# Back Surgery Question



## Scruffy (Mar 5, 2017)

i don't know if this is the right place but what is the name of the member. Who is looking at back surgery ?
Thanks ron


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## Ulma Doctor (Mar 5, 2017)

Hi Scruffy,
i know that Silverbullet is gonna have it done soon


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## 34_40 (Mar 5, 2017)

or is it this one?   http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/just-rambling-about-my-back-surgery.56565/


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## Tony Wells (Mar 5, 2017)

I'm trying to avoid it, but it's coming at some point. So far the RF neurotomy and injections are getting me by.  After my broken leg episode, I don't know if I can handle the mental aspect of it. I hope I don't have to do it soon.


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## kvt (Mar 6, 2017)

One of the things that I have been told it often after you have one back surgery,  you wind up having more.   Trying to avoid the more, getting epidural shots, and had full of pills to keep me going.  
Hope we all get to doing better.


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## Randall Marx (Mar 6, 2017)

My family has a very bad history with spinal surgeries. I'm on my way, but am trying to avoid it as long as possible. Only have a few more steps in the pills department and the shots did nothing good. I feel your pain!


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## ch2co (Mar 6, 2017)

On Sept 15, my wife woke me up saying that she couldn't move her legs to get out of bed. Called the paramedics, trip to the hospital, physical therapy to little avail. Little to no feeling in one leg, foot on other leg didn't want to move.  Back to home then to spinal institute, finally on Dec 15 went in for surgery which lasted for 6-1/2 hours then hospital then rehab center then home. I have been her 24 hour 7days a week caretaker. Then in early Feb. they weren't happy with how the wound was heeling. She is heavy set and has about 3-1/2" of flesh covering her spine and it had developed an infection. Back to the hospital. Then home again but now she has three tubes connecting to her body and running to three pumps, oxygen,  vacuum running to a wound vac over the wound and infusion giving her timed doses of antibiotics. She need assistance with any movement that requires bending or twisting. Bed, bathroom, sitting, standing etc. in other words just about everything.  She is walking with a walker and now can stand by herself without any aid. Getting her in and out of the house and in and out of the minivan is a real challenge. We need to go to 5 various doctor appointments a week. Real fun when snow and ice are added to the mix. The doctors are talking about 6 to 10 more weeks of this routine.  She really is much so much improved and I am a much better cook as a result of this. The big problems that we have dealt with are bad original diagnosis and this nasty infection, otherwise we would have been done with this two months ago. She still needs rehab which currently is difficult with all of the plumbing she has connected to her, but the actual surgery seems to have worked wonders. This also was an extreme case with her age 72, her weight and the unexpected infection. 
We are both very happy with the actual spinal results and are looking forward to much happier times ahead.  We both want to get back to Europe sometime soon. I'm posting this, not to steer anyone away but to warn of possible side effects of such surgery and get a second opinion before doing anything. 
Oh, and since this is a machining site, I just got into the shop yesterday, and am trying to find space for my new free acquisition a (used but repairable) 6X48 belt / disk sander. Yeah!


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## epanzella (Mar 7, 2017)

Tony Wells said:


> I'm trying to avoid it, but it's coming at some point. So far the RF neurotomy and injections are getting me by.  After my broken leg episode, I don't know if I can handle the mental aspect of it. I hope I don't have to do it soon.


Everyone has to make their own call when it comes to back surgery. If you can live with some minor pain and control it with painkillers than that may be good enough for now, but if back pain is degrading your quality of life than the knife may be the right choice for you. With back surgery It seems the horror stories grow legs but the success stories go nowhere. My back, weakened by arthritis, broke completely in two right where it attaches to my pelvis. At the time I was a building contractor and  was pretty busy. Fortunately my sons took up the slack for me.  I needed a bone graft and four stainless bolts to put my back together again. The operation took two teams and twelve hours. I did get an infection in the muscle layer of my back which required a minor (2 hours) operation to clean out. I spent a year in a wheelchair and another year with therapy getting my mobility back but by then I was better than I had been in years. That was when I was 60. I'm 68 now and I hunt, fish, and ride quads with my sons and their friends. Don't ever give up on your quality of life because of the boogyman.  Don't go under the knife frivolously but if you need it, research the doctors and the procedures then go for it.


