Career Ending Operation???

[pro1driver]

Here in Albuquerque NM the hospitals are vacant and they are laying people off. This is because of no elective surgeries. If you don't have the coronavirus, I guess people needing elective surgeries are suppose to just suffer and wait.

pretty much here as well. the biggest hospital has lost millions they say due to no elective surgeries. needed/emergency surgeries are still happening, but believe it or not, many are still not having anything done.

in my situation, the surgeon wants to monitor my x-rays in another few months. frankly, if the bone is deteriorating, and i not being a doctor myself, what can be done?

i looked at the dvd from my full x-rays back in january, and i cannot see anything wrong.

now, i had x-rays done on my kidneys, ordered by my urologist, cuz i do have kidney stones. in THAT x-ray, i can see "some" shadowing that the surgeons P/A was talking about.

if i can take a picture, i will downsize it, and post it here, this will take some time however.

 

[pro1driver]

ok, in the photo, the large screw on your left, can you see "some shadowing" around it?

the one on your right, to me, i do not see any or not as much as the one on the left.

and just to clarify, that x-ray is from the machine facing me, so the sides are opposite, meaning that "shadow" is actually on the right side

ok, i cannot add the picture...having issues doing that

ok, i think i finally got it

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNWlBJjc3qMLyJ9FeSsTV46HBmq1-rARJj4Py6M

 

[Magoo]

ok, in the photo, the large screw on your left, can you see "some shadowing" around it?

the one on your right, to me, i do not see any or not as much as the one on the left.

and just to clarify, that x-ray is from the machine facing me, so the sides are opposite, meaning that "shadow" is actually on the right side

ok, i cannot add the picture...having issues doing that

ok, i think i finally got it

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNWlBJjc3qMLyJ9FeSsTV46HBmq1-rARJj4Py6M

Wishing you the best of luck! Hang in there I'm sure your taking vitamin D and Calcium.
This may take awhile, keep your mind busy with other stuff.
Like reading some of the drivil some post on here and thinking WTF is the matter with them?

 

[1984Sideways]

I'm still wondering why there are no military style tents set up to house covid patients since all the hospitals are laying everybody off.

Regarding OP's linked picture I'll have to log into google for that. It will be later today and come back here after I see it.

Regarding hospitals where I am we are only running a average of about 80 in hospital in real time give or take 20 last 8 weeks and 12 to 35 on vent with or without negative pressure rooms (There is about 60 of these available) The rest have recovered, probably 100 deaths and remaining hundreds of sick are isolated at home or jailhouses. If we had to go to the hospital any time, there is no problem. Whatever needs to be done to stabilize the patient will be done. My county has less than 50 sick the whole time and maybe two deaths.

Immunity is a real possibility. So the lockdown has had no power or influence in our daily living. Sure the stores were closed and some by appointment. However it has not really been that big of a deal.

I have lost bone mass in the spine. At some point in the far future, snap. Might as well shoot me and get it over with. No need to fix what cannot be when that time comes.

 

[SMOKESTACK]

Please keep this thread on topic my friends.
Thank you SMOKESTACK

 

[pro1driver]

Wishing you the best of luck! Hang in there I'm sure your taking vitamin D and Calcium.
This may take awhile, keep your mind busy with other stuff.
Like reading some of the drivel some post on here and thinking WTF is the matter with them?

yes, taking a daily calcium supplement as well as my ordinary daily "senior citizens formula" vitamins..lol

i am getting "some" back pains, i hope it is only due to the way i sleep sometimes. most times, those pains go away once i am up and making my coffee/breakfast.

i am also back to the walking tract, since many things are opening up now. feels great to get out and do some slow, then faster walking.

