DV's Journey Back

[dark_venom]

I guess I can start this log today being that I'm slightly lucid. Here goes:

History: L3-L4 disc rupture putting pressure on the nerve that goes down the left side of my back, wraps around waist and goes down the front of the left thigh to the knee. No issue past left knee. Because it took so long for this issue to be found, I experienced atrophy in the left quad. That's right bros, after years of busting ass in the cage, I just lost all that muscle. There is a slight chance most of it can be recovered if/when the nerve decides to fire again, but we'll see.

Tuesday's discectomy surgery went smoothly. I did have a slight issue fighting off the grogginess of the anesthesia, but I did wake up to the leg pain being gone as the doctor said I would. The muscles, of course, are weak as hell and that won't be addressed for another week and a half. Post op instructions are to stand and walk every 30 minutes, with the intent of walking at least 1 mile per day.

[dark_venom]

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty uneventful as I deal with soreness, and muscle spasms. I'm on a steady diet of protein shakes, Pain therapy and water, no desire for anything else. I'm walking like a toddler, but I'm getting the steps in.

[Dont wanna be old]

Wow I'm glad to hear such good progress .
That surgery is complicated and nerve damage recovery is sketchy at best .
Another mind distraction is the bodybuilding podcast we have here .
Will be watching and have my fingers crossed .
Be Well
DWBO

[dark_venom]

@DWBO - Crap dude, thanks for bailing me out with the edit. Sorry about that. Thanks for the well wishes. You're correct, recovering from nerve damage has lottery-winning type odds. I'll definitely be checking into the podcast.

[dark_venom]

May have made my first mistake by attempting to walk to the mailbox (50 ft from the front door) on Friday. It's not the distance, the issue were the steps. I have to walk down three steps and it was a nightmare. Mission aborted. Steps are evil. I will try again in another 3 days. Other than that, I walked a mile as ordered and had black beans and grilled chicken for dinner. Also, first day of nothing taken for pain therapy.

[dark_venom]

Five days removed from L3-L4 surgery. Leg is still weak, experiencing muscle spasms in quads. First bandage chance was smooth. The scar is barely visible. Can clean area and change gauze daily at this point. Walked another mile today.

[dark_venom]

Yesterday was odd. Experienced what felt like electrical pain shooting through the quads. I'll bring this up during post op appointment next week. Mile walked, no pain therapy.

[Kvasir]

Damn, that sounds like a rough road. Day by day.

[dark_venom]

@Kvasir - It has been thus far my friend, but not enough to slow me down. Thanks for checking in.

[dark_venom]

The last two days have seen me battle nausea, which I'll chalk up to me being stupid doing pain therapy on an empty stomach, and odd leg pain. As I've stated before, no more pins and needles type pain, but a more "repped out" pain. Quads feel totally fatigued. The good news, no falls since the surgery.

[dark_venom]

The last 3 days have been uneventful with the exception of finally conquering the stairs. I was able to make it to my mailbox (about 50ft). Getting back up the stairs was a bit of a challenge, but accomplished.

[dark_venom]

Today was my 2-week, post op checkup. I'm grateful, pissed, and disappointed. I'm grateful for a great surgeon who did a hell of job. The scar is healing nicely, and the internal wounds should be much better within the next 6 weeks, as I still have tightness around the scar. I'm pissed because my instructions are the same, no bending, no lifting, no twisting, etc. I was really looking forward to being a bit more active. The doc did tell me that I can do 1 mile on a stationary bike in addition to my 1 mile per day walking limit. My disappointment comes in the form of me being told how "delicate" the phase is that I'm in now after the surgery. Because only a part of the dis was removed to relieve the nerve, there is a chance of re-herniation. So hard coughs, a sneeze, trying to lift "heavy" (over 10 pounds), might bring me back to square one. He said even straining to take a poop might herniate the disc as well. So basically, at least for the next 2 weeks, I'll be wearing a new hole in my couch. This sucks ass.

[dark_venom]

In addition, the left leg is still very week, much weaker than before the surgery. I asked about the muscle spasms and the electrical pain and he says that's a part of the process of recovery. He's still amazed at the very noticeable atrophy, but is very hopeful about getting the ol quads back to normal. His key word is patience.

[dark_venom]

The last two weeks have been a steady form of lather, rinse repeat. Nothing spectacular to report other than a quick change in eating habits which may be a good or bad thing. The scale, time, and bloodwork will decide. Other than that still walking 1 mile a day, stairs are still evil, and getting in and out of the car, even for a short drive (as permitted by the docs) is still a small challenge.

[dark_venom]

Good advice from a good bro is to do away with "diets", and make healthy eating a lifestyle. Not a whole lot to clean up in that area as I find most fast food places gross, but there is a diner I visit more often than I should, where my steak is occasionally accompanied by a double order of hashbrowns cover in cheese. Did I mention they have homemade cakes and cookies? Damn, I'm gonna miss them.

