Nerve damage, spinal cord injuries

Fuji-whopper

Fuji-whopper

Fargo: 457...play some?
Silver Member
Has anyone had any type of injuries where they lost sensation/motor control over parts of their body and recovered to the point where they could be competitive again? They told me I should be able to recover 100% in about 6 months of hard work and rehab but wanted hopefully to hear some stories of overcoming adversity pertaining to this lovely game we play.

I just had surgery about 10 days ago that fused c6 and c7 in my neck and am slowly learning how to walk again, they just released me from the hospital on Tuesday so everything is still fresh and new to me. Before the surgery I was paralyzed from the chest down having compressed my spinal cord while doing some stretching exercises on a machine at home. They told me that I probably had a long term injury that didn't manifest itself fully until I aggravated it recently, I am very lucky no permanent (knock on wood) damage was done.

Many people came by to see me while I was in the ICU, Thorsten even brought by a steak to jump start my stomach the day after surgery and of course the nurses all had inspirational stories but I was looking for something from our little community here. Please share your stories as you see fit, I am looking forward to reading about them all. Thank you.
 
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Fart sniffer said:
Has anyone had any type of injuries where they lost sensation/motor control over parts of their body and recovered to the point where they could be competitive again? They told me I should be able to recover 100% in about 6 months of hard work and rehab but wanted hopefully to hear some stories of overcoming adversity pertaining to this lovely game we play.

I just had surgery about 10 days ago that fused c6 and c7 in my neck and am slowly learning how to walk again, they just released me from the hospital on Tuesday so everything is still fresh and new to me. Before the surgery I was paralyzed from the chest down having compressed my spinal cord while doing some stretching exercises on a machine at home. They told me that I probably had a long term injury that didn't manifest itself fully until I aggravated it recently, I am very lucky no permanent (knock on wood) damage was done.

Many people came by to see me while I was in the ICU, Thorsten even brought by a steak to jump start my stomach the day after surgery and of course the nurses all had inspirational stories but I was looking for something from our little community here. Please share your stories as you see fit, I am looking forward to reading about them all. Thank you.
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Hey Neil this is crazy to hear , Im glad you are ok and i wish you a full recovery !!!!!!!! You are a great guy and a great player and the seminole tour is better when you are playing!! I cant wait to play you in the finals :)
if theres anything i can do to assist you plz let me know....take care bro
 
I have two cysts inside my spinal cord (one runs from the C2-T1 and the T10-T12) that makes my spine swell and pushes on nerves. I used to be very athletic playing alot of sports in school and had a very strenuous job for years until some neck spasms in 05 turned into me having to damn near pull myself out of bed everyday now. I probably shouldnt play pool, but I hate to not do anything so I still shoot some as it is the only sport I can still play and it hurts like hell to do that. I actually got to throw the baseball to my oldest nephew the other week (thanks to Narcotics) but it was nothing but soft tossing. An average day for me is to take 3-4 Percocet 10's, 2-3 Flexeril 10's to stop the pain and spasms. Have alot of right shoulder pain and sometimes lose sensation in my right arm. Luckily I'm left handed but it still hurts like hell. At this time there is no known "cure" and the surgery has more risks than rewards. Hope you do get back to 100%! I'll probably never see that day again but if I can walk and talk and move I wont gripe too much:D
 
Fart sniffer said:
Has anyone had any type of injuries where they lost sensation/motor control over parts of their body and recovered to the point where they could be competitive again? They told me I should be able to recover 100% in about 6 months of hard work and rehab but wanted hopefully to hear some stories of overcoming adversity pertaining to this lovely game we play.

I just had surgery about 10 days ago that fused c6 and c7 in my neck and am slowly learning how to walk again, they just released me from the hospital on Tuesday so everything is still fresh and new to me. Before the surgery I was paralyzed from the chest down having compressed my spinal cord while doing some stretching exercises on a machine at home. They told me that I probably had a long term injury that didn't manifest itself fully until I aggravated it recently, I am very lucky no permanent (knock on wood) damage was done.