 

[pro1driver]

UPDATE: May 19, 2020

my next appointment with the surgeon, isn't until October. then i'll have to go for another set of x-rays, to check on the bone where the longest screws are implanted into that area, the hip area. i feel no pains, except for sometimes if the way i sleep, maybe it's off kilter when i do so.

cuz after i wake up and move about the house, it goes away. i had emailed my lawyer, to see "what's shaking" regarding any talks about any sort of settlement.

still nothing, of course this shutdown/lock-down is in place, so that is hindering any talking right now.

now, i am between a rock and a hard place, if and when any talks resume.

i need to know in october if my bone has deteriorated or fused, one of which can be an issue for me for sure.

there is supposed to be "set aside money" that satisfies the people at Medicare, for any future problems with my back, and when that money is used up, THEN Medicare pays. typical worker's comp stuff, for a settlement to take place.

it's who administers that set aside money, me or a 3rd entity. i prefer it to be someone else, this way, i cannot be accused of "misappropriation of funds"

but i am still living and breathing, and taking care of things around the house with some help from time to time. i do lots of "light stuff", nothing heavy, that's for my helper(s)

i took up a new sport/hobby, which i am really into, and there is not that much (if any) exertion on my back. well, maybe my wallet, as that's in my back pocket.

but i will not mention any more of it here, i do not want this thread to go off in another direction. i will start another thread at a later time, regarding that new sport/hobby. (some of you may be involved with it as well)

i started doing some "track walking", thank God, some of the restrictions have been lifted on us. it feels GREAT to walk that track. plus, i did put on a few pounds during this lock-down.

in fact, just sitting here at the desk, i feel "some" lower back pain, i think it's cuz i have been here for a while, rather than moving around. but i tire easy, i get up at or about 3:30 to 4 AM, (for whatever ungodly reasons), and by 9 PM, it's off to bed.

no meds taken, no pains, so hopefully nothing more than muscle aches and pains.

 

[1984Sideways]

I am glad you are enjoying life.

We had a hospital in Jacksonville fail about a year ago. About a level three community place with 4 floors and half a city block. The building was worth 9 millions, liabilities which specifically included unpaid medical bills (That cannot be successfully collected for a variety of reasons) reached 16 million. Then the taxes came along which was the straw that forced closure and sale of the whole place lock stock and barrel. Its still for sale but is a negative value by millions. The owners want out but they cannot get out. It probably will end up being demo'ed for cheap and the land sold out. While the owners BK.

 

[pro1driver]

UPDATE: August 3, 2020

something has not been right with me. i have Bell's Palsy on the right side of my face. usually, in the winter time, my right side will stiffen up, meaning the Palsy is attacking me. then too, bright lights nearly kill me, and many times, my hearing gets magnified on the right side. (when the palsy attacks me)

so a few weeks ago, i had house painters over here. i was pretty much watching them, but not so much as they could not work. i was sitting on the front porch. they really did a great job.

but, as i'd go inside, you know how it is, you go from bright sunshine, to an inside, and it's like pitch dark?

well that is normal, right? i had no problem with that.....

however each morning when i get up at like 4AM, and turn on the bedroom light..??

it was like the fricking sun was in my face......

now mind you, i ALWAYS keep my head down until my eyes adjust to the light, but those past few days, it was incredibly bright.

i also noticed strange things my eyes were doing. (again, i was thinking the palsy was attacking me)

so, i had called my eye doctor. he did a full exam on me, which included pictures of the back of my eyes. he saw what is know as Hypertension Retinopathy, stage 3....!!!!!!!!

he said that my BP NEEDS to be taken care of ASAP.

so, after some delays, i went to a cardiac doctor today for a stress test, on the treadmill.

if you been thru this, you know they raise the treadmill, and increase the speeds.

the last raising and speed up, i could not keep up, and it had to stop. i only got to do 70% of the test.

do not forget, i have had a total of 3 major back surgeries, i simply cannot walk fast, nor run either......

he will contact my doctor, to see what other testing he wants done. (the doctor there today at the cardiac place, must have been an intern, as the actual cardiac doctor is still out of town)

but also, what made for this stress test, is that for the past several weeks, i have been doing some walking, 1/4 mile, sometimes 1/2 mile, and my legs were getting heavy, frankly, all of a sudden.

at my house, i have to climb 2 flights of stairs to get to my apartment...heavy legs like no tomorrow, and somewhat painful.

couple the heavy legs, and the eyes, were indeed warning signs.

i am one one more BP med, it is a diuretic, but believe me, i ain't pushing out any extra "water".

so to wrap it up...painters over at the house, walking and heavy legs, and strange things and extreme bright lights killing my eyes, lead up to being tested today. until the painters were here, i had not noticed anything wrong with my eyes. that was about the first sign of something out of sync.