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## Silverbullet (Mar 7, 2017)

Your all going through the wringer like me it seems. Last Tuesday I had my first epidural shot or shots . Made out fine getting the procedure done. About an hour after being home nothing was working right for me ,, body wise,, by eight that nite I was in the er , very dehydrated . By 1 am I was back home. This entire week my body has had weird reactions to the shot. I'm not sure it's helped yet I've been to sick to tell. I guess the nerves are to excited to calm down. I'm not looking forward to this again but he said it may take a few times to get relief . I'm almost ready to just go to Jefferson in Philly and get the lamenectame on the discs that are causing the pain. It's gotten so bad I hate to even move . Back to the pain Dr next Tuesday see what they say this time. Grumpy old man , I know what you and your wife are going through, been there. When it became to much trouble to go to doctors I found one that comes to me ,, believe me they're great , blood work xrays ,foot doctor . All come to me if it weren't for them I'd probably be dead . Don't know if they have them near you but check it don't cost any more.


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## randyjaco (Mar 7, 2017)

I developed a laser device for herniated disks that was sold by Laserscope back in the 90's. What are you considering having done? 
Randy


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## epanzella (Mar 7, 2017)

Silverbullet said:


> Your all going through the wringer like me it seems. Last Tuesday I had my first epidural shot or shots . Made out fine getting the procedure done. About an hour after being home nothing was working right for me ,, body wise,, by eight that nite I was in the er , very dehydrated . By 1 am I was back home. This entire week my body has had weird reactions to the shot. I'm not sure it's helped yet I've been to sick to tell. I guess the nerves are to excited to calm down. I'm not looking forward to this again but he said it may take a few times to get relief . I'm almost ready to just go to Jefferson in Philly and get the lamenectame on the discs that are causing the pain. It's gotten so bad I hate to even move . Back to the pain Dr next Tuesday see what they say this time. Grumpy old man , I know what you and your wife are going through, been there. When it became to much trouble to go to doctors I found one that comes to me ,, believe me they're great , blood work xrays ,foot doctor . All come to me if it weren't for them I'd probably be dead . Don't know if they have them near you but check it don't cost any more.


My wife has a bulged disc. She got an epidural and it worked great  for for about 4 years. When her back started acting up again she got another one. That's been about 2 years now and she's still good. Definitely worth getting if you have the type of problem that responds to the shot. Give the shot a chance, it took a few weeks for it to reach full effect on my wife but she's delighted with the results.


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## Silverbullet (Mar 7, 2017)

I have three bulging discs one worse then the others. I will give the meds a chance to work , you have to realise I've been in savere pain for several years. I hold out as long as I can . I'm not a boo boo got to see the doctor guy. I'd rather not deal with any doctor or medicines. But it seems I'm stuck with them for life.


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## Joe P. (Mar 8, 2017)

I have been dealing with back issues for the past 14 years or so. Oddly enough it was not easily diagnosed, aside from some short  bouts with sciatica I really didn't have back pain. My main issue was various pain and weakness from my groin to my knees mostly affecting my left side. MRI showed herniated discs from T10 to L5. Epidural injections helped tremendously for me, my first series of shot lasted 3 years and each subsequent series lasted less in all the injections bought me over 10 years.Surgery was the only option when one of the herniated discs worsened and compressed against my spinal cord and wasn't able to feel or move my left leg. A neurosurgeon did a laminectomy and fusion at T12-L1 and it was the best thing I did, no real issues or restrictions in what I do. Follow through with the therapy and be patient, you will have good days and not so good days, lots of progress followed by times that seem like your going backwards but hang in there it took almost a year before I felt 100%. Don't be afraid to ask questions and find a doctor that you feel comfortable with, best of luck. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## randyjaco (Mar 8, 2017)

One thing that has worked for me is an inversion table. Got one off Craigslist for 75 bucks. It doesn't work for everyone, but @a "c" note, it's worth a try. 

