11/23/2019
So yesterday I had my 10/11 year colonoscopy! Fun times the night before and after the surgery. When your doctor FAILS to tell you the small stuff that can save you a LOT of PAIN!
So I very carefully watch what I eat and drink the few days before I have to take the “prep” stuff. That way, I can get by with just one bottle and get cleaned out with just one. I literally hate that stuff and I can really only tolerate taking it one time; not the two times they tell you too.
I took it the night before and cussed the whole evening literally sitting in my new bathroom that my wife designed, with a Texas twist of course! I finally got smart and went and got my tablet and smart phone and just sat in a chair outside the bathroom so that I only had to move three feet when the urge to go would hit.
So finally about 1:30 a.m. I went to bed. There was no way this side of hell that I was going to get up at 3:00 a.m. and start taking the 2nd bottle! I slept in until 5:00 a.m., got up and drove over to our nearby Walmart, got three Freet enemas, came back home and did the dirty trick two times to make sure everything was super clean. Much easier than taking that second bottle of junk/prep! …and quicker too.
Got checked in and met with the doctor about five minutes very early that morning, of which actual talking and conversing was about 2 minutes. Not as good a bed side manner as my proctologist/Gastroenterologist from Indiana – but he was a wrestler in high school so we’d converse about the “world’s oldest and greatest sport!”
Surgery went fine and had one polyp which he removed. The nurses told me to use Gas X to help with gas pains – but that’s it. NOTHING ELSE was said…and this is the part that REALLY POOPS ME OFF.
As soon as I got into the car the “gas pain” started…and I couldn’t “farted!” This was around 11:45 a.m.
About 12:30 p.m. I called the doctor’s office back and told them the non-fart issues! It was like I was blocked off. I was literally miserable. I could not take a deep breath, couldn’t get comfortable, could not sleep, tried to belch it up but no luck any which way but loose!
Took 2 of the Gas X chewable tabs about 2:30 p.m. but no luck. Now on the Gas X box it states, “take no more than 4 pills in a 24 hr. period.” Well, being a good mid-western state (Indiana) boy, I hate to be a rule breaker so I did what it said and wanted to follow the rules.
About 4:45 p.m. (on a Friday) I called the doctor’s office back and left a semi-nasty voice mail on the nurse/help line regarding my pain and still no pass-gas issues. Of course in Texas, most people don’t work past noon on Fridays and this was the case here too!
Still miserable at 5:30 p.m. I “Googled” my issues. Most of what I found said that I should pass gas and relieve my pressure anywhere from 10 minutes post surgery to 45 minutes post surgery! And I am six hours post surgery…damn.
My loving wife finally told me to take more than the four pills, which I had already taken, so I popped 5 more pretty quickly and emptied the first packet.
Within five minutes RELIEF CAME FAST!!!!!!! There were no side effects, at least for me, by using more than 4 Gas X tabs.
And this is what really honks me off! You’d think…that a top rated doctor…and his nurses…that have been doing this ONE THING (AS THEY SAID IN THE MOVIE ‘CITY SLICKERS’) FOR 20 + YEARS, WOULD KNOW THE SMALL TRICKS THAT COULD EASE THEIR PATIENTS PAIN)! …AND WOULD TELL YOU.
But no! They told me to: 1) lay on my left side, or 2) go walking…so I did use my elliptical three different times to no avail.
So, if by chance this would happen to you or a loved one, at least think about using more than the 4 Gas X pills to ease your pain (It could be a new movie line; like the one in Field of Dreams – ‘ease his pain’ – “take them (Gas X) and it will come – out!).
Peace out! No – gas out!
My latest “Bad Doctor experience!”
So in my kidney blog located lower on this page, I mentioned that I wanted to go to this really good sports nutrition doctor that my daughter really liked, because he would do a very through blood draw and examine my blood/body for the vitamins and minerals that I need or am getting too much of etc. due to my kidney issues of lower GFR.
I call his office and we set up an appointment. The week before I’m supposed to go see him, his office manager sends me an email and reminds me to fill out the on-line forms (my health history forms etc.). So about the Thursday before my Monday appointment I start to fill out the on-line forms.
