So, tomorrow I have to be at the horsepistol (as my old grandpappy used to say) by 05:30 AM in the morning for stenosis relief surgery.
Now, I've had two previous back surgeries (though not for this specific problem) and they came out fine; the doc's done this a bunch, and I assume if he wasn't good at it they wouldn't let him keep doing it; my friend Bob "The Emperor Of All Things Musical" Chamberlin has had this very procedure twice with no trouble.  Yet the fact remains - this guy's gonna be playing with power tools in the immediate vicinity of my spinal cord (I mean, at L-5 there's no air between bone & nerve), and try as I might, I cannot help but be scared shi......um, a bunch.


Not looking forward to the wonderful post-surgical experience either - but at least that pain will be getting better where as this pain is getting worse.  Exponentially.

And I won't even go into the joys of doing opioid withdrawal again.......


Peter (who, obviously, will be incommunicado for a portion of the week........)

Having been down that Stenosis road, I'll be a-thinkin' about ya' Coz. I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't scared of the next one. Maybe not as scared as the first one, which was 2 years ago yesterday... but nevertheless... I ain't lookin' forward to it.


You hang tuff, my guitar-doctorin' buddy. You'll be okay. 

Good luck, Peter.  Hoping all goes well and a speedy recovery!

Holding you in my heart.  Let us know how it went when you can.  Oh, and don't give the doctors too hard of a time.

Hey Peter,  best wishes!  Scary to have surgery at any time - my thoughts are with you!

All the best, sir.  You'll be fine!

It sounds like you found yourself a power tool pro. Hoping for the best.

Good luck and speedy recovery!

Sorry I'll be missing you this time as I'll be leaving NY about the same time you head to the horse place. Overnighting at the Cozmik Ranch while heading cross country has been a wonderful treat - (Peter knows his way around a kitchen).   Good luck with the surgery.  I'll be sending good thoughts for a successful procedure and a quick and full recovery.   When you're better, and the world gets a little closer to normal, we'll put together a mini gathering when you and Mrs. Cowboy are next in Sacramento.

Bill, tgo

You got this Peter!

As an alumni of the C5-C7 fusion, I'll be sending positive vibes your way. Best of everything in your recovery.

I'm sure you have a more than capable surgeon. These guys/gals do this so often that it really has become pretty much a routine procedure.  And speaking from experience, it's great to not have back pain and/or numbness in one's hands.

I'll be thinking of you! My father had this done (at age 87) earlier this year and was terrified of it. However, it all went very smoothly and years of back pain has gone away.

Hope to hear good news from you soon, Peter.

Yes! Mica is right on! Now we are trepidatious!