David Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 One week later, it's doing well. Hopefully I won't need to call for a Tech Dayz to fix anything else. I've seen the competence level of some of you guys!
Limecreek Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 One week later, it's doing well. Hopefully I won't need to call for a Tech Dayz to fix anything else. I've seen the competence level of some of you guys! Holy crap! Was this a fix for an injury or degenerating disks? Will this limit your range of motion? I apologize for all the personal questions, but I have a neck injury that is really starting to limit some of my activities.
David Posted May 1, 2009 Author Posted May 1, 2009 Gregory, I had a progressively deteriorating disc issue, C5/6 and C6/7. That, along with a narrowing of the spinal column, was impinging a nerve root that was causing significant pain, a little bit of numbness, and just a tad loss in strength. Over the last year, I've pursued all the normal things, including working with a physical terrorist, spinal steroid shot, chiropractic, pain meds, second opinions, experimental surgery, etc. Nothing worked, so this was the final choice. It's a long recovery, but the surgery itself is nearly always effective. That was a week ago. He let me remove the neck brace today, and I have another 4-5 weeks of no commercial travel or lifting anything more than 10 lbs and some other stuff, but I'm doing very well. The only pain left is from the surgery. Call if you want to talk. I feel like I did several dissertations worth of research.
pokorskij Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 The last episode of Bikes on the Speed Channel included a segment on Jason Britton, the host and stunt rider, having a couple of those put in. His operation went well, and he was already feeling, he wasn't feeling before the operation, and having increase functioning after the operation. He also had lost the ability to taste I believe and that was restored. Hope you progress quickly and completely.
David Posted May 1, 2009 Author Posted May 1, 2009 I didn't lose any ability to taste, but I did lose a lot of vocal function for a few days. Apparently they have to move the larynx aside in some cases in order to reach a part of the spine. I'm all good on that front, and very excited to be on this path!
jmseattle Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Jeez, did not know that this was that common so am feeling a little less sorry for myself now. I am midstream in same issue, C5-6 and C6-7. Am following same path except I am a little less far along just having only just given up on the endless PT, steroid and pain med cycle, not to mention sleeping in a LazBoy chair night after night. Am going for the first epidural injection beginning of next week. Am hoping to avoid the surgery you just endured. Any online research you found particularly informative/helpful re the procedure that you can point me to would be much appreciated. Hope you get well soon and get back on your bike
Selden Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Hoping you have a speedy, and complete recovery. The picture doesn't look too much different from what might go on at a tech day. I had a tooth implant last year, and after he finished drilling, I heard a sound like someone using a socket wrench. I asked, and he confirmed. The implant in my head worked so well that I used the same basic approach to fix a broken post in the black left side cover. Both repairs are holding up well.
Albert Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 David, upon closer inspection of the x-rays, in my professional opinion you are fully protected from unwanted pregnancy. And yes, I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last week. Heal well.
tallman Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Heal well. I hope this wasn't a ploy to get out of housework. Btw, those look like recycled Italian thread screws. I hope you got a discount.
Dave in Doodah Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Best wishes to you, David, and a speedy, full recovery. My wife has been through something similar, only down lower at L4-L5-S1, after trying all the other things you mentioned - plus an inversion table. And, after surgery, she wore a turtle shell instead of a neck brace. Anyway, hope you are back on the road soon.
Bullett Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 David, I'm glad to hear your recovery is going well. Take care.
Chris K Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Heal well. I hope this wasn't a ploy to get out of housework. Btw, those look like recycled Italian thread screws. I hope you got a discount. I hate to contradict you Tim, but if you enlarge the Xray you can make at the Akrapovic logo on the side. Only top of the line for David! David, wishing you a speedy and successful recovery!
