IGX "...overflowing with foulmouthed ignorance."

Life goes on. I'm still weak as shit. They're thinking it's thoracic outlet syndrome now. Feels a little bit better but I'm still not getting the whole nerve message down the line.

I've been doing some sled pushes, riding my bike, bulgarian squats, curls, bird dogs, light shoulder exercises, cable flys (not sure if they're really getting much activation).

Still rolling/stretching, mobility, PT, etc.

What a fucking dickbag of an injury.

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Got an MRI/Neurogram on brachial plexus today. They're worried about the pec atrophy which shouldn't be a symptom of C7 herniation. still feels like a lat/scap/T spine issue to me. I think the herniation may have been a red herring. I do however seem to have stopped shrinking and I can feel a little activation in the pec now.

Seem to have been making a little progress with manual therapy in scap/subscap/serratus/rotator cuff areas.

I did 5 pushups today. Most since injury.

Workouts consisting of bulgarian squats w/ 20kg, strict standing curls, bird dogs, leg raises, face pulls, suitcase carries, sled pushes.

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Second neurologist opinion today, he wants to do a full anterior discectomy w/ fusion. Fuck that. I'm starting to consider the posterior discectomy surgery at this point.

Have an appt w/ a chiro tomorrow that does some spinal decompression. I need some people to start siding w/ the non-surgical procedures or I'm gonna have to bite the bullet soon.

May try to see an orthopedist but it doesn't seem like the disc matter will ever back off the nerve w/o surgery.

Plugging away at the gym. Pec/tri is definitely getting a little better, floor pressed a 10kg db for a set of 5 today as a quick test, super easy. Not sure I could have done that 3 mos ago.

Rolling, stretching, then typical routine is 2-3 sets of 10-20 bulgarian squats, curls, SLRDL (bar only), cable rows, cable flys, birddog/deadbug
pushing the sled once a week
riding my bike

cleaning up the diet and doing a modified IF: having a bulletproof style coffee in the AM, fasting until dinner. cutting back on drinking as much as possible.

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Fuzzy, have you explored alternatives like acupuncture?
I know Acu isn't a cure-all, but I've seen it relieve several "structural" issues. Seems worth a shot before the knives come out.

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The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

W.B. Yeats

Consultation at chiro/acu clinic tomorrow actually. Hopefully get some non surgical advice

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Well, Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and a few others had their necks fused and were able to still do freaking pro wrestling afterward, so there is hope. IIRC, a couple years after finally retiring, Austin had little to no symptoms and pain anymore. Then again he had the best surgeons money could buy, like Dr James Andrews.

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Chiro says he can help with some things - one rib out, something out of place higher up in C spine, possible issue that he can adjust @ first rib but...

He thinks that 4mm herniation is too much to be corrected via traction or any loosening or realignment and seems to be of the opinion that I should get the surgery. He is also worried about the TOS being quite a bitch.

Surgery is imminent

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Going under the knife tomorrow at 7am. Posterior discectomy to remove 4mm protrusion at C6-7 and 2mm at C5-6. Hopefully this is the first step towards a full recovery.

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Good luck, Fuzzy!

No fusion?

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Good luck Fuzzz

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"Prepare your hearts as a fortress, for there will be no other." -Francisco Pizarro González

Good luck

Thanks guys. I'm alive and well. EDIT: No fusion, rear discectomy. We'll see if this actually worked in the next few days I suppose, Doc seemed happy but I was still a bit loopy when I talked to him.

Mother fuckers must have screwed the shit out of the halo I got some bigass bloody dents in my head.

I see a solid few days of Norco and muscle relaxers, party on!

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Also, apparently I had a catheter in during the procedure. I go to take a leak into the bed bottle afterwards and at the end my dick literally rips a huge fart. A huge wet fart. Hilarious.

Urban dictionary calls this a "quofe" I dunno if that's a mashup of Bro and Queef but one can only hope

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Shit, that made me chuckle big time! =D> =D> =D>

damn, yall motherfuckers need to log more workouts. I haven't touched this thing in 2 months because I can't actually do shit and it barely even pushed to page 2.

Back in PT post-surgery. Having some scapular stability problems on the right side so we're working to correct that as well as get my serratus working. TOS still seems to be the driving force behind my weakness.

Been running through this two times:
3lb dumbbells
Y, W, T raises x10, bent over
Front and side raises x10, standing (all the way overhead)

10lb dumbbells:
"snow angels" on floor, palms up
serratus activation press on floor

Bird dog 10/10
deadbug 3lbs 10/10

curls 10lb (LOL) x 25 focusing on keeping shoulders back and stable

Pushups to footboard of bed x 10 focusing on staying even b/w right and left

I may mix in a set of 5 skull crushers w/ the 10s while I'm on the floor (LOL again). My right triceps still doesn't really work that well.

