scdean 0 #1 January 8, 2003 I'm pretty sure I'll need spine surgery in the next month or so and I was wondering if anyone out there has had this before and still been able to skydive. If so I'd like to know what you went through, how long it took before you could jump again, etc. Thanks. Shannon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #2 January 8, 2003 After 7 months of horrible sciatic pain - the worst pain I've ever experienced - I had two discs removed and L4/L5/S1 fused on January 4th, 2001. Went back to work part time two months later, full time a couple months after that (I have a "sit down" job). I did one jump in June of '01 but that was really too soon for me. Got back into the air for real on 1/5/02; did 130+ jumps in '02, almost all RW, including some fast falling stuff where I had to really arch. Let your surgeon know that you're a jumper and that you intend to return to jumping once you're recovered. Insist on physical therapy post-surgery and do the exercises religiously. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or need encouragement. Oh, and enjoy the pain pills... just don't enjoy them too much. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scdean 0 #3 January 8, 2003 A doctor at the ER told me yesterday that I could never jump again. Funny how people that don't skydive think they know what it does to you. Also funny that I hurt myself PACKING this time, not skydiving. It's only 1 disk I need repaired (C7/T1) so maybe mine won't take an entire year to heal. Anyway, I really appreciate you telling me your story, thanks. It gives me hope. And I'll definitely do the physical therapy. Great advise. :) Shannon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybytch 273 #4 January 8, 2003 Quote A doctor at the ER told me yesterday that I could never jump again. Eh, what do they know? I got lucky I guess; my surgeon doesn't jump but he apparently understood the addiction. Quote It's only 1 disk I need repaired (C7/T1) so maybe mine won't take an entire year to heal. Hopefully you won't need the fusion; that's the part that kept me grounded for so long. wingnut (another poster here) had one disk worked on (no fusion) and was jumping again within a few months. I would suggest that if you don't already have a slow opening main, get one before you get back in the air and be religious about stow band tension and packing for a slow opening. I had one real whacker that I think was caused by line dump back in May; left my back hurting for months. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingnut 0 #5 January 8, 2003 yup had a micodiscectomy on my l5-s1 disk. they took out a little piece of my vertebre so they cold gain acess on my disk, moved the nerve root over and cut out the protrudng disk material (10mm worth) stapled me up and i'm great.. got some rsidual nerve damage (frm the injury, not surgery) but oh well..... this was in july, made one stupid jump in augus at wffc and since then i have been jumping my ass off... but i don't jump my sabre anymore..i love my new safire with it's forever openings........ ______________________________________ "i have no reader's digest version" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kingbunky 3 #6 January 8, 2003 i don't know the numbers, but i had surgery when i was 20 or 21 on my lower back, hurt it in my lumberjack days. i had a pinched sciatic nerve, my doctor kept putting off surgery for almost a year, then finally sent me to a neurosurgeon who did some xrays and then operated the next day. been fine since though (17 years!), and that included almost 10 years of bouncing around in a freightliner. good luck!"Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart." MB4252 TDS699 killing threads since 2001 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
