degenerateted disk

“I found out I had this last year. I still back pack but wonder if anyone else has this bad back problem?”

“Found out last April that I have 2 lower lumbar disks that are herniated and 3 that are bulging. Also said that there is arthritis in there also. He said "This won't be the last surgery that you have. You probably will get it in your upper neck area also"

Well, I didn't have surgery, but I did get two epidural steroid injections and they have performed wonderfully. Didn't backpack last year, but I played more golf than I ever have.

Another doctor said that people go their entire lives with my condition and never have surgery. That is what I am hoping and praying for.

Good luck to you.”

“What happens with a herniated or degenerated disk? The big disk area in my back hurts sometimes. Seemed to have happened after an endo mt. bike crash onto frozen blacktop. I can't recall, but the X-ray showed there is something up with some disk. Hmm... could be pinched, too? I dunno.. Sorry to have stumbled on this thead..hahahaa”

“I think eventually they brak up into pieces which _may_ require removal. I've got a hinky back too, so I have to be careful about doing too much stuff where I'm leaning over. I actually had to cancel a trip over Christmas break because I strained my back packing my pack!

It sucks.”

“I had surgery for a herniated disk about 9 years ago. I backpack more now than I did before the surgery.
The key is to keep your abdominal muscles strong (crunch like crazy)and lift using your legs. Make sure your pack fits and effectively transfers load to legs via hip belt. Trekking poles help also to avoid jarring anything from a misplaced foot.

I also need a thermarest (ultralight 3/4)-- Wal mart pads don't cut it anymore.

On my last long trip in the Beartooths, my back never hurt once until the first day back in civilization, after laying on cushy motel bed watching HBO for a couple of hours. Go figure.”

“You don't work in the oil patch do you? With a name like bitpusher, I would assume you sell drill bits.

As for disk degeneration. My doctor describes the disk as a reeses peanut butter cup. Soft on the inside and hard on the outside. When the peanut butter oozes out of the chocolate, it is analogous to the disk protruding out of its 'casing'. Almost looks like a tongue sticking out into the canal in the backbone. The pain comes from the disk pressing against the nerves.”

“Nah, Chief, I'm a computer programmer. The kind of bits I push around are the kind that can only be set to "1" or "0".

Sorry to disappoint.”

“I see said the non computer literate guy.”

“All data on a computer are broken down into series of numbers that are expressed in base 2, also known as binary. The smallest piece of data a computer can process is the binary digit, or "bit". Each bit can only have a value of "1" or "0".

This is done because the underlying electronics are like a whole bunch of little switches which only have two positions, on and off.

All programming gets reduced to pushing these bits of data around, therefore programming has been called "bitpushing". When I started looking for a trail name, I decided on "bitpusher" because it was descriptive of what I do, and besides, "fat white guy passed out on the side of the trail" was taken.”