"@paflytyer" Road to recovery after major back surgery (1 Viewer)

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Hey guys, @paflytyer (Stan) and I have been communicating regularly throughout this surgery, pre and post op. We go way back and have had tons of great trips and times together. He is really grateful about all the well wishes that the MUD family has been providing.

As you know, Stan had major back surgery and is embarking on a long road to recovery. He is battling through both physical and mental hurdles as his body recovers from the surgery. Personally, I have never experienced anything like what he is going through, but I know Stan, and this is no joke. He has had major ups and downs, post op and is having to cope with stuff he hasn't dealt with before (loss of feeling to various parts of body, major difficulty doing the most simple of things). Stan has a great support system and Dr.'s have provided a postive outlook for him. However, it will be a long road to get where the Dr. expects him to get to. Stan is ready for the battle ahead, but it will a trying next few months, that is for sure.

Stan asked me to provide this short update and he thanks everyone who has reached out to support him. Thx guys. ~chris
 
The human body has amazing adaptive skills.

I had an emergency C-spine decompression and fusion of C4-6 after a neck injury (two ruptured disks), had lost most feeling in my legs from mid-thigh down, numbness in hands and arms and couldn't walk without falling. I went from test to test and finally, from an MRI to surgery scheduling within a day. The waiting and uncertainty is the worst of it. My neurosurgeon gave me 30/30/30 surgery odds: Same as I was post-injury, better, or worse. In other words; "I'll do my best but who the f!ck knows, we'll see."

Luckily the outcome was better than pre-surgery (but not the same as pre-injury) but I've adapted. Take it slow but steady, push on through when PT is so painful you want to quit, and keep your eye on your goals.

On another note, I've worked FAA IT jobs in the past and have been in just about every site with a computer in the NW/SW regions including TRACONs/ARTCCs/ROs, mountain-top outposts etc. The professionalism and dedication of the people that keep us safe in the air and on the ground left a lasting impression on me, and you guys are unsung everyday heroes IMO. You'll get back to "pushing tin" soon enough, so don't rush it.

Good luck!
 
Thanks for post up Paulo and the update Chris!

Stan, hope this life hurdle for you will soon and fast be a distant memory and we're set up camping on the banks of the Owyhee, as we discussed at lunch a couple months ago in Parker, throwing flies for big Browns!
 
hey Stan although we have not have not yet meet in person we emailed here and thru instagram hope you get well soon and we get to hang out and talk about your cruisers. Will pray for you and hope for a good recovery.
 
Thank you all for the well wishes and prayers. I will have better updates later this weekend as I start knowing/learning more about my prognosis.

Thanks @bluecruiser for being for more than just a friend on the forum but being a brother and someone willing to take a phone call or send a joke at 2am just because you knew I could use it.

Thanks @Get outside for always offering help or just an ear or a word of encouragement. It also helps that your lovely bride is a medical professional and can sympathize with my plight.

Everyone else's words of encouragement, love and support mean the world to me and I read them more than once per day.

The TLCA community has been fantastic (would you expect anything less?) and I'm looking forward to finishing the Nov/Dec issue of Toyota Trails as best I can. (For those of you that are TLCA members, you'll recognize the last cover image was of @benc splashing through the water on Imogene during HIH5! Even the new issue of OutdoorX4 has an HIH5 photo gracing the cover!

I'm looking forward to updating my progress and getting back to "normal" as soon as possible. See you soon!

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Wow Stan I'm very sorry to hear about the anguish you're going through. I know you and I have chatted about back issues several times in the past (and mine are nowhere near yours), and I hope this surgery leads to the relief you deserve! I pray the near term pain pays dividends in long term gain and health and comfort!
 
Sorry to hear the news. Hope you have a speedy recovery!
 
While we've never met, I just wanted to wish you the best. I know it's tough to be sidelined from your job and the outdoor pursuits you love. You will appreciate those sunrises and rising trout even more on the other side of this.
 
I don't know you, Stan, but you're in my thoughts, and I've enjoyed reading your inspiring words. I truly wish you the best.
 
Wanted to say thanks to the forum moderators for leaving the tread in the 100 section!

Thanks for the update Chris!

Stan, you are most welcome and I mean it! No one can do it alone. It requires a lot of strength to navigate through what you're enduring and I can just hope and pray we have been stepping up enough!
 
Stan,

Wishing you a speedy and successful recovery... Best of luck to you and your family.
 
Best wishes for a successful recovery!
 
Healing vibes heading your way ...
 
Thanks guys. Another long night has come and gone. It seems so strange to me that I've been going through this for nearly 10 days now.

When I re-read the post that Paulo initially posted, (which I obviously can't edit because it's his posting) I am slightly embarrassed by all the typos and run-ons, but I also know where my state of mind was at the time when I wrote it as a Facebook update. If you look hard enough at the next Toyoya Trails (or
anything I've ever written), you'll find
plenty of mistakes there as well, but I can assure you that as much as I want my words to sound and read as professional as possible, the importance of such things has taken their place somewhere beyond the backseat of the 100. Maybe not in the Trasharoo, but not next to the really important things in life either. Especially when I'm typing with my thumbs from an iPhone in a hospital bed.

I've had some moral and medical victories and some setbacks. Most of them are very personal that will remain with my closest friends and family but I will say that I will continue to fight over every hurdle, every step and every bump on the trail. I'm alive and I have a support system that rivals any in the world. There are literally millions of people who will live the rest of their lives far worse than I was on my worst day. I will always find solace in the fact that I am so fortunate to have the gifts that I have in my life. I'm still not able to walk, but I work on it every day and I wont quit until I take my own steps.

Thank you all for the well wishes, many from those of you whom I have never met, and many whom I consider the best friends and family I could ask for.

If you've ever been skeptical of the power of friendship, love, energy, prayer and positive thinking..... I'm here to tell you that it's no hoax. There is something bigger than all of us at work.

Hit the trail for me this week, it's my absolute favorite time of the year to be under the canopy of fall colors and bright stars.

-Stan
 
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Stan, Amen to the power of friendship, love, energy, prayer and positive thinking. Praying for your full recovery!
 
Hit the trail for me this week, it's my absolute favorite time of the year to be under the canopy of fall colors and bright stars.

-Stan

Frank and I were actually talking about you at the OutdoorX4 booth here at Expo East as you were typing this response!
 

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