Is There A Doctor in the House?

[edwardofhuncote]

After another month of basically sitting at home and convalescing quietly, it's time for another update to this crazy epic story... actually, there really hasn't been anything much to update until today.

I went back to the Imaging Center last week and had a follow-up x-ray made of my neck where the fusion was done, so Dr. Harron could see whether or not the bones had completely fused. After looking at the pictures today, he decided that I could start physical therapy next week. I'm told I'll be going 3 times a week for the next 6 weeks, with exercises to do on the odd days in between. About mid-late January, he'll re-evaluate me and see where I am... if I need more physical therapy, which is very likely, or if it's time to start getting ready for return-to-work exams and paperwork.

Meantime, I can keep up my daily routine of walking as far and as much as I feel like. I can keep doing light work in my shop too... these past few weeks, I've been passing time working on a few pieces of furniture and a couple small instruments... a ukulele, and a couple guitars that needed work. Just projects for friends. I have a few upright basses waiting for my attention, but I'm going to let them wait a while longer. I've also been cleared to -wait for it- drive a car again! No drag races or long road trips but I can at least run into town to the store and drive myself to appointments.

What I can't do... The five-pound rule is still in effect, so no bass playing for a while yet, at least not with a strap over my shoulder. I did order myself a Hover-Harness from a Club Member (Thanks Rich!)... and have tried it out just enough to know when the time comes, it will work. I have been practicing some; about an hour in the morning, and an hour in the evening, just sitting on a chair in my living room. Very happy to report all the dexterity is 100% back in my fingers. Some days I have periods of tingling in both hands, that lasts minutes. I'm told that's most likely temporary, a part of the fusion in progress. I was really worried about that for a while, but it's gotten progressively better every week. It took a long time for the appetite to play music to come back... and I have absolutely no explanation for that. It's never happened in my entire life and it was pretty scary. It was like something just flipped a switch off. I still don't know what it will be like to play music with other people again. Other than a few visitors, and my regular support team, I've had very little interaction with anyone for almost two months now. Being around a lot of people feels weird after being solitary this long. Little steps I guess.

The crazy pain stuff is overwith... felt like I turned a corner after Thanksgiving on that... I have bad nights now and then, but they pass. I wake up the next morning and make coffee. Right this minute I feel pretty darn good.

As promised, here's some creepy pictures... Titanium - where would I be without it?! 

[David Houck]

Thanks for the update.  For me, when I've had layoffs from practicing, one positive is that when I start back again there is room for new ideas.

[the_home]

Good to hear a positive update on your recovery road trip.

But those creepy pictures... it gave me a twinge around the C6 vertebra.

[cozmik_cowboy]

Very happy to report all the dexterity is 100% back in my fingers.

Strike up the band!  Que the dancing girls!  Huzzah! Huzzah! 

Some days I have periods of tingling in both hands, that lasts minutes. I'm told that's most likely temporary, a part of the fusion in progress. I was really worried about that for a while, but it's gotten progressively better every week.

Be of good cheer; when I went face-first through a (closed) car window into a brick wall, 2 of the things that happened were:  1) My left eye was sewn shut for a week, with no idea if it would work. When the doc cut the stitches, I was overjoyed to learn that it did, but dismayed at the extreme double vision.  "Oh", quoth the medico, "that will probably only last a couple months."  15 minutes to clear.  2) They cut from temple to temple over the top & peeled my face down off my skull to wire my forehead back together* (I did mention the whole "face-first-into-a-brick-wall" thing, no?); afterwards, from the incision back, there was a semi-circle about 2" across the radius with no feeling.  "Sorry, nerves generally don't grow back; you'll just have to live with that."  "Forver??" "Yeah."  3 days.
I expect to hear soon that your tingling has fled.


*He showed me pix of that procedure; be advised that that - especially knowing it was my skull I was seeing -  was some freaky-a** s**t!

Peter (Who, yeah, OK, was 19 at the time - but our healing hasn't slowed down too much, has it?  )

[elwoodblue]

Really good to hear Greg.
That makes me happy...
...really happy!

 

[hammer]

Glad to hear your recovery is progressing well

When I experienced tingling in the fingers and severe pain a few years ago as a result of a cyst on my spine the pain was immediately taken care of by the surgery. I was told the tingling could last for months after surgery because nerves are extremely slow to repair or that I might always experience it.  It got better so gradually over a three month or so period that I didn't even really notice when it totally disappeared. Just woke up one morning and when playing noticed that it was gone.

[growlypants]

Awesome!  Glad your recovery is progressing so nicely.  Try to avoid brick walls...be careful when driving, and who knows, maybe the next pics you post will be of your playing once again!!