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First day back at the gym

Y/W/T, Front/Side raises x10 - 2kg DBs
Ground halo x 10 - 5kg DBs
bird dog/dead bug x 10/10
curls 10kg x 10
pushups to medium box x 10
plank/right/left (30 secs each)
triceps pushdown 9lbs on kaiser single arm prone grip
core board lat hold

2 rounds:
bulgarian squat 2x10kgx10/10
RDL 2x15kgx10

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Good to see you back at it! I hope you're doing well!

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http://vimeo.com/57124468

https://vimeo.com/72300807

Thanks, Mick. Feels like I'm on the way back.

3/3 Pretty typical day of late. Really concentrating on keeping my ribcage locked down and not overextending in lumbar. Weights in kg except cables.

Warmup/PT Stuff
2 rounds:
Y,W,T,Front,Side 1kgx10
skull crusher 5+5kgx10 (think that's the most i've done)
Laying "snow angel" 5kgx10
curls, really concentrating on keeping shoulders stable, 10+10kg x 12
Bird dog x 10+10
Dead Bug 3kg DBs x 10+10
Cobra 30 secs

"Strength" work
2 rounds: Cable Row 120 x 20, Pushup on CoreBoard x 10, 8
2 rounds: 1 arm cable pull x [email protected], Cable flye x 15 @ 20, bent over row 15kgx15+15, floor press 12.5+12.5x10

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Been mixing it up

Pushups, Floor Press, DB and cable flyes
barbell rows, cable rows, 1 arm kneeling pulldowns, lat press downs, kneeling DB rows
1 leg bulgarian sq, DB RDL, goblet squat
curls, rope pushdowns, DB skull crushers
bird dog, dead bug, plank, side plank
YWT,OH,Side raise
Some light prowler pushing


Pushups - can get 10 "good" ones, did 12 first set today

Concentrating on keeping my shoulders back, rib cage down (esp on rows), head back

Rolling out and stretching every time i'm in the gym. Been wearing the vibrams and my ankle mobility/foot arches seem to be getting better.

Need to ask about: barbell bench press, Overhead work, incline, GHD, trap bar DL, walking lunges, suitcase carry, pull up progression, rings/trx rows

neck been a little sore last couple days, going to lay off tomorrow and PT on Thursday. Hopefully he can loosen it up.

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I did 15 push-ups at PT today.best since injury, was even until the last one.

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20 pushups... still something wrong. Scapula/lat/rib who knows. I'm getting stronger i guess.

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roll/stretch/light prowler pushes/db raise rehab exercises

3 rounds
Goblet Squat 30kg x 10
RDL 60kg x 10
Curls 15 kg x 8
deadbug 4kg/bird dog x 10+10

3 rounds
bulgarian squat 2x20kg x 8+8
RDL 2x20kg x 8
Bench Press 50kg x 10, 55kg x 10, 60kg x 7
Rope cable row 100/120/140lb x 15

Done at a pace to keep my heart up but not to stress.

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Monday
Did 3 sets of 10 BP @ 60kg

Wed
Supplement = 10 push-ups, 10 curls, 10 cable rows

Squat lbbs
60x10 + supp
80x8 + supp
5 rounds
100x5 + supp

Three rounds
RDL 60 x 10 + Bulgarian [email protected]+15kg x10/10 + supp

That's 10x10 push-ups seems like an improvement... Still failing on single sets around 20 but the multi sets of 10 weren't too bad. To me this is evidence of nerve issue since nerve fatigue recovers quickly but fails with immediacy during longer sets. Maybe I don't know wtf I'm talking about.

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Been mountain biking 1-2 times per week up in the Santa Monica mountains. Typically 12-15 miles each ride, maybe 2000 ft of vertical gain. fire roads up, single tracks down, more or less. I'm really loving it. Converted my bike over to singlespeed recently because HARDKORE!

One of the guys I ride with has suggested heading over to one of the local velodromes, it's a very inexpensive outlay to get certified so I'm thinking of doing that soon, become a full on fixie douche.

Gym 1-2 times per week, typically push/pull + abs. Occasional squat workout. Still haven't deadlifted since the injury in Jan 2014.
Current maxes (no laughing)
BP 87.5 kg (10+ effort)
Squat 140 kg (8-9 effort)

Starting to accept that I may not ever regain the strength I lost, there must be some serious nerve damage. My right pec looks considerably larger than it did about a year ago though so I'm still holding out some hope, not even sure I can still call myself "half tit".

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