Well, I finally have an ultimate date for my surgery: 28 Feb. I guess I would really say that I need doctors to correct damage caused by other doctors...but I take the responsibility for taking NSAIDs for so long and accelerating my kyphosis.
So, with the hunched over posture, the gravity vectors were enough to wear and tear on my L2, but I had to start feeling too good thanks to the NSD and I overstepped my limits, so fractured this vertebra (called a pseudarthrosis, or false joint--in this case another joint in my spine--without any disc for cushion).
I have been getting along great with the nerve blocks, but, due to the angulation, I am not able to heal.
I think they are going to drill out the fracture and insert a cage, then use some titanium 'instrumentation' to immobilize the whole thing, then do an osteotomy, or insert some bone chips to straighten me out and shift my COG (center of gravity), so I have a chance of healing. Estimated duration of the procedure is 10 hours, and 4 units of blood might be needed; I have given three so far, but one will expire because of the reschedule fiasco.
Rescheduled due to an admissions doctor who did not like the fact that I had been treating myself using antibiotics, so decided to complicate things. Too bad he is an instructor at the hospital--knows almost nothing at all about AS (even from the standard allopathic orientation). His focus is lungs and I do remember hospitals giving potassium chloride to persons with asthma, but I did not know it was potassium iodide. The chloride sure worked for me, when I had asthma.
So, I waited to see an 'infectious disease specialist' and he just said 'no problem' over the telephone; did not even need to see me, but gave my doctors some pointers for after-care based upon my antibiotic history. Hope I don't contract a new strain of Kp while in hospital!
Also hope that I don't like being out of my crummy body so much that I refuse to return when it is time! Annie would not like that very much...
Well, I'll be around until then, trying to tell fellow sufferers how to avoid this!
Best of Health to Each of You,
John
"Any teacher who can be replaced by a machine, should be."
Isaac Asimov, 'Project Hole-in-the Wall'
Hi John...Sorry to hear that you have to go in the hospital....and the pain you are having.....I'm hoping everything will turn out right..and hoping you will be feeling all better.........we will be praying you'll get well soon....I'm on NSAIDS and will talk with my rheuma about taking something else......Thanks
Hope
"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."
."
Dear John,...
I am very sorry to hear you have a fractured disk, though at the same time, I'm grateful to hear you are going to allow them to practice and try their best to resolve this for you. Theoretically, trauma medicine is a western specialty, no? Well, I certainly hope it will work as best as is possible for you!
Perhaps you will have the opportunity to teach this
instructor during your recovery!
I'm certain you will somehow avoid the hospital food
, and really hope you manage to avoid any new strains of bacteria too!
Please know that 'refusing to return' is
not an option that would go over very well with your whole KA family too!
I wish you the very best John, and please know you will be in my thoughts!
Hugs,
mig
Wishing a quick recovery to my favorite dragonslayer!
Surgery is never fun but if you are not going to heal from nerve blocks alone, then perhaps its best.
Please keep us posted my friend....you have been so helpful with so many here. I know you cant turn back the clock on the damage from the NSAID's but you are very well informed now and can avoid any further damage...and that's most important.
Take care...best wishes ...
Buggy
Hi John,
Best wishes on the surgery and a speedy recovery. You will be missed here at Kickas during your absense.
Wish my work was not so rough currently, would make my way over there to check up on you after surgery. Heal up so you can make Vegas this summer.
Say Hi to Annie for me.
Tim
Hope is only a post away with KickAS.
John,
I wish you a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. You will definitely be missed here on KICKAS while you are in hospital.
"Also hope that I don't like being out of my crummy body so much that I refuse to return when it is time!"
Yes, you should return, for Annie and your fellow KICKAS'ers. I hope the surgeons do and excellent job and you feel like you have a new body.
You may not have realized it, but you have helped many people on KICKAS, including myself. And for me, you are one of the most valued members of KICKAS.
Wishing you success and a speedy recovery.
Wayne
Hi John
I wish you all the best for the surgery and for a fast recovery.
Don't even think about not returning !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is a very very bad thought.
Annie needs you and SO DO WE. Who else is going to nag as well as you do
Maggie
Sorry to hear you have to go the surgical route John, but best wishes to you and high hopes that it goes perfectly. We'll all be rooting for you here.
