Phil Cancels Outlaw, Dirt Farmer & Telluride Appearances

Get well Phil!  Bummer as we have good seats for the Darien show on the 8th.

Feel better soon Phil !

We love you !

That's a bummer, was looking forward to seeing Phil in Telluride!

{{{{ healing vibes }}}}

OOF!  

Take care of your back, Phil!

No such thing as ‘minor’ back surgery.

Wishing Phil a speedy recovery. 

I wonder which procedure he is having.

(Coincidentally, I had L2 - L5 fusion surgery yesterday and also had a cyst removed from my spinal nerve bundle. Sitting in the hospital now and hoping to be released tomorrow. 12 weeks off work for recovery. Ouch.)

Back pain sucks! Feel better soon, Phil. 

^^ Nancy, you got that right!

Heal up Phil and Atom

{{{{ healing vibes to LvA }}}}

Glad that I didn't pull the trigger in that Dirt Farm Festival.

Get better old man, see you in March.

Thank you, Jonas! 

Sure didn't sound like a man with a hurt back at Peach Fest last month!

Take your time and please feel better, Mr. Lesh.

Feel better soon, Atom. 

I guess years of playing heavy basses like the Godfather Alembic and subsequent solid bodied hardwood ones, it didn't do wonders for Phil's back. I would assume the one he has now is lighter.

I have a 1964 Gibson EB-2 neck-through-hollowbody bass and it weighs a ton. Had to retire it and move to a much lighter SG bass because it was killing my back onstage not mention my arm from carrying it.

Good luck, Phil, but don't switch to a lightweight Steinberger bass or anything like that, please.

Phil playing a lighter bass

Thanks FOM  and Nancy. I just did two more laps around my floor. Hope I get more than two hours of sleep tonight. The difficult part is sleeping on the incision and trying to roll to the side.

{{{Phil}}}

Hope you're feeling a little better by now, Atom.

Sounds like your surgery was a tad more than minor.

Yes, hammer! Each day brings a little more strength and a little less pain. I believe in opioids for those in need. I'm restricted to one every four hours as needed due to the insurance company limiting the supply. It's a bitch falling behind on a dose and the pain takes over. Thanks for the kind thoughts! I have many great friends and a loving wife who are immensely helpful in getting me through this difficult time. 

((( more strength )))

((( less pain )))

I'm restricted to one every four hours as needed due to the insurance company limiting the supply<<<

Can you pay out of pocket for more?

Regardless, glad you're doing better!  ... hope the trend continues!

Since when is back surgery minor?

Since when is back surgery minor?<<<

I'm guessing endoscopic, but yeah ... you're still tinkering around with the "interstate highway" of the human nervous system.  Aside from the risk of neurological damage, the retraction of organs to gain access always freaks me out.  Had a C6/C7 artificial disc replacement and they went in from the front of my neck & physically move the esophagus out of the way.  Heard that for lumbar procedures, it's the same deal re: retraction of all organs that are "in the way". 

I was thinking of getting one of these... get well soon Phil 

^^^^

FOM, my prescription for 60 tablets was limited to 42 for a one week period which ends tomorrow. The insurance price for 42 was a little over $5.00.

Refills are not allowed on oxycodone. I did call the pharmacist to inquire about the cash price without using insurance. It was about $52.00, but the point was moot due to lack of refills on the original prescription.

I spoke to the surgeon's assistant today. They are issuing a new prescription for a different drug which is less potent and less addictive in order to wean me off the pain meds. This is a good thing.

It remains to be seen whether insurance limits quantities on the new script. I will find out later as my wife has to pick up the script after work and take it to the pharmacy.

{{{{PHIL-ing Stronger Everyday}}}}

New prescription denied by insurance company.

Office is closed. WTF!!!!

I am not supposed to drive for at least another week, so it looks like tomorrow will be a long, painful day. 

Sorry to hear that!   Hopefully, you can make arrangements somehow if you need to ... but glad to hear you're feeling stronger.

Heal fast, van Atom.

Any updates on how Phil is doing?