Best wishes Josh Seawell

I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face, I'm so blown away by the kindness and generosity of RGO.  Thank you John for giving us this place, it is such a blessing and it has given me the opportunity to "meet" such wonderful friends.  

Regarding the amount of pain, it was certainly an experiment in human suffering / survival / faith / perseverance.   This post will probably be very long so I thank anyone in advance that takes the time to read it. 

This is all very new to me so I'm a little blurry on the numbers and which disc did exactly what but basically I had 2 discs rupture, I believe they were in sequential places in my lower spine.  So I had material from those disc rupture out of both sides and was resting on 2 separate roots of nerves.  The surgeon described it as "hitting your funny bone 24/7 with no relief."  

The wildest part of the journey is that I did not/could not sleep for 5 straight days(even at the hospital hooked up to every IV med you can imagine).  I wear an Apple Watch with a sleep tracker and it tracked 0 minutes.  It was something I didn't even know was humanly possible.  I was in unbelievable pain yes, but there was just a battle in general to stay sane and not go into shock.  To be completely honest, I just wanted to die but I just kept thinking about my wife and kids.  

During the very worst moments, the only thing I could do was turn on some old favorite hymns/worship songs on my phone and sit the phone on the pillow right beside my ear.  During the absolute darkest place I could ever imagine I still felt God's presence there with me and He sustained me.  That's the only reason I'm still here and I'm just so incredibly thankful.  

Thank you John, thank you RGO I will never, ever forget all the love and support you guys are giving me right now and God forbid you ever find yourself in a similar situation, just know I will move heaven and earth to help you in that time.  

God Bless, love you guys!
Josh

Good to hear you’re doing better, hang in there bro!

I have experienced the same thing.. the pain is unbearable.....it is akin to a grenade going off in your spine......take your time to recover and when appropriate be a rehab demon.....I wish you a speedy recovery mate

Wiz

Feel better Josh. I’ll keep you in my prayers. Believe it or not, I had to relearn how to walk in 2017. My issue was neurological. Either way, if you need to chat feel free to reach out.

I’m so so sorry to hear you went through something similar Vincent. I really appreciate you sharing as that gives me a lot of hope that things can get back to normal eventually.

Ahh dang it. I’m sorry Josh. Hang in there man. Stay focused on all those things that keep you going and let that body heal up. All my best to you and yours. You will get through it!

Thanks for the update, Josh. Continuing to pray for you and your family as you begin your journey of healing and recovery.

Many of us can relate to different degrees with what you have experienced. Back and associated nerve issues are physically and emotionally debilitating. I've had three herniations in the same spot since 2019, the first requiring surgery and the second in late 2021 causing me to visit the doc in a wheelchair and spend my days and nights in a recliner for more than nine weeks. Took months before I could lay down in bed, and then even make it through the night. Still continuing to have issues. I'm not saying any of my herniations were the level of yours, but just want you to know I (and others here) understand where you're at. It's a long road, so be patient and set expectations accordingly.

I have about every PT exercise for this type of recovery memorized, but even doing those as a part of my daily routine the past three years did not prevent me from this third instance. I encourage you to do your research, be your own advocate, and find a PT that not only provides the (proper) exercises but one who delivers a holistic view to help you make mechanical and movement changes in your daily routine so you avoid compromising situations going forward. (Most PTs are not trained to take that approach.) I mentioned to you, but I'll state again for the benefit of those in this thread that the book "Back Mechanic" by Stuart McGill is a great resource that transcends an exercise-only approach to recovery and long-term back health. In fact, it points out some "typical" PT exercises that most of us have likely been given but are not the best to practice.

Always available for a chat or a Zoom if you would like. Hang in there!

I've just seen this Josh ; wishing you a speedy recovery and commiserating re the pain and turmoil you're facing.
I've donated - you should know you've paid it forward with your terrific vids and generous spirit, we greatly appreciate it.
lovely to see the photo of your wife and family - they're definitely worth saying "Yes" for.
All my best.
Cheers, Ross

Thanks for the u87 Shootout! Really helped me, rest up and get well

This is very encouraging to hear!  It seems like everyone I knew growing up that had back surgery didn't really get better but that has seemed to change so I'm glad to hear your Dad finally found relief!  Thank you for sharing your experience, each story like this gives me much needed hope.

I hope you love your LH95s!  They just have that something special that is hard to find!  

Josh man, I am so sorry you are going through this. Nerve and back pain is unbearable. I will definitely keep you in my prayers. I've been going through an unidentifiable set of issues since this past summer. Two emergency MRI's so far on the lumbar spine for suspected cauda equina syndrome. My issues are in both legs/feet and the saddle area. Basically everything from low back and waist down. I woke up Nov 20th at 5 am feeling like someone had poured hot lava on my back. When I quickly went to get up out of bed, both of my legs were weak. I was riding to the hospital and much of where the sun doesn't shine was on fire and progressively going numb. I remember how painful that was but also just how terrifying it was. I've dealt with all of that on and off for months now seeing various specialists. The current thing to rule out is multiple sclerosis. Though I suspect my centrally placed herniations in the lumbar spine are to blame partially.

All this to say, at least to some degree, I understand and I am so sorry you have to deal with this. Surgery is so much better now. I am sure you will recover with your positive attitude and prayers. Try not to get discouraged or angry with slow progress as anything neurological is so quickly affected by our mental state. You will get better, just remember that.

We're all pulling for you to get better and fast!

Oh wow! What horrible news..I was just watching one of your demo videos yesterday, Josh.


Praying for deep healing and for peace in the midst of so much chaos, my friend. It's beautiful to know that old hymns brought you comfort at lowest points. Here's one I've turned to in times of sickness. (zero disrespect meant for anyone with different views)