Back Surgery and Dexascans

This week we have been in Dallas with our daughter. She had some very extensive back surgery. I am happy to say she is doing well and it is for several reasons. One, she is in an amazing hospital with the best doctor for her back issue in the country, and two, she is in great physical shape. 5 years ago she had a discectomy    (gymnastic pounding and then simple wear and tear left her with real problems) then last year the discectomy failed and she was left with bone on bone in her back and a lot of pain...constant pain. So she went in search of a cure but she had decided against any kind of surgery...no, never...nope, no surgery. EVER!! 

Then as we were crowded around the TV watching the Masters this last April the announcer mentioned Tiger Wood’s back. His injury was exactly like Ashleigh’s. Same place, same problems, same pain....immediately she started researching and by Friday morning of that week she had found all the information on his surgery and his doctor. By Friday afternoon she had sent all her x-rays and history to the doctor to find out if she was a candidate. By Monday the doctor determined she was a very good candidate. Things going fast? A little too fast because she was determined to never have surgery again. But then, the pain that was always there got worse and after several consultations she decided to go ahead with it. 

The surgery and everything connected with it was a success. From the front office to the nursing staff things ran like clockwork. Everyone involved kept remarking on her quick recovery...over and over they said it was because she was in great physical shape. For the last year even though she was in terrible pain she never stopped eating well and using her Peloton. 

Once again life comes down to being proactive and not reactive.

Two of my friends had some serious falls in the recent past. One tripped over a hose while she was pumping gas, the other slipped and fell at work, both told me they werent doing anything out of the ordinary but from the resulting injuries both needed shoulder surgery. Simple falls that have turned into a year long recovery. I am not saying we can prevent every injury in life, accidents occur, but we can be in better shape to mitigate such a long, long recovery. A simple fact is more muscle around our bones and then just stronger bones helps us recover faster and get injured less.

Muscle buildup and stronger bones comes from exercise...weight training is the best thing you can do to build up your muscles and bones that will help prevent an injury. There is a test called a DEXA scan that I highly recommend. The technical definition is “Two x-ray beams with different energy levels, are aimed at the patients bones. When soft tissue absorption is subtracted out, the bone mineral density can be determined from the absorption of each beam by bone.”  Or in Donna terms you can find out your bone density, muscle mass and total body fat. We all need to know those numbers to be able to prepare for better futures. The owner of my gym, Gene Carrillo, is offering a free DEXA scan test to anyone who calls and mentions my little blog and takes a tour of the facilities. What a great way to bribe my friends to come in and see all the fun stuff and get a painless test for free? Call Paula at 702-750-9420 then mention my name and get this great test so that you will have more information about your body that can help you have a better future.