Hi all:
First off I must thank all who have send emails, called, and/or posted on the various CL forums with concerns about the current situation with my back. Those of you who have experienced such problems certainly know the pain I’ve been in for the past week or so. For those who have never had any serious back issues, all I can say is that you should count your blessings…
My condition probably started back in 1968 just after I joined the Army. I was a bit gung ho in those days and volunteered for Airborne training after my Basic and AIT training. Well, I never did get to “Jump School.” The best I can figure, I managed to break my back in a fall during AIT training. Just after that I started experiencing severe back and leg pain (Sciatica). I went to the doctor’s office many times during training and each time they gave me pain killer meds, but did not look into why I was having such terrible and ongoing pain.
I was transferred from Fort Gordon, GA to Fort Dix, NJ in the early summer of 1968 and continued to try and see the doctors there for relief. Finally they put me in Walton Army Hospital at Fort Dix and took a bunch of X-rays. They put me in traction, but did not tell me that there had been any damage detected in the X-rays. After a few weeks I was given a choice; I could go to Walter Reed Hospital for back surgery, or they could just let me out with an Honorable Discharge for medical reasons. The doctor confided in me that the back surgery might leave me paralyzed. Remember, that was 1968, and the surgery techniques were nowhere near as sophisticated as they are today. I took the discharge option of course…
After the Army I was still in severe pain, and I must admit that I was too scared to go have it attended to properly; I opted to just live with the pain. I lived in nearly constant pain for the next 30 years…
Somewhere around 2,001 the pain subsided almost completely. It was a blessing to feel good finally. I wondered why the pain had suddenly stopped. I decided to call my old friend Chuck Rudner about it. Chuck is a top end Orthopedic Surgeon and I had often talked with him about the pain over the years since getting out of the Army. He had always told me to avoid the surgery if possible, but told me that if I felt any numbness I should immediately proceed with the surgery option. He also always admonished me to do my stretching exercises. Needless to say, I didn’t listen to Chuck’s stretching advice on a regular basis, and the pain just continued on.
In 2001 I bought a very high performance motorcycle (a Suzuki Hayabusa) and started riding it. My wife was sure that such a machine, with its characteristic low bars and long reach for the rider, would only make the pain worse. To our great surprise the pain in my back just went away in very short order. When I told Chuck about this he reminded me about the stretching exercises. He said the seating and riding position I was using on that bike effectively stretched me correctly to ease the pain. He just told me to keep riding that bike and also do some supplementary stretching exercises. Hey, that was the most fun advice I’ve ever received from a doctor! I’ve been free from any really serious back pain for several years since. I sold that bike a few years back, but the pain didn’t come back immediately.
On Easter morning I was helping get the house ready for our family gathering and did a bit of heavy lifting and twisting. I was not in pain right away after that, but in the following days I knew that I had done “something” serious to my back. It hit me hard on the following Friday evening. I was experiencing the worst pain I’ve ever had to endure, and this time it was mainly manifested in my upper left thigh area and my lower back. I couldn’t move off the living room floor. On Saturday morning (April 11th), I forced myself to the car and my wife drove me to a Chiropractor. He did an adjustment that gave me some brief relief, but the severe pain came back again in short order. The days at this point just seem a blur. I did not get more than 2 hours of restless sleep over the next few days. Finally the pain was so severe that my wife called 911 and got an ambulance to take me to the hospital.
At the hospital they wanted to take a CT scan of my lower back, but I was in too much pain to lay still long enough for that. They gave me a massive dose of some high-end pain killer via IV, but it didn’t even touch the pain. They then gave me an even more potent pain killer via IV, but, again, it didn’t even phase the pain. The doctor was amazed that I had so much pain medicine in me, but had no relief. As a last effort they gave me a massive dose of Valium, and even though I was still in severe pain, I just didn’t seem to care… I was just able to lie still for the requisite time to get the CT scan done.
The results of the scan showed massive deterioration of my back, with many crushed discs, misaligned discs, a bad scoliosis, and spinal stenosis. Ironically, the immediate problem that was causing the pain was a lower lumbar disc that was pressing on the sciatic nerve. My Chiropractor has since been able to ease that immediate pain, but the CT scan showed that I have many years of problems lying ahead and they need to be addressed as soon as possible. So, in the end, the pain I have had recently turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Without it I might have gone on until I had a total and massive back failure that might include paralysis.
That pretty much brings us up to date. My son, Brian came over last night and moved my computer from my office to a spare bedroom in my house. I can now at least get Stunt News out, and write my Model Aviation column and get it in on time. Within the week I’ll be back in the shop on a limited basis and I should be able to get many nearly finished wing orders out. My plan is to continue making wings up to the January 1, 2016 deadline I had previously mentioned in another thread. I also hope to be able to continue making Lost-Foam fixture sets and foam wing cores for any and all who need them. I will just be retiring from making the fully sheeted foam wings and the full built-up Lost-Foam wings. And, believe me, I will still need and want the revenue that I can generate by doing those items.
For now, all I ask is your prayers for the best possible results for my back issues. I am truly blessed to have so many friends who are concerned about me. I cannot tell you just how much your messages and well wishes/prayers have meant to me.
For this year – at least – flying is out of the question. If this turns out to be the thing that puts me in full competition retirement, then all I can do is Praise the Lord for the many great and fun years I’ve had in this sport. I will continue to support CL and CL Stunt in particular for the duration of my life. It is a privilege to do so.
One good thing is that I should now be able to concentrate more time on Stunt News and get that publication caught up and on schedule.
Thanks again to all who have expressed concern. I am a truly rich man to have so many great friends and brothers.
With optimism… Bob Hunt
Topic: Bob Hunt (Read 9629 times)