Monty
Group Buy Coordinator
Just got back in my shop this past week after back surgery 2 weeks ago (I'll elaborate on that further down this post). I have a shark vertebrae blank I cast that I didn't want to take the chance of it blowing up while drilling for the tube so I placed it between centers while I CA'ed some gauze to it. Saw I had dripped some CA on the banjo but didn't think much about it. Went out to the shop this afternoon to turn it and a few other blanks and discovered that someone had glued the banjo to the ways and now it won't budge. Tried persuading it with a hammer with no success. Guess I'll have to disassemble it to clean it up.
Now as for my surgery.
Haven't been able to do much in my shop for the past several month as I started getting sharp, hot leg pains mostly in my left leg followed by my left foot going numb. Went to see my Orthopedic doctor the end of December. MRI showed stenosis and bulging disks at L5 and S1 and S1 and S2. He sent me to the physical terrorist. After 3 weeks with no improvement, he got me an appointment the end if January with a spinal surgeon. Surgeon suggested a series of steroid injections with the pain management doctor he works with. PM doctor scheduled me for a series of 3 steroid injections a month apart beginning the second week of February. Couldn't tell that the first one did anything as the pain was still about the same, but slightly more in the right leg. The second injection March actually made it worse in the left leg. Now I couldn't stand or walk for more that about 5 minutes before the pain started in the left thigh and worked its way to the left foot and made it feel icy hot. When I set down for 10-15 minutes the pain would go away. By the time for the third injection in April, we were under the Covid lock down and no elective surgeries or procedures could be done. By the end of April, it was so bad that I decided to skip the third injection and have the surgery as soon as the ban was lifted. So, Governor Abbott lifted the ban the first of May. The earliest I could get scheduled was May 11. Surgery went well but there was a slight spinal fluid leakage that the doctor fixed so I had to stay overnight for observation.
Been taking it easy the past two weeks. Fooled around in the shop doing a little this and that. Mowed the grass on my riding mower yesterday. Spent about 4 hours in the shop this morning and afternoon with no pain.
Now I get the staples removed on Tuesday and we'll see what the Dr has to say.
Now as for my surgery.
Haven't been able to do much in my shop for the past several month as I started getting sharp, hot leg pains mostly in my left leg followed by my left foot going numb. Went to see my Orthopedic doctor the end of December. MRI showed stenosis and bulging disks at L5 and S1 and S1 and S2. He sent me to the physical terrorist. After 3 weeks with no improvement, he got me an appointment the end if January with a spinal surgeon. Surgeon suggested a series of steroid injections with the pain management doctor he works with. PM doctor scheduled me for a series of 3 steroid injections a month apart beginning the second week of February. Couldn't tell that the first one did anything as the pain was still about the same, but slightly more in the right leg. The second injection March actually made it worse in the left leg. Now I couldn't stand or walk for more that about 5 minutes before the pain started in the left thigh and worked its way to the left foot and made it feel icy hot. When I set down for 10-15 minutes the pain would go away. By the time for the third injection in April, we were under the Covid lock down and no elective surgeries or procedures could be done. By the end of April, it was so bad that I decided to skip the third injection and have the surgery as soon as the ban was lifted. So, Governor Abbott lifted the ban the first of May. The earliest I could get scheduled was May 11. Surgery went well but there was a slight spinal fluid leakage that the doctor fixed so I had to stay overnight for observation.
Been taking it easy the past two weeks. Fooled around in the shop doing a little this and that. Mowed the grass on my riding mower yesterday. Spent about 4 hours in the shop this morning and afternoon with no pain.
Now I get the staples removed on Tuesday and we'll see what the Dr has to say.