Many people came by to see me while I was in the ICU, Thorsten even brought by a steak to jump start my stomach the day after surgery and of course the nurses all had inspirational stories but I was looking for something from our little community here. Please share your stories as you see fit, I am looking forward to reading about them all. Thank you.
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First off i am sincerly sorry to hear of your medical problem...In 1997 i was a pedestrian walking and was hit by an out of control vehicle..That day changed my life forever....I was very heavily involved in weightlifting and kick boxing up to that point.............I was told by all the doctors if it wasn't for that heavy training i would have been in a wheelchair for life...I had C4,5,and 6 fused with a titanium plate installed.. Migrain headaches everyday......................After surgery for 3 years i could never sleep laying prone i slept in a LazyBoy chair...I can never do all the loves that i had in life...Oh sure i could do the things but with great danger to myself if i fell or got injured (be really careful walking on snow or wet pavement) i would be paralyzed for life..................I have permanent nerve damage to several areas of my body.....So now that you know that i really know how you are feeling as i have gone thru it and live the life i will now offer you some tips............. .Do not under estimate your injuries your life now is changed forever..No horse back riding,boxing,wrestling,race car driving ect.....................................Try sleeping in a LazyBoy it is very comfortable,it will put less strain on your head/neck...Do a Google search for C6 and 7 injuries,spinal cord injuries,neck injuries by using different combinations of words you will come up with different forums that can help you...You will read about other people that have the same injury or worse than yours.........................Your operation involved cutting skin,bone and nerve...You will not even begin to heel till after a year..So really be careful of every step you take.....3 years after my surgery i was only sleeping about 2 hours per day this takes it's toll of course besides not ever being able to do alot of the things i love....I got to where i was suicidal the pain and lack of sleep and migrain headaches was taking it's toll on my life............................. I heard about a Doctor that operated a pain clinic...After going to him he suggested that since i have permanent damage to 12 pressure points of my body and i could barely bend over to put my shoes on he suggested i take pain killer meds..I was the type of person that never took meds or aspirin of any kind nor did i ever take steroids for my weightlifting .... I started taking and am now taking about 6 Lortab 10/500 pills a day... Like the doctor said i had to choose hardly any quality of life without pills or be able to move around........... Me being a very active and athletic person all my life i chose to take the narcotics.... I would rather be addicted to drugs than not be active..... Now i can walk for miles i ride my atv (slowly) and give wilderness tours to people.... I could go on and on but i think you know where i am coming from now.................................. IF ever you wish to talk pm me and i will give you my phone number so we could talk.... You have a long slow recovery but at least you know there is hope for you. The younger you are the better too in recovery................ Remember to eat real good take vitamins ect......I don't type well and don't know how to make paragraphs but that is trevial in life...... I hope i helped you a little on your journey to recovery.... Sincerly Cuejoey.......................ps.. When i was ready to commit suicide one night about 3 am a news program came on about the now deceased SUPERMAN Steve Reeves...He was paralyed from the neck down when he fell off his horse...In the news interview he had such a positive attitude and this is what snapped me out of my severe depression...........Playing pool is great because it allows a person to stretch all their muscles..........................................Ask your doctor when you can start playing again but remember not to over do it... A long recovery is ahead.....GOOD LUCK and GOD BLESS...:)
 
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I was in a car accident when I was 18 and, ever since then, I shake a little when I play. Sometimes it's so slight that I really don't notice it at all, but other times it's bad enough that other people watching may notice it. It's odd because that shake only appears when I play pool. And, to narrow it down even further, it's only when I shoot right handed (fortunately, it's my bridge hand side). If I shoot a ball left handed, there is no tremble at all.

It seems to be worse if I am not playing that much. If I am playing a lot of pool, it's barely noticeable. Unfortunately, I hardly have any periods of time where I'm "playing a lot of pool" anymore so the tremble has been more noticeable in recent times.
 
Hey joey,

I hate to hear about your issues as well. People dont realize how bad nerve pain can be until they have it. I cant sleep either, and I know how you feel when you cant do much of anything and you have to lay around all day with no sleep and hurting like hell and it makes you cranky, etc.