You can only guess what happens next… I do the little registration part where you “Register” your email address and then get a username. I hit the NEXT button… and … and… and … it won’t let me go to the next page! NOT MY FAULT!
I email the office manager/assistant/or whatever she is… She gets back with me via email and tells me it is my fault and that I’d better try again because they have to have those forms filled out or I won’t get seen by the doctor!
So I try numerous times over and over, nada, no luck-o! So I finally call the office and get her on the phone. We discuss the situation and she just tells me to come in early for my appointment and I can fill out the paperwork by hand. OK, sounds good.
Well my appointment for Monday morning is 9:00 a.m., the first appointment of the day. Monday morning comes, I get up early, check my email and I have one from this nice lady that says my appointment has been cancelled because I did not get my paperwork in on time! Talk about being ….mad. I can’t use the words that came out of my mouth at my computer!
Nine o’clock rolls around and I call little miss tootsie pie and we discuss this situation! She is quick to tell me that she made a mistake last week and she should have realized that my appointment was for 9:00 a.m. – their first appointment of the day – and that I couldn’t come in a half hour early because that would be 8:30 a.m. … … …and they don’t open that early!!! …and they don’t do that!
Needless to say, I’ve NEVER had that type of experience with a doctor’s office! So I went to a local nutritionist, had a good discussion of my eating habits and received a bill for $330 dollars. Dun’ again! I can figure out the eating thing on my own! And to top it off, she had me try one of her breakfast bars… it was literally sooooo bad that I could not swallow the one and only bite of it that I took – I had to spit it out in the trash can! Back to my Clif Bars!
June 6, 2019
Anterior Cruciate Ligament
A whole new ball game.
So we were sparring in our traditional martial arts class about one month ago on a Thursday evening, having a good time and I decided to throw a high left leg hook kick.
Boom!
My brain told me that my right leg femur shifted laterally from my tibia…with one of those lightning flashes that sometimes occur when you do and play sports…and the next instant I was down on the ground holding my knee! Not good.
Being the dummy that I am sometimes, I thought if I put on my knee brace (which I should have been wearing in the first place) that I might be able to continue. Nope – couldn’t do it.
Drove over to my daughter’s house who is a certified athletic trainer and she checked out my knee. She did not find anything but referred me to a knee doctor in Houston that she works closely with and helped me make an appointment. Helps to have friends in high places sometimes – like your children!
Went to see the doctor [Ashvin K. Dewan, MD @ Houston Methodist Orthopedics & Sports Medicine], who has had a lot of experience with this type of injury working with professional football and hockey teams: the St. Louis Rams of the NFL and the St. Louis Blues of the NHL.
He told me that I probably tore my ACL but we would get an MRI to know for sure. Finally got the results of the MRI this past Thursday afternoon and it confirmed a full blown separated ACL tear in the right knee and some small issues with my lateral meniscus that can be fixed too.
Yippeeoo Yi Kai Yea…
I’ve watched numerous YouTube videos on other peoples’ rehab so I know what lies ahead after this surgery. I can either have the surgery or never use my knee the way I should be able too – so there is no option for me. Surgery ASAP and start the rehab process to get back to normal as quick as possible – safely. There is too much life to be lived.
One side note to all of this: this was my first trip to Houston Methodist Sports Med and I was totally blown away that morning as to how many people were there that were way older than I am!
I know it was that way up north in Indianapolis too. People in the know go to doctors that do Sports Medicine because they can get us back in the game (of life) faster than small town doctors that may not be up on the latest developments, nor have the best equipment available to do the job.
As the child of a Vietnam Vet-Marine and one of my favorite students told me, that when things got tough in the field of battle or the training field, the Marines would tell each other-to keep each other going- “to enjoy the suck!”
So for now, that is where I am at people – I’m getting ready to enjoy…!@#$%^ More to come…
UPDATE: 7/26/2019 Went back to see the Dr. at Houston Methodist Sports Med. So if this ever happens to you, you need to know that there are basically four places the doctor can get ligament tissue to replace your ACL (they call it a graft) and they take out the old ACL and reattach the new graft in that location, then it grows into the new ACL over about a one year period of time.
