question about tumors and bodybuilding.

[EQQUS]

as some of you already know, i suffered a back problem in february and had to stop training. little after that my right leg started to ache horribly. doc says it might be because i have a deviation in my spine, so two spinal discs are munching a nerve and thats whats causing me pain- ssome time after that we found out i have a tumoral injury in my illiac crest (hip) and it might be the reason my back is twisted. in both cases i have been told i might not be able to lift again, wich shatters my heart. but even so, the will persists and so do i. the newest information gives me a little hope. if the tumor is extracted (sawed off) my back will probbl realing over time...
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my question is, you, as bodybuilders, have experienced something like this?
can you have a piece of your bone sawed off and keep lifting big (i like to think i was a big lifter)
or should i just give up and train slightly just to keep what i got?

[Mdlftr]

Eqqus
That sucks, man. Getting hurt and or sick is a drag! I've been there, and, without going into extensive detail, my advice is to stick with lifting, however you can do it.

Consult with your doctors to learn what your prognosis is for your condition, then consult with personal trainers or physical therapists (especially if you have to have surgery, they are the people to see) who can tell you what exercises are best for rehabbing from your injury.

If it's full bore weight lifting, with free weights and equipment, great! If it's bodyweight exercises or exercises with bands or light weights, then do that.

Good luck, and keep lifting!

Mdlftr

[inm]

I'm not sure I know what tumural injury means, is there a piece of the bone missing?
At any rate, many people, myself included, have returned from all sorts of injuries. go slow; the doc didn't say you can't walk, or carry a bag, right?

[EQQUS]

Originally Posted by inm

I'm not sure I know what tumural injury means, is there a piece of the bone missing?
At any rate, many people, myself included, have returned from all sorts of injuries. go slow; the doc didn't say you can't walk, or carry a bag, right?

a tumoral injury means I developed a spongy, swollen and most likely brittle and possibly growing mass of bone area in my pelvic area. at some point docs said i couldnt walk long distances (wich is basically a kill-me-now sentence for me, given i like to walk, i dont have a car and well... im an advengturing biologist who, has been in the need of walking for ten hours or so)

[EQQUS]

Just an update: today as in July 25, 2012. im having surgery done. I will keep you informed. peace men.


Horse out-

[Mdlftr]

Equus,
Good luck with the surgery today. I hope you have a good outcome. Don't worry about what comes next. Focus on getting through today.


Mdlftr

Been there, done that!

[EQQUS]

ok everyone,an update: Surgery completed, tumor extracted. already at home and recovering. back is not totally fixed yet, but hoss is tumor-free.

I can still get up and walk around but i get tired quickly. im fine, though i just need more rest

[Mdlftr]

Glad your surgery went well. Follow doctor's orders and get plenty of rest and nutrition. DO NOT try to return to the gym too soon or you'll risk having a set back to your recovery.

Your muscles will still be there. Let your body heal before challenging them!

Mdlftr

[nnnrg]

Did they fill in the area that the tumor was in before? Was this like a hip replacement or a partial? If you ended up with the "nothing over 90 degrees" then DO FOLLOW THAT, because until it heals you can really mess things up.

Prayers and good thoughts towards you. Remember, most doctors don't know squat about bodybuilding. My first training partner was a 19 yr old (I was 24 then) and had been in a motorcycle accident; his left radius and ulna (forearm) were both broken, I think the ulna in two places. They put in plates and screws to hold them together and told him he'd have limited use of the arm, but he might get some motion back if he trained with light weights.

Yeah, we didn't do that. He ended up having to go back in so they could remove two of the screws because his forearms (at about 11 inches around) were 'catching' when he would do anything moving his hand out of 'straight' ... the doctor was boggled.

You should be able to similarly boggle them

[EQQUS]

Originally Posted by nnnrg

Did they fill in the area that the tumor was in before? Was this like a hip replacement or a partial? If you ended up with the "nothing over 90 degrees" then DO FOLLOW THAT, because until it heals you can really mess things up.

Prayers and good thoughts towards you. Remember, most doctors don't know squat about bodybuilding. My first training partner was a 19 yr old (I was 24 then) and had been in a motorcycle accident; his left radius and ulna (forearm) were both broken, I think the ulna in two places. They put in plates and screws to hold them together and told him he'd have limited use of the arm, but he might get some motion back if he trained with light weights.

Yeah, we didn't do that. He ended up having to go back in so they could remove two of the screws because his forearms (at about 11 inches around) were 'catching' when he would do anything moving his hand out of 'straight' ... the doctor was boggled.

You should be able to similarly boggle them

thanks buddy, that gives me some hope. as far as iknow, the pelvic area wasnt filled, as the tumor didnt leave a hole, wich is good. and i dont know what is that nothing over 90 degrees. mind explaininsome?

[C.J.C.]

Glad to hear your surgery went well, be patient and heal properly, then work on getting back in the gym. Me and several others are sending good thoughts your way!

[msllover]

How are you doing Eqqus? I hope that you and your body continue to recover and mend. May the Blessing of Light shine upon you and light your path towards a full recovery.