Randy


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## ch2co (Mar 9, 2017)

Anything you can do to avoid surgery is good. (almost)  Although my wife has had a hard time with her surgery (not the surgery itself, but a post surgical infection)
I have have problems with my neck/right shoulder/right arm since my 20's  I was diagnosed as having stenosis in the C3 to C5 section of my neck.
My doctor at the time told me I had to have surgery IMMEDIATELY! I said "lets just see where this goes first"  I've had several episodes of severe shoulder 
pain and numbness  of my arm an hand BUT I have always been able to alleviate this condition with pain pills and physical therapy. Things haven't gotten 
worse in the 50+ years since my diagnosis. Surgical methods have improved immensely since that time and now my current doctor says unless it gets REAL bad
he wouldn't bother anything more than physical therapy.  Yes it has impacted my life to some extent but I think that its just an inconvenience. 
I find it hard to believe that stenosis in my 20's hasn't gotten worse in the following years. As far as my wife's problem it was a matter of not walking again and 
having the major surgery. She is now almost 1-1/2 inches taller than she was and can feel her toes on both feet. That was the only sensible thing to do.
Don't let problems get too serious before you get the opinion of several spinal experts. What's good for one guy isn't necessarily good for everybody.


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## Wireaddict (Mar 9, 2017)

I got knocked off a ladder by a rogue limb I was cutting off a tree in 2012, fell about 9 feet & landed on my feet on soft ground fortunately but still suffered a compression fracture to my L4 vertebra.  Although the neurosurgeon gave me a 50% chance of healing without surgery, 2 months later the vertebra was dissolving so surgery became a necessity.  I don't remember all the details now but the doctor replaced the vertebra with a metal cage & fused 4 or 5 vertebrae plus did several laminectomies.  For me, the first 3 to 4 weeks of recovery were a little rough but after that I was back in the shop for brief periods & I walked with a cane for 8 or 9 months.  I didn't have much pain after surgery, mostly my back just felt a little tired after standing for a while which it still does but it's minor.  Besides the neurosurgeon's skill I attribute the good outcome of this ordeal to God's mercy.  I wish everyone else who's facing back surgery the same good results I had.


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## Silverbullet (Mar 9, 2017)

Wi,  About 25 years ago I feel climbing down from a tree stand landing on my feet and buckeling down on the ground. I was able to get up and walk out of the woods . Maybe that fall started my misery. The adrenaline helped me get out and in my blazer . I hurt for awhile I remember .it was only 16' high.and I only weighed about 350 lbs. All that blubber had a soft landing but still all compression .I was just glad I didn't land on my bow and broadheads. Never really thought about that causing this year's later. Still on a wait and see with the epidural . Go to pain Dr on Tuesday  see what he says then.


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## mrjbinok (Mar 11, 2017)

As most of you have experienced.... Back pain is something to pay attention to.  I have had scoliosis my whole life, so back pain has come and gone without much for intervention.  About eight years ago I went to VA with mid/lower back pain and they did an MRI.... report said that I had normal spinal alignment!! so VA up'd the narcotics to get rid of me.  Miraculous healing for the scoliosis?

As time passed, I started having problems with bowel and bladder function, numbness in my feet and lower legs, instability, and the list goes on and on.  About a year and a half ago my right leg started kicking uncontrollably and the doctor diagnosed it as RLS.  I finally went to a private Neurologist last August and she ordered another MRI.  It showed the disc between L1-L2 was pushed almost completely out of the spine and was deeply pressing on the nerve bundle inside the spinal canal.  That explains all the secondary symptoms!