Mike Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 I think the docs missed the actual cause of your pain--if you look at the lower left quadrant of the x-ray, it appears that at some point you were shot with a tiny arrow, which remains embedded in your shoulder. Hope you heal quickly.
drzep Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Looks good. Do you have an anterior-posterior view that you would like to share as well?
questrider Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Whoa! Glad to hear you are recovering and everything went well. I am assuming that they had to go in through the front of your neck to do this? How will this affect your ability to move your neck to check for blindspots on a motorcycle? I had similar problems almost two years ago that put me in the ER. I had sever and intense pain down my arm and through my neck with numbness in my hand. (My wife, ever the conscientious nurse, was panicked I was having a heart attack.) It was an excruciating pain I'd never experienced before or since and now cannot even grasp the level of the crippling power it had on me. After a CAT scan, an MRI and a visit to a spinal surgeon I had the similar diagnosis of "narrowing of the spinal column" with bone chips at C6/7 "impinging a nerve root". After a month of painkillers and the inevitable spinal steroid shot I improved immensely but was warned about possibly needing a similar surgery in the future if it happens again. Something about that "move[ing] the larynx aside" was mentioned during my consultations too. Sounded creepy even after my orthognathic surgery. Sounds like you came out good without your voice being affected. Take it easy, get plenty of rest and take advantage of all the perks of recovery. Do you have a bell to ring for domestic service requests?
Patallaire Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Wow David, that looks painful. I hope you have a speedy recovery, best if you wear a helmet while trying to move around!!!! Good time to catch up on some reading, music and some relaxation. Work will be there when you are ready. Good luck, I am sure with your determination you will come out of this quite strong.
David Posted May 1, 2009 Author Posted May 1, 2009 Looks good. Do you have an anterior-posterior view that you would like to share as well? They took one, Joe, but I didn't whip my phone out quickly enough!
Limecreek Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Gregory, I had a progressively deteriorating disc issue, C5/6 and C6/7. That, along with a narrowing of the spinal column, was impinging a nerve root that was causing significant pain, a little bit of numbness, and just a tad loss in strength. Over the last year, I've pursued all the normal things, including working with a physical terrorist, spinal steroid shot, chiropractic, pain meds, second opinions, experimental surgery, etc. Nothing worked, so this was the final choice. It's a long recovery, but the surgery itself is nearly always effective. That was a week ago. He let me remove the neck brace today, and I have another 4-5 weeks of no commercial travel or lifting anything more than 10 lbs and some other stuff, but I'm doing very well. The only pain left is from the surgery. Call if you want to talk. I feel like I did several dissertations worth of research. David--Thank you for sharing the details. I am probably at the beginning of a similar journey and hope to find a non surgical solution that works. Please keep us up to speed on your recovery.
David Posted May 1, 2009 Author Posted May 1, 2009 I am assuming that they had to go in through the front of your neck to do this? How will this affect your ability to move your neck to check for blindspots on a motorcycle? Yes, they almost always go through the front, on the left side. There are fewer nerve bundles on that side. If they have to go back in, it's a lot more difficult. They have to get through the scar tissue at the previous site or navigate the additional nerves. I'm not sure about mobility yet. Heck, I'm not even sure about riding yet. A double fusion is a different animal, and it rules out contact sports. So I'm assuming riding itself is fine, but going down at 160 mph (track) or 70 mph (road) would probably be considered a "one time" contact sport. Do you have a bell to ring for domestic service requests? If I did that, it would be my last movement as a human!
ashleybiker Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Wow David, I am at home recovering from the exact surgery. I went in last Thursday and had the disc removed and C6 & C7 fused. My x-ray looks almost the same only a smaller plate. The neck is sore at the incision site and it takes a special effort to eat and swallow food. At times, I am more frustrated at the forced downtime. I had a disc rupture that impinged on the spinal cord and nerves to right arm. I did not have a lot of time for research and consultation. I was out riding the RT and came upon and older gentleman trying to push his disabled car out of traffic. I stopped to help him. No sooner did I get that car out of traffic when I started feeling numb fingertips and pain in my right triceps muscle. I didn't think too much about it at the time... maybe the adrenalin was flowing. I hop back on the RT and continue my ride. About 40 minutes later I arrive home and realize this type of pain is not right. It was downhill from there. A few days later... Orthopedic visit, x-ray, and MRI. Within 15 minutes of the completed MRI the Orthopedic Surgeon stopped me before I could leave the office and said I had a serious condition and we needed to talk now. I was operated on the next day. The doctor indicated that disc was degenerative and had issues. The good thing... he said the other spinal sections in my neck look OK. I wish you well and a full recovery with minimal or no loss of movement in your neck! Best regards, Steve
David Posted May 1, 2009 Author Posted May 1, 2009 Sorry to hear that, Steve. If your surgery was like mine, the sore throat is from the tube they stick down there for the operation itself. Shoving it down and pulling it back irritates it and causes swelling. I had trouble swallowing and talking, but it got better in about three days. Best recovery wishes to you!
