Ooops I did it again

Oops, I did it again, (Didn’t Britney Spears have a song that started like that?)

Those of you that know me well know I do not communicate some of my personal calamities (outside of my blog) to too many people…. Even my family has been significantly frustrated by that. I am pretty tough-minded (stubborn), don’t like to trouble people and am generally very private (stupid in some eyes). Frankly, I like it that way. Sorry if that may aggravate some of you at times, but it is who I am and I am not going to change.

Well, to cut to the chase, I had another lower back surgery on Wednesday evening, about 5pm. It was a “borderline emergency” or at least, from my point of view, a DEMAND surgery.

After running the San Francisco Half Marathon on July 25th, I returned to Denver with a bit more soreness on the LEFT side of my body and started to experience the same sciatica pain down my left side that I had had on my right side in November and December of this last year. As you know, I had a very successful surgery on December 29th and was a new man within days. I ran my first half marathon after surgery in April in Oklahoma and felt pretty good. I ran three more after that which included the San Francisco. I have completed 38 of these wonderful races.

Upon returning to Denver, I started helping Morgan and Amanda paint their new home and get some things moved in (plus, I am moving into their condo until it sells) but the sciatica pain started to increase. My doctor made the wise decision to have another MRI taken this last Friday. I was to receive results on Monday, but ended up in the ER Sunday morning with more pain than normal. That Doctor increased my meds but was also able to get his hands on my MRI results and I was made aware of the fact that I had herniated the left side of Lumbar 2/3 (the first injury was at 4/5). So, I was destined for therapy or another surgery. Being in the “superb” shape that I am in for a 60+year old stud, I took a few more drugs and just pressed on waiting for the process to play its self out.

Well……. Wednesday morning (about 2am) I had gotten up to get an ice pack for my hip/leg. I laid on that ice pack for probably an hour and proceeded to fall asleep upon it. At what I think was about 4am, I woke to pain in my leg that was the worst I had ever felt in my entire life. I tried to rub it out to no avail. I ended up calling an ambulance (NO ONE COULD HAVE GOTTEN ME DOWN THE STAIRS AND INTO A CAR) and had them transport me (with TWO morphine injections) to the hospital where my neurosurgeon works hoping he might take me into surgery that day!!!! As it turned out (yes, there is a God), his associate took me as his last surgery for the day at 5pm. I am sorry that I did not notify anyone except my dear friend Holly Hensey who lives about four miles from the hospital and knows how to interpret my morphine laden instructions. Calling just about anyone else at four in the morning seemed stupid especially when you consider how far St. Joseph’s Medical center is from the suburbs. It was kind of fun waking Hensey up in the middle of the night anyway.

I was released to the Department of Corrections by noon, yesterday (Thursday)and I am proud to say I am moving around fine, don’t need anything and am just about ready to move into my new digs at Morgan and Amanda’s condo. I am moving a little bit slower than the previous surgery but not by much. This one was a little more complicated. I have already made trips to the store, had a coffee at my favorite coffee house and plan on a normal weekend (except I will miss an Eagle Scout Court of Honor I was to speak at but have sent the script to be read my someone else). Bottom-line, I am just Ducky!!!

My future marathon career is certainly in doubt, but I am going on record that I will complete at least 50 within the next year or two, even if I have to walk or crawl them. The 100 mark may have to go by the wayside, but I do have a few creative ideas on a new quest of competing to complete 50 of SOMETHING whether it be 50 mini-triathlons, 50-fifty mile bike races (which would be kind of equivalent to a half marathon), or just get out and walk 655 miles (50 X 13.1= 655 miles) over a 30 day vacation and raise money for research on deranged Lebanese men over 60 with apparent death wishes!!! I don’t know….. But stay tuned. Once the back is really healed, the quest will begin.

Thanks for all your support over the last four years and 38 completed halves. Also, thank you for trying to understanding my lunacy and privacy, as strange as it all sounds. Hey, I am almost 61 years old and I am just going to have to do it “MY WAY.”

Mikie (in recuperation stage) Marathoner