I had surgery just over three weeks ago to remove the disc and fuse the spine.  Other than a whole bunch of strange nerve sensations from the waist down, everything is on the mend.  I am looking forward to getting back to my shop work and perhaps even riding one of my Harley's as time passes over the next several months.  Right now it's plenty of rest, planning my next shop projects, and spending quality time with my best friend and partner.

The moral of the story is to not just give in to the pain.  If a doctor doesn't identify the cause.... get a second opinion.  Don't wait too long to get an accurate diagnosis and try the less invasive treatments as they are offered.  If it gets down to surgery, do your homework on available doctors and go for the best you can find.  The longer you wait, the more potential there is for more and permanent damage.


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## Silverbullet (Mar 11, 2017)

Mrjbinok, man do I empathize with you. Mines been a forty year down hill drop. I've been going thru hell with my lower back. It's been about 12 years I've been in savere pain . Even a week in the hospital in 06 , and two weeks in a rehabilitation hospital then . It got so bad I slept sitting in my recliner for years but by the 09 I started not moving till or had too. Ended up with massive pulmonary embolism and dieing  in the er , there anti clogging drugs broke it up and brought me back. But I was much worse lost the use of my legs then and it hasn't returned months in hospitals , nursing homes  , emergency operation for clog kidney then another for stone removal . Now I have three bulging discs , going through the epidural shots trying for relief . Nerves are all.screwed up causing weird things in me. Bowel and bladder spasms in legs all kinds of things. It's been about 11 days since the shot , not feeling any pain relief yet. Of course the Dr said it may take more shots. Not sure I want them I ended up in the er the night of the last shot. Dehydrated and body in spasms. .I'm so ready to go to Jefferson in Philly. Or croak it's just to much. I've earned my dirt nap.


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## mrjbinok (Mar 11, 2017)

Silverbullet said:


> Mrjbinok, man do I empathize with you. Mines been a forty year down hill drop. I've been going thru hell with my lower back. It's been about 12 years I've been in savere pain . Even a week in the hospital in 06 , and two weeks in a rehabilitation hospital then . It got so bad I slept sitting in my recliner for years but by the 09 I started not moving till or had too. Ended up with massive pulmonary embolism and dieing  in the er , there anti clogging drugs broke it up and brought me back. But I was much worse lost the use of my legs then and it hasn't returned months in hospitals , nursing homes  , emergency operation for clog kidney then another for stone removal . Now I have three bulging discs , going through the epidural shots trying for relief . Nerves are all.screwed up causing weird things in me. Bowel and bladder spasms in legs all kinds of things. It's been about 11 days since the shot , not feeling any pain relief yet. Of course the Dr said it may take more shots. Not sure I want them I ended up in the er the night of the last shot. Dehydrated and body in spasms. .I'm so ready to go to Jefferson in Philly. Or croak it's just to much. I've earned my dirt nap.



Like I said.... If your not getting answers to all that is coming from nerve impingement and the spine, it's past time to find a second opinion and get to the root of the problem.  Start with using the internet to search for competent doctors...... Start with Philly.  There are several sites on the web that grade doctors on their work and practice.  IMO shots and/or pills are a temporary band-aid for a deeper problem, and if the root cause isn't addressed it's just not going to get you very far.  Be proactive!

Nerve function is what makes everything in your body work.  When you have a spine problem or some other problem that is effecting that nerve path, those nerves will eventually die.  Until that happens there is always a chance that the nerves will heal themselves in time and normal function will return..... at least to some degree.  Find a doctor that might truly be able to fix the problem and get a referral to see that doctor.  I consider myself blessed that by having the surgery to remove the disc, that my nerve problems will stop the downhill slide.  My functioning is starting to improve and I am hopeful that as I heal from the surgery, and gain my strength, that I will be able to resume my normal activities.  Hang in there!!