[dark_venom]

Monday's ingestion program looked like this:

0600 - Low carb shake

0800 - Mushroom and green pepper omelet (2 cups egg whites, 4 eggs)

1300 - Big ass bowl of green with chopped chicken breast on top (fat free, low carb dressing)

1700 - Protein Bar (low carb)

1900 - NY Strip, side salad

[dark_venom]

0600 - Low carb shake

0800 - Mushroom and green pepper omelet (2 cups egg whites, 4 eggs)

1300 - Grilled Chicken with bowl of cucumber in apple cider vinegar

1700 - Shake (low carb)

1900 - NY Strip, side salad

[dark_venom]

Snacks are usually cashews or another shake to tame the hunger. Consuming about a gallon of water a day. Other than that, multi-vitamins, cal-mag, and potassium. The goal is monitor this for two weeks before making tweaks.

[Dont wanna be old]

Keep it up !!
Most important thing is to remain patient .
Where is your fiber in your diet ?
Cheers
DWBO

[dark_venom]

No ideas on the fiber DWBO. Any suggestions? I've only added broccoli and green beans to the dinner veggie rotation.

[dark_venom]

Weight on 21Mar: 225
Weight on 01Apr: 217

I will continue with the above diet as planned. Dairy will be added back slowly in two weeks.

[dark_venom]

Physical Therapy Evaluation:

Restrictions - No core exercises, no weights over 15 pounds, no more than two miles walks per day (stationary bike can be sustitute)

The two machines in my gym that collect the most dust, the abductor and adductor machines, are now my best friends. The nerve (which I still don't know the name of yet), had given up and had no communication with my quads and adductor muscles in my left leg as I've stated in other posts. That said, I have my work cut out for me. This is great! The intensity I brought to the cage for squats, and to Deadlift Wendesday's (phrase not copyrighted), I can now bring to my rehabilitation. For the next 6 weeks, it will be all machines for the lower body, 3 times per week. The therapist gave me workout bands as well for home use.

[dark_venom]

The atrophy is still very apparent to the naked eye. Friday's measurements:

Left leg - 18 inches
Right leg - 20 inches

The therapist believes the nerves are beginning to fire due to the number of muscle spasms I've been having and is confident the left quads will "catch up". No time frame has been set, but my personal goal has been set for 1 year.

[dark_venom]

Routine designed by physical therapist 3x's a week.

Warm up - 1/2 Mile on treadmill

All super light weight

Adductor Machine - 2 sets of 10
Abductor - 2 sets of 10
Leg Ext - 2 set of 10
Curls - 2 sets of 10

Finished up with another 1/2 mile on treadmill

[dark_venom]

Today's Weight: 216.0

Weight loss plateaued because I wasn't eating enough meat protein. This week, dropped a shake, added eggs and chicken.

Back to work meal plan was:

0600 - Protein Shake
1000 - Protein Shake
1300 - Salad with meat protein
1600 - Protein Bar
1900 - Steak, Chicken or Turkey with Broccoli, Green Beans and/or Cauliflower Mash

Currently:

Replaced 0600 shake with omelette w/chicken and mushrooms

[dark_venom]

Added weight, sets and reps to rehab program:

Warm up - 1/2 Mile on treadmill

Added 10 pounds to each exercise

Adductor Machine - 3 sets of 15
Abductor - 3 sets of 15
Leg Ext - 3 sets of 15
Curls - 3 sets of 10
Box Steps - 2 sets of 10

Finished up with another 1/2 mile on treadmill

[dark_venom]

Oh it's on!! Yesterday the surgeon told me I can start weight training the upper body. The catch is, no ab or back training, with weight or without. Being only 8 weeks post op, he's still concerned about bending, stooping, twisting. I will be adding weight to my lower body work outs and will discuss with physical therapist today about adding exercises (leg press, calf raises, etc) if possible.

[dark_venom]

Diet will stay the same. Weighed in this morning at 216. Started 4ius/gh this past Monday, and running it through the rest of the calendar year. A test E/var cycle will be added in the near future. TRT was brought up conversation, but I don't have a low test issue at 39, and not sure if I'm ready for the TRT lifetime commitment.

[benlash74]

Damn you are one hell of a warrior my friend. That is an up hill battle and it seems you are winning. Keep up the great work brother.

[dark_venom]

Damn you are one hell of a warrior my friend. That is an up hill battle and it seems you are winning. Keep up the great work brother.

Thanks for the kind words bro, and for the motivation.