I would say if you are a spiritual person it would be wise to find comfort and seek healing in all venues.

Grace to you my friend.

Nurse Taylor LPN

[email protected]

[EQQUS]

I thought i should share an update on my situation.


OK situation:
Fist sized Osteosarcoma (as in a highly malignant tumor) located in left iliac crest (as in the pelvis' wing)
Most foreseable solution: crop affected bone.

next week im flying to mexico city to have one last examination from the most renowded doctor in the field, and he will give the final veredict.
there is still little hope for a different treatment but im ready for anything.

I really really really hope i can kinda get an implant for the missing bone, otherwise i will end being asymetric and all.

And end up tumor/cancer free, thats all i want.
and still be able to lift, but that, only time will tell. I'll keep you updated.

[nnnrg]

Sorry I didn't reply to the earlier question - I didn't see the update for some reason :P

Good luck with the operation.

The 90 degrees thing happens when they "replace a hip" -which is actually just replacing the socket-lining. The tendons and ligaments and muscles attaching to the hip are somewhat traumatized, and the hip rotates in such a way that if you raise your knee past 90 degrees from vertical, it can make it more prone to dislocating. It takes a month or two for this to heal completely, and exerting it hard before that will guarantee that it won't heal correctly. But once it does heal, if you're careful, you can generally work back to full function. Though, it might take a few years before you could do actual acrobatics or cirque de soleil style workouts

(Friend of mine just had a hip replacement; his family has a hip problem where most of the men end up needing such a thing by the time they reach 55 years old. And the woman who sits across from me at work had her second hip replacement (another genetic thing) and after a month she started training for marathons again.)

[Gman]

Hi Eqqus,

Hope all's going well. The edge of the wing of the Illium is often shaved off to use in implant surgery (if a part of your body needs another part of bone to fill in the gaps). Most muscle attatchments are the the flat part of that wing, and as far as I'm familiar most oesteosarcs are located at the tip (bear in mind I'm a veterinary surgeon, not a human surgeon).
When you should return to training (and you should return to training in some form or other), and the size of weights you use, will greatly depend on how much of the wing they've had to remove; how much muscle attatchments site you've lost; and the exact muscles they involve.
Take your time. Ask to be referred to a physiology that's dealt with YOUR situation and YOUR goals. Also chiropracty may help with your spinal deviation.

Hope the tumours a low grade. Best of luck

[EQQUS]

ok soo here's an update.

this December 5th i underwen surgery to crop affected bone area. while surgery was sucessful and cancerous bone was completely erradicated, as evidenced by blood tests, this time, i hope for good.

it wasnt easy at all. i had to deal with huge, mind shattering amounts of pain, and the health comes with the cost of half a pelvis- yes, my leg is baely held by my joint, wich is weak and brittle at the time. i can use a walker to move around the house and a wheelchair to go outside.
i have been told i have still a chance to walk again, but it depends greatly on my effort and losing weight. only time will tell

until then, crippled horse is out.

peace bros, stay healthy

[nnnrg]

Thanks for the update. Sounds pretty horrific, but if you're beating the cancer, that's victory right there. Peace.

[cutlerfan]

Get well soon EQQUS! You can do it! Hang on there bud! You have the will to overcome this!

[EQQUS]

Well. i guess you guys deserve a littleupdate on this topic.

after a couple months on crutches, i have been almost ten days walking with a cane. i have been training slightly at home, but today, the traumatologist gave me green light for gym. of course he adviced me to avoid certain excercises that strain too much my lower back, such as squats and deadlifts, shoudler presses are dangerous too but im pretty sure i can still do those sitting.

anyway, hoss can walk again, and is slowly crawling back to normal and will probably get back to gym sometime this week.
(after im sure my father's surgery went well... wich is tomorrow)

anyway, expect an update soon

[EQQUS]

one more thing to consider: no, i didnt get the prothesis, that possibility is being considerated but i dont think i'll see it anywhere in the next two years. i still have a gap in my pelvis, but i have grown strong enough to walk around with a cane and short distances unaided

[EQQUS]

todays achievement: I walked back from the gym without using my cane

[Mdlftr]

Equus,
So glad to hear that you are making progress!

Give yourself time to heal as you begin your workouts!

Good luck!

Mdlftr

[rosco]

Great progress! You are a determined young man. Every good wish for your continued improvement and increase in strength.

[brutus]

Wow, the illiac crest. That stinks, because it is where the lower back muscles, and the hip muscles join. Thankfully, it sounds like you are a very strong person, and that you have a good attitude. The fact that you lifted must have helped a lot because it means you are smart about pain. About 2 years ago I had a severe knee injury (nothing like what you've been through however) and my surgeon said that the best thing about lifters is that we KNOW PAIN. We can tell them if a pain is severe or not, and we can tell the difference between hurting, but healthy pain, and the "Something is severely wrong here" pain.

One bright thing I can say is that using crutches is the best upper-body workout ever! When I used my crutches, my upper body blew up! I really should dust them off.

