Monday, October 12, 2020

Spondylolithesis

 I think it is fair to say, and that most will agree, that 2020 has been a rough, rough year.

Covid

Civil unrest

The election

Did I mention Covid?

It seems every time I thought we were ready to round a corner, BAM.  Another sumthin', sumthin' cropped up as if to say "HA!  You ain't seen nothing yet!".

I know we all have our own setbacks and disappointments from this year.  My story is not to take away from any of yours -- rather, it is just an extension of how this whole, strange year has unfolded and a preview of my next set of "fun".

I fell on the ice on January 20th.  Did an alleooop right outside a Fresh Thyme grocery store and landed square on my shoulder and knee.  The second it happened, I knew I was in big trouble, as I could barely move.  

Two MRIs and several xrays later, I learned that the fall caused a massive rotator cuff tear to my right shoulder and two tiny hairline fractures to my right knee.   Yea.

The unusual aspect to my rotator cuff tear was that I had much more range of motion than I should have.  So much in fact, that I was able to play in a golf tournament in San Diego in February.  The same week the first case of Covid was detected in San Diego.

Fast forward past everyone starting to work from home in March; the initial "fun" of working from home and doing things like Zoom calls with friends and family; participating in quarantine sing alongs via Facebook groups; the utter bullshit controversy around mask wearing (just wear one, dammit) to the never-ending cycle of "every day feels like the same and when, oh WHEN will this finally be over?"

I got my rotator cuff fixed on June 4.  About a week in to recovery, my back and legs started to hurt like the dickens.  I initially thought this was due to sleeping funny since I had to have my arm in a sling 24/7 for the six weeks of recovery.  A couple more weeks went by and it got worse and worse and worse.

Finally went in to the doctor and yet ANOTHER MRI confirmed that the stenosis in my back had worsened, cutting off some nerves in my L4/L5 vertebrae AND that I had somehow ended up with 

SPONDYLOLITHESIS.

This is when a vertebrae slips out of alignment and stacks differently than the others.  Yea.

So, since mid-June, I've been hobbling around with a stiff back, sciatica, nerve pain and hip pain.  But, you ask, "Can you hit a golf ball?"  You bet!  So, at least I had that for a break from 2020 monotony.

The fix for this is, unfortunately, yet another surgery.  And this one will not be a fun one.  Tomorrow, I go in to have decompression surgery (to add more space around the channel to let the nerves "breathe" and thus get rid of the sciatica and all of that nonsense.  I will also have to have fusion on L4/L5.  THAT, is the part that is no bueno.

Not because I am doomed to never ride a bike again (which I've only done a handful of times this year); or ever be able to swim again (which I've only done four times this year) or speedwalk (which has been a big "NO GO" since hobbling).  

Fusion requires a looooooong recovery and a loooooong period of no "BLT"(Bending, Lifting, Twisting"), so I'm, again, regulated to just walking for exercise for several weeks/months.   Yea.

BUT on the bright side, I don't have Covid, and neither does Warren.  I still have a job and insurance and have the ability to take the time to have the surgery and to recover.  AND, I will have something in common with Tiger Woods and Gloria Estefan.   So how bad can that be?