Go Back   ISPINE.ORG Forum > Main forums > iSpine
FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

iSpine Discuss Just got home from RF Ablation (L2-L5) in the Main forums forums; Background: 52 years old. Active. Highschool and college wrestling in the old days. Pick-up sports, hang gliding, mountain biking, ...

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 10-17-2012, 08:17 PM
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 19
Default Just got home from RF Ablation (L2-L5)

Background: 52 years old. Active. Highschool and college wrestling in the old days. Pick-up sports, hang gliding, mountain biking, off-road dirt bike racing currently.

Symptoms first surfaced in highschool. Treatment was one vibro massage before a wrestling match. No other problems until inter-mural flag football at Ohio State (got speared in the back). Fairly rare episodic flare-ups from age 22 to about age 25 when hang gliding started. Began seeing chiropractor from time to time which helped nicely.

Over time, the episodes became more frequent. Perhaps two or three per year. lasting a week or two. Seemed to be driven by over-use. Rest, ice, chiro, stretching did the trick.

Severe lock-up for four months in 1998, followed by another battle six month later. Went to ER for demerol (I hate being medicated). It took me three years to get my back stable and to figure out how much and what types of exercise I could tolerate.

Did well in the early 2000s, but later in the decade the episodes became more frequent, but never as acute as in 1998. This past summer had me over-using my back moving furniture, working in the garage. Four months of muscle tension spiral.

Three weeks ago my chiropractor suggested RFA. I did nerve block #1 with good success. With nerve block #2, I decided to test it. I went straight to Thunderbird Park in north Phoenix and hiked the 600 foot hill at a rapid pace -- pulse at 160 BPM. Then I hopped on my mountain bike for a short street ride (bending over the bars is the key factor). I got a flat so I had to walk home 2 miles in my clippy shoes. When the lidocaine wore off, no pain. My muscles were relaxed, and I had zero pain for three days (until I decided to sling a 50-pound bag of grass seed over my shoulder). The next day I did 20 miles of dirt bike riding.

I entered the clinic with near zero pain. Some muscle tightness. Not bad.

They hooked me up and gave me the propofol (Milk of Amnesia) with a fentanyl chaser. I was completely out (or I have no memory of the procedure). Next thing I knew the 15-minute procedure was over and they were telling me to roll over. Then I dozed off again.

I awoke for good in the recovery area. Just slightly foggy. I dressed, chatted up, and headed home with my Designated Driver.

The "pain" I feel (now about 90-minutes after the procedure) is more of a pressure. Sort of like a pulled muscle, maybe. I'm waiting for the lidocaine to fully wear off to see what I'll have to deal with for the next three days. No plan for prescription pain meds. Just ice. Maybe some ibuprofen.

I have a dirt bike race this Sunday. It would be nice to putt-putt around the course in sub-race speed. Yeah, I know they said "no exercise" for two weeks.

Last edited by AZRickD; 10-17-2012 at 08:29 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 10-18-2012, 02:53 PM
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 19
Default

Morning of Day 2.

After having an ice pack as my constant companion (even while sleeping) the sensation of post-op pressure is gone. I took two ibuprofens before bed just for the heck of it. I can barely feel the injection site. I wasn't expecting this fast rate of healing.

I'll test my back gradually. No need to rush it.
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 10-18-2012, 05:07 PM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Sierra Madre, California
Posts: 904
Default

Hi and Welcome to the forum.
Sounds like you are doing pretty well. Also sounds like a younger me when i would not completely follow doctors orders and did a lot more than i should have. Just be careful. I have learned my lesson now.
Judy
__________________










2007 ACDF 4-7
2008 hip , knee scope, hip replacement
2009 thoracic T-5 thru T-11fusion
2009 VATS T7-8, posterior only T11-12. removal of thoracic hard wear
2010 lung surgery
2010 T2-L2 kyphosis correction
2010 Kyphoplasty T-3, T-4
2011 Cervical osteotomy ,revision C4-T5
2011 Foot surgery
2011 Revision fusion T7 thru L4/laminectomy
2012 Hammertoe correction left foot
2012 Revision fusion T-12 thru L5
2012 Revision fusion L4-L5
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 10-18-2012, 11:35 PM
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 19
Default

After a day of office sitting with random walks about the office, I'm ready to go home and stretch on the inversion table. A little bit of muscle tension on the right side.

So far, so good.
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 10-19-2012, 01:43 PM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,405
Default procedure n recovery

Sounds great so don't screw it up with overdoing too soon. Otherwise wishing you continued good recovery!
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 10-22-2012, 10:36 PM
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 19
Default

I completed a 2-hour 30-mile offroad dirtbike race. Nothing too challenging in the course.

My back handled it well. After the race it stiffened up a bit. Ice and rest as usual. The lack of tightness on the right (the usual side) revealed tightness on the left. This might help me decided to buzz the left side as well.

Feeling pretty good today. More arm fatigue than anything else.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT. The time now is 10:15 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.2
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.