Guys, I will be out of touch beginning Monday April 31st for about a week to 10 days. I am going in for neck surgery to correct some bulging discs and bone spurs due to Degenerative Disc Disease. I have had neck pain since I was in a airplane crash in 1977. For the last 6 weeks my hands and arms have been numb,tingling, and burning.I saw the Neuro Surgeon today and he thought it best that I have it done ASAP, as he knows how active I am . I go in for further tests on Monday and surgery on Tuesday. Hopefully out Wednesday or Thursday. I will be away from traveling for about 4 to 6 weeks. I will have to try to conduct business on the phone once I am able. I figure I better go ahead and do this so I will be ready for the ISDTR in OCT. I am really dreading this as many of you know how needle phobic I am. So keep me in your thoughts and I will be back soon.
Your Friend,
Dwight Rudder [xx(]
Dwight Rudder
7 time ISDT / E medalist
8 time National Enduro Class Champion.
Dwight,
You will be in my Prayers.
Ron Carbaugh
Thanks my friend.
Dwight
Dwight Rudder
7 time ISDT / E medalist
8 time National Enduro Class Champion.
Dwight,
Good Luck. I have added you my Prayer list.
Tony Friedel
Dwight,
Best of luck with your surgery and you are in my prayers as well. Keep us posted on the progress!
Donny Smith
Paragould, AR
Dwight,
I will have you in my prayers!
Thomas Carmichael
1970 125 Six Day
1976 250 Hare Scrambler
Best of luck with the surgery. If your operations is anything like my new hip, you'll be better on the down side.
You'll be in my thoughts.
Dane
god bless you, dwight. get well real soon
chi jer
You are in my prayers Dwight.
Teddy
It is good to have friends that care. Now if I could only get y'all to come hold me down for the injections and tests. I have a horrible needle phobia.
Dwight
Dwight Rudder
7 time ISDT / E medalist
8 time National Enduro Class Champion.
Dwight,
Good luck with the needles. You'll be in my prayers. As a side note, do you remember riding MX at Tennessee State Championship?? Cleveland TN in eary '70s? It was held in a horse arena, rainded like crazy and was slick'r than greased owl sh..? On a Rupp?
I rode 2 classes, 100 & 125 on Hodakas. DNF in 100, got a 3rd in 125 because you lapped me and I happended to be only 2 bikes behind you at the flag.
Get well soon,
Ernie P.
Chattanooga, TN
Dwighty,I sympathize with you and know of what you are going thru.Hope it all turns out good for you and that you are back riding soon.Hope to see you at ISDTRR.Take Care,
Ric
ric emmal
Dwight, best of luck with this procedure, see you at the ISDTRR, you are in my Prayers, regards, Mike G.
Mike Gallagher, Camden County, NJ. - 70 + 71, 125 Steel Tankers, 72, 73, 74, 125-6 Day's, 73 Jackpiner
Good luck Dwight. I'm back out of the hospital and feel great, I hope yours goes as well as mine did.
Brian
Quotequote:Originally posted by brian kirby
Good luck Dwight. I'm back out of the hospital and feel great, I hope yours goes as well as mine did.
Brian
Glad you are doing well Brian. I am dreading the hell out of this.
Dwight
Dwight Rudder
7 time ISDT / E medalist
8 time National Enduro Class Champion.
Dwight,just got back from Devil's Ridge and read of your plight. Good Luck and God Bless.
A trick with needles is don't watch.
Lew Mayer
I had this surgery about 14 years ago. My right arm was parallized
and the Doctor wasn't sure if I would get the use of it again.Back
then Doctor Zigar was considered the best in the southeast at this
particular surgary. He came into the recovery after the surgery to
see if I could move my arm. I gave it all I had but it wouldn't
move. He said that sometimes it takes awhile to come back and to do
alot of therapy. After a week of therapy I started to get a little
bit of feeling to return and about a month later it was back to about 90%. About 4 years ago I got the urge to ride dirt bikes again
but was affraid the pounding might parralize me for good. I bought
a Suzuki DRZ 400 and have trail ridden it mostly keeping the tires
no more than 3 feet off the ground. When I was young I raced a 250
Elsinor and a 400 Husky in the expert classes. Now that I'm 52 the
the thought of permanent damage makes me conservative. How I wish
that I could join ARHMA to race again, but it will never happen as
just stepping off a high step will still make my hands tingle and
go numb. Dwight,your probably not as bad of condition as I am,
please don't let this stop what you love to do. Good luck with the
surgery and keep up the therapy.