[dark_venom]

Yesterday's PT eval was straight garbage. Quads are responding well, but hip flexors are damn near dead and adductor muscles are still very weak. The therapist said yes to body squats (although I'm favoring one side, which has to be corrected), but he said no to leg press. Lunges were added to the routine, which I found surprisingly challenging.

[dark_venom]

It's been almost 3 years since I was able to do anything close to what I consider a "normal" upper body workout. To quote another bro here, the idea was to lift smart, not heavy.

Today was chest/shoulders/tris

1/2 mile on treadmill

Bench:

2 - 15 rep warmup sets (bar only)
1 set each of 12, 10, 8, 6, and 4 reps adding 10 pounds each set

Incline Dumbells
1 set each of 10 reps
20lbs, 25lbs, 30lbs bells

Dumbell Shoulder Press

3 set of 10 - 15, 20, 25lbs

Cable Raises
3 sets of 10 - 10, 20, 30lbs

Tris
5 sets cable rope pushdowns 20, 30, 40, 50, 60lbs

1 mile on treadmill

Workout felt great, nothing intense, really focused on form more than anything.

[dark_venom]

Yesterday:

1 mile on the treadmill

3 Sets - 12 Reps- Seated bicep curls
3 Sets - 12 Reps - Concentration Curls
3 Sets - 12 Reps - Standing Cable

3 Sets - 15 Reps - Calf Raises

1 Mile on the treadmill to finish

[dark_venom]

Meals:

Post workout shake
Jerk Turkey on spinach wrap
Lunch- Cobb salad (no cheese, extra chicken)
Snack - Low carb bar
Dinner - Steak and Eggs
Snack - Low carb shake

[dark_venom]

The 5x5 routine worked well for me in my prime. A little rusty on the details, so I'm going to research and tweak it to my approved exercises.

[dark_venom]

Decided to go with the 5x5 routine, 3 day split. Will start this week through the next 6 weeks. Will monitor and document throughout.

Chest/bi's
Legs
Shoulders/Tri's

[dark_venom]

Chest/Bi's

.5 Miles on treadmill
Bench
Incline
Flys
Seated Alt. Dumbbell Curls
Cable curls
.5 miles on treadmill

[dark_venom]

Legs

.5 miles on treadmill
Abductor machine
Adductor machine
Leg extensions
Leg Curls
Box Steps
Calf raises
.5 miles on treadmill

[dark_venom]

Shoulders/Tri's

.5 miles on treadmill
Dumbbell shoulder press
Cable raises
Shrugs
Close grip pressdowns (bar)
Rope Pressdowns
.5 miles on treadmill

[PAiN]

Great log bro following along! Keep up the great work!

[dark_venom]

Thanks for follow and for the motivation Pain. It's appreciated.

[dark_venom]

Been absent for the last few days. My knee buckled on be twice in the last 3 days, and was painful. The knee itself is fine, the battle is with the muscles that surround it. Apparently, the muscles are to happy about me trying to get them to work again and are rebelling (so to speak). So what did I do about it? Went right back to the gym to train legs, and hit physical therapy like a crazed (but controlled) manic.

[kubes]

Hope it gets better soon brother

[dark_venom]

Physical therapist as cleared me to use the leg press in my routine, but has asked that I replaced 1-2 miles per day on treadmill with 10-15 miles per day on the stationary bike. Lower impact he states. Seems like a fair trade.

[kubes]

Well that bike might help and you will still be burning calories. I like taking that time to listen to my music

[dark_venom]

Thanks Kubes,

Never got a direct answer on why the knee buckled as I was in the gym either time, but at time the muscles to tighten up around it. Before the surgery, it felt like I was walking around in a knee brace. Not as bad 9 weeks post op, and range of motion has improved. Thanks for dropping in brother.

[dark_venom]

Well that bike might help and you will still be burning calories. I like taking that time to listen to my music

Great advice, bikes seem really boring to be. I'm gonna have to add some tunes to get me through.

[kubes]

I had a buddy that stretched some ligaments and had a buckle like that. A brace and PT fixed him up. ill be following along. We like logs

[kubes]

Great advice, bikes seem really boring to be. I'm gonna have to add some tunes to get me through.

Check out some of the music threads. Give you ideas of different stuff to try and i have found after giving it a few listens it really grows on me. Five Finger Death Punch today... Got your six

[dark_venom]

I had a buddy that stretched some ligaments and had a buckle like that. A brace and PT fixed him up. ill be following along. We like logs
Thanks Kubes, I'm hoping it's nothing that serious, just some muscles along the nerve path that stopped working. The atrophy sucks all on it's own, but the weakness makes it worse.

[dark_venom]

Check out some of the music threads. Give you ideas of different stuff to try and i have found after giving it a few listens it really grows on me. Five Finger Death Punch today... Got your six
Disturbed got me through yesterday, Believe is still one of my favorite albums.

