Hi guys. I've been on home time for about a two weeks. I'm scheduled to
start driving again on 6/16, after I attend Caleb's Commissioning as a 2nd
Lt in the Army and his graduation as a business major from Seattle Pacific
University. I had an MRI a week ago because of horrible back and leg pains
I've been living with over the last 12 weeks, along with other symptoms I've
developed. I saw my doctor the next day, and when she walked in the room it
was obvious from her demeanor that she had really bad news.

Well, it turned out that I have severely ruptured disks from L5 on down to
S1. I have near total compression of several nerves and partial compression
on the rest. My doctor can't believe that I made it through the last several
months driving truck. She is looking at this as a near surgical emergency,
and was able to get me scheduled for surgery this coming Monday at 1:00pm.
Her immediate concern is that any further compression will cause permanent
nerve damage and varying degrees of paralysis. Jill was with me during the
appt. and immediately forbade me to even think about doing anything with
driving, or any other physical labor, until after recovery. At that point,
it looked as if I wouldn't be able to attend Caleb's commissioning or
graduation, and that hurt more than anything. I had looked forward to this
since Caleb entered college, and the thought that I would miss this is
crushing.

I have little idea how Werner will respond. They really like my performance
as a trucker, so I am hoping they will agree to just put me on unpaid leave
until I can return. Recovery from surgery well enough to drive truck, can
take 9 to 12 weeks. I guess I'll be finding out what Werner will do when I
call them with the news. After all the hard work over the last nine months,
I feel like all of this may be for naught.

PS...As it turns out, with the Drs help, and serious instructions on
limiting the extent of activity, I was able to take heavy doses of several
pain meds and fly over and back on the day of his commissioning. I won't be
able to attend his graduation tomorrow, but I'm OK with that. It was a real
struggle, but well worth being able to pin his bars on, with his mom, and
render him his first salute.

PPS... When I talked with Werner, they were very gracious. They wished me
the best for the surgery, and said that I had until June 30 to return to
work. At that point they would consider my absence a 'voluntary quit'. As
soon as I received medical clearance, I could reapply for my job.

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you,
and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Christine Dabney wrote:
> On Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:32:47 -0700, "Dave Bugg" >
> wrote:
>
>
>> PPS... When I talked with Werner, they were very gracious. They
>> wished me the best for the surgery, and said that I had until June
>> 30 to return to work. At that point they would consider my absence a
>> 'voluntary quit'. As soon as I received medical clearance, I could
>> reapply for my job.
>
> Look into FMLA, Dave. If they are a big enough company, and if you
> have been there for a year, you can apply for FMLA leave..and they
> have to keep your position open for you. It's a Federal law...

Thanks. I've been there only three+ months.

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

On Jun 13, 5:39*pm, "Dave Bugg" > wrote:
> Christine Dabney wrote:
> > On Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:32:47 -0700, "Dave Bugg" >
> > wrote:
>
> >> PPS... When I talked with Werner, they were very gracious. They
> >> wished me the best for the surgery, and said that I had until June
> >> 30 to return to work. At that point they would consider my absence a
> >> 'voluntary quit'. As soon as I received medical clearance, I could
> >> reapply for my job.
>
> > Look into FMLA, Dave. *If they are a big enough company, and if you
> > have been there for a year, you can apply for FMLA leave..and they
> > have to keep your position open for you. * It's a Federal law...
>
> Thanks. I've been there only three+ months.
>
> --
> Dave
> What is best in life? * *"To crush your enemies, see them driven before
> you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

i hope your surgery goes well and you have a swift recovery.

On Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:32:47 -0700, "Dave Bugg" >
shouted from the highest rooftop:

>. I had an MRI a week ago because of horrible back and leg pains
>I've been living with over the last 12 weeks, along with other symptoms I've
>developed. I saw my doctor the next day, and when she walked in the room it
>was obvious from her demeanor that she had really bad news.

All the VERY VERY best.

I'm still waiting for my MRI, but at least I'm out of the back brace,
off the cane (except to get in and out of the car) and haven't had any
major back pain (except for the occasional "twinge") or "referred
pain" to my feet, legs, arms or hands for several weeks.

The x-rays show wear and compression in the lower L region just above
the tailbone, but until I get that MRI it's all guesswork and I don't
want to get involved with any therapy until I know exactly what we're
dealing with.

Unfortunately, my injury is covered under New Zealand's woefully
inadequate Accident Compensation Insurance, which means that I have to
wait for the public health system to pull out it's bureaucratic
finger.

Nor can I use our private health insurance to speed up the process and
get me in to see the same specialist and get and MRI sooner. Why?
Because the injury was caused by an accident and an accident is
already covered by ACC insurance.
--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

Dave Bugg wrote:
> Hi guys. I've been on home time for about a two weeks. I'm scheduled
> to start driving again on 6/16, after I attend Caleb's Commissioning
> as a 2nd Lt in the Army and his graduation as a business major from
> Seattle Pacific University.

I was happy to see you around again, and I wanted to ask you how
the trucking was going. And to thank you for turning me onto
Burn Notice. My new favorite show. Heh.

> I had an MRI a week ago because of
> horrible back and leg pains I've been living with over the last 12
> weeks, along with other symptoms I've developed.

Wow, did driving cause your problems? Well, however you
injured yourself, I'm sorry, it's really not my business to ask.
I'm just nosy.