The #1 choice is a patella tendon graft which has a failure rate of about 1.6%. They take a one centimeter graft from the middle of your patella tendon along with some bone and graft it in. After a great deal of soul searching I chose this one. The down side of this one: I could possibly have some knee aching from being on my knees so much working with my martial arts students, wrestlers and clients. If I do – oh well. Failure is not an option here so I chose the most successful choice.
Patella Graft Follow-up
I do not regret this choice; however, it did come with more pain for me. One thing that I did learn here is that you should palpate (myofascia-release) the hell out of it: before, during and after exercise. I used my fingers and a small roller ball to rub over the patella area. This helps heal that area tremendously and helps to ease the pain.
The #2 choice was a hamstring graft taken from your own hamstring. It has a failure rate somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-7%. The downside to this one is that this graft could stretch out a little bit over time…nope. Don’t want that one!
Choice #3, which was close to #2, was a quadriceps tendon graft.
Choice #4 was a graft from a cadaver. Less pain for you with smaller incisions but statistics show a failure rate of about 23% and the chance of getting HIV or Hep C too!
Choice #5 (may not be available in the USA yet): LARS tendon graft – I heard about this choice while watching a Physio-therapist ACL Rehab Conference / Summit video to learn more about my own rehab. The LARS graft is still experimental except in Australia and New Zealand I believe. The physio-therapist who was presenting the conference rehab material had torn his ACL and had it replaced with the LARS, which is a synthetic material that he said was 5 times stronger than our normal ACL tendon. He said there was a 1 in 10 chance that someone’s body would reject the synthetic material and that you’d have to do the surgery all over again.s
Surgery is scheduled for Monday August 5th.
My only “pisser” through this whole thing is this: “Doc” doesn’t like ACL braces post surgery. Well…I understand NO BRACES during rehab so that I can get my leg back to full strength… and he said – and everyone has said – that the surgery is the easy part – and that rehab will be !@#$%^. Well…such is life ain’t it!
I don’t realize that I’m an old guy! Hell, before too long, I’ll be the guy in the movies where the young buck sez, “Hey old timer…!”
Because I’m an active 64 year old and NOT ready to ride three wheel bikes or play shuffle board all day (no offense to those of you that do) I’ve been researching ACL braces that are out there to help prevent this s… from happening again!
From what I can assess, the top two ACL / Knee braces on the market are CTi-Ossur and Donjoy. I’ve watched numerous Youtube videos of top notch athletes from snowboarders, snow skiers, water-boarders and motocross riders that are wearing these braces as either post-operative or preventative devices. JJ Watt who plays for our Houston Texans wears his elbow brace all the time to prevent injury. All of these athletes, men and women, are very complementary about how good and how safe they feel wearing their braces no matter what brand they wear.
You can purchase different kinds of braces off the shelf or you can get the custom braces which range from about $800 – 1200 dollars. I’m that guy! I will be purchasing two Donjoy custom fitted braces: one for my still good left leg and one for my rehabbing right leg. Part of my future retirement $$$ depends on me running my martial arts studio and training my adult clients in functional fitness and I need functioning legs! So $2400 bucks for that – no problemo! Drop it in a heart beat.
I will also say that the Donjoy custom fitted brace comes with an Insurance Policy so that if you screw up your knee wearing their brace, you have money set aside for your next surgery. I pray that does not happen but the company must be pretty damn sure of their selves to have such a policy in place. Another reason I’m going with them. Oh…and one more reason: Donjoy has “reps” that will come and measure you for the custom fit and I want that. I would NOT want to measure myself and screw it up for $1200! Ossur did not even have any reps in the Houston metro-plex…really, as big as Houston is!
Don Joy Brace Update
My two new Don Joy Performance Three braces!
On Friday October 4, 2019 I met with my Don Joy rep, got measured and fitted for these two bad boys. I’ve worn knee braces forever so it is not a big deal for me; however, these are longer and a little heavier duty than the other ones I’ve had – all to help prevent that ACL from tearing…and there is still no guarantee.
I learned that there are two pricing structures for these braces: 1) the insurance coverage price (up to $1200 per brace) and 2) the out-of-pocket price that I paid for mine. Mine were about $512 per brace and I also purchased a couple of other add-ons bringing my total per brace to about $625 each. To stay active that is a small price to pay in my mind.
