My Right Foot
I have a whole new respect for people who have gone though or are going through back surgery. I was operated on back in October and still am trying to recover.
Don’t get me wrong. I was writhing in pain for two days in a New York E.R. and am now pretty well pain free so for that I am grateful, but nobody told me that I might go through the stuff I’ve been dealing with. A couple of days after my surgery I began to lose feeling in my right leg below the knee. It was worse on the outside but below my ankle I could only feel my bif toe and a bit near the ball of my foot. The doctoer explained that he had found a piece of disk the size of half his thumb nail embedded in my nerve. It had probably been there for years, hence the pain I had lived with for over a decade, but somehow it had moved and that laid me right out! Taking it out created even more nerve damage and this was the reason I had become partially paralyzed.
I was told that it would probably take around 6 weeks to heal and went about re-learning how to walk without looking like Quasimoto.
Six weeks later I still had very little feeling in my foot, although I was walking better and with less of a limp. I also could see more muscle atrophy in my entire right leg which was driving me crazy. It’s hard enough to be a middle aged gay man in our culture without being one with one leg half the size of the other, especially in the glutes. Sorry if it sounds trite but I still want to look good in a bathing suit!
So back I went to the doctor’s office where I was now told it could take up to one year for the nerve to “re-boot” and that I should be patient, get physical therapy, and hope that it happened. “No Guarantees”.
well. now it’s been about 4 months and I am back in the gym pretty much doing full workouts. I tried physical therapy twice but ended up more crippled the next day than when I went in, so I decided to follow my instincts from over 20 years working out with great personal trainers like Bob Gutowitz.
I am getting stronger and with the help of Dr. Cabanellas of the Wellington Institute of Wellness, my body is getting more fit and I’m feeling better. I still could stick a fork in the outside of my foot and probably not notice it but I am beginning to feel a tiny bit more, like electrical shocks in the soul of my foot.
No matter what I’m better off now than before my surgery, so I will remain upbeat and positive about my recovery and keep on moving on!
Cheers!
RD
Savannah Brentnall — February 20, 2009 @ 11:45 am
Can you use a tens machine to stimulate the nerves? My horse tore a glute muscle and pinched a nerve, and the tens therapy twice a day was really helpful in getting the nerves to regenerate.
Niki Sackman — February 20, 2009 @ 2:25 pm
There is hope Robert! In October of 2002 I was in so much back pain that I finally opted for back surgery (I was 35). Prior to surgery riding was so painful (actually just walking and breathing was painful) and my 4 yrs old daughter had to help dress me because putting socks on was something I could no longer do myself. I couldn’t go on that way and while I knew there were risks, life had to be better than the 24/7 disabling pain I lived in. I also had a piece of disk break off (quarter size) and it had lodged itself into my nerve. My surgeon said it was that largest piece of broken disk he had ever seen. Surgery was supposed to be out-patient but I ended up having to stay in the hospital for 4 days due to the nerve problems/spinal headaches. My doctor told me that I should be able to ride again but he no longer wanted me to jump or do any serious dressage with a lot of sitting work. He recommended mostly walking on a very quiet horse and suggested trail riding.
I found that PT wasn’t very helpful for me either but with regular activity and exercise I recovered almost 100%. I am pain free but I still have nerve damage side effects – my left foot will cramp (after surgery it was numb for several months). Oddly enough I find that the more I ride the less my foot cramps but heels are no longer my friend. I only lasted 4-5 months without riding and I couldn’t bear to not be on a horse. I actually felt so much better I went and bought a TB off the track, probably not what the doc would have recommended but he had such smooth gaits. I’m back doing sitting work and some jumping but not as much jumping like I used to do. My philosophy is that I could get in a car accident just as easily as having a bad fall off my horse so I’m not going to stop doing what I love. I just use common sense and know when to push myself and when not to.
I also noticed that because I was in so much pain for so long that my saddle had been worn uneven because I rode with a slight hip twist, to try to avoid the pain, that I didn’t realize I had until afterwards – it also explained my physical problems with left lead canters. Keeping your core muscles strong and being fit will really benefit your back and you’ll look good in a bathing suit!
By the way, nice job on the website and I enjoy reading my RSS feeds when they come in.
Jessica — February 21, 2009 @ 9:43 am
Glad to hear you are making improvements (as frustrating as they might be). I dislocated my shoulder after a riding fall a year and a half ago and still feel some pain from the “bone bruise” I received when I hit the wall. I’ve been reading about your motivations for working out etc. and you have motivated me to get moving! Cheers!
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free video conferencing tools — January 6, 2012 @ 5:36 am
Great post, love the pictures! Its great that you were able to explore the city by running.