> I saw my doctor the
> next day, and when she walked in the room it was obvious from her
> demeanor that she had really bad news.
>
> Well, it turned out that I have severely ruptured disks from L5 on
> down to S1. I have near total compression of several nerves and
> partial compression on the rest. My doctor can't believe that I made
> it through the last several months driving truck. She is looking at
> this as a near surgical emergency, and was able to get me scheduled
> for surgery this coming Monday at 1:00pm. Her immediate concern is
> that any further compression will cause permanent nerve damage and
> varying degrees of paralysis.

You didn't go a minute too soon!

> Jill was with me during the appt. and
> immediately forbade me to even think about doing anything with
> driving, or any other physical labor, until after recovery. At that
> point, it looked as if I wouldn't be able to attend Caleb's
> commissioning or graduation, and that hurt more than anything. I had
> looked forward to this since Caleb entered college, and the thought
> that I would miss this is crushing.

Congratulations on his graduation.

> PS...As it turns out, with the Drs help, and serious instructions on
> limiting the extent of activity, I was able to take heavy doses of
> several pain meds and fly over and back on the day of his
> commissioning. I won't be able to attend his graduation tomorrow, but
> I'm OK with that. It was a real struggle, but well worth being able
> to pin his bars on, with his mom, and render him his first salute.

Makes me misty to even hear that.

> PPS... When I talked with Werner, they were very gracious. They
> wished me the best for the surgery, and said that I had until June 30
> to return to work. At that point they would consider my absence a
> 'voluntary quit'. As soon as I received medical clearance, I could
> reapply for my job.

Well, that sounds great, but first things first. Get better. I hope your
operation goes really smoothly and you're back on your feet in no time.

nancy

Dave Bugg wrote:
> Hi guys. I've been on home time for about a two weeks. I'm scheduled
> to start driving again on 6/16, after I attend Caleb's Commissioning
> as a 2nd Lt in the Army and his graduation as a business major from
> Seattle Pacific University.

I was happy to see you around again, and I wanted to ask you how
the trucking was going. And to thank you for turning me onto
Burn Notice. My new favorite show. Heh.

> I had an MRI a week ago because of
> horrible back and leg pains I've been living with over the last 12
> weeks, along with other symptoms I've developed.

Wow, did driving cause your problems? Well, however you
injured yourself, I'm sorry, it's really not my business to ask.
I'm just nosy.

> I saw my doctor the
> next day, and when she walked in the room it was obvious from her
> demeanor that she had really bad news.
>
> Well, it turned out that I have severely ruptured disks from L5 on
> down to S1. I have near total compression of several nerves and
> partial compression on the rest. My doctor can't believe that I made
> it through the last several months driving truck. She is looking at
> this as a near surgical emergency, and was able to get me scheduled
> for surgery this coming Monday at 1:00pm. Her immediate concern is
> that any further compression will cause permanent nerve damage and
> varying degrees of paralysis.

You didn't go a minute too soon!

> Jill was with me during the appt. and
> immediately forbade me to even think about doing anything with
> driving, or any other physical labor, until after recovery. At that
> point, it looked as if I wouldn't be able to attend Caleb's
> commissioning or graduation, and that hurt more than anything. I had
> looked forward to this since Caleb entered college, and the thought
> that I would miss this is crushing.

Congratulations on his graduation.

> PS...As it turns out, with the Drs help, and serious instructions on
> limiting the extent of activity, I was able to take heavy doses of
> several pain meds and fly over and back on the day of his
> commissioning. I won't be able to attend his graduation tomorrow, but
> I'm OK with that. It was a real struggle, but well worth being able
> to pin his bars on, with his mom, and render him his first salute.

Makes me misty to even hear that.

> PPS... When I talked with Werner, they were very gracious. They
> wished me the best for the surgery, and said that I had until June 30
> to return to work. At that point they would consider my absence a
> 'voluntary quit'. As soon as I received medical clearance, I could
> reapply for my job.

Well, that sounds great, but first things first. Get better. I hope your
operation goes really smoothly and you're back on your feet in no time.

nancy

bob > wrote in
:


> Nor can I use our private health insurance to speed up the process and
> get me in to see the same specialist and get and MRI sooner. Why?
> Because the injury was caused by an accident and an accident is
> already covered by ACC insurance.
> --
>


That sucks *and* blows :-(


I'm very fortunate to be covered by the Military for anything I need to get
done. I get to chose which specialist, and which hospital. The longest I've
had to wait for an operation is 2 weeks, and only then because I was going to
a party the following week and asked him to put it off till the week after!!

If I had to rely on the Public Health system, I would have spat the dummy
many years ago.

--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia

"As viscous as motor oil swirled in a swamp, redolent of burnt bell peppers
nested in by incontinent mice and a finish reminiscent of the dregs of a
stale can of Coca-Cola that someone has been using as an ashtray. Not a bad
drink, though."
Excerpt from "The Moose Turd Wine Tasting" by T. A. Nonymous

On Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:32:47 -0700, "Dave Bugg" >
wrote:

>Hi guys. I've been on home time for about a two weeks. I'm scheduled to
>start driving again on 6/16, after I attend Caleb's Commissioning as a 2nd
>Lt in the Army and his graduation as a business major from Seattle Pacific
>University. I had an MRI a week ago because of horrible back and leg pains
>I've been living with over the last 12 weeks, along with other symptoms I've
>developed. I saw my doctor the next day, and when she walked in the room it
>was obvious from her demeanor that she had really bad news.

snippage

Thank you Dave for keeping us posted. I'm praying for a successful
surgery and quick recovery.

koko
--

There is no love more sincere than the love of food
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 06/03

On Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:33:02 +0000 (UTC), PeterL >
shouted from the highest rooftop:

>
>If I had to rely on the Public Health system, I would have spat the dummy
>many years ago.