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## woodtickgreg (Mar 11, 2017)

Here's my back story. I have had low back pain since I was a teenager. As I got older the pain worsened and would come and go, like one injury after another. My back would just go out if I was bending over to pick something up without even getting to what I was reaching for. An osteopathic doctor would crack my back and put things back into place and I would get temporary relief. Then I started seeing chiropractors for the same thing and actually found a couple good ones that actually helped me for years. I had a bulging disc between L4 and L5, staying fit helped, and the chiropractor. I did anything to avoid surgery as I had heard horror stories about it. I always said that surgery would be a final option when the day came that I couldn't walk. That day came. I went to stand up from a seated position on the toilet and my leg gave out and I collapsed. My back felt kinda funny but no pain in my back. Then as the days passed the pain in my leg became excruciating, and what didn't hurt like hell was completely numb and didn't work. I couldn't lift my toes and I had a club foot, just dragged it basically. Went to my family doctor, mri was ordered, diagnosis was a herniated disc. Immediate surgery was recommended, and I was scared so I put it off and just did the narcotic pain pill thing for relief, became addicted to them and didn't even know it. So it wasn't improving and I had the surgery, a microdiscectomy. A small incision in my low back and they just shaved the disc off of the pinched nerve. when I woke up I could immediately feel my leg. I never had back pain from the injury until I woke up from the surgery, wow did I have back pain then. I knew I had to get of the drugs as they where masking what my body was telling me, if it hurts don't do it! I went through a drug withdrawal that made me understand why people are drug addicts, it was horrible. I had a 3 month recovery and walking was my only therapy, it took awhile to do that, had to learn how to walk again. But I did get better slowly, it really took about a year before I felt better and wasn't afraid of hurting my back again. I did a physical aptitude test for truck driving that was brutal, my muscles where sore for a week but my back was ok. In time I was able to resume weight training, walking, cycling, and a normal life. It has been about 10 years since the surgery, I consider myself pretty fit for a 56 year old man. I still exercise and try to take care of myself. Some exercises I don't do because they are hard on my joints and back, I do moderate weights with high reps. I can pick up heavy things and move them, I carried a 12" rotary table out of a guys shop when I purchased it, carried a semi truck brake drum across a shop, so I guess I am not feeble. I still run my chainsaw mill and do lumberjack work for fun and my hobby I had an excellent doctor and surgeon, I researched him. Years of low back pain is now gone! It was a life changing surgery for me, for the better. But also bare in mind that my procedure was minor compared to what some of the folks above went through. 
My next hurdle is in a week I have to have surgery for a painful umbilical hernia, I hope that is as successful.


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## kvt (Mar 11, 2017)

Agree with what was said earlier about not waiting to long,   It seems once you let the nerves get damaged, then you do not get things back.   by the time they finally did my neck they said I had lost over 20% use of my left arm and almost 30 Percent use of my right due to nerve damage.   Still often have problems even opening jars. nerve pain, numbness and pins and needles in the back.


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## 7milesup (Mar 11, 2017)

Lot of back problems on here.  Yikes. 
I had a disco-gram done a while ago.  That was really fun and enjoyable. (Note the line about "sedation is not given" because they need to have you feel it and talk to them.  http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/diagnostic-tests/lumbar-discogram-procedure

First Discectomy/Laminectomy in 2005.  I blew out L4/L5 loading a passenger bag full of gold bars into the airplane.  I was 39.  Another surgery in the same spot in 2006.  Third surgery in 2010 on L5/S1.  Was supposed to have a fusion in 2013 but insurance denied it.  Surgeries SUCK!
Had more cortisone shots than I can count on my back, knee (eventual surgery on it) and rotator cuff (also surgery on it later).  The shots did absolutely nothing for me.

This is the main reason that I am now retired from my beloved career at age 51.  I am going to lose about $1.5 million in remaining earnings because of this dang back.