[allgood]

Keep getting better!

[slawie]

Glad you're getting better Greg.
All the best from Oz
Yikes! The pics.

[edwardofhuncote]

Last update for 2018... and another milestone passed.

Went to my first jam yesterday evening since before the operation. Though I have been working some here in my house, I haven't played music with anyone in a group setting since back in September. I lost my appetite to even play music for a while, but it finally came back... and there is a strange clarity now, maybe from the long silence. Anesthesia, pain meds, and stress are three things that will totally mess up your mind... even I can figure that one out.

Anyway, I got invited to sit-in on bass yesterday with a guitarist named Bernie Coveney, who I later learned had played with Emmylou Harris (and a laundry-list of other notables) some years ago. He was a fantastic player, and a great storyteller too. We were joined by a couple other guitars and singers, and a simple drum-kit to round out a circle. Made for a nice jam... it felt good to get out and play again, even if just sitting on a chair.

Chairs - playing bass from one may be my future. I'm trying very hard to come to terms with this reality... Dr. Harron fixed my spine where it had collapsed-in and pinched off the nerves to my hands, but my problems didn't conveniently stop at C-7. A regular 12-hour day hurts now, and I haven't even gone back to work yet. Realistically, I can't imagine playing too many 3-4 hour bar/brewery gigs with load-in/load-out plus drives to and from. Maybe the Hover Harness system http://www.hoverharness.com/ will carry me for a while. (Thanks Rich!) I'm going to try a couple jobs with the Harwell-Grice Band later this Spring, but if it's time to hang it up, then, well... it just is. I'll take my place on a nice, comfortable stool and enjoy playing my basses the best way I can, just being thankful that I can play at all. Maybe it'll be formals and corporate reception stuff, some kind of shorter, lower impact gigs, my living room, whatever it takes to keep playin'. We'll have to see what it shapes up to be.

Physical Therapy. Wow, it sucks! I did get pretty lucky and got a PT assigned to me who has some level of specialty in spine injuries, and I liked her immediately. Ashley has this funny, dry wit that I get, but I bet a lot of folks don't... I go either 3 or sometimes 4 days a week depending on the calendar and schedule. Plus I get homework for the off days that I have simply worked into my daily subroutines. The Christmas and New Year's Holidays have kinda' messed things up the past week or so, but back on schedule today. Best news on the physical therapy front; it's working... I'm getting some range-of-motion back, learning new ways to move my head around, but it's been slow, painful going. I get at least two more weeks of therapy sessions, then on 1/14/19 Dr. Harron will re-evaluate me. Based on our last conversation, I'm guessing he'll sentence me to a couple more weeks in Ashley's Torture Chamber before he signs off on the return-to-work papers.

The target for returning to work was early February... I could still feasibly make that.

[growlypants]

Hey, man - GREAT news!!  Enjoy playing, no matter where, no matter with whom...Heck, that's what I do!!

[lbpesq]

Congrats, Gregory.  Great News!  I also jammed last night with Wolf (Sonicus) and some other friends.  Great way to bring the year to a close. 

And what's wrong with sitting down?  It certainly worked for Jeff Skunk Baxter!  I have a funky disc that gives me occasional sciatica in my left leg.  It is especially exacerbated when I stand without much movement for a period of time, such as attending a show with an open floor where everyone stands, or, of course, playing music.  So I always play with a stool behind me.  I even have a folding combination stool/guitar stand that I bring to gigs.   I sit or stand depending on the sciatica, sitting when someone else has the vocals, or when the leg hurts, standing when I have the vocals, or just when the spirit moves me.   Heck, I’m 63 - almost middle age!  If I want to sit, I'll sit.  The drummer always sits and no one calls them on it!  So there's no reason a bass player can't sit, too!

Bill, tgo

[cozmik_cowboy]

Congrats, Gregory.  Great News!  I also jammed last night with Wolf (Sonicus) and some other friends.  Great way to bring the year to a close. 

And what's wrong with sitting down?  It certainly worked for Jeff Skunk Baxter! 

And BB King, Tal Farlow, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, Les Paul..........I could go on all night.

I have a funky disc that gives me occasional sciatica in my left leg.  It is especially exacerbated when I stand without much movement for a period of time, such as attending a show with an open floor where everyone stands, or, of course, playing music. 
Bill, tgo

Lack of movement bothers it? The solution here is obvious: Dance more when you play!

Peter

[pauldo]

George Porter uses a stool on the regular.

Glad you are moving forward....

Here’s to continued forward movement in all our lives!

[mario_farufyno]

Go, Edward. Glad to hear you are geting back on track!