I've had private health insurance (Southern Cross) since the
late-seventies. It covered the kids until they were 21 and still
covers my wife and me (although it's bloody expensive since we passed
the 65 mark).

Next to "Global Warming,' New Zealand's Accident Compensation
Insurance is the biggest con ever perpetrated on New Zealanders. In
theory, everyone who suffers and injury due to an accident is covered
and receives payouts that range from lump sums to benefits meant to
cover lost income.

In reality, you lose the right to sue the person or organisation that
was responsible for your injury and are stuck in a bureaucratic system
that does everything in its power to ensure that making a claim is as
difficult, time consuming and frustrating as possible.

If I'm not mistaken, private health insurance companies are prohibited
by law from paying for the treatment of injuries caused by accidents
covered by ACC (eg: my back injury). So my only other course of action
is to go private and pay for it myself, and I'm not about to do that
just yet.

By the way, I've also paid an ACC levy to cover that crap insurance
cover over the years and still pay that levy on the income earned from
royalties, based on how dangerous ACC thinks earning royalties might
be.

It's all such a mess and only goes to encourage that time-honoured
Kiwi tradition of making sure that nobody is ever held responsible for
anything - especially injuries caused to others by your incompetence,
willful neglect, speeding, dangerous driving or drunk driving, etc.

What a farce.


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

On Sat 13 Jun 2009 05:32:47p, Dave Bugg told us...

<snip>

> Well, it turned out that I have severely ruptured disks from L5 on down
> to S1. I have near total compression of several nerves and partial
> compression on the rest. My doctor can't believe that I made it through
> the last several months driving truck. She is looking at this as a near
> surgical emergency, and was able to get me scheduled for surgery this
> coming Monday at 1:00pm. Her immediate concern is that any further
> compression will cause permanent nerve damage and varying degrees of
> paralysis.

<snip>

Dave, I'm really sorry to hear about the severity of your back problem, but
glad to hear that help will soon. I ca barely imagine how much pain you've
had, as two years ago I had a back injury that wasn't nearly as severe and
the pain was gut wrentching.

All the best for a successful surgery and recovery...

--
Wayne Boatwright
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese.
~G.K. Chesterton

In article >,
"Dave Bugg" > wrote:

> PS...As it turns out, with the Drs help, and serious instructions on
> limiting the extent of activity, I was able to take heavy doses of several
> pain meds and fly over and back on the day of his commissioning. I won't be
> able to attend his graduation tomorrow, but I'm OK with that. It was a real
> struggle, but well worth being able to pin his bars on, with his mom, and
> render him his first salute.
>
> PPS... When I talked with Werner, they were very gracious. They wished me
> the best for the surgery, and said that I had until June 30 to return to
> work. At that point they would consider my absence a 'voluntary quit'. As
> soon as I received medical clearance, I could reapply for my job.
>
> --
> Dave
> What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you,
> and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

I take it that decompression therapy is not being considered as an
alternative to surgery...

Wishing you well and a good recovery! Back surgeries can be iffy at best.
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.


Subscribe:

In article >,
bob > wrote:

> It's all such a mess and only goes to encourage that time-honoured
> Kiwi tradition of making sure that nobody is ever held responsible for
> anything - especially injuries caused to others by your incompetence,
> willful neglect, speeding, dangerous driving or drunk driving, etc.
>
> What a farce.

Is there any chance that your insurance would pay for
decompression/traction therapy? It's working for me and many other
people and is an alternative to surgery.
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.


Subscribe:

On Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:23:23 -0500, Omelet >
shouted from the highest rooftop:

>In article >,
> bob > wrote:
>
>> It's all such a mess and only goes to encourage that time-honoured
>> Kiwi tradition of making sure that nobody is ever held responsible for
>> anything - especially injuries caused to others by your incompetence,
>> willful neglect, speeding, dangerous driving or drunk driving, etc.
>>
>> What a farce.
>
>Is there any chance that your insurance would pay for
>decompression/traction therapy? It's working for me and many other
>people and is an alternative to surgery.

Hopefully, but I haven't got that far yet. I'm still waiting to see
the specialist. But once I do - and get an MRI to see exactly what the
damage is - then we'll be able to explore the options.

Strangely, I think that my private health insurance actually will
cover back surgery. But it won't cover the consultation with the
specialist or the MRI because the public health insurance (ACC) covers
it.


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

In article >,
bob > wrote:

> On Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:23:23 -0500, Omelet >
> shouted from the highest rooftop:
>
> >In article >,
> > bob > wrote:
> >
> >> It's all such a mess and only goes to encourage that time-honoured
> >> Kiwi tradition of making sure that nobody is ever held responsible for
> >> anything - especially injuries caused to others by your incompetence,
> >> willful neglect, speeding, dangerous driving or drunk driving, etc.
> >>
> >> What a farce.
> >
> >Is there any chance that your insurance would pay for
> >decompression/traction therapy? It's working for me and many other
> >people and is an alternative to surgery.
>
> Hopefully, but I haven't got that far yet. I'm still waiting to see
> the specialist. But once I do - and get an MRI to see exactly what the
> damage is - then we'll be able to explore the options.
>
> Strangely, I think that my private health insurance actually will
> cover back surgery. But it won't cover the consultation with the
> specialist or the MRI because the public health insurance (ACC) covers
> it.