 

[1984Sideways]

I am sorry that you are fighting the body.

When a person does not complete a stress test on the treadmill its usually known as a failed test for one reason or another. What I think should have happened was the same test done to me, inject a medicine to create a 5 foot pipe out of a tiny pipe at the heart and then watch the massive EKG machine for whatever signs that the heart cannot take the load. If I failed that they would have shipped me to the hospital.

Aversion to bright lights is not good. If you also have lightning bolts or streaks like a asteriod fireball across your vision, then you have a few hours before the affected retina area dies. They can usually MAYBE burn that section to attach back to your eyeball itself and keep it alive. Or stick a Argon Bubble in there. (*that hurts) The result is the same reattaching the retina.

The heavy legs indicate to me you are not able to maintain the circulation anymore at a adequate level. I think at some point you are going to climb one step too many and that would be where you end up in front of St Peter asking HIM wtf just happened? You follow?

Im not a doctor. But suspect you have a number of issues which can be traced if someone took the time to test you until they found it. One good test is to slap you onto a tilt table, spin and tilt until they recreate a problem trigger and boom there it is. (Faint, Cardiac arrest or even better seizures etc) That usually can be traced very carefully to a specific root cause problem. Much like a shaking front steer can be traced to either a bad bearing or a bad suspension, front end etc.

I finished eye surgery last week and am essentially living in absolute darkness where possible. The surgery itself was a success for the most part but uncovered glacumoa open end and possibly a few other untreated blood pressure problems. We will know for sure in the next visit. These items put me out of trucking for good and threatens my car licensing but the conditions are not mandatory to report to DMV. Not yet.

Ive a few other things going on medically. And frankly I would not be surprised at all to involve Hospice at this point at a certain point. I rather live a intense short life fully than a 100 year drag out life fighting to get the daily cottage cheese on bread. Come on now.

 

[pro1driver]

well i suspect i will be further tested, i just don't know what, or when.

the doctor did mention something about an injection to test the heart, and if i recall, he said something about taking pictures.

 

[pro1driver]

UPDATE: AUGUST 7, 2020

got an interesting phone call today from my lawyer.

seems like the insurance lawyer was inquiring if i would be open to a settlement, with an annuity.

i flat out told my lawyer...NO ANNUITY...!!

and that i had gone thru the "life expectancy chart" from i think the national insurance institute, where cases base they settlement on your life span. (it was the link my lawyer provided me, that the w/c insurance companies use)

i still have an appointment with the surgeon in October, by the way, to see if my bones healed/fused, or have deteriorated more.

i also mentioned to my lawyer that for all the BS they have put me thru (and i documented many things here, in this thread), they want to be rid of me?

then they have to pay me.

i continued, "we had to go to court over a gazillion times for the way that insurance company treated not only me, but my livelihood, putting me in absolute financial PERIL each and every time, the checks stopped, for one asinine reason or another".

they also "messed with me", with the important pre-op and post op denials of x-rays, MRI's CT scans, etc.

everything is DOCUMENTED to no end with the lawyer.

so now, i have to do what else..??

sit and wait..........

my lawyer knows full well, that i do not give up easily. had i done so, early on, i would not have gotten the much needed surgeries, nor care that was in high need for my back.

i once told him, in the court conference room, "they wanna bust my balls,??....... i'll take it, cuz they WANT me off thier backs"

and, "well this old guy ain't giving up any time too soon"...."that'll be MY WAY, of busting thier balls"

he knew i had dug in my heels way back when.........

 

[Cerberus_Kelpie]

UPDATE: AUGUST 7, 2020

got an interesting phone call today from my lawyer.

seems like the insurance lawyer was inquiring if i would be open to a settlement, with an annuity.

i flat out told my lawyer...NO ANNUITY...!!

and that i had gone thru the "life expectancy chart" from i think the national insurance institute, where cases base they settlement on your life span. (it was the link my lawyer provided me, that the w/c insurance companies use)

i still have an appointment with the surgeon in October, by the way, to see if my bones healed/fused, or have deteriorated more.

i also mentioned to my lawyer that for all the BS they have put me thru (and i documented many things here, in this thread), they want to be rid of me?

