Post by noodlepoodle on Aug 24, 2006 9:23:55 GMT -5
As all of you know by now, Dick Slater was unable to make the trip to Fanfest in Rockville because of having back surgery a couple of days before the show. To give a little background on Slater’s back problems, because of a buildup of old wrestling injuries and a bad fall from a dock a few years ago (which was the final straw), Dick had major back surgery several years ago and had steel rods implanted in his spine. He now has “flat back syndrome”. Here’s a simple definition:
"Flat back syndrome" refers to the loss of the normal curvature of the lumbar spine or the loss of the curvature of the thoracic spine, so that the spine becomes straight. Patients with flat back syndrome develop a painful flat back deformity as the result of degenerative arthritis of the spine, or as a consequence of a previous spinal fusion operation. Flat back syndrome describes a number of symptoms and changes in the normal alignment of the spine, including chronic pain in the muscles of the back, abnormal posture, difficulty with certain activities, and cosmetic concerns. Many patients with a significant flat back deformity require a cane of a walker to assist them when walking, because they are stooped forward, and their weight is not centered over their pelvis and legs. It can be a source of significant pain, disability, and frustration
Dick is in constant pain in his back, such that he can’t sit or stand for long periods of time – he has to keep moving around to ease the pain. He has seen many doctors about his back problem, and a few weeks after he first contacted Greg about coming to Rockville, he went to a new doctor who said he could implant a stimulator in his spine that would send electrical charges to the nerves and should ease some of his pain. Unfortunately, the only time he could schedule this surgery was two days before Fanfest started. Dick was still hoping that he would still be able to attend Fanfest, but with the pain from the surgery and having wires sticking out of his back, there was no way he could fly up there. And almost every time he changed his bandages, he’d pull the wires out and would have to go back to the hospital to have them reinserted.
Last Wednesday, Dick went back in for his final surgery to have the wires inserted under the skin and a small battery implanted in his back. I talked to him yesterday and he said the stimulator is relieving probably 60% of his pain right now, and he hopes that it will get even better with time. This is an interim step in his pain management, and if it doesn’t work well enough, he will have to have major back surgery again, which would entail an 8-9 hour operation and a very long recovery.
So, he’s just taking it easy and moving kind of slow right now and going to his weekly doctor’s appointments.
And I’m going to paraphrase what he has told me several times on the telephone and that is that he is sorry that he didn’t get to make it to Rockville, and he apologizes to the fans for not making the show, and he hopes to see them at another Fanfest on down the line.
"Flat back syndrome" refers to the loss of the normal curvature of the lumbar spine or the loss of the curvature of the thoracic spine, so that the spine becomes straight. Patients with flat back syndrome develop a painful flat back deformity as the result of degenerative arthritis of the spine, or as a consequence of a previous spinal fusion operation. Flat back syndrome describes a number of symptoms and changes in the normal alignment of the spine, including chronic pain in the muscles of the back, abnormal posture, difficulty with certain activities, and cosmetic concerns. Many patients with a significant flat back deformity require a cane of a walker to assist them when walking, because they are stooped forward, and their weight is not centered over their pelvis and legs. It can be a source of significant pain, disability, and frustration
Dick is in constant pain in his back, such that he can’t sit or stand for long periods of time – he has to keep moving around to ease the pain. He has seen many doctors about his back problem, and a few weeks after he first contacted Greg about coming to Rockville, he went to a new doctor who said he could implant a stimulator in his spine that would send electrical charges to the nerves and should ease some of his pain. Unfortunately, the only time he could schedule this surgery was two days before Fanfest started. Dick was still hoping that he would still be able to attend Fanfest, but with the pain from the surgery and having wires sticking out of his back, there was no way he could fly up there. And almost every time he changed his bandages, he’d pull the wires out and would have to go back to the hospital to have them reinserted.
Last Wednesday, Dick went back in for his final surgery to have the wires inserted under the skin and a small battery implanted in his back. I talked to him yesterday and he said the stimulator is relieving probably 60% of his pain right now, and he hopes that it will get even better with time. This is an interim step in his pain management, and if it doesn’t work well enough, he will have to have major back surgery again, which would entail an 8-9 hour operation and a very long recovery.
So, he’s just taking it easy and moving kind of slow right now and going to his weekly doctor’s appointments.
And I’m going to paraphrase what he has told me several times on the telephone and that is that he is sorry that he didn’t get to make it to Rockville, and he apologizes to the fans for not making the show, and he hopes to see them at another Fanfest on down the line.