Ok, just trying to help. :-) The Ortho' surgeon I consulted for the
herniated disks in my neck that were causing severe arm pain (and
weakness) told me that Decompression therapy was my best bet to avoid
neck surgery.

It took two months at 2 treatments per week (20 minutes per treatment at
$25.00 each) to finally get the pain stopped, but it worked. Now I just
have to rebuild the strength from the nerve damage and that will take
time with physical therapy.

But I got to avoid surgery. :-)

I've been able to reduce the cervical decompression now to once per week
and we've started on Lumbar decompression for the chronic lower back
pain about 2 weeks ago.

I anticipate similar results along with doing the assigned homework
therapy that Dr. Perry has taught me to do.

I'll stay away from surgery if I possibly can...

But that's just me!
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.


Subscribe:

On Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:44:15 -0500, Omelet >
shouted from the highest rooftop:

>In article >,
> bob > wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:23:23 -0500, Omelet >
>> shouted from the highest rooftop:
>>
>> >In article >,
>> > bob > wrote:
>> >
>> >> It's all such a mess and only goes to encourage that time-honoured
>> >> Kiwi tradition of making sure that nobody is ever held responsible for
>> >> anything - especially injuries caused to others by your incompetence,
>> >> willful neglect, speeding, dangerous driving or drunk driving, etc.
>> >>
>> >> What a farce.
>> >
>> >Is there any chance that your insurance would pay for
>> >decompression/traction therapy? It's working for me and many other
>> >people and is an alternative to surgery.
>>
>> Hopefully, but I haven't got that far yet. I'm still waiting to see
>> the specialist. But once I do - and get an MRI to see exactly what the
>> damage is - then we'll be able to explore the options.
>>
>> Strangely, I think that my private health insurance actually will
>> cover back surgery. But it won't cover the consultation with the
>> specialist or the MRI because the public health insurance (ACC) covers
>> it.
>
>Ok, just trying to help. :-) The Ortho' surgeon I consulted for the
>herniated disks in my neck that were causing severe arm pain (and
>weakness) told me that Decompression therapy was my best bet to avoid
>neck surgery,

Thanks. I appreciate the help. It's just that we have such a strange
public/private health system in NZ and our ridiculous Accident
Compensation Insurance just complicates things even further.

The "referred pain" I had in my feet, legs, arms and hand was much
more intense and caused me far more sleepless nights than the back
pain itself. Part of the problem was that it kept on shifting - like
someone with an electric cattle prod picking new places to prod.

>It took two months at 2 treatments per week (20 minutes per treatment at
>$25.00 each) to finally get the pain stopped, but it worked. Now I just
>have to rebuild the strength from the nerve damage and that will take
>time with physical therapy.
>
>But I got to avoid surgery. :-)
>
>I've been able to reduce the cervical decompression now to once per week
>and we've started on Lumbar decompression for the chronic lower back
>pain about 2 weeks ago.
>
>I anticipate similar results along with doing the assigned homework
>therapy that Dr. Perry has taught me to do.
>
>I'll stay away from surgery if I possibly can...
>
>But that's just me!

My GP mentioned decompression therapy as a possibility. Also some
other non-surgical options.

His wife suffered severe back injuries three years ago in a car crash
and has gone through the mill. So he's studied the options carefully.
He's also advised me to try and avoid surgery at all costs and so has
everyone else I've discussed this with.

It's just that I don't want anyone to touch me until I get that MRI
and know exactly what the deal is. I went to a chiropractor many year
ago before I'd gotten a firm diagnosis and it took me months to
recover from the additional damage he caused.


--

una cerveza mas por favor ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~
Wax-up and drop-in of Surfing's Golden Years: <http://www.surfwriter.net>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

In article >,
bob > wrote:

> My GP mentioned decompression therapy as a possibility. Also some
> other non-surgical options.
>
> His wife suffered severe back injuries three years ago in a car crash
> and has gone through the mill. So he's studied the options carefully.
> He's also advised me to try and avoid surgery at all costs and so has
> everyone else I've discussed this with.
>
> It's just that I don't want anyone to touch me until I get that MRI
> and know exactly what the deal is. I went to a chiropractor many year
> ago before I'd gotten a firm diagnosis and it took me months to
> recover from the additional damage he caused.

I'm sorry you got a bad Chiropractor. :-( I asked around and got a lot
of references before choosing one. It's his office that has the
traction table so I get my treatments there.

In the one year I've been seeing Dr. Stamps, he's done an incredible
amount of good for me and I have the x-rays to prove it. :-) I'll be
getting another set this month to see how the progress on the scoliosis
is coming.

Yes, there are bad Chiro's just like there are bad MD's, Dentists, etc.
But imho a good one is worth their weight in gold pressed latinum!

But I agree, get that MRI. I did, so I knew what was going on and why
one day I could incline bench press 65lbs. for reps at the gym and the
next day, I was unable to even budge a 45lb. olympic bar, and why my arm
hurt so much...

The back problems have been ongoing and Dr. Stamps has been able to
relieve the back pain each time I see him, but the structural problems
with disk degeneration are something he knows he cannot fix with
manipulation, hence the decompression therapy. We only waited because I
had to be able to afford it first.

And I see him along with a regular MD/Ortho surgeon. They are in
agreement for my best course of action.

Good luck and I hope you can avoid surgery!
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.


