View allAll Photos Tagged BackSurgery
The annular eclipse passed over my home. This photo is of the ring of fire as it passed through a colander (left) and a pinhole in paper (right). Interestingly, the total eclipse will also pass right over my home in April 2024, so we are sort of in a cosmic x.
I certainly hope it sends some good juju my way. It seems now that I've made it through cancer my lumbar disks are failing and I'm having back surgery next week. These disks have served me well through years of rolling kayaks in whitewater, backpacking, jumping horses over obstacles, hauling water, digging in the garden so I can't blame them for giving up. But I can't ignore the numbness and pain in my legs any longer.
Recently I read an article about when you age you should not only have a bucket list, but also a chuck it list. I realize that some of my activities are now going onto the chuck it list. But fortunately my photography and art will continue and maybe even become more of a focus. During my recovery I intend to work on some of my older photos to share with you.
My most recent addition. I got this done a few months back and wanted to show everyone. This is what I am all about!!!
Now... the reason behind my quote on my tattoo pictured above. I have had four back surgeries in as many years. I have been through hell and back between the surgical pain and constant chronic pain in my lower back and the burning stabbing pain in my legs. I am a super active person, I work out daily, am a teacher, waitress, photographer and in my spare time I just can't sit still! My doctor calls me his model patient. I am what a pain management doctor wants to see in his office. The way Iook at life is...I can sit on my ass and mope around about my pain and the end result is that I am still in pain...and probably 50 pounds heavier because of my inactivity....or I can live my life to its fullest, doing everything that I have always loved, and keep myself so busy that I forget that I am still in pain. This is why I got my tattoo..."That which does not kill me does make me stronger!!!"
My two cents guys...now you know a little bit about who teacherholly really is!
Oh...in case you didn't figure it out yourself...those green leaves and red berries around my tat are "Holly"berries and leaves. All of my tats except my first have this theme.
I made these for someone who underwent back surgery this week. Hopefully the surgery (and the cookies!) will have him feeling much better and pain free soon! The guy in the hospital gown and the guy with the bad back were inspired by clipart graphics. "Back surgery" ideas aren't easy to come by.
I have been tagged by my new Flickr friend Jodyangel. Here are 16 things about me that you may not know.
1. I am an only child though I never felt as spoiled as everyone thought I should be because I am an only. I have always been a hard worker and liked to earn my own money and pay for my own things. I started working at Midway Oh Boy restaurant the summer between my eight and ninth grade year and have been working there part-time since. You do the math...I am now 29.
2. I have had four back surgeries since 2003. My first was a spinal fusion at the L5-S1 level in 2003. In 2004 I had a nerve decompression. In February of 2006 I had a spinal cord stimulator implanted and in June I had the surgery revised. I live every day in chronic pain and see a chronic pain doctor every month at the Cleveland Clinic. I feel fortunate that I am able to get out of bed every morning and that I have a great pain management doctor that treats me very well and is very knowledgeable. Things could always be worse and there is always someone out there that has it worse...I try to always remember this when I have a difficult day.
3. I have five tattoos. All but my college "tramp stamp" have a Holly leaf theme. My favorite is the one on the right hand side above. I live by that quote!
4. My husband and I DO NOT want to have children. I get annoyed when people ask me "Why not?" I don't mind so much that they simply ask but I get annoyed when they disrespect y opinion. I have never wanted children and with all of my medical problems it probably wouldn't be the best idea. I wouldn't ask someone "Why did you have kids" so I don't expect anyone to ask me why I chose not to.
5. I have a cat named Brandy and she is my child. She is my buddy and is always at my side. She lays on my lap on the couch, sleeps right next to me and often lays on the floor next to the shower waiting for me to get out in the morning.
6. I was a HS special education teacher from 2002-2008. I found out last May that my position was being eliminated and that I would be moved over to the Middle School where I now teach sixth grade. I think I still like the HS age better but the sixth graders are growing on me.
7. I played clarinet from the time I was 9 years old until I was 23. I stopped shortly before my first back surgery because it was too painful to sit in my chair during rehearsals for hours at a time. I played in numerous orchestras at Oberlin College in HS and after. I would love to get back into music some day. I was going to go to college for music but I knew that the job market in this area for music teachers was difficult and I wanted to stay around my hometown so I changed my mind and decided to become a special education teacher. I have never regretted my choice to change majors.
8. I have a bachelor's degree in elementary and special education from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. I also received a concentration in psychology. I earned my Master's degree in Educational Technology from Baldwin-Wallace as well. I dream of going back to earn my doctorate by the time I am 35. I would love to go into clinical psychology.
9. I am a type-A personality who happens to be a neat-freak, control-freak, perfectionist and probably a little OCD...
10. Photography for me is very therapeutic. I would never go into it for a career but would love to do it part time and earn a little cash. I enjoy working with my hubby on this passion. He has become quite the photographer as well! He shoots Nikon and I shoot Canon...therefore we are a divided household! LOL!
11. I consider my parents Cindy and Paul to be two of my best friends. My husband Howard is my other best friend. My parents are the most kind, considerate giving people I know. They have been married for 35 years and have marriage to envy. I can always count on them to be there for me.