I was on Loratab 10's at one point up until early last year. It was not doing any good so we switched to Kadian (slow release Morphine) and it SUCKED! Dont take it if they ever want you to. After that I went back to Loratabs until I switched doctors and he put me on Percocet 10's. They help much better than the Loratabs do. It has taken my pain down to about 50% where the Loratabs only put me down to about 80%. Just something to think about as I was taking 4+ Loratabs a day, and I can get by with 3 Percocets a day and 4 on very bad days. It still doesnt take all the pain away but it has made life easier than it was on the Loratabs with no side effects (I didnt have any on the Loratabs either).

I know how you feel when you say you'd rather have to live on Narcotics than to lay around all day. I had to go about a month or two WITHOUT pills last year and it was horrible. I'm like you, I'd rather have to live on my pills and actually do something than lay around in pain all day and do nothing. Its no way to live. Our livers might not make it long, but I'd rather spend what little time I have left enjoying life than live it in agonizing paid all day everyday and live 5-10 years longer. Feel free to pm me anytime you want to chat about life or our backs.;)
 
Neil

I wish you a full and speedy recovery.

Most of the damage I received was to L-1 /L2 and C-3/C-4 ( yeah... wrestling's fake...lol) I have also had extensive hip damage and you saw me at my worst about 3 years ago with the Parkinson's disease, walking with a cane - I was so thin and frail from the result of other medical problems I had at the time. Physically I was a mess. Spiritually I was getting stronger.

Today things are much different in my life.

I have meds for the shakes - last time we saw each other, you got to see how much progress I have made in literally learning how to walk again, and learning how to shoot again. It's taken me a while, but I've kept at it and I have surrounded myself with people that encourage me and push me to work harder. I remember the Seminole tour event last September at Bank Shots where you were killing everybody - I was sitting with Richard Broumpton and Tony Crosby and started up a conversation with John DiToro. John didn't believe it was me. Really, he challenged me, said he knew I wasn't who I said I was... lol ... - I literally had to show my ID to him. I take that as a compliment to all of the hard work I have had to do to get back into fighting shape. In 3 years I've gone from a frail 145 lbs (at the height of my frustrations) to a solid 200 lbs - which is not where I was when I started, but I'm in much better shape today because of the adversities I went through.

Just remember -
1) Every day is a miracle
2) Every day is an opportunity to take another step forward
3) Every day is gift and you can do whatever you want with it.
4) Don't piss it away

It's real easy to become what I called "a parked car" or "a car that sits in the garage". Every day you have to get up, put fuel in the tank, get yourself in gear, and take a trip somewhere to accomplish something - no matter how big or how small.

Even with pool, I had to take little steps, but after a while I started to heal, and I started to get stronger and stronger. There were times that I got frustrated. There were times I wanted to break shitt and throw tantrums. There were times where I no no light at the end of the tunnel. It was during those times when I sought out people that were worse off than I was.

If you have the time, check this video out. It will remind you that there is hope, and it just might charge your batteries and push you towards a faster recovery.

The Last Lecture

So, uhhhh... Toastie buying the steaks?
:p
 
Neil,
So that's where you have been. The first piece of advice that I am going to give you is have someone pick up a bottle of DUCOLAX STOOL SOFTENERS I can tell you that the pain meds I was on completely impacted my bowels and there is nothing like having your anus ripped apart because when your body finally does decide to go it is so freaking huge and hard that it will not give and something has to. Next thing I can say is that it takes a little bit of time, but not all that much. I had a Thoracic Laminectomy to remove a tumor from my spinal column over the Christmas break (there was so much pressure on my spinal cord that the DR told me it could break at any time leaving me paralyzed). In the operation they basically removed 4 of those bumps that you would normally see on a thinner persons back bone when they bend, they also left my spinal column completely exposed. They did not want to put any metal in there yet incase the tumor decided to grow back the metal would mask the results in an MRI. Well, they did the operation Dec 17, and I was playing pool before the end of Jan (although it smarted a bit I could still go just not for long periods), now it is April and last weekend I played my first round of Golf (9 holes) in 5-6 months, no pain but stiffness; maybe I should have waited a bit more. LOL
Anyways, you will get it back and before you know it you'll be right back out there stringing racks again.
Take care,
 