Subscribe:

On Jun 13, 8:32*pm, "Dave Bugg" > wrote:
> Hi guys. I've been on home time for about a two weeks. I'm scheduled to
> start driving again on 6/16, after I attend Caleb's Commissioning as a 2nd
> Lt in the Army and his graduation as a business major from Seattle Pacific
> University. I had an MRI a week ago because of horrible back and leg pains
> I've been living with over the last 12 weeks, along with other symptoms I've
> developed. I saw my doctor the next day, and when she walked in the room it
> was obvious from her demeanor that she had really bad news.
>
> Well, it turned out that I have severely ruptured disks from L5 on down to
> S1. I have near total compression of several nerves and partial compression
> on the rest. My doctor can't believe that I made it through the last several
> months driving truck. She is looking at this as a near surgical emergency,
> and was able to get me scheduled for surgery this coming Monday at 1:00pm..
> Her immediate concern is that any further compression will cause permanent
> nerve damage and varying degrees of paralysis. Jill was with me during the
> appt. and immediately forbade me to even think about doing anything with
> driving, or any other physical labor, until after recovery. At that point,
> it looked as if I wouldn't be able to attend Caleb's commissioning or
> graduation, and that hurt more than anything. I had looked forward to this
> since Caleb entered college, and the thought that I would miss this is
> crushing.
>
> I have little idea how Werner will respond. They really like my performance
> as a trucker, so I am hoping they will agree to just put me on unpaid leave
> until I can return. Recovery from surgery well enough to drive truck, can
> take 9 to 12 weeks. I guess I'll be finding out what Werner will do when I
> call them with the news. After all the hard work over the last nine months,
> I feel like all of this may be for naught.
>
> PS...As it turns out, with the Drs help, and serious instructions on
> limiting the extent of activity, I was able to take heavy doses of several
> pain meds and fly over and back on the day of his commissioning. I won't be
> able to attend his graduation tomorrow, but I'm OK with that. It was a real
> struggle, but well worth being able to pin his bars on, with his mom, and
> render him his first salute.
>
> PPS... When I talked with Werner, they were very gracious. They wished me
> the best for the surgery, and said that I had until June 30 to return to
> work. At that point they would consider my absence a 'voluntary quit'. As
> soon as I received medical clearance, I could reapply for my job.
>


Don't know you, but I wish you the best. I had a bout of back trouble
and I know it ain't fun at all.

I did buy an inversion table and it sure helps to stretch out that
spine. I see a chiro for a gentle adjustment ev. 8 weeks and so far
no pain.

I got the Hangups table - not cheap, but def. wellmade and worth it if
ya have the room for it. I try to hang five minutes a day. Relaxing
too.

"Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
...
> Hi guys. I've been on home time for about a two weeks. I'm scheduled to
> start driving again on 6/16, after I attend Caleb's Commissioning as a 2nd
> Lt in the Army and his graduation as a business major from Seattle Pacific
> University. I had an MRI a week ago because of horrible back and leg pains
> I've been living with over the last 12 weeks, along with other symptoms
> I've developed. I saw my doctor the next day, and when she walked in the
> room it was obvious from her demeanor that she had really bad news.
>
> Well, it turned out that I have severely ruptured disks from L5 on down to
> S1. I have near total compression of several nerves and partial
> compression on the rest. My doctor can't believe that I made it through
> the last several months driving truck. She is looking at this as a near
> surgical emergency, and was able to get me scheduled for surgery this
> coming Monday at 1:00pm. Her immediate concern is that any further
> compression will cause permanent nerve damage and varying degrees of
> paralysis. Jill was with me during the appt. and immediately forbade me to
> even think about doing anything with driving, or any other physical labor,
> until after recovery. At that point, it looked as if I wouldn't be able to
> attend Caleb's commissioning or graduation, and that hurt more than
> anything. I had looked forward to this since Caleb entered college, and
> the thought that I would miss this is crushing.
>
> I have little idea how Werner will respond. They really like my
> performance as a trucker, so I am hoping they will agree to just put me on
> unpaid leave until I can return. Recovery from surgery well enough to
> drive truck, can take 9 to 12 weeks. I guess I'll be finding out what
> Werner will do when I call them with the news. After all the hard work
> over the last nine months, I feel like all of this may be for naught.
>
> PS...As it turns out, with the Drs help, and serious instructions on
> limiting the extent of activity, I was able to take heavy doses of several
> pain meds and fly over and back on the day of his commissioning. I won't
> be able to attend his graduation tomorrow, but I'm OK with that. It was a
> real struggle, but well worth being able to pin his bars on, with his mom,
> and render him his first salute.
>
> PPS... When I talked with Werner, they were very gracious. They wished me
> the best for the surgery, and said that I had until June 30 to return to
> work. At that point they would consider my absence a 'voluntary quit'. As
> soon as I received medical clearance, I could reapply for my job.
>
> --
> Dave
>
>

DAVE! I'm very sorry to hear of this but no job is worth the risk of even
temporary paralysis! I'm happy you were able to attend Caleb's
commissioning. Now you sit back and take care of yourself. Don't worry
about anything else. Nothing is more important at the moment than getting
yourself back to health.

Jill

"Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
...
> Christine Dabney wrote:
>> On Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:32:47 -0700, "Dave Bugg" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> PPS... When I talked with Werner, they were very gracious. They
>>> wished me the best for the surgery, and said that I had until June
>>> 30 to return to work. At that point they would consider my absence a
>>> 'voluntary quit'. As soon as I received medical clearance, I could
>>> reapply for my job.
>>
>> Look into FMLA, Dave. If they are a big enough company, and if you
>> have been there for a year, you can apply for FMLA leave..and they
>> have to keep your position open for you. It's a Federal law...
>
> Thanks. I've been there only three+ months.
>
> --
> Dave


Dave is right, Chris. Employees must work for an employer for a total of 12
months (or a specified number of hours within a 12 month period) before
qualifying for FMLA. Even then they don't have to guarantee he goes back to
his same job, just *a* job with the company.