10 hours...isn't it nice you'll be sleeping through it? I've always said the actual surgical time is hardest on the family in the waiting room. They're the ones who have to watch the clock move like it is in molasses. Now once the post-op part starts, that's a different story altogether! That's when WE get to have all the fun...
Good luck John.
Brad
Hi John!
Sorry to hear about the fracture
and the surgery to come. Your very strong with all you've endured so far in life, so I am hopeful you'll come through with flying colors and be back soon, slaying the dreaded AS dragon.
peace & love
Kathy
"The most beautiful stones have been tossed by the wind and washed by the waters and polished to brilliance by life's strongest storms."
Good Luck John. Hope tp see you back here posting again very soon.
John,
Wish you all the best, and I hope it helps!
Good Luck!
David
John
Best wishes for a speedy recovery... Know that you will be in our thoughts here in PA and we will be anxiously awaiting your return...
Mike
Hi John,
You are on my thoughts and prayers, wish you all the best for the surgery.
You definitely have to return, that is a MUST, we need you on this place
Hugs,
Sinta
Hi John:
I just wanted to wish you best wishes and as painfree a recovery as possible. You will be sorely missed during your time away --- please don't get too comfortable "out of body" and come back!
Sometime you will need to explain to me this problem with NSAIDs.
You and your familiy will be in my thoughts on the 28th.
All the best to you.
Sherree
The best of luck to you with the surgery, and have a speedy recovery.
You will be missed on this site, so hurry back.
Good Luck,
Mike
Hey John,
I wish you well during your surgery and recovery. The one thing we all here share is an endurance for pain, I'm hoping after your surgery your's will be easier to cope with.
Good Luck,
Brent
John,
I wish you the best with your upcomming surgery. I hope you have a speedy recovery and benefit greatly from the proceedure.
Misty
Good luck John. Feb. 28 our thoughts will be there. Great hug for you and Annie.
Pello
John, just want to wish you luck with the surgery (and the "instructor"). I know you'll decide to come back, 'cause Annie would kill you if you didn't.
It all sounds rather daunting to me, 10 hours on the table, I mean, but still, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.
Many hugs,
Kat
Hi, You sure do have a full plate with your upcoming surgery. I do hope all goes smoothly, with the best of results. Also, I know the time before a surgery can be a bit mind-boggling. I'm here if you need an ear, PM if you
need to talk about it.
I wanted to tell you that I heard what you said about NSAID's when you answered one of my posts awhile back. I've been able to be off of them
for a year now, thanks to diet and excercise and some divine help.
Thanks for the time you spend helping others and spreading the word.
Hope you'll be top notch after the surgery and healing is behind you.
I know you'll give it your best and kick some AS.
Hugs, (Fiat) Coleen Ann
I cringe just reading about the surgery you face.
Best wishes. 10 hours sounds like a marathon. Reminder that I'm being awfully whimpy about my upcoming surgery.
Good luck.
stevec-they also serve who stand and wait
John
I am sorry to hear that you of all people have to go for an operation. I say you of all people, because of the way you deal with AS and always helping others with ideas and suggestions on loooking after ourselves better. I hopw the healing processs is quick for you.
Stay Well
Paul
"If life is a waste of time, and time is a waste of life,
then lets all get wasted and have the time of our lives."
John
Just wanted to wish you well for the surgery - sounds pretty scarey. I hope the end result will be what you are hoping for.
Don't stay away too long, you are such a help to many on this site that we cannot manage for long without your input.
Will be thinking of you on the 28th.
Carol
Hey John
Good Luck with the Surgery. I hope you recover faster than I did.
John
Hi John,
Wishing you good luck, quick recovery and no bad bacteria strains!
Nina
Hi John
Just wanted to wish you good luck on your surgery. I am sure that you will be fine but we will miss you while you are away.
Take care
Valerie
John
I wish you the best ,through this procedure, and hope that you come out of it with the same fortitude that continued your in depth research on the assn's of AS ,alternate therapies, and the courage + determination NOT to accept the allopathic conjecture " There is no cure for AS- So sorry". Without brave folks like yourself whom strive for cures, research + trial, I for one, would have been dead before my 35 TH birthday.(Upper resp antibiotics)
May Love + peace guide you through this difficult time. And be thankful for the support of your loved one- some of us have none at all.
