BACK SURGERY AND SAIL ??

[Sail2Hawaii369]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Get control of chronic back pain with a full spectrum of therapy options, experts say
A good read, with lots of links*, to further information.
➥ https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/g...-say-1.7094501

* Including to: “WHO releases guidelines on chronic low back pain”
➥ https://www.who.int/news/item/07-12-...-low-back-pain

Beware that the system is not going to be able to give you anything to stop serious pain! Pain that opioids do not stop!

Honestly, my magnificent and highly educated surgeon at a great hospital, who did a perfect job and reversed temporary paralysis after a serious accident, did NOT tell me to go to pain management! (Although, I also later went that route to experience what they do: pain pills that do not stop serious pain and deteriorate your body, only making things worse.) He told me to ask people on the streets for something to stop my pain after back surgery when they couldn’t give me anymore norco’s because they said norco’s had deteriorated my lungs and body, making me skeletal. I had to feel the horrific pain from serious injuries (that academic science could never explain how I could survive from! Oh, yes! You will learn that you will survive the impossible to survive and experience a reality that no one tells you about!) during the surgeries because the strongest medications to stop pain, did NOT stop the pain! Another person in the hospital was an injured former football player and he was screaming at the top of his lungs from pain! They told me they gave him more pain relievers than was legal and it did NOT stop his pain!
I also met a former NASCAR driver named
Mike Robinson who survived a serious accident and he told me that he went through the same experience that I did from the only medications that the hospital can give: opioids! He later made Mike’s Medicinals!
Also, seriously beware that the medications that they give for surgeries will also give your mind a trip that no one can be prepared for!
They can give you FENTANYL for surgeries!
No one is prepared for that trip!!! You don’t know life until then and you are the one responsible for reversing that disaster!
These medications combine inside of the body and create new chemicals!
How do you clean out all of that chemical decay?:
Probiotic fermented foods!

[akuakai]

As mentioned above, the sailing lifestyle can be one of the better choices for those of us that have had back surgery. For me, the combination of stretching/yoga and sailing has allowed me to live an active lifestyle post surgery. I've had one surgery that involved 2 fusions and 4 reductions. My experience with all the treatment modalities in the lead-up to surgeries?

Chiropractor - some relief but nothing that lasted.
Drugs - yes, but only to get through the worst of spasms and pain.
Accupressure/Accupuncture - no help.
Pt/stretching/yoga- absolutely, bought me 30 years pre surgery and necessary post-op.
Surgery - waited til I could no longer walk at times, perhaps waited too long.
Picking the right surgeon is everything! There are far more people walking around with bad results than good. I found a doctor that had developed a reputation for fixing other doctor's messes. Couldn't be happier.

And yes, post surgery expect some pain and downtime. And you'll need to put in the work at PT. But getting your life back is well worth it. Good luck!

[jen1722terry]

Great discussion.

I had spinal fusion at one level in 1997. Put off the cutting until I couldn't walk and tried many alternatives. Much improved but not perfect. I still have to respect the fact that my spine will never be what it was in my 20s (I'm now 75).

When we bought our present boat (Cape Dory 31). We chose a cutter rig for smaller sails, installed a manual windlass and recently added a MacPack sail cover. We also have a very small inflatable dink with a light motor. No issues after 11 summers of sailing in Maine's weird weather.

Best of luck. If you can avoid chronic pain and strong painkillers, the surgey risk is probably worth it, depending on your other risk factors.