Les is more Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 I think the docs missed the actual cause of your pain--if you look at the lower left quadrant of the x-ray, it appears that at some point you were shot with a tiny arrow, which remains embedded in your shoulder. Hope you heal quickly. The arrow is from cupid and Julie wouldn't let them remove it. David, all the best with this. As you know my right wrist has the matching titanium to your set. I see the Doc Monday. I'll have Jamie stand by with his Treo for pics. You can't move your head and I'm doing everything with one arm tied in front of my back. Has anyone checked Cary for titanium??
Burt Posted May 1, 2009 Posted May 1, 2009 Yes, they almost always go through the front, on the left side. There are fewer nerve bundles on that side. If they have to go back in, it's a lot more difficult. They have to get through the scar tissue at the previous site or navigate the additional nerves. I'm not sure about mobility yet. Heck, I'm not even sure about riding yet. A double fusion is a different animal, and it rules out contact sports. So I'm assuming riding itself is fine, but going down at 160 mph (track) or 70 mph (road) would probably be considered a "one time" contact sport. In 1998 I had a two level fusion, C3/4 and C4/5. In 2000 I had C5/6 fused, and in 2002 I had a laminectomy at C6/7. For the fusions they went through the front on the right side. For the laminectomy they went through the back of my neck. I had a lot of tingling in my right hand and arm prior to the surgery. I even lost strength in my right arm before the laminectomy. I wound up with more range of motion in my neck after the surgery than before, because I was is such pain prior to the surgery that I could hardly move. In the end, I lost a little range of motion in my neck, but not much (they said about 10 degrees). I didn't have any screws of plates installed. They just wedged a piece of bone between the vertebrae and let it heal. I wore a soft collar for three weeks, and then had to take it easy for another four weeks. After that I could go back to normal activity. I hope your healing is fast, and easy.
AZKomet Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Oh so pretty David!! Hopefully you will feel much better now....good luck with that!
randys Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Had the same surgery 10 years ago, would have been 11 if I had skipped the various shots and stuff. Waste of time and money. While I probably have some limited movement, its not enough that i can tell rotating my head in any direction. Bought my first motorcycle almost exactly one year after surgery, rode it to my final follow up, and asked the doc if my head was going to fall off if I hit something. "Not where i worked on it!" was his answer
Whip Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 I don't have anything clever to say. Just.....Get well soon. ....any idea what caused this???? L
David Posted May 2, 2009 Author Posted May 2, 2009 ....any idea what caused this???? Wear and tear over many years. It was exacerbated when I was on the track a lot and instructing for the SuperBike school. Lots of crotch rocket body position while straining my head upward. It also got a lot worse when I went to bifocals, also moving my head upwards. The sad thing is that I'm only 49! That's life, though. I'm grateful to be alive, in relatively excellent health, and with a full life ahead...hopefully.
Whip Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 It was exacerbated when I was on the track a lot and instructing for the SuperBike school. Lots of crotch rocket body position while straining my head upward. The crotch rocket riding position does strain all kinda body parts. Maybe I won't lower the bars on the Tuono even though I doubt I'll ever do as many miles on the track as you have.
Huzband Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 One week later, it's doing well. Hopefully I won't need to call for a Tech Dayz to fix anything else. I've seen the competence level of some of you guys! I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. Glad you're healing well. Continue to do so.