Sadly True.

then they have to pay me.

They will......sometime......yet they'll keep "dragging You through the muck & mire".

i continued, "we had to go to court over a gazillion times for the way that insurance company treated not only me, but my livelihood, putting me in absolute financial PERIL each and every time, the checks stopped, for one asinine reason or another".

The main part of "muck & mire". Such is from where MANY PEOPLE have and will simply "settle up".

they also "messed with me", with the important pre-op and post op denials of x-rays, MRI's CT scans, etc.

everything is DOCUMENTED to no end with the lawyer.

so now, i have to do what else..??

sit and wait..........

For another set of (Hula) Hoops to "jump" through in October (or whenever the court arrives at the (seemingly ever increasing) "annoyance point" allowed through "procedural requirements").
Standard Oppressive Protocol.

my lawyer knows full well, that i do not give up easily. had i done so, early on, i would not have gotten the much needed surgeries, nor care that was in high need for my back.

i once told him, in the court conference room, "they wanna bust my balls,??....... i'll take it, cuz they WANT me off thier backs"

and, "well this old guy ain't giving up any time too soon"...."that'll be MY WAY, of busting thier balls"

he knew i had dug in my heels way back when.........

It seems from the documented History of Your case that the idea of "busting their balls" results in them "busting" yours as well the other Past, Present and Future Victims from Accidents, Injuries, etc.
There have been (and will be) MANY PEOPLE settling TOO SOON, so You're correct in Not Settling.

 

[pro1driver]

It seems from the documented History of Your case that the idea of "busting their balls" results in them "busting" yours as well the other Past, Present and Future Victims from Accidents, Injuries, etc.
There have been (and will be) MANY PEOPLE settling TOO SOON, so You're correct in Not Settling.

and i will not give in. i haven't in all these years, so why now?

i am already on SS disability, so that is all set.

i have income, thru the w/c checks and the SS, so it ain't like i am hurting, until they screw up the checks every once in a while.

they must have thought they had a patsy in me and that i would cave in...

for all the BS they have put me through, all these years, (6.4 as of today) it only caused me to dig in my heels deeper.

insurance companies want the cheapest, easiest ways out.

i ain't gonna let that happen.

 

[1984Sideways]

Interesting you are at this point.

My doctor did some imaging on the spine where it was causing problems. Turned out that I busted the T10 disk years ago in trucking and nature healed it kinda sorta. He did identify the inflammation which was out of control. (Adrenal Gland makes a chemical at a fixed rate per day dose to keep the body quiet, without it you have to use Steroids temporarily to fix the inflammation)

Now the imaging will go to two more doctors showing the State evidence that yes there is owie there in the spine and yes we need this medicine to fix it. Write me please. (Prescribe...) My state has shown itself to be a BIG problem on both doctors and patients. So evidence? Certainly. Let's gather it. Insurance is getting grumpy because they are paying on I think 280,000-300,000 range already. With at least 100,000 pending.

I was thinking all those stupid campy company exhortations to pay into a nice 401k plan at 21 years old, work 50 years there retire on a couple million.

Lets say 50 years passed without me being fired for crushing a traffic cone. And here I am at 70 already burning a million of that in retail billing that I have seen.

At 70 SS is pretty good but not THAT good. Disability has been pretty steady and that is good. But in a few years in my case I am going to have to decide where to go from there. I think it converts at 65 to regular. I intend to hold until 68. But them doctors are going to be busy, and the good news is that all of them have been in the 30's and 40's age range so they will be around pretty much all my life. Ive only had what I consider 3 doctors in my life time. One retired at 25, another is still going and a third committed ******* some years ago. Otherwise he would have been my doc still.

And there is the State, Getting into my :: and dictating everything. I am more than happy to bury them in imaging and medical reports by the box.

What really upsets me is that I was such a DUMB trucker to keep on going in old iron on bad concrete on that ******* busted spine. Too stupid to say ok, it really hurts should I go somewhere and stop?

What part of really hurts dont I understand? Ive always been told I was tough. But now I hate that because that kind of tough is what breaks or kills people in life.

 

[pro1driver]

Interesting you are at this point.