It took me about two weeks to get comfortable in them and comfortable putting them on. It is like anything else, one has to practice doing it and become comfortable with it.
9/14/2019 …more bad news…
On Monday 9/16/2019 I get to go back to surgery so that my doctor can “clean out” my incision that has not healed properly. One half of my incision has healed and the other one half of it has not; due to him using dissolving stitches. He should have used real stitches that you have to remove because I’m the guy who wants to get back to action and does his exercises…and I kept tearing open the wound! Because the doctor used dissolving stitches it has kept tearing open the skin and it has never healed properly after 5 weeks post surgery! I’m hoping he does not put another big slice in the front of my knee…it will take another two months to heal and I will be “totally ticked off” at him if that occurs. He says not but we will see.
Surgery went well; I got cleaned out and no infection had gone down into the internal part of the knee. Doc used real stitches this time and I healed up quickly and got on to the road to recovery very quickly this time. Should have happened the first time!
Well Rats…one more thing: GFR and CDK! …Great balls of fire – what a journey!
Just got back from my annual trip back up to Lafayette, Indiana to see my anti-aging doctor, Dr. Robert Turner, https://innovativemedicine.org. A week later I get a call from nurse Cassie and she tells me the good news that my GFR is at 58% and that puts me into the 3rd catagory of Moderate Decrease (range: 45-59%) or stage G3 for kidney loss! Well fg!
You try and stay super healthy and still get bent over. Every day is a blessing and we should make the most of it for sure. So now I have some dietary changes that I need to make according to the research that I’ve done the past week.
My cholesterol was a little high at 211, but I know I can get that down with more aerobic work and a few pounds of weight loss. …the choices are many and WE/YOU have to manage your medical/health choices by putting together YOUR TEAM of doctors wisely. It is your body and your health.
I cut out most bread from my diet a few years ago. I will do a donut during Sunday School! And yes, I do protein bars – but that will now come to a slow ending. According to what I’ve read the past week, I am getting way too much protein and don’t need as much.
PROTEIN SHAKES: My protein shakes are vegan protein anyway, but will now be limited to just one per day.
PROTEIN MEATS: fish, skinless poultry and beans. I can do that! Says that animal-based proteins cause the greatest strain on kidneys; plant-based, casein and low-fat dairy are easier on the kidneys.
CARBS: good fiber content, grains, vegetables and fruits ( I will go back and look at the National Kidney Foundation’s Dash Diet with a closer eye). Says that White Rice is better for the Renal Diet than Brown Rice due to its lower potassium rates.
MY CHOCOLATE: Oh the pain! I am not diabetic, nor close to it that I know of, but will start the slow and hurtful process of laying off the M & M’s and Hershey’s chocolate in my protein drinks to cover the flavor of the MSM, L-Glutamine, L-Arginine and Citrulline.
SALT: Oh no Grandma Scott, I have to cut out more salt(sea salt actually) and that will hurt too. I love my salt, but I see it is hard on the kidneys so away with it!
LOWER YOUR CHOLESTEROL: because it blocks the small arteries that carry blood flow to the kidneys to do their work.
NO PACKAGED SNACKS: lay off the crackers etc.
NO MORE CHERRY COKE: (maybe I will sneak one every once in a great while)! Back to Sprite or Seven Up.
INCREASE MY H2O intake – at least up to 6:00 pm in the evening – nothing after that or I’ll be sleeping in the bathroom all night long!
CANNED SOUPS: go for low salt if anything.
FRUITS: Says to limit bananas, which I do anyway(they bloat me); eat pineapple instead, plus grapes, apples and cranberries!
I could go on and on. I will keep you updated on this as this new journey unfolds. I will be going to see a nutritionist sports med doctor for blood analysis to see if I am getting too much of some stuff and not enough of other stuff; and also a nephrologist kidney specialist.
UPDATE ON KIDNEY ISSUE: So I go see a “nephrologist” in a small town close by, because my GP got me an appointment with this guy. My gut told me to go see this lady that was the head of the department at a very large hospital in Houston, but my appointment came through from the GP, so I went with it. WRONG CHOICE!
So I go see this doc… I did learn one thing from him that explains the lowering in % of my GFR: my GFR lowered a few percentage points because I changed age-lanes! I went into the older bracket and that lowered my GFR.
