BACK!! Back From Back Surgery!

Well, I FINALLY went and had Back Surgery! VERY sore from my new "Spinal Cord Stimulator", but it seems to be having the desired effect-- I CAN SIT! Sit to draw, sit to drive... Just have to get used to a foreign object residing in my body sending electrical impulses, blocking my recurring nerve pain.

"PEANUTS" homage, featuring a Schulz-style caricature of my lovely wife Alice...!

 While I've been away dealing with pain and OTHER personal issues, I DID make time to do a few "Halloween-themed" drawings of a few folks and myself....

Another Charles Schulz tribute featuring Jax and me....

...Oh, and HERE's one of famous radio personality and lifestyle coach/guru Henry Pennington from "The Uncle Henry Show".

"WHAT In The WORLD...?" (An Update on My Journey)

Well, here we are. It's mid-December, and I haven't been to work since the end of October due to back pain. I have been at home, but unable to get any real drawing or artwork done. This is BEYOND ridiculous.

 To catch you up, I injured my back at the beginning of summer in 2009. I missed a month of work back then, and have been dealing with recurring issues on-and-off ever since. Initially, I was treated by The Orthopedic Group, and informed that I had severely bulging discs-- a degenerative condition. The prognosis was that ruptured/bulging discs were pushing out, putting pressure on the nerves. This causes lower back pain that runs all the way down to the toes. (Imagine the sensation of your hip socket lined with abrasive sandpaper. Stabbing sensation in buttocks. The feeling of severe muscle pain and fatigue, even though you've done nothing...! The feeling of a 'stone bruise' in your heel.) They tried to treat me, but after a year I was sadly showing no improvement. Drugs, local epidurels & physical therapy weren't working.
My wife suggested a second opinion, so I went to Coastal Neurological Institute to see if they had another option. Dr. Tyler informed me that my condition hadn't improved, and that since this was degenerative, surgery wasn't an option 'at present'. He, in turn, referred me to Dr. Rainer at Bayside Orthopedic. Dr. Rainer is a physiologist who specializes in 'nerve pain'. The first thing HE did was change my medicine, which allowed me to sleep through the night for the first time in over a year.
 I was then scheduled for another 'area specific' epidurel to isolate the nerves affected by the bulging discs.
These tend to last a lot longer, and I'm usually fine for about six months unless I do anything. I mean literally 'do anything'. If I pick anything up, "Ouch!" If I twist the wrong way, "Ouch!"
 Sometimes it's instantaneous, sometimes gradual. This most recent go-round has me unable to sit, as it pains me greatly to bend my hip or sit on my buttocks for very long. I'm sure people were wondering why I always had a 'bad look' on my face. Believe me, it was unintentional. My boss at my day job had told me that if I was unable to shave, I was unable to come to work. (He has had a history with back pain issues, so he understands perfectly what I'm dealing with!)
I am currently kneeling as I type this, but can't do that for very long, either, as it is tough on the knees. I can't accept artwork commissions because I'm unable to sit or get comfortable. This is frustrating, since I'm home with all of this 'free time'. I'm either lying flat on the floor or reclining. (The first few weeks of endless college football coverage were cool, but that got old QUICK...!) Another joy is when clients who have already received their requested works are slow to pay. It's such a joy.
It also helps when the nurses or doctor's assistants don't write down instructions the doctor verbally issues or call in prescriptions in a timely manner. It evokes a 'special emotion' when paperwork isn't promptly sent in, so I don't even get a paycheck! (BTW, I PAY for my own disability insurance, so in addition this just makes me feel precious!)
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Happy Holidays, and please keep me in your prayers!

AAARRRrrrrgghhhhhhh! (And Not The 'Pirate' Kind!)

Finding a chair and/or position in which to draw comfortably is becoming more and more difficult.

This crap is WAAAYYYY past being old. I have too much to do to be unable to sit for more than a few minutes at a time.

Another epidural tomorrow will, hopefully, help.

I'll Try ANYthing...!!

Well, I am off to get an epidural today!

Hopefully, this will enable me to function properly.

Please pray that it works in order that I might become a productive citizen again.

Recovery & Miscellaneous Ramblings

Alright, I am growing weary of lying down or sitting still and rehabilitating my injured back. (Note to self: Don't over-do it!) After a month of this sedentary lifestyle, I am anxious to get moving. Not too much, since I am still very sore and now also weak from inactivity.

BAMA TWINS Update

Cole and Wade Ellis have been doing their thing, crawling and now toddling as they prepare for the upcoming University of Alabama Crimson Tide football season. Colton, shown below with dad Wendell last month, is sporting a mohawk and practicing his game face.

Wade, shown below with Uncle Brent, is working on his repertoire of faces and funny noises as he perfects 'The Pig Show', his on-going comedy routine.

That reminds me: Only 74 Days 'Til Kickoff...!

While I Wait..... (Medicated Inspiration)

Well, I am still on the disabled list and unable to walk normally, much less work. As the doctor told me "Not to lift anything heavier than a pencil", my activities are limited. Begin physical therapy on back & hip Monday.
While I wait for another Mardi Gras theme, I couldn't resist some silly cartoons and wordplay:

First, an homage to Povenmire & Marsh.....


...And a nod to Frank Miller....

WHEN Will I Return To Work....?

Still awaiting word from the doctor about when I will be cleared to return to work after injuring my back a few weeks ago. Still having minor pain & stiffness, but am functional.
Dr. Taylor says 'we're never really as well as we think we are' and tend to over-do it or try to rush back from an injury. Three weeks and counting.

Still Hurtin'.....

Well, it has been over a week, and this pain medication and bed-rest haven't done the trick. Now, I enjoy some Demerol & Loritab as much as the next guy, this is craziness.
I can't sit still long enough to get any drawing done. I can't lie in one position for very long. Walking is a painful chore, reminiscent of the classic 'Tim Conway' old man shtick from the old Carol Burnett Show.
I will have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) done on Thursday to see if the doctors can pinpoint the problem.

OUCH! You're Breakin' My Heart...!

It sucks to get old. (I'm 45 years old, you know...) As I type this, I am sitting (uncomfortably, I might add) here in pain due to a sciatic nerve/swollen disc issue.
I apparently twisted my back and pinched a nerve when I leaned over to pick up a geriatric one-pound Yorkshire terrier while visiting my cousin Danny last weekend. Now my back, butt, hips and EVERYTHING hurts. I absolutely HATE going to the doctor, but I had to. Ibuprofen and aspirin just weren't doing the trick.
And the doctor said the nerves and muscles and surrounding areas were pretty swollen. He said he was surprised I was able to get over to his office and walk around unassisted. He said I had probably injured myself before, but the dog incident just aggravated the condition.
So, I am off of work for a few days. At least I can get some drawing done in the short periods when I can sit comfortably.....