DaveTheAffable Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 That's life, though. I'm grateful to be alive, in relatively excellent health, and with a full life ahead...hopefully. THAT is this best part of this post so far! Today can be a good day... and we all wish you a quick recovery. Warmest wishes.
hANNAbONE Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 dANG dAVID..! did I miss something - did I know - dang son...kwik and steady healing prayer to you, my brutha - hope this process is a lasting one and you are back on 2 wheels ASAP. Be Well - Get Well -
Jacqueline Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 I have to say the looks of that makes me cringe. I can only imagine (and I hope that is all I ever do) what you went through to get to the point to have this done. Heal quickly and I hope this fix the problem once and for all.
Lineareagle Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Heal well David. That is one of the reasons I went to a GSA for a really upright ride, as well tossed the regular bicycle and went under seat steering recumbent. Just didn't need to irritate my neck anymore. So far so good. But it really is marvelous what surgeons can do now.
Kathy R Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Thank goodness you can type and post photos still! Do you know what causes "thinning of the spine"? That word "thinning" makes me draw a blank. The cartilage or bone wears away? What? For you and all the others who posted about going through pain and medical procedures I can only say I hope it all gets better. The pain sounds exhausting. I have to say I am waiting for someone to abuse your photo in the neck brace.
David Posted May 2, 2009 Author Posted May 2, 2009 Here you go, Kathy: Spinal Stenosis The third paragraph explains it pretty well. The more I understand about the human body, the more amazed I am at its complexity...and how well it actually works, given the wear and tear we put on it.
Kathy R Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Ah, a narrowing of the Spinal CANAL. Maybe in 30 years they'll insist on recycling before creamation. The ads will be "increase your personal net worth by 2000%" Heal well dear leader.
jmseattle Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 It was exacerbated when I was on the track a lot and instructing for the SuperBike school. Lots of crotch rocket body position while straining my head upward. I have been wanting to back and do some more sessions with the Code school but have refrained for last two years due to my neck problems and the fear that I would not be able to maintain the body position for long. Given what you have been through will you do track days again after recovery?
David Posted May 2, 2009 Author Posted May 2, 2009 If I'm allowed to ride, I will do more track days. I'm 5 seconds away from my "dream time" at one particular track, and that's a goal I'd really like to meet. What I don't know yet is how it'll impact me mentally. I've never been down on the street or track (knock on carbon fiber), with many miles on both, and I'm wondering if the FEAR of going down and doing damage to my neck will make me unskilled, if you know what I mean. So I won't be worried about the range of movement as much as additional injury. I can tell you, though, that I have REALLY missed riding. It's killing me.
Couchrocket Posted May 2, 2009 Posted May 2, 2009 Well, heck. I'm glad you're through the surgery and on the mend. You'll be in my prayers for a perfect outcome, full motion, and making your time target on the track!
Bill_Walker Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 Titanium? What, the insurance company wouldn't spring for carbon fiber? Heal quickly and well, David!
lawnchairboy Posted May 3, 2009 Posted May 3, 2009 looks like a nice shiny new ACDF there David, best wishes for a total and complete recovery... just curious, were you have paresthesias or numbness in your hands/arms? chris
David Posted May 3, 2009 Author Posted May 3, 2009 just curious, were you have paresthesias or numbness in your hands/arms? Some paresthesia in my left arm--not a lot, but always present. Some in my left leg, but only after 20 minutes or so of racquetball. None of that was as serious as the pain.
Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs Posted May 4, 2009 Posted May 4, 2009 Does titanium set off airport metal detectors? Heal well and speedy David!
Paul Mihalka Posted May 4, 2009 Posted May 4, 2009 Does titanium set off airport metal detectors? Heal well and speedy David! I have a titanium plate in my right arm from my first deer kill. The walk-through detectors don't find it. One time, I don't know why, they checked me with a hand held detector swiping it close to the body. That one found it.
David Posted May 4, 2009 Author Posted May 4, 2009 Does titanium set off airport metal detectors? Heal well and speedy David! I have a titanium plate in my right arm from my first deer kill. The walk-through detectors don't find it. One time, I don't know why, they checked me with a hand held detector swiping it close to the body. That one found it. I've been told the same thing that Paul has experienced. It's small enough (2.5" high) and deep enough that it won't set it off. Gotta be careful with an MRI, though.
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