So this doctor give me two Rx scripts to go to our local hospital. One of the scripts was to get a kidney ultrasound and the other was to get a blood draw so that he could check on my GFR, creatinin, etc.
Being the busy guy that I am, about a month goes by before I make the phone call to the local hospital about making my appointments from the scripts he gave me.
I call the correct hospital department for the ultrasound and the lady tells me: “You can’t make your own appointment! The doctor’s office has to call us and do that.” Me: But I have the script he wrote me and he told me to call you and make the appointment and get it done! Lady: “Sorry Sir, the doctor’s office has to do that!”
“I’m done!” Unbelievable! …and that my friends is why that doctor is in a small town! I’m a small town guy… and I just do NOT think this kind of stuff should be so hard to do!
So I am in the process of trying to get back to seeing the lady that has a PhD and her MD and is a Nephrologist at the big hospital! I will give a further update as it unfolds.
The BX Protocol – Knocking Out Cancer(s) and other diseases & illness
As I was scrolling down through my Facebook feed yesterday (4/10/2019) I came across a video clip about the BX Protocol. I believe it is a company called The Delta Institute and it was started by a PhD named Dwayne Smith.
Apparently the company has been around for a while; one of those you’ll never hear about unless you are looking for a real cure for your disease and not just some expensive pill to mask it for a period of time (you know…both the doctor and the pharmaceutical company make their $$$ but you don’t get cured).
Dr. Smith has taken the works of early 1900’s doctors that had found cures for cancer and other diseases (but the doctors were mysteriously murdered…hmmm) and expanded their works to re-find the cures that they had discovered way back in the day. Who murdered them? Whom would you think – early Big Phama companies that did not want cures for cancer and other diseases because there is too much money to be made in prolonging the disease.
After a little more research, the only downfall is $$$. Very expensive treatment options: $10 K +. I would say proceed with caution on this one.
December 18, 2018 Does Your Doctor Really Care…About You?!
In martial arts one of the first things they teach us – or that I learned from one of my teachers – was that if your “gut” is telling you something is wrong, or does not feel right, then IT’S NOT RIGHT! …AND FOLLOW YOUR GUT FEELINGS! PERIOD. It may keep you safe or keep you alive.
If you have a doctor that you don’t really get along with (i.e.: they think they are a know it all and your [stupid] opinion doesn’t matter – do yourself a big favor…and get a new doctor ASAP! It may save your life.
My sister-in-law’s sister just passed this morning due to an A-hole doctor who said everything was alright-when it wasn’t. She knew something wasn’t right inside her body, but couldn’t convince this a-hole know it all and she took his advice for far too long…letting the cancer grow. I’m sure this situation doesn’t bother him at all. He didn’t die.
But as you can tell, it bothers me. As far as I’m concerned he was 100% negligent and should have his … sued in a court of law. He did NOT do his job. He did not do everything that he could do for this lady…and her family.
Do your homework, plan ahead, lawyer up and attack every stinking sickness with an attitude of “not me-move on to the next person.”
“Big Pharma” and Congress (i.e.: all tied in together) do not want to find a cure for cancer and many other diseases out there; it is too lucrative to keep people sick. Find your own path to wellness!
Look up this book: The Top 10 Natural Cancer Cures No One is Talking About by Danica Collins.
It talks about cures that date back to WW 2, but many are long gone; swept under the rug by Big Pharma.
Another hospital to look up: https://www.alivizatos.com
The Alivizatios Treatment Program.
The Mexican clinic in Tijuana does not have to abide by the same rules that our government imposes on us here in the states.
These are just two of many alternative choices a person and family can make. People care…big pharma does not! Choose wisely and “stay vibrant my friends!”
November 22, 2018
Back Pain While Driving
The other day I was talking with a friend, who was telling me about their friend, who has severe back pain…and it is really bad while driving. Ouch! Been there and done that one and it is no fun; you can’t get comfortable and long trips just kill you.
So I told her about the Relax The Back Stores that are around the Houston area. I knew about these stores when I lived up in Indianapolis because…when you have severe back pain – you will do almost anything to alleviate said pain. I was looking for a solution for back pain while driving long distances. Now that we’ve moved to Texas to be with our children and grand children, every once in a while we will be driving (our) two day trip back to Indiana and I had to have a solution for the terrible fitting seats they put into cars today!