My advice....lose weight, strengthen your core, eat well and stay active.  Limit the pain killers that you take.  I actually saw a psychiatrist about pain and he had me develop a way of dealing with the pain through mindfulness.  Mind over matter in a sense and learning to accept levels of pain.   Don't let it get you down.


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## woodtickgreg (Mar 12, 2017)

7milesup said:


> My advice....lose weight, strengthen your core, eat well and stay active.  Limit the pain killers that you take.


That is some of the best advise on here. I have done that very thing. Eat well, excersise, strengthen the core. My weight is always a battle though, lol. I'm not obese but just seem to always carry a belly. Abs and core are strong, and that really helps the back.


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## Silverbullet (Mar 12, 2017)

First I want to say , I had bad luck getting hit with what they called transverse myilitis. I went paralyzed from the waist down for no reason. Then surgery to find out why. Couldn't see any cause so they removed bone for my swollen spinal cord. The great surgeon left a spinal cord fluid leak. YUPP another surgery wanted I said no , no pain legs getting movement and feeling back. Insist on surgery after a week of spinal taps to drain off fluid from spine. Still leaking second surgery to seal leak only right no the bastard explored further and removed more bone. Wake up now I'm paralyzed from the neck down still leaking fluid YUPP. He's going on vacation ships me to Pennsylvania hospital to best neurosurgeon on east coast in 79, all the test painfully filled ones. He does third surgery in two weeks , skin graft from left leg used to heal leak in spine. He said he couldn't see the cause for all the scare tissue from the two prior operations.  After that to Magee rehabilitation center for 4 months. At first I couldn't even hold my head up , but over the next year I got back to walking with a cane . Have drop foot on left leg so I thro and go for about twenty years then pain starts hyperflextion on knee , spurs on hip . Arthritis sets in and the down hill fall takes over. YUPP started falling then got where I couldn't get up ,so I used a scooter to do my walking till I couldn't walk to it . Shortly after the embolism took my walking . Now I'm in pain forever so I'm trying the shots . There's my back history . But before that I was a three hundred  lb 6'4"  tall muscle machine use to hauling plates weighing 300 lbs all day for seventy two hour work weeks. I got all the big work used a ten lb sledgehammer to do set ups on planers and VBM S. Made Forman on second shift after only a month at my new job , government contracts. Making missiles and rockets , lots of exotic metals . That's how I earned my formans job and nice raise plus incentives. I was a good strong worker till I got screwed.
I just thought this might clear up I wasn't a lazy fat boy. I worked long days into the night hunted and fished , farmed several plots . Never had a back pain till after the operations.


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## woodtickgreg (Mar 12, 2017)

Silverbullet, I hope you didn't think that was what I was implying because I wasn't. I was only saying that watching your weight and excising is a big help to keeping your body going. I can't even imagine what you have been through and I feel for you. My problems pale in comparison to what some of the folks here have gone through. I have seen friends that where mountains of a man like you that made me feel like I was standing in a hole when I stood next to them, when they shook my hand my hand would dissapeer in theirs. And yet they where taken down like you by some disease or unfortunate chain of events like yours. I'm at the age now where I am watching my friends pass away right before my very eyes, one by one. Some could have been prevented, some not, it was just there time. But my bucket list is not done, and if I can I will do the best to take care of myself so I can continue to enjoy the things I love to do. Please don't think that I was judging you, I was not and would not. I was just giving advice to those that might listen and benefit from it.


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## Silverbullet (Mar 12, 2017)

Woodtickgreg , I wasn't offended I was just saying it don't matter what you do , back problems can get you. Big or small. Skinny or fat. Only takes one misstep to twist or lift . But years in pain then to be in so much pain you can't move really sucks. I was and will always be a big man , by the time I was in eighth grade I was 6' tAll and 225 lbs , but I played every sport and weight lifted my entire teen years till I got married then I worked. I could pic up a Volkswagen beetle one end at a time and turn it sideways in a parking spot. Just a trick I use to play in high school. I could do it on a potty break . Never got caught


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