[Rich Z]

Well, I thought now that my slow season had finally arrived, I would be able to get out and shoot some guns for a while. But somehow I got a bulged vetebral disk in my neck that has put a damper on things. Excrutiating shooting pains all through my neck, right shoulder, and right arm. DEFINITELY no .50 caliber shooting for me in the near future! Even holding a rifle up to my shoulder will be pretty much unlikely to happen until this problem gets fixed.

Just got some meds that will hopefully help with the pain, but the doc put me on a "no work" order for a while. I'm sure that would include playing with my guns as well. Even a sharply recoiling handgun would probably not be a real good idea either.

Oh well.......

 

[RIKA]

Sorry to hear that Rich. Bulged vertebral discs are no laughing matter. Please obey your doctor's orders. I feel your pain since I have back problems occasionally from an old injury. Perhaps this is the time to get re-acquainted with your 22 rimfires again and thin out those tree rats.

RIKA

 

[Hard Ball]

Sorry to hear it. Take care of yourself Ruch and get well soon.

 

[gripper]

Sorry to hear of your pain ......BTW when I saw the thread title the first thing I thought of was the old Local 81ism"Rats are a DYING breed!!"(I thoiuht it was a riff on informanr types!)
How long are you going to be laid up for?Speaking frommy own experience with injuries&pain, I am NOT a good patient i.e -one who handles complete inactivity well.
Keep up with the spirit,this BS shall pass like all the rest. :wavey:

 

[Rich Z]

Heck, I have NO idea of what is in store for me, but I am going to try to avoid the surgery route if at all possible. If I have to keep from shooting for a couple months, then so be it. A LOT more people die from medical misadventures then from altercations with firearms, so I certainly don't want to become a statistic that way.

I could probably get away with shooting my small caliber rifles, but even putting weight on my right arm would not be advisable at this time. Maybe just sitting at the bench and squeezing the trigger would be OK, but no offhand shooting.

I'll have to run it by my doctor. At least he doesn't seem to be anti-gun, so I should get a straight answer from him. We got to talking about the 12 gauge he gave to his son one day, so I think he is in the right camp.


Thanks everyone..... I think (hope!) this is just a minor inconvenience to me.

 

[Terry G]

Rich, Follow your Doctor's orders. Three year's ago, I had a Ganglian Cyst removed from my right wrist. My Orthopeadic Surgeon said it might have been caused by repeated handgun firing. I have been doing a LOT of .45 shooting lately and it seems to be growing back. He strongly suggested I back off, and he's a "Gun Guy."

 

[Stillwater]

I have had surgery for three bulged disks, what ever you do, try to avoid surgery. You will never be the same with surgery, or without it.

The surgeons put a metal dage in my wifes back to, hopefully, support a laminectomy. She is in great pain, and will always be in pain.

Surgery on the spine, should only be considered as a last resort, to keep the patient from losing the use of the legs.

 

[Garand]

Terry, I just had a cyst removed from the back of my neck last monday. Doctor said it was the size of an eyeball. I had one cut out 20 years ago same place and it grew back.

 

[Rich Z]

Well, I don't know if it is good news or not, but my chiropractor took x-rays today and found that it is bone spurs that have irritated the spinal chord in my neck, and not a disk bulging. He seems to feel this is much easier to deal with and probably will not require surgery.

Matter of fact, I was just taking it easy today watching a movie, and went to the refrigerator to get a drink and noticed something was wrong. The pain was gone!! Damn!!!! I felt like a miracle had taken place. It has come back a little bit, but I am real hopeful that this is a real good sign. I may have just pushed things a little hard early last week moving some stuff around in the vans and maybe it is starting to heal up.

Got my fingers crossed.........

But still, thinking I have these sharp bone spurs lurking in my spine ready to cause this again does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling at all.

 

[RIKA]

Pain is gone (almost) is GREAT news. For petes sake take it easy and give it time to heal. Oh, be careful the chiropractor doesn't bend you wrong and make it worse. Mine did that to me.

RIKA

 

[Garand]

Keep thinking good thoughts Rich

 

[brass hammer]

yes,hope you get well sooner than later!

[i think 'i' would want the spurs removed,hell, you would probablybe back at your own home the same day of surgery]

 

[Glenn Bartley]

Sorry to hear about the pain in the neck, but happy to hear it is not a disk. I had one go in my lower back years ago at work. It wound up so bad I looked just like Felix Unger when he tried to stand and could not, but I was in real pain, bad pain and lots of spasms. I decided to go for the op, and I have never regretted it. Sometimes when my back hurts at night when I try to sleep I wish it had never gotten hurt, but it is nothing like it was beofre the operation - much better now. As for that back pain it was almost as bad as appendicitis pains, maybe even worse.

I guess you are lucky indeed to have bone spurs instead of a slipped or bulging disc. I think they can be easily removed if need be, but as you said they may not require surgery, and that is good. You will probably be shooting again in no time. Hopefully so. Get well soon...

All the best,
Glenn B

 

[Rich Z]

Right now we are in a "wait and see" attitude. The traction seems to be helping, and I'm not in as much pain as before. Have more mobility of my right arm as well, but the strength isn't completely back yet.

Monday we will evaluate things to see if an MRI is needed to see what exactly is going on in there.

Yeah, I think I would want to have those bone spurs removed as well, otherwise this could come back again time and time again. I took a look at the X-rays today and it does look like a real problem that has to be addressed sooner or later. At some times of the year, it would be REAL inconvenient to be incapacitated. This does happen to be a good time to have something like this done. But honestly, I am not all that keen about going under the blade at all. I don't think the hospitals in Tallahassee have a really great track record.

I guess I'll just look at the options next week.

Thanks.

 

[ASPHALT COWBOY]

Rich, X-ray is not very reliable with soft tissue, go with the MRI. Surgery should be an option only if the damage to the nerve is sevear enough, or there is risk of further damage.
You're on the right track though, give the injured nerve time to heal. If the orthopedic hasn't told you already, try to avoid reapetitive manipulation of the affected hand and arm and don't raise either hand and or elbow above shoulder level, doing so can set up muscle tension which can irritate the afflicted nerve.
Wish you the best with this.
Scott