Godspeed
Yours in the Battle
Brian in Vanc
John, this all sounds so very scary.
I will be thinking and saying extra prayers for you come the 28th, well, actually even before then because I know you must be nervous about this whole thing.
You're a brave guy and I am sure I speak for us all when I say thanks for all the time you have put into trying to save us all from having to deal with exactly what you are going through.
Big hugs to ya,
Lisa
THoughts and prayers are with you.
Jim
Good Luck John,
Our thoughts will be with you. Keep us posted.
Keep Kickin'AS
Chris
Brother John,
Always the teacher. Even in pain and facing surgery. I just love it!
As we drag along these bent and painful containers, it behoves us to reflect on the humor of life. These poor doctors thought they were deaing with an average Lon, or "Bubba", in stead in was the Dragon Slayer! I think of your surgery as just a warning to your "body" that it had best shape up because there is much more for your to do! If you get to enjoy your 10 hour walk about, polizze check on the cabin being built for me next to the clearing, by the big elk herd, up near the Bob Marshall, ok?
LOVE YA
If there is ever something I can do for you, you would probably be better off talking to almost anyone but me...
Lon
Hi Brian,
What's the update on your RevitalX? Just curious.
Rowr
"Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated."Mark Twain
Hi John,
There are 100's of us out here rooting and praying for you through your upcoming sugery. Based on what you described is involved with your operation, you'll have to change your name to "bionic super dragonslayer." In any case, best of luck, enjoy your out of body experience. I am sure when you get back, you will be able to fly again.
Rowr
"Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated."Mark Twain
Hi Rowr
The product website is
http://www.naturalfactors.com. The naturopathic program is going well , although I havent been able to stay off the sweets completely. The product seems to do what it is supposed to, and I do feel an overall improvement in health and digestion,stools,immune-but unfortunately,because of my 4 daily meds, I don't think that I'll feel a major change until Stage 3 -Detox.
Right now, I'm stirring up toxins pretty good, but still killing yeast and it leaves one super fatigued.
Yours in the Battle
Brian in Vanc
Brian, I made your site clickable. Edited by Michelle in Md on 02/23/04 07:43 PM (server time).
Wishing you a successful surgery and a speedy recovery. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Take care,
Cara
John,
been thinking about you all week!
David
John, you HAVE to come back to your body, there is no way I (nor anyone else) could possibly explain the NSD/LSD issues with the knowlege and tact that you do. Good luck with your surgery and better luck with your recovery.
Thank you for inspiring me not to take anything but supplements today, I may not be perfect in my abstentation (ate some rice, took an aleve last weekend...) and some days I am a bit sore and lame but even with daily meds I was far worse 2 years ago than I am now, and so much better in my late forties compared to my twenties...who would have ever thought?
OK the 28th is getting close.
Just checking, when do you go into hospital, the day before, and will Annie or someone post us on how the operation has gone. We realize that you maybe in hospital for a while recovering from the surgery, and probably going through physical therapy.
And when will we see you again on KICKAS, with a new refurbished body.
We are all worried about you, and are wishing you the best.
Take Care
Wayne
John :Good luck !You gave me a lot of great encouragement when I had a cage and cadaver bone installed in the front of the neck back in 7/02.Make sure you have plently of easy to manage food and a clean house and fresh linnens before you go in so you can come home and rest. My prayers are with you bro for a succesful improvement in your spinal problems.Bleach all your bed sheets and pillow cases and any other areas like you bath tub that might cause infection.My first surgery on my spine C5-C6 on the back of my neck in 2/02 resulted in a natsy infection.My wife had to pack 6 inches of packing in there twice a day for 6 months before it closed.I have had several buddies that got surgical infections where they had to walk around with an IV of antibiotics for months.
Sooo: Sanitize,Sanitize Sanitize,and let's get you back here doing well ASAP.
your pal ,still in the the silicon valley pit.
Kev
Hope you have a speedy recovery John!