My doctor did some imaging on the spine where it was causing problems. Turned out that I busted the T10 disk years ago in trucking and nature healed it kinda sorta. He did identify the inflammation which was out of control. (Adrenal Gland makes a chemical at a fixed rate per day dose to keep the body quiet, without it you have to use Steroids temporarily to fix the inflammation)

Now the imaging will go to two more doctors showing the State evidence that yes there is owie there in the spine and yes we need this medicine to fix it. Write me please. (Prescribe...) My state has shown itself to be a BIG problem on both doctors and patients. So evidence? Certainly. Let's gather it. Insurance is getting grumpy because they are paying on I think 280,000-300,000 range already. With at least 100,000 pending.

I was thinking all those stupid campy company exhortations to pay into a nice 401k plan at 21 years old, work 50 years there retire on a couple million.

Lets say 50 years passed without me being fired for crushing a traffic cone. And here I am at 70 already burning a million of that in retail billing that I have seen.

At 70 SS is pretty good but not THAT good. Disability has been pretty steady and that is good. But in a few years in my case I am going to have to decide where to go from there. I think it converts at 65 to regular. I intend to hold until 68. But them doctors are going to be busy, and the good news is that all of them have been in the 30's and 40's age range so they will be around pretty much all my life. Ive only had what I consider 3 doctors in my life time. One retired at 25, another is still going and a third committed ******* some years ago. Otherwise he would have been my doc still.

And there is the State, Getting into my :::: and dictating everything. I am more than happy to bury them in imaging and medical reports by the box.

What really upsets me is that I was such a DUMB trucker to keep on going in old iron on bad concrete on that ******* busted spine. Too stupid to say ok, it really hurts should I go somewhere and stop?

What part of really hurts dont I understand? Ive always been told I was tough. But now I hate that because that kind of tough is what breaks or kills people in life.

(Full retirement age, or FRA, is the point at which you qualify for 100 percent of the benefit Social Security calculates from your lifetime earnings.) At full retirement age — currently 66 and gradually rising to 67 over the next several years — your SSDI payment converts to a retirement benefit.Oct 10, 2018

++++++++++++++++++++

so for me, i got many more years to go. maybe it'll be 66, but then again, i'll take 67 as well.

but when you think about it, what you and I are getting for SSDI, it IS our full SS payment now, so we will not really lose anything.

we will still have to pay for Medicare and supplemental health insurance.

it's like we "retired" at 40, and get our full SS now.

BUT.....

we CANNOT work under SSDI rules, cuz if we do, we can get knocked off SSDI, since to them, we are able to work.

once we GET onto regular SS, then we can work if we want to, with no questions asked, no penalties.

 

[1984Sideways]

I got imaged not long ago for spine at T section. Lo and behold they found a busted T10 disc that was healed already by nature for what it was. Unfortunately thats the first disc to go if it is a MVA, high power physics problem in a truck or whatever.

I have three surgical choices pending next appt. Plates between discs, boring out spinal cord area or do without. To do without will eventually result in paralysis of everything below tummy. (Thats not welcome) so probably both of those surgeries in addition to a third with something else which is associated with the spine. That probably came from a incident on a bridge where the seat slammed to the floor which then proceeded to collapse to the frame at 70+ loaded. That was a bad day, but did not know then what we learned recently with the new imaging.

The problem is they don't know yet if it is worth doing it because the nerves are already being killed by the spinal compression against T and L sections. So... even if they did it and the damage remains there is no point.

They put old truckers out to pasture, but this would be one whom I would say shoot me and be done with it. lolz.

 

[pro1driver]

I got imaged not long ago for spine at T section. Lo and behold they found a busted T10 disc that was healed already by nature for what it was. Unfortunately thats the first disc to go if it is a MVA, high power physics problem in a truck or whatever.

I have three surgical choices pending next appt. Plates between discs, boring out spinal cord area or do without. To do without will eventually result in paralysis of everything below tummy. (Thats not welcome) so probably both of those surgeries in addition to a third with something else which is associated with the spine. That probably came from a incident on a bridge where the seat slammed to the floor which then proceeded to collapse to the frame at 70+ loaded. That was a bad day, but did not know then what we learned recently with the new imaging.