Take care

[ottomun6]

Holy cow Equus! I just saw this thread. Sounds like you have been through some rough stuff the last few months. Hope you can work around your hip surgery.
Get strong man!

[EQQUS]

thanks everyone, im slowly crawling back to my regular life. one thing that bothers me still, though, is that lately my right leg is aching a lot. specially in the hip, whenever im sitting and i get up moderately quickly i get a sharp pain to that joint. im not entirely sure why is this. may be my leg is feeling all the extra strain im putting on it since i dont use the crutches? is it the weight lifting? i try to even out the weights as much as possible and im lifting intelligently, or so i like to think... my left side (the affected area) isnt really bothering (only when i shift position in bed) and when i wake up tha area feels both sore and numb, but i consider this to be expected. the right side, however has no reason to ache, outside may be the strain im putting on it. any words on it, anyone?

[The Pecman]

Good luck and hang in there! I think all of us have run into injuries and setbacks from time to time. At the moment, this has been the longest period I've had without an injury (2 years), which is pretty surprising at my age. Be grateful for the positive things in your life, and take it slow.

[ottomun6]

Originally Posted by EQQUS

thanks everyone, im slowly crawling back to my regular life. one thing that bothers me still, though, is that lately my right leg is aching a lot. specially in the hip, whenever im sitting and i get up moderately quickly i get a sharp pain to that joint. im not entirely sure why is this. may be my leg is feeling all the extra strain im putting on it since i dont use the crutches? is it the weight lifting? i try to even out the weights as much as possible and im lifting intelligently, or so i like to think... my left side (the affected area) isnt really bothering (only when i shift position in bed) and when i wake up tha area feels both sore and numb, but i consider this to be expected. the right side, however has no reason to ache, outside may be the strain im putting on it. any words on it, anyone?

Sorry, I don't know. But maybe your traumatologist or a sports rehab tech may have the answer. In the back of my mind , I would only guess some kind of muscular imbalance, maybe a specialist could help.

[brutus]

Again, the pelvis is the origin site for your quads, hammies, adductors, and your gluteals. It's also the insertion site of common tendons/aponrurosi of the back & your spine's erector's come from here. I have way over-simplified the importance of your pelican girdle, but enough to illistrate it's importance. You totally reshaped the foundation of dozens & dozens of major muscles. Get your body time to relearn how it should do things. Be good to yourself, get a massage.

[EQQUS]

]I geuss i owe you all guys an update.
as September fades away, its been ten months from my surgery and i have to say my reovery is been succesful so far. i can walk, jump, climb and dance, and last week i finally managed to run. I've been lifting again and inching to my old weights apparently i just need a heel platform for mt left leg but thats something i can wlive with. I won, with minimal casualities.

thank you guys for keeping track of my case, and i hope that if you know of somebody that is fighting a disease, or are you fightig yourselves, never back up, just muscle your way through!

[grywlf]

i've been plagued with spine ,hip and trouble too i one point i thought i never lift again i think it was about the time i was told i ruptured my l5 disc and the spine was crushing my nerve i didn't lift for over a year and doubted i would again my surgeons office advised against it but i started with very light weight soon after my second surgery i don't lift as often or as heavy as i did before but it has helped with my spine problems my knees have continuted to worsen over the year hoping to get knee replacement soon (i fell off a second story porch while working in 2004 and i made the mistake of not insisting xrays be taken after serval years of lower back dsicomfort it ruptured
and when i had surgery to repair it they found my tailbone was broken and there was slight hip damage most likely from the fall

[EQQUS]

Originally Posted by grywlf

i've been plagued with spine ,hip and trouble too i one point i thought i never lift again i think it was about the time i was told i ruptured my l5 disc and the spine was crushing my nerve i didn't lift for over a year and doubted i would again my surgeons office advised against it but i started with very light weight soon after my second surgery i don't lift as often or as heavy as i did before but it has helped with my spine problems my knees have continuted to worsen over the year hoping to get knee replacement soon (i fell off a second story porch while working in 2004 and i made the mistake of not insisting xrays be taken after serval years of lower back dsicomfort it ruptured
and when i had surgery to repair it they found my tailbone was broken and there was slight hip damage most likely from the fall

Dont give up, neve rgive up!

[EQQUS]

a minor update!

today i leg pressed 352 lb wich is ALMOST half my old leg press weight. wich means, at least to me, im indeed regaining strength in my lower body, despite missing a piece of my pelvis

[nnnrg]

What are your rehab specialists telling you about this?
Is there a long-term prognosis? Would they put in partial replacements at some point to prevent spinal injury?

[EQQUS]

the surgeon was a genius! she left barely enough bone to support my weight but its mostly functional.
my traumathologist says its ok i go on with weight training (was long as i dont do stupid things) with only two warnings : avoid adding much pressure to spine ( do excerzces seated) and avoid pain at all costs (stop as soon as anything hurts)

about long term prognosis, i DO have a slight curvature in my spine due a shortening of my left leg, for now we're gonna try with special high heel and go from there