Anyone had disc surgery? How was the result?

[stoneaxe]

Head position for me when the tingling happens is everything. If my hand is numb I can tilt my head forward or pull up on my head with my hands and it goes away.

I'm pretty sure I did my damage in a water skiing accident when I was 17 and trying to impress my future wife. Came in screaming towards the beach on a whip intending to spray her, realized I was about to hit bottom with my friends brand new competition Taperflex which I could not afford to replace so I stepped out of the ski. I took three huge strides doing about 50 mph then lost my balance and flew another 20' while somersaulting and landed on my head/neck on the sand. bizarrely it flipped me right back up onto my feet and I took another few steps to stop myself. Being 17 and in top shape is pretty amazing...I had no real damage despite having created a wide deep crater in the sand with my head. Other than a couple of cuts on the back of my head and neck from clam shells I was fine....took my next turns skiing...and sprayed her successfully the second time....
My disc blew out when I turned my head walking down some stairs 20+ years later.

[Caribsurf]

Stoney sorry to hear of your pain...I had years of back issues and was pain free up until 2 weeks ago when I tweaked it on some gutless 2 ft slop.  Wasn't that bad a tweak, but brought back nightmares of 10 years ago and beyond.
I know you have heard all the advice on stretching etc, but have you thought of an inversion table?  you might want to give one a try. 
Last week I bought a Tweeter Hang Ups inversion table  and it has been really good for my back so far and my pinched back feels 90% better.   I'm no doctor , but this seems to work for me.  It stretches the back and elongates the spine bringing relief to tight, pinched areas of the back.  I can't believe how much better I feel after 10 mins of hanging in this thing..maybe you can try one out before buying.  I was doing all the stretching etc for 2 weeks and they offered some relief, but the table offered almost IMMEDIATE relief.

Right now the model I bought is on sale on Amazon $299 free shipping (that's great they are heavy)  link is below.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008054PFI/ref=s9_simh_gw_p200_d0_i5?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=117P8KRY65BFGYTVR482&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

[sterbo]

Just by way of one man's experience, inversion, (table or no table) has not only not worked for me but seemed to always aggravate the condition. I'm speaking Cervical specific here.
That said, while I wouldn't recommend going out and making a purchase, I'd agree that it's worth trying. Perhaps a local gym or...

[Caribsurf]

I totally agree try before you buy.  I was pretty sure it would work for me because  many of the exercises or stretches that would relieve my back pain were when my legs were up in the air and weight off my feet.   I know it isn't for everybody, but many , many people swear by this .

[eastbound]

bot a hang up a few yrs ago, used it for a while with no notable positive effect, possible neg effect. it gathered dust in my basement until i overheard a colleague researching. i gave it to him. his gilrfriend tried it. it now gathers dust in his basement.

but yeah, there are many who swear by them, so if it's helping you, stick with it, carib.

when i am doing yoga 2-3 times per week, all feels better.

[sterbo]

Head position for me when the tingling happens is everything. If my hand is numb I can tilt my head forward or pull up on my head with my hands and it goes away.

I'm pretty sure I did my damage in a water skiing accident when I was 17 and trying to impress my future wife. Came in screaming towards the beach on a whip intending to spray her, realized I was about to hit bottom with my friends brand new competition Taperflex which I could not afford to replace so I stepped out of the ski. I took three huge strides doing about 50 mph then lost my balance and flew another 20' while somersaulting and landed on my head/neck on the sand. bizarrely it flipped me right back up onto my feet and I took another few steps to stop myself. Being 17 and in top shape is pretty amazing...I had no real damage despite having created a wide deep crater in the sand with my head. Other than a couple of cuts on the back of my head and neck from clam shells I was fine....took my next turns skiing...and sprayed her successfully the second time....
My disc blew out when I turned my head walking down some stairs 20+ years later.

Stony

Ha, great description / visuals, that.
While your and my incidents were completely different it's a bit eerie how similar they are from a standpoint of age when they happened, our chronological age, and the fact that we're both hardcore watermen. And now all these years later and, at least for me a wake up call I never thought I'd have - "The injuries we ignored in our youth are all waiting for the reunion" - as Pono so aptly said.

Anyway, thanks again for that. I'll read it again from time to time as a great heads up reminder of past times good and bad...

[Admin]

This has been the most valuable thread on the Zone for me.  It lead to my going for an initial MRI (followed by another two) which resulted in my Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis last week.  After a dozen years  of nerve harassment, loss of coordination and degradation a massive personal puzzle has been solved.   I am so relieved and happy to know.   