I got on-line and looked up Relax the Back stores and found my solution:
…a little pricey, but well worth every penny! The associates at The Relax The Back Store curve the seat to fit your back just right and can readjust it if necessary. I can drive all day (8, 10, 12 hours), get out of the car and stretch…and feel like I drove across town. Other than the mental stress that comes with driving long distances, my back always feels great. I know that probably sounds dumb, but it works for me.
September 27, 2018
Energy Drink: Zeal by Zurvita
One of my clients asked me about this drink, Zeal, so I read through the pamphlet she gave me about it. It is supposed to give you more energy after you drink it for a while. It is sold through a company called Zurvita – which looks to be a multi-level marketing company where everyone gets rich…and hardly has to work at it! Yeah, right.
The actual product – Zeal – seems to be made from some kind of “stabilized rice bran” that has almost every known nutrient to mankind in “trace amounts.”
What does that mean? It means very, very small amounts of everything. It has 12 different vitamins and 26 botanicals, 7 essential minerals, 5 amino acids and 5 other things that I’m not even sure of what they are!
My thoughts? If you like it, the taste that is, and it seems to help give you energy – stick to it. I have my own regimen that I’ve developed over the years, with many different brands – and it works for me. I endorse no certain companies other than what works for me and I get no kickbacks of any kind from any one.
Find what works for you and stick with it. Make sure your products come from a reputable company…and that you are getting what you pay for.
Happy eating and drinking!
August 8, 2018
Back Pain & Sciatica
My son and his family came down from Dallas this past weekend and we spent some quality time together. Over the course of the weekend we usually discuss our health issues…that most of the time center around how our back is feeling.
If you have back issues or sciatica, you might want to check out a back fixing program called The Egoscue Method. I have been having my clients do two of his stretches for the past two months now. These two stretches really make my low back feel good!
My son was also telling me about his Egoscue Tower. Here is a video clip of a dirt cheap way to do the tower, that does what they call the supine groin stretch, without having to invest a dime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_IZ1PyySLw
And here is a video clip of the actual tower / machine / thingy!
Back pain and sciatica are no fun. Position yourself in front of your TV and watch your favorite shows while giving this a try. Hope this can help y’all out!
2/11/2018 How Can I Help You?
As my contacts in Angleton and the surrounding areas grow, part of my job as your personal trainer is to help you find the people/doctors that can help heal your body and get you back to optimum health! I believe in anti-aging doctors, chiropractors, alternative medicine and sports medicine.
People are starting to talk…about the good things that are occurring to their bodies and to their health from working with me. We start slowly but after a good amount of time, I will start to push you harder, as any good coach would do. We can slow the aging curve. I can get you to move better, feel better and stronger, and move more! We will track your data and the numbers don’t lie!
You did not get into the shape that you are in overnight! It will take some time to bring you back! We will talk a lot about health, fitness, vitamins, herbs etc. as you work through your sessions with me. I will learn as much from you as you will from me!
1/1/2016 Back Surgery
I will be posting what I hope will be useful information on my site for many older adults and whoever else may use it.
Back Surgery: Back in December of 2000 or 2001 (sorry…I’ve lost track). I injured my back while lifting weights with my buddy Mr. John Richards before school one morning. Being involved in sports like wrestling and martial arts all of my life, you get physical issues! Although I did not know it at the time, I herniated a disk in my low back that December day. Oh man…did it hurt.
As soon as Methodist Sports Medicine opened back up from the Holidays I got an MRI and the doctor told me that I had a herniated disk. One of my karate brothers and mentors, Mr. Kurt Backer, told me to go see an osteopath named Dr. Robert “Bob” Brooksby, who was located in Zionsville, Indiana (a suburb of Indianapolis). I did so in mid-February of that year.