I too had a spinal cord injury about a year ago that left me completely numb from the waist down. Unable to walk or perform the smallest of movements I was so scared. After surgery, the most important thing I did was commit myself fulling to the the rehab process. The physical therapy has made all the difference for me. It has physically been a very challenging process, but now I am walking, swimming, and biking as part of my daily rehab. Hang in there and I'll be praying for your full recovery.
-Cynthia
 
Good luck with your recovery, Neil. Pretty harrowing experience you went through, but it sounds like you're staying positive. It's been an eyeopener for me that since I came up with a problem in the same spectrum, I've heard of so many people who are far worse off. Not that it's any kind of comfort, but just lets you give thanks that your luck was not even worse.

In my case, I also had some asymptomatic problems (apparently 50% of the population does, from MRI studies) that began to surface last year and came out with a vengeance when I bashed my tailbone sledding in January. I may well end up having surgery on my C5 down the line, too. But from what I read, it may be wisest to be patient, go slow and accept our new limitations, to some extent!

For me, anti-inflammatories have helped a lot, and I'm playing 98% pain-free right now, though being supercareful what I do with my neck at all times. But every case seems to be its own little universe! So lots of luck with yours.
 
Thank you everyone for your responses and well wishes, I couldn't ask for more support from the people here and other places in my life. I'm glad to see experiences with people making recoveries where there might have been no hope, it's these stories that give people faith and the drive to succeed.


PROG8R said:
Neil,
The first piece of advice that I am going to give you is have someone pick up a bottle of DUCOLAX STOOL SOFTENERS
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Bought some of that since they used it in the hospital and might have taken a wee bit too much since I felt I was really backed up. Let me tell you, you can move WAY faster than you think you can when you have the right motivation behind you.
 
I was in a serious car accident in 1993 that caused extensive nerve damage and shattered my skull and half my face as well as cutting off my nose.

Fortunately I drew a great young plastic surgeon on duty and he sewed me up very well. They reconstructed my face, part of my skull, sewed my nose back on and now apart from occasional migraines I'm in pretty good shape.

Just last month (yes, 16 years later) I realized that I had normal sensation in the areas that were nerve damaged. When I touch it it feels like a touch instead of a burning or cold sensation. So nerves can heal, but it can take a lot of time.

One funny side effect is that I lost some of my sense of smell. In particular I can't smell rotten milk. Before I figured that out, I actually drank rotten milk several times right after the accident only to spit it out once I tasted it :)

I was also paralyzed temporarily from the waist down in a skiing accident and thought it was permanent, so I can partially imagine what you're going through right now.

Keep positive. Work hard and you'll get the results. It may take 6 months and it may take 10 years for feeling to return, but once you get through the initial tough parts, you'll start figuring out how to make life meaningful again. Blackjack's comment about not becoming a 'parked car' is key.

~rc
 
Very sorry to hear about this, and I hope you make a full recovery. Injured working out at home...wow thats just crazy.
 
Fart sniffer said:
Has anyone had any type of injuries where they lost sensation/motor control over parts of their body and recovered to the point where they could be competitive again? They told me I should be able to recover 100% in about 6 months of hard work and rehab but wanted hopefully to hear some stories of overcoming adversity pertaining to this lovely game we play.

I just had surgery about 10 days ago that fused c6 and c7 in my neck and am slowly learning how to walk again, they just released me from the hospital on Tuesday so everything is still fresh and new to me. Before the surgery I was paralyzed from the chest down having compressed my spinal cord while doing some stretching exercises on a machine at home. They told me that I probably had a long term injury that didn't manifest itself fully until I aggravated it recently, I am very lucky no permanent (knock on wood) damage was done.

Many people came by to see me while I was in the ICU, Thorsten even brought by a steak to jump start my stomach the day after surgery and of course the nurses all had inspirational stories but I was looking for something from our little community here. Please share your stories as you see fit, I am looking forward to reading about them all. Thank you.
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Hey Fuj, sorry to hear you are having such issues. Don't fret. You'll snap back-no pun intended, it's just gonna take some time, not so much fun hard work and such.

