Warm Thoughts for Joe AKA Mad Hatter

[Cheeto]

Go Joe!! Have a fast recovery and come back to the pipe forum soon.

[floydp]

Thoughts and prayers Joe. Speedy recovery.

[tzaddi]

Originally Posted by tzaddi

If you are so inclined take a moment today and think a kind thought and send it Joe's (Mad Hatter) way. This morning he was scheduled for back surgery.

Only the best Joe… you deserve only the best… Blessings.

Your Friend,

Richard

I heard from Joe today and all went well with the surgery, he is on the mend, anticipating a few months of healing. He is a trooper.

If I may quote a note he sent me today.

Thanks again for the concerns and prayers. I'm sure they were a big help!!! I thought about you guys too

Joe

[Mad Hatter]

And I'd like to stand up and say it for myself as well. Bunches of thanks to you Richard for starting this thread and to Evan for the phone call. And a big thank you to all you folks for your thoughts, wishes and support. You're a great bunch o' guys

[icehog3]

Missed this over the Holiday, Joe, but I am glad to hear your surgery went well, and hope you are back to speed in no time.

[DETROITPHA357]

Get some rest and take it easy. Prayers for ya

[RPB67]

Thoughts and Prayers sent..........

[tzaddi]

Still thinking about you Joe, be well.

[Mad Hatter]

I'm still slowly getting better. Kinda overdid my walking a few days ago and wound up with a little more inflamation in the psiatic nerve. Getting up and down isn't too difficult as long as my knees are at > 90 degrees. Last night I decided to lie in the floor and then after twenty minutes of wishing I hadn't done it I finally managed to drag myself out the front door where I could grab the handrail and get up on my feet again. Ahhhhh, just like the old days when I blew that disc out Seriously though even immediately after the surgery when I spoke to the doc I could tell a huge difference emotionally, like that thing that has been grinding on my nerves and demanding constant attention for so long was somehow not an issue.

Thats the report for today. I plan to Ebay a few more pipes that I can't smoke right now before the day is done and do a little reading. All is looking up.

[chippewastud79]

Glad you are on the road to a swift recovery.

[gvarsity]

Sending as much good karma your way as I can. I hope you recover quickly and get some relief. I have three bulging discs and they are painfull I can only imagine the pain you suffer. Good luck.

[schnell987]

Prayers sent for a complete and speedy recovery, Joe!

[Mad Hatter]

Now I'm reminded how bad I used to feel and how long a road this has been, The first few days post-op were about how I felt the first two years after I initially blew a disc in '01. I did have a few months down time after that period in which my intent was to exercise my way back to health. That took about four months after which I went back to work for three months before winding up right back in the same situation. Then I made my decision to try self-employment over the other option of disability. So now I can say that I have practice at this recovery thing so I know some of the traps not to get caught in.


Just an update from yesterday:

Doing even better today. Managed to get out of bed with no serious bolts of pain shooting through me. Took 20 minutes to get my shoes and socks on and about an hour and a half total to get loosened up for my first walk of the day. Speaking of walks, my longest today was 8 blocks and I didn't push as hard as I could have........... learned I shouldn't push my limits! Had some good food, quoted a couple of jobs and even met with the 2pm coffee crowd for a few minutes. Its going good, but boy are my two dogs gonna get an attitude adjustment as soon as the doc says I can bend over again!

Definitely getting better faster than expected.

Joe

[icehog3]

Glad to hear the recovery is going well, Joe!

[DonnieW]

Originally Posted by Mad Hatter

I'm still slowly getting better. Kinda overdid my walking a few days ago and wound up with a little more inflamation in the psiatic nerve. Getting up and down isn't too difficult as long as my knees are at > 90 degrees. Last night I decided to lie in the floor and then after twenty minutes of wishing I hadn't done it I finally managed to drag myself out the front door where I could grab the handrail and get up on my feet again. Ahhhhh, just like the old days when I blew that disc out Seriously though even immediately after the surgery when I spoke to the doc I could tell a huge difference emotionally, like that thing that has been grinding on my nerves and demanding constant attention for so long was somehow not an issue.

Thats the report for today. I plan to Ebay a few more pipes that I can't smoke right now before the day is done and do a little reading. All is looking up.

Dude you need to take it easy, seriously!! Play it super safe and take as much time as needed. I too had back surgery, last November. I had serious issues that paralyzed my leg and completely numbed my groin (yeah - it sucks). I thank God I was able to get into emergency surgery (after a week). I've never felt such pain, and like you said, its night and day after the operation. But you really need to rest and let things mend. I took a solid two weeks to not even move. I further spent about 2 months totally slacking, being very cautious - even over cautious. The nerve sensation will last for awhile, no worries about that. I can now say that I am like a new man. They cleaned up the bone around the nerve and trimmed the disc, etc. But you don't get too many kicks at the can, so take it easy. Glad to hear you're doing good, and I know from experience you'll be glad you went under the knife. A good back program should be your key to prevention, once you'e ready that is.