Paul
john hi
just reading about ur surgery and tho i dont know u i am rooting for u. get in, get up and get out! i know its not gonna be as easy as that, but i wish it was. hope all goes well for u john and the surgery helps.
look forward to seeing u on here again when u r feeling up to it.
best wishes and good luck to u and all ur loved ones.
pip
hi john, you don't know me i am new on this site just thought i would drop a line and show my respects to you and your family + friends. so sorry to hear you are have an opp i am sure this will go well and wish you a speady recorvery. thinking of you take care
peace love and harmony
lee
ps please kep me posted
lee paul
Good luck DragonSlayer!
Best wishes for a perfect recovery.
John,
Best of luck with this - I really hope it helps improve things,
Cheers
Jo
OK the 28th is getting close.
Just checking, when do you go into hospital, the day before, and will Annie or someone post us on how the operation has gone. We realize that you maybe in hospital for a while recovering from the surgery, and probably going through physical therapy.
And when will we see you again on KICKAS, with a new refurbished body.
We are all worried about you, and are wishing you the best.
Take Care
Wayne
Wishing you the best John. Please have Annie or someone post to let us know how you are doing.
Michelle 
'Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.' --Lao Tzu
Hi John,
Just wanted to wish you the best of luck re your date tomorrow. There have been quite a few ASKickers who have made that decision to "go straight" so welcome to the club.
Maybe when we finally meet, we can all join in and have a contest to see who can "out-tall" the other guys.
I look forward to hear how the surgery went. Don't start hiking around the hospital until they give you permission.
All the best,
George
John
I hope all went well and that recover fast. Please let us know how it went.
John
Dear John,
Wishing you a speedy recovery.You will be in our prayers most tomorrow.I have been thinking of you and your coming sugery so much this week.I wish you the very best and a great hug for Annie.
-Fighter
Hi John
I just realized that you had your surgery today.
Here is prayers that you recover quickly, and some hugs headed to you and your family to help them through this time also.
My best to you
Lori
Hi all,
John's surgery has been delayed...new date unknown at this point.
Pete
"Maybe the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans!"
- Lt. Frank Drebin
Hey Pete,
Any word on why the delay? I think that would be very frustrating after getting ready and mentally preparing one's self.
I would be anxious enough without extra waiting. I hope this was due to some hospital stuff and not due to an ailment.
Please let us know if you hear anything more. In the meantime, we can all keep sending our positive thoughts his way!
mig
Hi Mig,
Sorry, that's all he told me. I'll pass along any news as soon as I hear. John will probably log on when he's free.
Pete
"Maybe the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans!"
- Lt. Frank Drebin
Thanks Pete! I didn't realize you meant he was still home... I thought he was in hospital just waiting and waiting.
Either way, it is still very annoying.
Thanks again for keeping us in the loop!
mig
Sorry if I didn't make it clear. I don't really know much. I was going to stay at his house to keep Annie company while he was in the hospital but he suggested I wait until he knows more. I don't know why it was delayed.
Pete
"Maybe the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans!"
- Lt. Frank Drebin
Ya know, you really sound like a special man, Pete!
Thanks!
mig
Thanks, All, for the good wishes!
PROBLEM IS--the surgery was delayed AGAIN!
The surgeon is going on sabbatical now, but had an emergency just before the operation. I was all prepared--with bracelet and everything, but now it will be more time and more blood drained before I can finally get some relief.
AS teaches patience. Oh well.
Thanks again to all who responded, and I will hopefully have another update sooner than later!
Health to everyone,
John
"Any teacher who can be replaced by a machine, should be."
Isaac Asimov, 'Project Hole-in-the Wall'
Hi John,
Sorry to hear about the delay and the additional blood draining. Any chance with all the blood being drained we could make a 2nd Dragonslayer for us here at Kickas to benefit from
Please let us know when you have the new surgery date.
Take care John,
Tim
Hope is only a post away with KickAS.
Sorry to here the surgery got delayed.
Do you have a new date.
As for the blood draining, when I was in Hospital we had a little joke.
We thought in a dark room in the Hospital was a Vampire. The vampire was sampling all the blood, Hmmm 1962 not a bad year, Hmmmm 1953 nice vintage a bit ironny on the tongue, Hmmmm 1961 extremely nice red send the nurse back for more.
Take Care
Wayne
Have you always wondered why you were afraid to sneeze.
Hi John,
I've come to the office today and wondering how's your surgery going, planning of asking some people
Sorry for the delayed and please let us know soon as you have the date.
Take care,
Sinta