I guess you do not remember this December 9, 2000 but I hope that gives you some inspiration.

I was talking to Fatboy on this subject not long ago, but see if you can find something to keep you mind off the injury and pain. I just kept making plans and buying parts to fix up my VW. Fatty keeps his mind on business and pool. Trust me, it helps. Get all the RX-7 or 8 mags you can find. LOL!

Take care buddy, you'll be fine.

Let me know if I can help with anything.
 
Sorry, no stories to share, but I just heard about your injury, am glad to hear you are out of the hospital and wanted to wish you good luck on your recovery. I met you about a year ago, at Riggsy's during a CF charity tourney, you were very congenial and even gave me your number if I wanted to shoot sometime (I was trying to start playing again after a 5 year layoff). I never took you up on your offer, as I didn't end up shooting again for about 6 months, but I wish I would have. That type of openness and friendliness is sometimes rare with people in general, and especially people at the upper echelon of their sport. Hope to see you shooting again sometime in the near future.

Take care,
Scott
 
Thank you very much Scottjen26, it was a great little tournament for a great cause and a lot of fun to boot. Once I get back on my feet I will shoot you a PM to maybe hang out and grab a beer while poking some balls around, sound good?
 
powerlineman80 said:
Hey joey,

I hate to hear about your issues as well. People dont realize how bad nerve pain can be until they have it. I cant sleep either, and I know how you feel when you cant do much of anything and you have to lay around all day with no sleep and hurting like hell and it makes you cranky, etc.

I was on Loratab 10's at one point up until early last year. It was not doing any good so we switched to Kadian (slow release Morphine) and it SUCKED! Dont take it if they ever want you to. After that I went back to Loratabs until I switched doctors and he put me on Percocet 10's. They help much better than the Loratabs do. It has taken my pain down to about 50% where the Loratabs only put me down to about 80%. Just something to think about as I was taking 4+ Loratabs a day, and I can get by with 3 Percocets a day and 4 on very bad days. It still doesnt take all the pain away but it has made life easier than it was on the Loratabs with no side effects (I didnt have any on the Loratabs either).

I know how you feel when you say you'd rather have to live on Narcotics than to lay around all day. I had to go about a month or two WITHOUT pills last year and it was horrible. I'm like you, I'd rather have to live on my pills and actually do something than lay around in pain all day and do nothing. Its no way to live. Our livers might not make it long, but I'd rather spend what little time I have left enjoying life than live it in agonizing paid all day everyday and live 5-10 years longer. Feel free to pm me anytime you want to chat about life or our backs.;)
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thanks for your concern and advice...It's people like you that are willing to share about their life that can make another person's life better.............I have severe RLS from the accident that at times drives me crazy..I am still in Chicagoland helping my parents with their severe problems..Once i am back in the wilderness i will be slightly better....The traffic around here is insane...I wrote a note about the Percocet 10's that you suggested i am going to suggest them to my Doc...Pain i can live with IF i could just sleep for 8 hours ..I have tried 2 different RLS meds and they put me in a dozzy state so i dropped them long ago.... i can go on real long hikes thru the woods and work for hours and still not be able to relax...Ohh well we all have this but i will check out those Percocet's i had heard of them....The severe RLS i have i wish i could bottle and give it to the terorists so their lives would be miserable....As far as our livers i drink alot of distilled water a day to help....Thanks again and the best to you.....Sincerly Cj:)
 
Neil,
I can't wait till you are back on your Feet. You'll have to teach me how to really play pool, dude. I'm really looking forward to Start heading up to Jax more. I'm getting more Free time with school and everything, Would be sweet to hang out some.
-Vincent Mazza
 
Fart sniffer said:
Thank you very much Scottjen26, it was a great little tournament for a great cause and a lot of fun to boot. Once I get back on my feet I will shoot you a PM to maybe hang out and grab a beer while poking some balls around, sound good?
Click to expand...

Please do, that would be great. Again, wishes for a speedy and full recovery.
Scott
 
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