Jill

On Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:32:47 -0700, Dave Bugg wrote:

> Hi guys. I've been on home time for about a two weeks. I'm scheduled to
> start driving again on 6/16, after I attend Caleb's Commissioning as a 2nd
> Lt in the Army and his graduation as a business major from Seattle Pacific
> University. I had an MRI a week ago because of horrible back and leg pains
> I've been living with over the last 12 weeks, along with other symptoms I've
> developed. I saw my doctor the next day, and when she walked in the room it
> was obvious from her demeanor that she had really bad news.
>
> Well, it turned out that I have severely ruptured disks from L5 on down to
> S1. I have near total compression of several nerves and partial compression
> on the rest. My doctor can't believe that I made it through the last several
> months driving truck. She is looking at this as a near surgical emergency,
> and was able to get me scheduled for surgery this coming Monday at 1:00pm.

good luck, dave.

your pal,
blake

"Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
...
> Hi guys. I've been on home time for about a two weeks. I'm scheduled to
> start driving again on 6/16, after I attend Caleb's Commissioning as a 2nd
> Lt in the Army and his graduation as a business major from Seattle Pacific
> University. I had an MRI a week ago because of horrible back and leg pains
> I've been living with over the last 12 weeks, along with other symptoms
> I've developed. I saw my doctor the next day, and when she walked in the
> room it was obvious from her demeanor that she had really bad news.
>
> Well, it turned out that I have severely ruptured disks from L5 on down to
> S1.

Um, L5 is next to S1. The bottom of the lumbar spine is L5 and the top of
the Sacral spine is S1

Kswck wrote:
> "Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hi guys. I've been on home time for about a two weeks. I'm scheduled
>> to start driving again on 6/16, after I attend Caleb's Commissioning
>> as a 2nd Lt in the Army and his graduation as a business major from
>> Seattle Pacific University. I had an MRI a week ago because of
>> horrible back and leg pains I've been living with over the last 12
>> weeks, along with other symptoms I've developed. I saw my doctor the
>> next day, and when she walked in the room it was obvious from her
>> demeanor that she had really bad news. Well, it turned out that I have
>> severely ruptured disks from L5 on
>> down to S1.
>
> Um, L5 is next to S1. The bottom of the lumbar spine is L5 and the
> top of the Sacral spine is S1

You are right. I meant to say L1 to S1.

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

blake murphy wrote:

> good luck, dave.

Thanks, Blake. I appreciate it.
--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Michael "Dog3" wrote:

> I was about to suggest the same thing Christine. I sure hope Dave gets
> through this okay.

Thanks Michael. I'll get through just fine. As soon as the Dr. says so, I'll
be hitting physical therapy hard and consistent, And I'll be dropping the
extra fat I've been carrying around, too. :-)

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

jmcquown wrote:

> DAVE! I'm very sorry to hear of this but no job is worth the risk of
> even temporary paralysis! I'm happy you were able to attend Caleb's
> commissioning. Now you sit back and take care of yourself. Don't
> worry about anything else. Nothing is more important at the moment
> than getting yourself back to health.

Thanks for your thoughts, Jill. I'm going to do everything that is necessary
to get back into shape and back to my job... as I am cleared to do so.
--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Kalmia wrote:
>>
> Don't know you, but I wish you the best.

That is very kind and thoughtful of you, Kalmia. I appreciate your
well-wishes.
--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Omelet wrote:

> I take it that decompression therapy is not being considered as an
> alternative to surgery...

Not at this point, Om. It has gotten to the point that surgical intervention
is the best bet. Since December, I have gone to physical therapy, used
various anti-inflammatories, was hurt badly by a chiropractor, 4 rounds of
prednisone tapering, and other stuff.

> Wishing you well and a good recovery! Back surgeries can be iffy at
> best.

This should do well, according to my research and the surgeon ... who is an
anal-retentive sort; which is a good thing when dealing with my spine and
nerves :-) He uses micro-visual techniques to determine exactly how much
removal of bone (if necessary) and debriding of the discs are needed to
provide good decompression of the nerves. The skin incisions are very small,
and the amount of muscle and cord manipulation is minimized with that
technique. He says I should be walking within hours post-surgery, and if
there are no problems I will be home the next day.

So I'm hoping that the iffy part is the worst scenario... :-)

Thanks for your wishes, Om. Now go out and shoot some rounds off for me with
your AR-15 :-O

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

> All the best for a successful surgery and recovery...

Thanks, Wayne. I appreciate your thoughts, amigo.

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

koko wrote:

> Thank you Dave for keeping us posted. I'm praying for a successful
> surgery and quick recovery.

Bless your heart, Koko. I apreciate all the prayers I can get. :-)
--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Nancy Young wrote:

> I was happy to see you around again, and I wanted to ask you how
> the trucking was going. And to thank you for turning me onto
> Burn Notice. My new favorite show. Heh.

The trucking is going great, Nancy!! I can't wait to get back to it. Burn
Notice is a good show. Give a watch to Royal Pains, too, which comes on
after Burn Notice. It has the same 'feel' to it. I think the two shows have
the same producers.

> Wow, did driving cause your problems? Well, however you
> injured yourself, I'm sorry, it's really not my business to ask.
> I'm just nosy.

