Stab to the neck again for another reason!

It has been 3 years of increasing daily neck pain and constant neck cracking to relieve the herniation of tears and cracks . I have opted for an Cervical Epidural Injection instead of a cage fusion. Ortho surgeon referred me to Pain Management. The injection places anti-inflammatory medicine into the epidural space to decrease inflammation of the nerve roots, hopefully reducing the pain in the neck, shoulders and arms. Scared poopless, I laid wide awake until 3:45AM.
I go to Evangelical Ambulatory Surgical Center at 7AM. I get undressed and ready to go into the OR. I hear an announcement, "Dr Dominick has entered the building."I am laughing as the door opens and repeat it. His sonar leads to me. He commented that this is the only place that I get to see him anymore. Gotta get all fixed up so I can ride.
Head to the OR hallway and chat chat with TommyD again. He asked when we were going mountain biking. I wanted to know if I really had to wait 6-8 months(post shoulder surgery). Sure do! Hopefully he will do the W101. He got a new bike, which I call my future yard sale item...GF Superfly HT. I tried to get him to do the procedure. He even went in the OR room and announced he was doing it. We parted our OR ways.
1. Transfer to OR table. Roll over on tummy and place my face into a cushioned form. I got a bit concerned when the Dr asked if I had an MRI done. This means she never looked at it prior to this procedure!
2. Oxygen is placed in my nostrils. There was some relaxation med and light anesthesia. I was told to move my chin towards my chest. My arms were placed down my sides. I had underwear roaching up my left butt cheek.
3. Dr said, "there will be a popping and stinging". The needle was going into the disc space via fluoroscope. Some intense pain with the fluid going in but seemed tolerable for about 5 minutes. I was ready to bit my tongue!
4. Then she said, "you are going to feel pressure". It was felt in the lower center of my cervical neck. Simultaneously my arms felt numb for 30 seconds.
5. So quick ...I rolled over and onto the gurney to go to the recovery room. There I stayed for 30 minutes and I was on my way. I felt stabbing ache in a triangle between my scapulas.

Ice Ice Ice. There is a nervy pain in my spine if I try to move my chin towards my check or move side to side in the area of C7 -T1.

I was told it would take 24hrs or more with full effect at seven days. The pain has indeed decreased. I do not have to crack my neck whiplashingly as much. I really hope this works for a very long time. I have a second shot set up for December 9.

I have had a life of traumatic body events. Starting with my neck hitting a dock post going extremely fast...

Long Fun Weekend in Western PA with ShuShu & Bike Faerie

My shoulder started making great progress last week. So I decide to head out to SRU and pick up my daughter, Kelsi and head down to my old college mate's house, because my Kelsi was mountain bike racing at Brady's Run. My friend, Jen was so eager to have us prehike the trail. It was quite a steep climb in the beginning which had my lungs going on foot because Jen was in trail run mode and was getting so excited that she wanted to race like a mad woman going downhill. Hip surgery is looming for her next month. The trail was not real technical but it did seem to have a lot of wet log gardens and roots to send you off camber.

Next day was a repeat run with my lug butt to get before the racers and watch.

Kelsi on her rigid SS got Womens 3rd.

Jen and Frank certainly filled the weekend with hilarious toots of laughter. Kelsi was anxious to show us her BIKE FAERIE costume that she made out of various bike parts and leather. It is amazing. She modeled it for us up a tree and gliding on her bike.

Road to recover and thanks to Leslie of all trades

It seems the worst pain is when I am trying to sleep. I had one episode that almost made me black out with a tingly weird feeling.

Winner of the day was my brother, Kristopher's wife, Leslie Ann. She held many caps yesterday....organizer of cousin Steve Wheeler's Memorial Dinner, head buzzer of Zachary's hair, cooker of Spinach Lasagna for my family, and nurse of bandage changer. Thanks for shining my staples!

Limb Alienation for SAD/DCR Shoulder Surgery

Nerve Block needle stab to the side of my neck. Prep for Distal Clavicle Resection and Subacromial Decompression of the shoulder. Arm goes to sleep for the next 24 hours. Freaky...looking out the corner of my eye and I see a limb being held up in the air. Oh, it is my left arm, but how can it be mine floating in the air, because I do not feel it. Someone is picking up my arm and I did not know it. I fight to move it slightly but no brain connection to nerves responses. Anesthesiologists roll me to the OR with blurrness without my glasses down the hall. So excited, I hear Dr D's voice and look over towards his voice and blurt "HI Dr D!" We exchanged a few words and he says, "Good Luck". I am in the bright white OR with faces all around and I notice I have no side railing up. I feel protective of my limb and its whereabouts. I look to my left side and it is gone!!! I look down and it was dangling off the bed. It looked like Stretch Armstrong dangling drag on the OR floor with knuckles brushing the floor. I yelled, "Help, my arm has fallen!!" A nurse came running over to get it. The doctor was playing with my hair trying to get it to go under my cap. Out go the lights..........