On August 4th, 2021, I came home from a 15 mile run and the back of my right leg hurt. I assumed I had over done it. It did not get better, it got worse.
Jump to April of 2022. After physical therapy, message, acupuncture, cold laser, active release, and 4 doctors (I was walking with a cane by this time) a neurosurgeon ran a contrast MRI and found a 14 mm growth between L4 and L5. He asked my insurance to approve surgery and spine stabilization. I waited. He told me it was probable benign but it need to come out. It would soon cause really big problems.
On May 15th, 2022, I woke up at 4 am knowing something was badly wrong. I had wet the bed and I couldn't move correctly. I was paralyzed from the waist down on my right side. Off to the emergency room, then transferred to a spine trauma center, and emergency surgery. No more waiting on the insurance company to approve, and this is what the surgeon had warned me about
That corrected the problem. I could walk and no pain, other than that associated with major back surgery. A week after I was released I got a fever that would come and go. I went for COVID test and that was negative. I called my family doctor. She took one look at my back and sent me to the ER. The ER did blood tests determined that I was in the early stages of sepsis. A infectious disease doctor was called, then a plastic surgeon was called, and I was in surgery 5 hours after my initial doctor's appointment and on a Friday night. I woke up around 2 am in ICU with an IV that went into my shoulder and 7 IV bags hanging. The infectious disease doctor, who had zero bed side manner, told me that if I had ignored the symptoms for an few days it would have been a life threatening problem.
I was released to run (I had been walking) and swim on Friday. The last time I ran was November of 2021. The last swim or bike was in February. I swam on Saturday and I've lost about 15 seconds/100 m. I ran on Monday and I am pain free. For 3.5 miles I averaged 15 minutes a mile of running and walking, and that was pushing the pace. The 15 mile run last August was a easy 2:10 effort. I will ride my bike for the first time on Saturday. I expect that to go much like the running.
I have a long road of recovery ahead of me, but no pain and I'm alive. All told, this could have been so much worse, especially the infection at the surgical sight.
"...the street finds its own uses for things"
Jump to April of 2022. After physical therapy, message, acupuncture, cold laser, active release, and 4 doctors (I was walking with a cane by this time) a neurosurgeon ran a contrast MRI and found a 14 mm growth between L4 and L5. He asked my insurance to approve surgery and spine stabilization. I waited. He told me it was probable benign but it need to come out. It would soon cause really big problems.
On May 15th, 2022, I woke up at 4 am knowing something was badly wrong. I had wet the bed and I couldn't move correctly. I was paralyzed from the waist down on my right side. Off to the emergency room, then transferred to a spine trauma center, and emergency surgery. No more waiting on the insurance company to approve, and this is what the surgeon had warned me about
That corrected the problem. I could walk and no pain, other than that associated with major back surgery. A week after I was released I got a fever that would come and go. I went for COVID test and that was negative. I called my family doctor. She took one look at my back and sent me to the ER. The ER did blood tests determined that I was in the early stages of sepsis. A infectious disease doctor was called, then a plastic surgeon was called, and I was in surgery 5 hours after my initial doctor's appointment and on a Friday night. I woke up around 2 am in ICU with an IV that went into my shoulder and 7 IV bags hanging. The infectious disease doctor, who had zero bed side manner, told me that if I had ignored the symptoms for an few days it would have been a life threatening problem.
I was released to run (I had been walking) and swim on Friday. The last time I ran was November of 2021. The last swim or bike was in February. I swam on Saturday and I've lost about 15 seconds/100 m. I ran on Monday and I am pain free. For 3.5 miles I averaged 15 minutes a mile of running and walking, and that was pushing the pace. The 15 mile run last August was a easy 2:10 effort. I will ride my bike for the first time on Saturday. I expect that to go much like the running.
I have a long road of recovery ahead of me, but no pain and I'm alive. All told, this could have been so much worse, especially the infection at the surgical sight.
"...the street finds its own uses for things"