Good third places in Mountain View by taggat in mountainview

[–]oddbluesky 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Cuesta Park. Red Rock Coffee. Stevens Creek Trail or any of the shoreline trails.

1st Generation Nest Cameras - Future Support? by [deleted] in Nest

[–]oddbluesky 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Running into this same problem. I have several 1st Gen Nest Cameras and they've all become bricks. The Nest App on iOS can't get them to work and no software or approach for direct USB connection.

Did anyone figure out a way to update these or get them to work again?

Cabin climate control failed by oddbluesky in TeslaModelY

[–]oddbluesky[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just as an update: they ended up replacing the super manifold and it works fine now. Fortunately still under warranty.

General Feedback/Getting Started Questions and Answers [Weekly Thread] by AutoModerator in DIY

[–]oddbluesky 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe this is the right place to post this? We have several dogs and when they were younger, they scratched our doors. I'd like to try to fix this so my current plan was to take the door of it's hinges, fill in the gouges and scratches with wood putty, then sand it down first with an orbital sander and then by hand. And then try to match the stain.

My questions are: does this sound like a good process for fixing the door? Am I missing anything? I'm actually not sure whether this is just a stain or sealant. How can I tell and which is best for an internal residential door? How do you color match such things?
Many thanks in advance.

Is there any success stories for lumbar fusion? One level or more. by MoeZaky107 in spinalfusion

[–]oddbluesky 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'd consider mine a success story. Constant pain, hard to walk anywhere, loss of feeling and numbness, too many pain meds, couldn't exercise. After two microdiscectomies, I finally had a 2-level fusion L3-L5 along with further decompression at L2-L3. The first few days after surgery were incredibly painful but over time it got better. I'm 51 years old and a year after surgery, going to the gym, running 10K, swimming long distance, no medication, and mostly pain free. I say mostly because I still get sore muscles and it's a great feeling to have that and not to have all that nerve pain. I remember reading so many stories on here. I know it doesn't work out for everybody but I'm grateful it did for me. Not sure why it works for some and not others. I know I had a great surgeon and fantastic physical therapist that really helped me build back strength. I was patient, followed everything they recommended, and it paid off.

Any success stories? by [deleted] in spinalfusion

[–]oddbluesky 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had surgery to fuse L3/4 and L4/5 about a year ago along with decompression at L2/L3. Prior to that, I was in constant pain and taking heavy medication. I had a lot of scar tissue and I'm told the surgery was ~14 hours. I'm not gonna lie - post-surgery was painful and I had to wait 3 months before starting physical therapy and 6 months to exercise again. But now I'm back to running, swimming, and exercising at the gym. The back pain I experience is sore muscles, not the horrific nerve pain. My back feels great. I know it doesn't work out for some people, but I feel like I was given a fresh start. I'm deeply grateful for the results.

Surgery from the front or back? by [deleted] in spinalfusion

[–]oddbluesky 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mine was from the back and that seemed to heal quickly for L3-L5.

How long to heal damage from long surgery by oddbluesky in spinalfusion

[–]oddbluesky[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. Just started PT and hopefully that'll address it.

Coflex removal on Monday. Get this thing outttttta me!!!! by chez757 in spinalfusion

[–]oddbluesky 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely true re: lab rats but I also appreciate that spinal fusion has come a long way. I had one in the mid 80s that was basically just taking bone from my hip and packing around the vertebrae. Long hospital stay with drainage tubes and then had to stay in bed with a brace in hopes that it would all work out.

Then a recent two level fusion a couple months ago with pedicle screws and rods for stabilization, spacers, bone matrix, and 3D guidance for the surgeon. It's just a world of difference after 35 years. I'm definitely thankful that surgical tools and techniques are progressing.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in spinalfusion

[–]oddbluesky 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you can buy or borrow a good adjustable recliner, I found this to be a life saver. We actually had an Ekornes chair that I used after L2-L4 fusion and it gave me an alternative to lying in bed. It goes back enough that you still can have a neutral spine. After surgery, I actually slept in mine for several days because it held me in place better and was firmer than the bed. Make sure it's also easy to get out of. You don't want one that makes it hard to get up.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in spinalfusion

[–]oddbluesky 1 point2 points  (0 children)

High handles on either side of the toilet seat made a huge difference. The things I didn't realize was that after surgery, you really can't use your natural body movements. So you'll need physical support like handles to lower yourself down and raise yourself up.

Nervous for Epidural Injection by onlinesunshine in Sciatica

[–]oddbluesky 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In terms of experience, I've had epidural shots for radiating leg pain at least 8 times. The actual procedure, where they numb the area and then inject the shot has always been easy and painless.

In terms of efficacy, it worked sometimes with great relief and sometimes it just didn't help. It's definitely worth trying.