Baby got back, back

It's been exactly 2 weeks since I had back surgery for an L4/5 disc herniation. And I think it's now ok to say that it's probably working.

No longer will I be washing a vicodin down with half a beer & bolt onto the congested beltway in order to go climb at the gym. BTW, according to one study mentioned in the NYT, this was not exactly an entirely dangerous practice. Still, I no longer have to worry about losing scripts & looking like a big fat loser (or skinny loser) poppin' that hillbilly heroin.

Silly talk aside, here's a synopsis of the story for the few fellow sufferers & others that might be interested.

-distant memories of:

• getting an X-ray at an ortho's in high school for back pain.
• being out for days in my 20's after tweaking my back from picking up a baby.
• being out for days in my 30's after tweaking my back from putting myself in a weird avoid-getting-hit-by-60mph-cars position after breaking down on I-270.

-recent memories of:

• constant intense lumbar pain & leg numbness before, but especially after, Tetons 07.
• not being able to stand up quickly enough to catch the good waves on my 1st ever attempt at surfing.
• having Bill Dudley play porter on Tetons 08 trip.

First I saw a family practice physician this past spring who ordered an x-ray w/ unremarkable results. I was told "you're just gonna have to say 'no' to some things". Incidentally, he is an osteopath & I did do one session of the touchy feely osteopath stuff. My low expectations did not budge. My thoughts on DO school for the future crept toward 'not-an-option'. MRI's aren't always what they're cracked up to be, but given the history & symptoms, I can't see why the family practice guy didn't order one.

After feeling that I missed out on making the most of surfing on Waikiki due to back pain (I didn't take any opioids b/c I didn't think it'd be wise to swim 'high'), I finally saw a spine based ortho in November. He is a mellow guy, not a rainmaker surgeon, as he's booked well into 2009. So I was taken aback at the words spoken upon his review of the MRI: "you're probably going to come begging for surgery w/in the next few months". After several days of contemplation and a surprisingly nerve-wracking epidural steroid injection that yielded zero relief, surgery was booked.

I climbed 5 days straight right up to the day of surgery. Surgery was 10am Tues 12/23. Got the heck out of the hospital by 6pm (the PACU people at Fairfax Innova were *great*). Had Christmas dinner w/ Charlotte & her family on 12/25. By 12/28 I felt good enough to discontinue all opioids & had zero numbness. Hiked the scrambly Billy Goat Trail on New Years' Day, sticking to the no bend-lift-twist rule by keeping my shoulders square w/ my hips.

I keep anticipating pain & still find myself bracing for pain before sneezing or coughing but I'm sure that sort of gating behavior will fade with time. Only the offending piece of disc was removed and that the remaining disc was left alone. Prior to surgery I asked if there was any way to sure up the remaining disc to prevent further reherniation. The ortho replied that he has not seen any difference in outcomes for discs left treated or untreated prioir to closure. In general, discectomies are more successful for relieving leg numbness/pain and less so for back pain. I was told there's a reasonable chance for more back surgery (disc replacement) in the *distant* future. Time will tell. Sooo thankful for decent health insurance.

One of the most reassuring & inspiring stories to me is that of Ed. He had an L5S1 laminectomy/discectomy in March 01, leaving him sad that he might have missed his chance at big mountains. Five years later he summited (& *dramatically* descended) Denali.

Here's to 2009 & beyond!!