Bruce’s Treatment

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ContributorBruce, 49Read Full Bio

Biography

Bruce, 49, has worked with the L.A.P.D for 26 years. He is married with three children. He began to feel neck pain roughly 20 years ago while working in the Gang Unit. His job involved intense physical activity as well as having to carry a heavy gun belt. Bruce had occasional pain relief after going physical therapy and taking a lot of anti-inflammatories. Whenever he exacerbated his pinched nerve, he could bedridden for days. He never knew when and how he might hurt himself again which affected him mentally. Around 2013, after seeing two doctors and having countless uncomfortable diagnostic tests, he elected to have surgery.

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ContributorBruce, 49Read Full Bio

Biography

Bruce, 49, has worked with the L.A.P.D for 26 years. He is married with three children. He began to feel neck pain roughly 20 years ago while working in the Gang Unit. His job involved intense physical activity as well as having to carry a heavy gun belt. Bruce had occasional pain relief after going physical therapy and taking a lot of anti-inflammatories. Whenever he exacerbated his pinched nerve, he could bedridden for days. He never knew when and how he might hurt himself again which affected him mentally. Around 2013, after seeing two doctors and having countless uncomfortable diagnostic tests, he elected to have surgery.

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It was Bruce’s wife who urged him to have surgery. He decided she was right, and he would rather try something than continue living with chronic pain. He had a microdiscectomy. After his surgery, he went home that day. He admits this experience was not how he heard back surgery patients typically recover.

I’m not the type of person that wants to have surgery, and for me to have surgery, it took a lot. My wife kept saying, “What you gonna do? Just go over there and have the surgery.” And I was fighting it. It was one of those things where you can keep living with this chronic pain, or we can try and relieve some of it. And I had the surgery, it was probably the best thing I ever did. The day of my surgery, I was pretty nervous, ‘cause, you know, everybody have heard some type of story about you don’t wanna get back surgery. Like, the worst surgery in the world.

The day of surgery, I was pretty nervous. I went in early that morning, and I could say by that afternoon I walked out of the hospital. I had my surgery. When I came to, my wife was there, and I didn’t feel any pain, and they let me see the little incision I had, which was maybe half an inch incision. And I had a cup of water, and I was ready to go. [LAUGH]

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