12. I met my husband online but shortly after we found out that he and his family went to the same church as my parents. Not only that...they went to the same service and sat across from eachother. He likes to tell people we met at church and not online.
13. I hate to wake up early and get up as late as possible. I hate primping in the morning and that is one of the reasons why I have short hair. It is very low maintenance.
14. I love salty foods but they don't love me. I blow up like a blimp every time I even look at salt. I love to eat!!!
15. I need to work out and lose at least 10 pounds (preferably 15) in order to fit back into my clothes from last year. I hate that I let myself gain this much weight but am working out daily and watching my food intake. I would love to get down to 135-140 by summer for bikini season.
16. I live a few blocks from Lake Erie and love being by the water. I like to go to the beach daily in the summer and even go down there to take pictures in the winter. I can't imagine ever living inland. I am a "Cancer" through and through.
Thanks for listening to be babble. I wasn't going to do this but I figured I needed to get outside of my box and share a little of myself with my great Flickr friends. Thanks for always staying by my side even when I sometimes haven't been the best contact. My job takes up a lot of my time and often leaves me with little time for Flickr.
Nick suffered a ruptured disc yesterday and was on his way to paralysis in his hind quarters. He had successful spinal surgery this afternoon. But he has a long road to recovery. An old dog has a more difficult time with this type of injury and surgery.
So, please, all my Flickr contacts and dog lovers...say a prayer for my best friend, my constant companion, my Nick.
www.californiaveterinaryspecialists.com/html/background.htm
A special thanks to my in-laws who have created this unique and special
emergency care clinic. I am so grateful to have my dogs in your care.
Your expertise and compassion are beyond comparison.
I can't wait to bring you home Nick!
This picture was taken about 10 days after I had this major surgery to correct the my symptomatic Spondylolisthesis (Mar 2009).
The surgery was to decompress my lower back L5-S1 and to stabilise my spine after that, so had titanium rods and screws put in.
The scar itself is only about 15 cm long and from the outside it has healed nicely. Unfortunately I have never fully recovered from the so called successful surgery, so instead so slowing the progression of my already bad symptoms, my leg has worsen as well as my back... So sticks and wheelchair are my best buddies at the moment; and I had to say good bye to my full time office work.
People say that "every grey cloud has a silver lining"; and so it is true in my case. There are good things that come out of my not very good condition. I can now spend more time with my family, my cats and pursuing hobbies that I never had time to even thing about.
So chin up my friends. Never give in to any bad situations!!!
Build a solid foundation of knowledge based on the fundamentals and employ step-by-step instruction from Spine Surgery. Edited by Edward C. Benzel, this best-selling medical reference explores the full spectrum of surgical techniques used in spine surgery and delivers the comprehensive, cutting-edge guidance you need to achieve successful outcomes. Online access, thorough updates, contributions by leading international authorities, an abundance of detailed illustrations, and procedural video clips provide everything you need to avoid and manage complex problems.
If you would like to purchase this title, please click here.
Dr. Stephen Courtney -- Board Certified Orthopedic Spine Surgeon
You can always tell when the Spring Football season comes in. You can always almost tell when Spring Football season comes in because the kids start coming in. And reason why they’re coming in because they usually do too many squats. Squats or lunges or deadlifts. So the kids know that. Most of the parents maybe not have an idea what they’re doing in weight training but just from that repetitive motion, too much weight, maxing out the weights in the weight room really triggers those facet joints. The cheerleaders have the same problem, they hyperextend their back. It engages those facet joints and they also have back pain as well. A lot of volleyball kids get it a lot too. I treat a lot of volleyball kids and a lot of gymnast. Sometimes they can even break their back, have a little pars fracture where this little bone here didn’t heal to that one. It’s very, very common to gymnasts and also cheerleaders and also volleyball players. But the lineman football players, they’re the one who usually get it the most because they’re maxing on too much weight and really triggers those facet joints.
It’s usually the base in the cheerleaders. They’re the ones who usually get it more than the flyers. A few schools around here in Plano, you can just tell where they come from, which school because there’s always a lot of work in the base. So usually the base girls have the most of the problems because that’s where all the load goes. When they’re catching the other kids, it goes right down to the facet joints. So the base and the cheerleaders, they’re more prone to come here than the flyers are.
You can’t get better in a day. So it takes time and sometimes, you have to modify your activity, take a few days off, and really try to not hyperextend your back. I always tell and encourage patients to get your quads strong as you can, your hamstrings strong. That will help alleviate some of the pressure that goes to those facet joints, into your lower back.
Visit: courtneymd.com/ to book your appointment.
Billboard for Laser Spine Institute on the Santan Freeway Loop 202.
3 reasons to believe you can love your back again.
Laser Spine Institute
Located in Scottsdale at the 101 and Raintree
The leaders in endoscopic spine surgery
866-249-1627
The Santan Freeway Loop 202 is in the southeast valley of Phoenix. This billboard is between I-10 and the Price Freeway Loop 101 in Chandler. Onsite Insite offers the only billboards along a 23-mile stretch of the Santan Freeway.