Dr. Brooksby was a “healer.” He was so totally cool and I liked him a great deal. Doc Brooksby believed that the body tries to heal itself. I believe that he is/was correct.* He worked on me once that month of February and by the time I left his office I was so much better I could hardly believe it! He had to realign by spine and pelvic bone so that the energy could flow correctly back through my body! If I had not been in martial arts for 26 years at that time, I would not have believed in him, nor would I have went to see him. I knew that if my buddy and martial arts mentor Backer trusted him, that was all I needed to know. There is a brotherhood and fellowship that is developed in wrestling, martial arts…and many other things that people do that is totally trustworthy.
I was able to start back up my physical training in about four weeks…unbelievable! By doing certain back exercises and being more careful, my back lasted until 2008. During 2008 and 2009 my pain was horrible. I finally started looking for solutions to this pain/back issue during the spring and summer of 2009.
I got on-line and found Laser Spine Institute in Tampa, Florida. Since it was out of state, it would end up being 3rd party insurance (out of network), which ended up costing me quite a bit of out-of-pocket dollars…but I would do it again in a heart beat! At that time, their motto was, “Get your life back!” I truly did.
Laser Spine Institute, originally in Tampa, is now in certain locations across the United States. Since being down here in the Houston TV network area, I have seen ads for North American Spine Center, or something like that. Both companies specialize in invasive spinal surgery.
I did three days of tests, mri’s etc. before my surgery. My wife flew in the day before my surgery. I was in surgery about an hour and 15 minutes. They laid me belly down over a curved bed(curved like a ball – convex). The doctors had told me that they would even be waking me up during the surgical procedure, which did not sound good to me at all! Yes…they did wake me up and actually talked to me about something, but I was so drugged up I didn’t care! They let me go back to sleep and I woke up in the recovery bed.
I had one very tiny hole in my left lower back area, one tiny hole in my lower right back area, and a band-aid covering a small one inch insertion area directly over my spine. I went back to my hotel, across the street, and slept for four hours. I’ve never been big on pain meds; I think I took one super strength Tylenol when I woke up and that was it. I did not really have any pain from the surgery. I was just so ecstatic that my back pain was gone!
My “homework” that night was to walk 1.5 miles. We walked to a restaurant to eat dinner. The next day’s homework was to walk four miles! Pain free baby! Awesome and thank the good Lord there are doctor’s that do this kind of work. Sadly most of them do not take much insurance and there are so many good people that are suffering so much that they literally can’t work. This is truly a sad situation for our country.
My point in writing this: if your back is killing you – please look into Invasive Spine Surgery. It is worth every penny. My surgery was in late summer of 2009. I missed my first three days of school and was back teaching the next Monday…and have never looked back. Yes, I am more cautious now days than back then. I do my exercises and work on a new concept (to me) called “super stiffness.” Take care & God Bless. Brown
- Doctor Brooksby was killed by a young punk aged 24 who was high on meth who crossed the center-line of an Indiana highway on a beautiful fall day. The punk killed three people that day: Dr. Brooksby, his fiancee and another friend of theirs. They were on a fall motorcycle fun ride. Rodney Newkirk was out on bale almost immediately! One month later he was arrested again, still high on meth and a judge finally sentenced him to serve a maximum of 18 years; so he could be out in 9 for good behavior. Four other motorcyclists were also injured that fall day, but survived. I took two of my three children to see Dr. Brooksby before he was killed. All of our visits were for back issues. If you want to read his book about healing, it is wonderful and can be found on Amazon: Be Still and Know – Healing from Within.
6/17/2017 Foot Surgery
Welcome to Parker Podiatry | Houston Podiatrist
A good personal trainer…is well worth the time, money and effort! As a trainer and someone who really cares about his friends and clients, it is my job to help you find ‘the best’ people to help fix your health issues if I can. Case in point, last year I helped one of my friends find Dr. Parker up north in H-town, after seeing him in a TV interview that talked about him being on the forefront of foot surgery techniques across the world. The outcome: my buddy is doing very well and walking without his cane!
Did he help my friend? Absolutely. However, my friend is not exercising so he will continue to slip down his own personal slippery slope. He needs to exercise and strengthen his muscles and work on his balance and mobility.
All of the doctors and their best procedures will NOT help you…if you do not perform Functional Exercises in all 3 planes of motion, on a regular (3 to 4 times per week) basis after being healed by them.
Excuse my French, but sitting on one’s ass all day is an impairment factor and it tends to hinder everyday functions such as balance and strength!