Actually, driving was OK. Even though I never used narcotic pain relievers,
I could comfortably drive and shift gears and watch the mirrors and the
road. Thanfully, I didn't have to do loading or unloading...most trailers
were dropped on delivery and pre-loaded for pick-up. Or they were loaded and
unloaded by lumpers. I started having the symptoms last December while I was
still at school. Symptoms becam worse as time went by. I never was able to
pin-point an event that caused my problems.

> You didn't go a minute too soon!

Jill would have been happier with me if I had gone in sooner.

> Congratulations on his graduation.

Thanks. It really is gratifying to see the work of all that parenting bear
fruit.

> Makes me misty to even hear that.

There were tears, for sure.

> Well, that sounds great, but first things first. Get better. I hope
> your operation goes really smoothly and you're back on your feet in
> no time.

Thanks so much, Nancy. Believe me, Jill will keep me in line. LOL!!!
--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Dave Bugg wrote:
>
> Well, it turned out that I have severely ruptured disks from L5 on down to
> S1. I have near total compression of several nerves and partial compression
> on the rest. My doctor can't believe that I made it through the last several
> months driving truck. She is looking at this as a near surgical emergency,
> and was able to get me scheduled for surgery this coming Monday at 1:00pm.
> Her immediate concern is that any further compression will cause permanent
> nerve damage and varying degrees of paralysis. Jill was with me during the

From what I know about back pain, this is something
to be taken very seriously. Failure to treat this
right could cause a lifetime of torture. I'd give up
the trucking business without a second thought.

Good luck, and listen to your doctor. It's amazing how
quickly a health problem can escalate from a nuisance
to a major quality-of-life issue. You could easily make
mistakes in handling this problem which you would end up
regretting for many years.

Take it easy. After surgery, give your back a chance
to heal. Give up trucking.

Dave Bugg wrote:
> Nancy Young wrote:
>
>> I was happy to see you around again, and I wanted to ask you how
>> the trucking was going. And to thank you for turning me onto
>> Burn Notice. My new favorite show. Heh.
>
> The trucking is going great, Nancy!! I can't wait to get back to it.
> Burn Notice is a good show. Give a watch to Royal Pains, too, which
> comes on after Burn Notice. It has the same 'feel' to it. I think the
> two shows have the same producers.

Thanks! For whatever reason, I have recorded the show,
I guess the ads made me think I'd like the show. Now I'll be
sure to watch them.

> Thanks so much, Nancy. Believe me, Jill will keep me in line. LOL!!!

Good! (laugh) If thats what it takes, go Jill!

nancy

On Jun 13, 8:32*pm, "Dave Bugg" > wrote:
> Hi guys. I've been on home time for about a two weeks. I'm scheduled to
> start driving again on 6/16, after I attend Caleb's Commissioning as a 2nd
> Lt in the Army and his graduation as a business major from Seattle Pacific
> University. I had an MRI a week ago because of horrible back and leg pains
> I've been living with over the last 12 weeks, along with other symptoms I've
> developed. I saw my doctor the next day, and when she walked in the room it
> was obvious from her demeanor that she had really bad news.
>
> Well, it turned out that I have severely ruptured disks from L5 on down to
> S1. I have near total compression of several nerves and partial compression
> on the rest. My doctor can't believe that I made it through the last several
> months driving truck. She is looking at this as a near surgical emergency,
> and was able to get me scheduled for surgery this coming Monday at 1:00pm..
> Her immediate concern is that any further compression will cause permanent
> nerve damage and varying degrees of paralysis. Jill was with me during the
> appt. and immediately forbade me to even think about doing anything with
> driving, or any other physical labor, until after recovery. At that point,
> it looked as if I wouldn't be able to attend Caleb's commissioning or
> graduation, and that hurt more than anything. I had looked forward to this
> since Caleb entered college, and the thought that I would miss this is
> crushing.
>
> I have little idea how Werner will respond. They really like my performance
> as a trucker, so I am hoping they will agree to just put me on unpaid leave
> until I can return. Recovery from surgery well enough to drive truck, can
> take 9 to 12 weeks. I guess I'll be finding out what Werner will do when I
> call them with the news. After all the hard work over the last nine months,
> I feel like all of this may be for naught.
>
> PS...As it turns out, with the Drs help, and serious instructions on
> limiting the extent of activity, I was able to take heavy doses of several
> pain meds and fly over and back on the day of his commissioning. I won't be
> able to attend his graduation tomorrow, but I'm OK with that. It was a real
> struggle, but well worth being able to pin his bars on, with his mom, and
> render him his first salute.
>
> PPS... When I talked with Werner, they were very gracious. They wished me
> the best for the surgery, and said that I had until June 30 to return to
> work. At that point they would consider my absence a 'voluntary quit'. As
> soon as I received medical clearance, I could reapply for my job.

I hope your surgery goes as well as mine. I've made as complete a
recovery as can be, some pain sometimes when I'm not careful<G>, but
generally able to do just about anything a normal person half my age
can do.

Not knowing much about the trucking business, I assume that Werner's
offer is normal for an owner-operator<?> and that they will consider
you someone they can't do without when you are able to return to
driving.

best wishes
maxine in ri

On Jun 14, 5:05*am, bob > wrote:

It's just that I don't want anyone to touch me until I get that MRI
> and know exactly what the deal is. I went to a chiropractor many year
> ago before I'd gotten a firm diagnosis and it took me months to
> recover from the additional damage he caused.
>
You're wise to try and avoid surgery, but don't rely totally on the
MRI. My surgeon said that he had seen worse than mine that didn't
cause pain, and less than mine that they could barely figure out what
to do from the scans.