James Pearson
Dwight, get well soon, you are in our prayers.
Your guardian angel (Debbie) will be by your side, as well
as all your motorcycle friends thoughts and prayers.
Quotequote:Originally posted by Doug Wilford
Dwight, get well soon, you are in our prayers.
Your guardian angel (Debbie) will be by your side, as well
as all your motorcycle friends thoughts and prayers.
Thanks, Doug, Say hello to Dot for us. I go in about6 hrs.
I raced today, I know I shouldn't but I didn't want to think about the surgery. I was in second for a long time but my right hand went numb for a while and I was just a bit weak. I ended up 4th.
Your friend,
Dwight
Dwight Rudder
7 time ISDT / E medalist
8 time National Enduro Class Champion.
Hey Dwight:
The operation should be no sweat. I had it done last Sept. and I was ready to go home that night. The worst parts were removing the #%*& catheter (OUCH!!) and having to wear a neck brace for a month. I felt like one of those bobblehead deals. The numbness and tingling should have gone away immediately. As I have been given to understand by both chiropractors and surgeons/doctors alike, this operation is generally very succesful unlike back surgery. As I found out many people have this problem and are very reluctant to have the surgery, prefering to try to treat it through chiropractic and other more medieval means. Chiropractic care will work for a time in many cases, but as the condition worsens the pain becomes worse as does the nerve damage due to compression of the spinal cord. Remember nerves do not regenerate. I've spoken to a number of people who refuse to deal with the problem and you can actually see the results. For example, one arm and the palm of the hand can often be visably smaller due to atrophy from nerve damage. Pretty scary. That's my $.02. Let me know how you're doing.
Bill
They fused T1 & C7 and C5 & C6. Cleaned up bone spurs and opened up canals. They went in from front of neck. I am doing pretty good. Laid up on couch. Tired. Tinglin gone. Some numbness gone. So far so good. I will check in later this week. Deb gone to work to get stuff to do at home, right now.
Dwight
Dwight Rudder
7 time ISDT / E medalist
8 time National Enduro Class Champion.
Dwight;
No more flying upside down, especialy when landing.:) Tare care.
Doug Dot and COCO. We are all glad you are on the road
to recovery.
Dwight,
Thanks for keeping us updated.
Ron Carbaugh
Dwight,
Glad to hear you are making progress. Was the ordeal as bad as the first special test at last years ISDTRR? Heal quick, we have our yearly moto coming up in a couple of months.
Take care,
Paul
I am doing some walking now. Neck still a bit uncomfortable but I guess it should be being that they basically removed my head and replaced it.
I hope to be on more soon. Thank you for all the prayers and good thoughts as you don't know how much it means to me. I hope to be back riding in a month or so.
Thanks again,
Dwight
Dwight Rudder
7 time ISDT / E medalist
8 time National Enduro Class Champion.
That is great news Dwight! I hope to be cleared to ride on the 22nd of this month. I might see you at some SERA races before Barber and the RR, but either way get well soon.
Brian
'72 Six Day (on loan from Ernie P.)
I have been away for a couple of weeks so I did not know about your surgery, good to hear that you are doing better, I will add you to my list. I am sure that it will take some time to get back to normal, what ever normal is.... take care and my prayer is a speedy recovery!!!!
Thom Green,Still crazy after all these years!
76' 250 MC5 (orginal owner)
75' GS400 (finished project bike)
72'sixday (project bike)
Rosemary and I are so glad to hear our prayers are being answered. Thanks for keeping us posted.
Teddy