The problem is they don't know yet if it is worth doing it because the nerves are already being killed by the spinal compression against T and L sections. So... even if they did it and the damage remains there is no point.

They put old truckers out to pasture, but this would be one whom I would say shoot me and be done with it. lolz.

all my operations, were fusion type. no plates, no artificial disks. reason "might be", those would have been more expensive that what workman's comp pays for??

i cannot say about your nerve compression, only what i had gone thru. had i not had the first operation back in 2014, a few weeks after the injury, i'd most likely not be feeling great today. each person has to weigh his/her own decisions, based on not one but maybe up to 4 different opinions.

i felt that at my age, i wanted the surgery any surgery that was recommended, as i wanted to be as either pain free or living a better life, than with out any surgeries.

for me, i made the right decision.

 

[1984Sideways]

all my operations, were fusion type. no plates, no artificial disks. reason "might be", those would have been more expensive that what workman's comp pays for??

i cannot say about your nerve compression, only what i had gone thru. had i not had the first operation back in 2014, a few weeks after the injury, i'd most likely not be feeling great today. each person has to weigh his/her own decisions, based on not one but maybe up to 4 different opinions.

i felt that at my age, i wanted the surgery any surgery that was recommended, as i wanted to be as either pain free or living a better life, than with out any surgeries.

for me, i made the right decision.

Im working through the decision making slowly, plenty of time to think it through.

I suppose I am making sure if it all possible to keep the legs working so the surgeon would have some work to do. The work itself is straight forward. Its when you ever cut into the body that makes for problems in some cases.

Alot of repairs going on from wear and tear of trucking years. I suppose if they don't stop surgeries I would be mostly metal. HA.... would that be food for thought. Insurance says it's cheaper to fix it and toss bad parts. (Bone gone bad etc.)

On my end there is none of the settlements or nothing like that. I suppose if the work is successful I retain function and good health more or less for what it is far into the future. And have plenty of time to catch up on more important stuff like sleep.

 

[pro1driver]

Im working through the decision making slowly, plenty of time to think it through.

I suppose I am making sure if it all possible to keep the legs working so the surgeon would have some work to do. The work itself is straight forward. Its when you ever cut into the body that makes for problems in some cases.

Alot of repairs going on from wear and tear of trucking years. I suppose if they don't stop surgeries I would be mostly metal. HA.... would that be food for thought. Insurance says it's cheaper to fix it and toss bad parts. (Bone gone bad etc.)

On my end there is none of the settlements or nothing like that. I suppose if the work is successful I retain function and good health more or less for what it is far into the future. And have plenty of time to catch up on more important stuff like sleep.

i did lose "some function", but it is to me, minute.

i cannot for instance, bend over and touch my toes. but i can still bend a little bit, it is not like i am a walking stiff.

i cannot rotate my body from side to side, like some exercises have you do, but i can at least turn side to side, albeit, in a smaller distance (hard to really explain).

i can walk, at times, i can pick up my walking speed, but i cannot run...so a, pit bull chasing me, would catch me, and devour me.

all in all, i am living, mostly pain free, an occasional pain "pops up", but it might have to do with the way i sleep during the night.

many people ponder surgeries with the worst of the worst outcomes. i go full throttle with surgeries, mostly due to the fact, that i have FULL confidence in the doctors that are involved. i have the have faith, confidence and hope, that all will be well in the end.

it does sicken me, that i got hurt in the first place, but to the extent at first, i was not aware of. too many posts from me, in this thread i started, to go back and pin point the many disappointments i had faced over these past 6.5 years now, but in the end, to me, it was MORE important, to be alive.....mobile......and as pain free as possible, rather than to be tethered to a wheel chair, or the never ending supply of high powered pain pills.

it also sickens me that i was finally deemed "disabled" and not able to return to work. on the one hand, retirement can be great....

but you NEED something to occupy your time.

for me, i have found shooting at the range, something that is highly occupying my time, and in the next few months (hopefully before the winter sets in), i will be involving myself with reloading ammo, to continue to "keep me busy", in a somewhat, low to no effort that will impact my back.

but, i do not want this thread to get derailed, i'd like to keep it as is, with my updates when they come up.