I was lucky and the surgery worked for me. I have friends with knee
and hip surgery who are still in constant pain from knicked nerves and
other post op maladies.

maxine in ri

brooklyn1 wrote:

> 'Zactly, which means one herniated disk (small bulge, not
> ruptured)... were that disk ruptured surgery would have already been,
> immediately.

You have no idea what you are talking about, Sheldon. I AM drugged up, with
epidural shots to take me through to tomorrow; my next is due at 1830 in the
hospital ER. I'm also taking various narcotics and anti-inflammatories.
Unfortunately, the narcotic medications don't provide the relief needed by
themselves. Thankfully, they don't fog me up too badly, either. The first
available surgical date was in July; the surgeon made room for me as soon as
they could, which is tomorrow. I already stated that I mis-typed the L5,
when I meant L1. Probly a mitake made because of the drugs. I am free to
sit, lie down, walk, or stand. I have to do it at home, and I can't do any
of them for very long.

BTW, the MRI was read by three different docs, including a neurologist.
Physical exams all around. The surgeon, Peter Ward is a highly skilled
neurosurgeon with the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center.

I suggest that you quit pretending to be a skilled diagnostician and that
you have any knowledge of MY condition, and get back to whatever it was you
were doing.

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

maxine wrote:

> I hope your surgery goes as well as mine. I've made as complete a
> recovery as can be, some pain sometimes when I'm not careful<G>, but
> generally able to do just about anything a normal person half my age
> can do.

That sounds great, maxine. I hope I do as well.

> Not knowing much about the trucking business, I assume that Werner's
> offer is normal for an owner-operator<?> and that they will consider
> you someone they can't do without when you are able to return to
> driving.

Yeah, Werner is doing pretty much all the large trucking companies do. Even
though I'm a company driver and not an owner-operator, I'm sure that they
will seriously reconsider hiring me when I reapply.

I appreciate your well -wishes, maxine. Take care of that back :-)

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

Dave Bugg wrote:
>
> Not at this point, Om. It has gotten to the point that surgical intervention
> is the best bet. Since December, I have gone to physical therapy, used
> various anti-inflammatories, was hurt badly by a chiropractor, 4 rounds of
> prednisone tapering, and other stuff.

Chiropractor? What were you thinking?
Those guys are quacks!

http://www.quackwatch.com/01Quackery...ics/chiro.html

http://www.quackwatch.com/01Quackery.../chirosub.html

http://www.quackwatch.com/01Quackery.../chiroinv.html

"Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
...
> brooklyn1 wrote:
>
>> 'Zactly, which means one herniated disk (small bulge, not
>> ruptured)... were that disk ruptured surgery would have already been,
>> immediately.
>
> You have no idea what you are talking about, Sheldon. I AM drugged up,
> with epidural shots to take me through to tomorrow; my next is due at 1830
> in the hospital ER. I'm also taking various narcotics and
> anti-inflammatories. Unfortunately, the narcotic medications don't provide
> the relief needed by themselves. Thankfully, they don't fog me up too
> badly, either. The first available surgical date was in July; the surgeon
> made room for me as soon as they could, which is tomorrow. I already
> stated that I mis-typed the L5, when I meant L1. Probly a mitake made
> because of the drugs. I am free to sit, lie down, walk, or stand. I have
> to do it at home, and I can't do any of them for very long.
>
> BTW, the MRI was read by three different docs, including a neurologist.
> Physical exams all around. The surgeon, Peter Ward is a highly skilled
> neurosurgeon with the Wenatchee Valley Medical Center.
>
> I suggest that you quit pretending to be a skilled diagnostician and that
> you have any knowledge of MY condition, and get back to whatever it was
> you were doing.
>
>
You mistate your condition and I don't know what I'm talking about... duh

brooklyn1 wrote:

> You mistate your condition and I don't know what I'm talking about...
> duh

I never mistated my condition, I miswrote a number. Duh.

Please feel free to call my wife, Jill, since you state that I am... screw
the pc verbiage... lying. Just send me an email and I will send her cell
phone number to you. You may also call my provider Carol Coston at the
Wenatchee Valley Medical Center.. 509-663-8711. Although Hippa regs won't
let her dislose my medical information without my permission, I'm sure that
she would talk with you if I give her written permission.

--
Dave
What is best in life? "To crush your enemies, see them driven before
you, and to hear the lamentation of the women." -- Conan

"Dave Bugg" wrote
> brooklyn1 wrote:
>
>> 'Zactly, which means one herniated disk (small bulge, not
>> ruptured)... were that disk ruptured surgery would have already been,
>> immediately.

> You have no idea what you are talking about, Sheldon. I AM drugged up,
> with

Dave, don't let Sheldon upset you. He's known to spout off on many things
cluelessly. He obviously knows nothing of this.

I wish you well with the surgery. I am not a candidate for it because my
causitive factors lead to surgical healing issues. It would be 'last chance
gasp' for me. Progressive DDD but I'm real happy for you that yours isnt
the same!

The lower the discs, the more dangerous in this case. It can be truely life
threatening and if you'd hit just the right spot, they operate that day out
of the emergency room. Its the spot that makes the groin numb and you 'cant
pee'. *if that happens take an emergency ride to the hospital*. The
muscles clamp up and your bladder can't empty and it's critcal and deadly.
I've been warned a grunch of times but that particular disc although a
little nominal (like several others) has been on good behavior.