I just had my first sail this season after a dibilitating atrophy of
my left leg due to severe nerve compression and subsequent back
surgery. After all the depression and thoughts of selling the boat,
paying a yard to do all the work I used to do, having friends launch
the boat for me, I single handed it in reefing conditions. I've got
my life back. I'm so happy I could cry.

macks
Freedom 36

In article ,
Marc wrote:
I just had my first sail this season after a dibilitating atrophy of
my left leg due to severe nerve compression and subsequent back
surgery. After all the depression and thoughts of selling the boat,
paying a yard to do all the work I used to do, having friends launch
the boat for me, I single handed it in reefing conditions. I've got
my life back. I'm so happy I could cry.

macks
Freedom 36

Please don't cry. You'll short out your keyboard.
--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com

"Marc" wrote in message
...
I just had my first sail this season after a dibilitating atrophy of
my left leg due to severe nerve compression and subsequent back
surgery. After all the depression and thoughts of selling the boat,
paying a yard to do all the work I used to do, having friends launch
the boat for me, I single handed it in reefing conditions. I've got
my life back. I'm so happy I could cry.

macks
Freedom 36

I take it that the back surgery must have been at least moderately
successful, then. Hopefully you will continue to heal and gain strength.
Keep the boat if you can. As you can see, it will be good therapy for you.

--Alan Gomes

Congratulations!

It's nice that you have a boat which is so easy to singlehand, eh?

Frank

Marc,

Glad to hear about your recovery. Was the nerve compression a gradual or
sudden thing?

Did it start with numbness of the skin?

Hope your recovery is swift and complete.

Bob

Yes it was gradual. Found my self having difficulty climbing from the
deck th the cabin top. progressed to nunbness around the knee and
sciatica. Diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis.Had injections which cured
the sciatica but caused extreme pain and total collapse of the leg.
Rejected that surgeon's suggestion of a total lamenectomy and fusion
of the L1-L5 vertebrea and consulted a surgeon at Columbia
Presbyterian. Had a partial laminectomy, left side , L3-L4, L4-L5.
This guy saved my life. Now, heavy rehab, physical therapy and nerve
drugs. Moral: don't wait to see the doctor.


On Mon, 29 May 2006 17:50:10 -0600, "Bob Crantz"
wrote:

Marc,

Glad to hear about your recovery. Was the nerve compression a gradual or
sudden thing?

Did it start with numbness of the skin?

Hope your recovery is swift and complete.

Bob

Marc,
Good move avoiding the fusion. I had the laminectomy of the same discs 15
years ago. At the time, I was unable to walk for 6 months and spent a month
in traction (that didn't help). After the surgery, it took a while to get
back to normal activity, but I've never felt better. I hurt my back playing
football in college, and from the time I was 19 until I reached 35, I had
regular "down" times where I would be unable to work or even walk for a week
or two. That hasn't happened since the surgery (knocking on wood!). My right
leg had visibly atrophied and some of the nerve damage is permanent (I also
waited too long), but life goes on and as the ancient Greeks would say, it's
impossible to suffer without learning, and impossible to learn without
suffering (well, something like that). The sciatica was damned painful, so
that should've been a great lesson (I treat my back with a lot more respect
these days).
Good luck with the rehab, swimming and walking was a great start for me.
About 5 years after the surgery, I was able to get back into weight lifting
and the leg muscle came back with a lot of work.
Scout


"Marc" wrote in message
news
Yes it was gradual. Found my self having difficulty climbing from the
deck th the cabin top. progressed to nunbness around the knee and
sciatica. Diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis.Had injections which cured
the sciatica but caused extreme pain and total collapse of the leg.
Rejected that surgeon's suggestion of a total lamenectomy and fusion
of the L1-L5 vertebrea and consulted a surgeon at Columbia
Presbyterian. Had a partial laminectomy, left side , L3-L4, L4-L5.
This guy saved my life. Now, heavy rehab, physical therapy and nerve
drugs. Moral: don't wait to see the doctor.


On Mon, 29 May 2006 17:50:10 -0600, "Bob Crantz"
wrote:

Marc,

Glad to hear about your recovery. Was the nerve compression a gradual or
sudden thing?

Did it start with numbness of the skin?

Hope your recovery is swift and complete.

Bob

Marc,

Sorry to hear about the back troubles, but I'm happy to hear that
you're able to sail again. The Freedom is certainly the right boat for
someone with back issues. I hope the recovery continues until you're
100%....or at least 95%.
It seems everyone has a back injury story. Mine came about when I
removed someone 300 lbs + from a club I was working years back. He was
dead drunk and I slipped his charge, but mistimed it and got caught.
The funny thing is I didn't really know I was badly hurt until days
later. I walked around for a couple of days then WHAM!!! Agony! I was
in bed for a week....but that led to a very sweet 24 year old waitress
taking care of me and other good things. Sometimes the worst pain leads
to a great insight.
Perhaps an electric winch is in your future? A fellow at my club
installed two because his shoulder is bad. Expensive, but he's sailing.
Wanna come for a sail soon? Suzanne and Thomas will do the sailing!


RB
35s5
NY

Thanks for your good wishes and the invite. I will take you up on it
soon. As for elec. winches, I have Barient 28's and they do just fine.
I can't manhaul the sails anymore, but the winches are adequate to the
task. Having said that, a low cost and effective alternate is a
Milwaukee 3109-24 RT. Angle 18 Volt Drill with 600 inch/lbs of torque
or its 28 volt cousin with 1000 inch/lbs. Stick a winch bit in one of
those and your good to go.


On 30 May 2006 04:25:35 -0700, "Capt. Rob" wrote:

Marc,

Sorry to hear about the back troubles, but I'm happy to hear that
you're able to sail again. The Freedom is certainly the right boat for
someone with back issues. I hope the recovery continues until you're
100%....or at least 95%.
It seems everyone has a back injury story. Mine came about when I
removed someone 300 lbs + from a club I was working years back. He was
dead drunk and I slipped his charge, but mistimed it and got caught.
The funny thing is I didn't really know I was badly hurt until days
later. I walked around for a couple of days then WHAM!!! Agony! I was
in bed for a week....but that led to a very sweet 24 year old waitress
taking care of me and other good things. Sometimes the worst pain leads
to a great insight.
Perhaps an electric winch is in your future? A fellow at my club
installed two because his shoulder is bad. Expensive, but he's sailing.
Wanna come for a sail soon? Suzanne and Thomas will do the sailing!


RB
35s5
NY

Been there....I f was devastated when I ripped my knee and tibia apart and
wasn't weight bearing for 5 months...the boat was the one incentive to get
through all the physical therapy and walk again. It was about the best goal
there could be, to be able to climb aboard again...Glad to hear you made it
to the goal....

"Marc" wrote in message
...
I just had my first sail this season after a dibilitating atrophy of
my left leg due to severe nerve compression and subsequent back
surgery. After all the depression and thoughts of selling the boat,
paying a yard to do all the work I used to do, having friends launch
the boat for me, I single handed it in reefing conditions. I've got
my life back. I'm so happy I could cry.

macks
Freedom 36