Spine Surgery Facts from Flower Mound Spine Surgeon
This image copyright www.advancedspinesolutions.com/ web site.
Licensed under a creative commons share alike. Use freely but give attribution to Bridgeport Spine Surgery and link to www.advancedspinesolutions.com
Billboard for Laser Spine Institute on the Santan Freeway Loop 202.
3 reasons to believe you can love your back again.
Laser Spine Institute
Located in Scottsdale at the 101 and Raintree
The leaders in endoscopic spine surgery
866-249-1627
The Santan Freeway Loop 202 is in the southeast valley of Phoenix. This billboard is between I-10 and the Price Freeway Loop 101 in Chandler. Onsite Insite offers the only billboards along a 23-mile stretch of the Santan Freeway.
This image represents cervical central stenosis in a patient. Cervical central stenosis is a condition of the spinal canal where the canal narrows for various reasons and either puts pressure on the spinal cord or places the spinal cord in jeopardy with a fall or impact. This condition is more frequent in the aging population especially by those who are over 50 years of age and have endured wear and tear on the spine.
Dr. Donald Corenman is a spine specialist in Vail, Colorado. He has written countless articles and documents on spine and back pain. He is also the author of books relating to the spine and back.
(my new rock band, starring a disfigured Jewish girl who likes to carol)
P.S. This is the first time I've seen it. I'm not allowed to twist.
Build a solid foundation of knowledge based on the fundamentals and employ step-by-step instruction from Spine Surgery. Edited by Edward C. Benzel, this best-selling medical reference explores the full spectrum of surgical techniques used in spine surgery and delivers the comprehensive, cutting-edge guidance you need to achieve successful outcomes. Online access, thorough updates, contributions by leading international authorities, an abundance of detailed illustrations, and procedural video clips provide everything you need to avoid and manage complex problems.
If you would like to purchase this title, please click here.
There are a series of images that go together that can represent either the lumbar spine or the cervical spine. These series of models demonstrate how degenerative changes occur in the disc.
The first picture (SHOWN HERE) is looking down at an intact normal disc. (These pictures are of a lumbar spine disc but the cervical spine discs are almost exactly the same).The pink center is the nucleus (jelly in the donut) and the outer beige area is the annulus (donut of jelly donut fame). You can see the rings of collagen if you look carefully. Behind the disc lie the nerve roots seen in yellow. The facets in the back of the spine are seen in blue.
These diagrams on the bottom demonstrate proper and improper lifting techniques. Keeping the weight close to your body significantly reduces the stress on the back. The diagrams above show with the fulcrum and levers how much more stress is given to the back muscles with lifting away from the center of gravity.
After Molly's spinal fusion (scoliosis correction surgery), 10.22.08. She had levels T2-L1 fused (12 vertebrae altogether, 2 rods, 21 screws).
This is an AP X-ray (scoliogram) of a patient with severe scoliosis. The white line depicts the center of gravity line from the head. It should intersect the center of the pelvis. The black horizontal line demonstrates how far off the patients balance is. The amount of energy expended necessary to walk made her use a walker for balance.
X-ray of corrected scoliosis. My sister Heidi has a hardware store in her back. Surprisingly didn't set off any airport alarms when we traveled to Mexico. I find it fascinating.
The little swirls in her center (about 4) are called "stints" placed in veins that were traveling from her heart and looped right back in again accomplishing nothing. So they blocked them off making her heart not have to work that extra amount. She had that done when she was very little. She is a brave woman!
This photo shows bone healing; This is how a fracture or bone graft incorporates into existing bone.
Dr. Donald Corenman, Vail, CO Orthopedic Spine Surgeon, has written countless articles and documents on spine and back pain. He is also the author of books relating to the spine and back.
This image is a post operative XP x-ray of the laminoplasty. Please note that the spinous processes (noted by the white lines) are “off center” in the area of surgery as the back wall of the canal that the spinous processes attach is rotated to the side to open the canal.
This is an illustration of a patient with Scheuermann’s disease. Note the prominent curve or “hump" in his mid-back.
Preop: Spinal epidural lipomatosis, Stenosis.
Insertion of Inspan in L4-5 using compressors over the inserters.
Final AP and lateral fluoros.
This case was done by Kingsley R. Chin, M.D. at the Institute for Modern and Innovative Surgery in Florida.
Here's Magnus after he got his back surgery. He had to be in a crate for about 3 months after. He was very cranky. Don't fret though - this was 1.5 years ago and he is all better now!
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There's still a little dermabond stuck at the top in this picture and the red part at the bottom is where I apparently split the incision at some point. It's a week and a half since surgery.
My sister, Deidre, had back surgery recently. She's supposed to walk as much as she can, a mile or two, a day. Maybe later we'll go to the TRACK at Lee-Davis High School right down the road, but for now, the roads in her neighborhood are our TRACK.
Outtake for Mission 24.
It's really amazing that they managed to cram a camera, lights AND tools in through that little hole. Everything went well, and I'm out and recovering now. Not even in that much pain! Just not allowed to sit, so I'm typing this standing up.