Thanks to all of you guys for sharing your experiences here.  This has helped me immensely.

Rand

[sterbo]

Admin

That's a hard knock. Good news I assume in that at least you know what you're dealing with.
How pronounced is it and where do you go from here?

All the best brother...

[PonoBill]

Yup, I'm a bit horrified and sad about the whole deal, but don't expect any slack on the downwinders, or any make-a-wishy crap. I'm taking full advantage.

[Admin]

Hi Sterbo,

The first MRI showed a group of demyelinating lesions in my cervical spinal chord that were consistent with M.S. in shape, size and location.  That first one was a cervical spine MRI without contrast.  They transferred me to a neurologist who ordered two more MRI's specific to MS.  They ran the cervical spine again with and without contrast and a brain MRI the same way.  The brain MRI showed an additional group "exceeding 20 lesions".   These were in my Corpus Colossum, abbutting the ventricles and near the cortex.  These are the common areas where MS lesions appear in the brain.  The lesions are both right and left in both my brain and my spine.  I have learned that it takes 2 lesions in different areas of the central nervous system that occurred at separate times to diagnose MS.  The clinical tests and my history were both also consistent with MS.

I went in because, much like yourself, I thought that I might be beginning to paralyze myself with all of this stuff that we all do to make our lives great (windsurfing, mountain biking, snowboarding, SUP, etc.).  The loss of feeling in my legs had increased and when fully physically exerted I began losing control of my right leg. Then my arms and hands got in on the numbness (particularly my right which is very heavy feeling) and the electric head hang issue that we mentioned earlier developed.  I was really expecting them to say that I had damaged my spine due to my long term participation in all of these activities, but of course that was not the case.

The upside is that i am in the best cardio shape of my life and in that regard I feel very strong and capable.  That can only help.  There is a lot of research being done right now and I am very hopeful in that respect. 

I am sailing, biking and SUPing most days.  The boom, harness and footstraps makes windsurfing pretty nearly normal, Mountain biking with clipless pedals is good too.  SUP in flatwater is fine for 45 minutes with breaks to stay cool and take dips.  Downwinders are harder but are still very fun.  I start strong but as I get heated up it all goes sideways.  I can't move around on the board at all after 30 minutes so that adds to the challenge.  My group is very patient. 

[PonoBill]

 

Hmmm. there isn't a good one for sticking your tongue out.

[Wetstuff]

Sorry to hear Boss..  "dozen years  of nerve harassment, loss of coordination and degradation"  What is Nerve Harassment? ... is there a 'time of day' ..temperatures  ..or some other triggers?  Looking back, could you see an early marker?   

I don't like the sound of 'research' ...a physicist friend who's designed satellites with a brain off the scale - has had to do his own research for his Myasthenia Graves, which I gather may have similarities.   A real struggle for the last 7yrs. but he's a bulldog.   Good luck. Press on.

Jim

[TallDude]

That's a big pill to swallow. I'm glad you're staying positive. Find what keeps the stoke, and relish it.

[stoneaxe]

Shit!....that sucks. Like talldude said that has to be a tough one to hear.

[Admin]

Thanks a lot guys. 

is there a 'time of day' ..temperatures  ..or some other triggers?  Looking back, could you see an early marker?

There were a lot of signs along the way. MS has a great sense of humor.  In its relapsing remitting form (most MS inductees start with this form) the defining feature is that symptoms pop up, then level off or subside, either partially or completely.  It is an autoimmune disease that tricks your immune system into attacking healthy cells - in the case of MS it goes after nerve cells in the brain and spinal chord.  Any system or function that nerves control is a potential target.  The Myelin in healthy nerve cells keeps signals flying along at the correct (fast) speeds.  MS strips that Myelin off of the cells and without it, signals are slowed.  My doctor uses the wire analogy for nerves with the Myelin being the wire coating.  Without the coating either heat or a surplus of signals will cause a malfunction.  Overloading the wires can also temporarily activate otherwise inactive previous symptoms.  PARTY!  For activity, they now suggest avoiding hotter times of day or overdoing it as both internal heat generated from working out and external heat from the day itself will overload the wiring.  In the 90's they suggested no exercise at all, but that has been modified due to the greater good noticed from a healthy lifestyle.  I wouldn't have stopped having fun anyways because what the hell would I be saving myself for?  Canasta?   

MS is progressive, but no one knows what course it will take, or at what speed.  My goal is to stay physically strong through exercise and diet because those are things that i can do.  I had already taken steps on both of those things beginning a few years ago.  I knew something was way off but I didn't know what.  It is much better for me to know.  Something to face.

Thanks again.