begin with.

This is pretty in depth, so, if you ever wanna shoot me a PM, I'm cool with that. Some of my junk does crossover, forsure on oral meds. Either way, you'll be fine. Heck, you gotta 39 Chev with a 4spd, that will take your mind off things..........

Is the 39 Chev with the 4spd running a 427 Rat????

396 right now and a 427 on the stand for mock up and headed to the machine shop soon.

Sweet

Since I'm planning to move from the AZ desert/Scottsdale area, up to the Pacific NW, my 4wd interests, are stronger now than ever. Currently in talks over purchasing a '53 Willys wagon Woody, which is on a blazer frame with a 427 Rat, and big period slotted mags. I'm looking into Grumpy influenced heads, and tunnel rams for it (since it has the hood clearance). Thinking bitchin daily driver/off-road drag racer, but will have to convert it from an auto back to an appropriate manual trans......... Perhaps blown 6 or 8-71 style down the road, with a Scotts Super Slot hat.

Best of luck on the other junk, I think your in fine shape to launch right on past it, into a different phase of life, atleast that's my take on it.........

Made a great decision on my riding and bike collection. Talked to the DMV this week and found out I can street legal my Husky's. Being they are not titled as "off road only" all I have to do it put road legal equipment on them. That will be easy on the old backbone. They will retitle it as on road-cooool! 82 CR 500 project will turn into 500 SuperMoto project this winter. Schimm, did you ever get yours done and if you did were is the damm pics and ride report?

Thanks for the update. That is one heck of an awesome solution to the "issue". I'm gearing up to get back into riding offroad/mx myself, but my injuries may really limit things. So this could be a road I head down as well, and hadn't really thought of it. Sounds like a fun solution/direction to go. Even though I've never pursued it, I have hand interest in SM every since seeing Magoo Chandler live on Wide World of Sports kicking serious butt, way back when.