[kubes]

Disturbed got me through yesterday, Believe is still one of my favorite albums.

I still like listening to sickness. Nothing gets me going like the song stupify

[dark_venom]

Good adrenaline pumping stuff.

[dark_venom]

Last week was pretty normal, great workouts, maintained diet, and painful physical therapy. The bright side to that is my quads grew 1.2cm since last month. I know to many that may not sound like much, but if I average that over the next few months, it would be awesome. Progress is progress, and it's given me even more motivation to bring it every session.

[dark_venom]

Is muscle memory a real thing? Two weeks ago, after having not bench pressed in over 3 years, I was pissed and a bit embarrassed, struggling with 115lbs. Screw it, I showed up for 3 sets of 5 reps and I refused to leave the gym until I did. Fast forward to last week and 135 felt light as a feather and I had 2 sets of 15 reps. WTF? Its hard to put together a routine with that much instability. I like the 5x5 routine, but the weight I thought I could only push for 5 reps seems ridiculously light 7 days later. Could it be more mental than physical (torn labrum years ago)? For the record, the only think I've been taking is hgh@4iu/day, so now way could that me a major factor.

[dark_venom]

Posted this on the boards earlier:

Today was my first month ever of HGH and I wanted to share the experience. Having read so much about the variations of dosage and timing, I decided to go with 2iu/day for the first 7 days, 1 pin, taken as soon as I roll out of bed. I decided to bump it up to 4iu/day after that. 5 days on 2 off, 1 pin in the a.m. My results, as few as they are, are these:

Lost some bf (nothing major but noticeable)
Hair seems to grow slower not faster as some have stated (I'm a naturally hairy dude)
Random erections throughout the day (hasn't happened in years)

That's about it for now. I've allowed myself a few more carbs every 2 or 3 days and the results seem the same. Diet, training, and physical therapy are still on point. I'll post another update in another 30 days or so, but by then, test will be added.

DV

[dark_venom]

Tonight was my first pin of BNSF's SuperTest. Very smooth pin to the quads. Cycle will be front loaded, then ran at 600/wk for 12 weeks with anavar tossed in the mix at 50mg/day. Keep in mind, HGH will still be taken at 4iu/day for the next 5 months (6months total).

[dark_venom]

The plan:

Hgh - 4iu/day for 6 months
Supertest(TestE 200/TestC 200 combo) - 600/wk for 12 weeks
Ananvar - 50mg/day weeks 1-4 and 9-12
Clomid to finish it all off
Adex - .5 every 3 days if needed

[kubes]

Is there a such thing as muscle memory? Having not bench pressed in over 3 years, I found myself pissed and a little bit embarrassed when I struggled with 115lbs two weeks ago. I managed 3 sets of 5 reps each. Last week, I was able to throw around 135 like it was a feather, 2 sets of 15 reps and could have done much more. Sooo, WTF? Could it be a mental thing (torn labrum years ago)? Its frustrating trying to build a routine when what felt like a ton the week before is now a throw pillow. I love the 5x5 routine, but I can't get a 5 rep max weight when my lifts keep going up, and as we know, too light of weight hinders progress on this. The only thing I'm on at the moment is hgh@4iu/day. So no way that could be the factor.
How long have you been back training again?

[kubes]

You will love the gear man. How long have you been back training?

[dark_venom]

Thanks. Looking forward to it. This week will make week 5 of total training (doc gave me the "legs only" speech), but only week 3 of upper body work.

[kubes]

Thanks. Looking forward to it. This week will make week 5 of total training (doc gave me the "legs only" speech), but only week 3 of upper body work.

You should really start to notice the muscle memory in the next couple weeks brother

[dark_venom]

You should really start to notice the muscle memory in the next couple weeks brother

Thanks Kubes, I'll keep you posted.

[dark_venom]

Morning after first pin of BNSF's supertest to the quads. Super smooth, no pain in the injection spot.

[dark_venom]

It's been about 6 weeks since I updated this log, and for good reason. The last few weeks have been a bit intense. My youngest graduated high school, and the very next day, we had my grandfather's funeral. With all that said and done, it's time to post a few updates.

1. Good news/Bad news: Good news - My left quads are starting to strengthen and I'm experiencing visual growth. They are now only 2 cm smaller than the right quads. Bad news: Only 3 of the 4 muscles are firing. The 4th (of which the name escapes me as I type this) is the one on the medial side, down by the knee. Can't even see it. No growth. There is still work to be done.

2. I'm only 4 months out from back surgery so I'm a bit ahead of the healing schedule, which is not a complaint. Next evaluation is next week. Stay tuned.

[dark_venom]

Wrapping up last two weeks of Hgh/Test/Anavar cycle. I have to say I'm pleased with the results.