 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2019-09-01 21:03
It looks as though I'm going to have to give up the clarinet, at least for a while. When I was about 12 I was fooling around with some other kids on a lakeside jetty. I dived off and managed to bury my head in a sandbar that was not visible due to the turbidity of the water. I had a stiff neck for a couple of weeks but thought no more of it. Recently I started having pain and violent tingling down the right arm and hand, and a study of the various scans and Xrays shows that I actually fractured a vertebrae at that time. Now, at the age of 80 it has come home to roost. I'm having some surgery next week to replace some damaged discs, stabilize the neck and open up the nerve passages, and hopefully this will enable me to play again. I do hope so, as playing clarinet keeps me young. I really don't look forward to the clarinet as a spectator sport.
Tony F.
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Author: Burt
Date: 2019-09-01 21:16
Tony, here's wishing for a good outcome from the surgery. Maybe the thought of playing clarinet again will serve to be conscientious about doing the rehab exercises.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2019-09-01 22:52
Wow, best of luck to you. You will probably need some physical therapy. Please keep us posted.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2019-09-01 22:56
FWIW, about 10 years ago I had a bout of fairly severe pain going down my right arm all the way down to my wrist and into my 4th and 5th fingers. When I finally went to see an orthopedist about it, he left the examining room to look at my X-rays, and the first words out of his mouth when he came back into the room were, "How long ago were you in your auto accident?" Apparently, my cervical spine looks like a disaster of some kind happened to it.
There wasn't in my case anything as definitive as an old fracture. Just a lot of desiccated disks, degenerated vertebrae and at least one seriously pinched nerve. I didn't have surgery, but I did spend several weeks in PT and had a couple of steroid epidurals in the area.
The point of my relating all this detail is to say that once the pressure on the nerves is relieved by whatever method the doctor thinks will be most effective, there's really nothing to stop you from continuing to play. I'm not quite your age (I've only just made it to 72), but it sounds to me like your surgery, if it goes well, should have you back to playing fairly quickly.
Karl
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-09-01 23:30
Tony F wrote:
"It looks as though I'm going to have to give up the clarinet, at least for a while. When I was about 12 I was fooling around with some other kids on a lakeside jetty. I dived off and managed to bury my head in a sandbar that was not visible due to the turbidity of the water. I had a stiff neck for a couple of weeks but thought no more of it. Recently I started having pain and violent tingling down the right arm and hand, and a study of the various scans and Xrays shows that I actually fractured a vertebrae at that time. Now, at the age of 80 it has come home to roost. I'm having some surgery next week to replace some damaged discs, stabilize the neck and open up the nerve passages, and hopefully this will enable me to play again. I do hope so, as playing clarinet keeps me young. I really don't look forward to the clarinet as a spectator sport."
HI Tony,
Good luck and I hope you found a very good surgeon.
Remember to use ice/cold packs after the surgery as much as possible. Playing the clarinet gives you the advantage of having lung function better than average. However, after the surgery you should ask your nurse to give you an incentive spirometer. Try to use it every hour. They should check your vitals often (4-6 hours) apart. Watch for temperatures above 100.5 F/37.5C degrees.
These spinal decompresions are not easy to do but they have been done for many years. The surgeons know what to do (usually). I hope you will do well, will have no intrasurgical or post-surgical complications and be able to come back to playing clarinet in 6-8 week.
Good luck.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2019-09-02 00:31
From one of similar vintage Tony (82 actually) I send all best wishes for a successful outcome.
I had surgery 7 weeks ago, nothing as complicated as yours, just under 2 hours on the table, and I laid off playing for 4 weeks but am now building up my stamina again.
And there is no doubt that your history of years of playing is a huge plus for lung function.
In my operation I was told by my surgeon that I was the oldest client he had performed this surgery on, however the anesthetist said after that I had no problem at all under the anesthetic. I am convinced that 65 years of playing had a good effect, and the past 2 years almost exclusively on bass clarinet has been a massive work out for my lungs.
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2019-09-02 01:14
I wish you the best. Sounds complicated. I wonder if somewhere down the line it would help to use a neck strap for the clarinet. Can't hurt to get medical advice on that I suppose. It is amazing that your injury seemed to be dormant for 68 years. Good luck.
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-09-02 03:00
Caroline Smale wrote:
"...I had surgery 7 weeks ago, nothing as complicated as yours, just under 2 hours on the table, and I laid off playing for 4 weeks but am now building up my stamina again..."
Like your attitude- 2 hours in OR is not a walk in a park, IMHO😉
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2019-09-02 03:30
Tony,
So sorry to hear this. It is amazing how things we thought we had escaped can come back and make us pay later! Will be praying all goes well.
Take care,
Fuzzy
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2019-09-02 06:04
The human body never ceases to amaze. You broke your neck at age 12 and got through 70 years with it that way, probably doing various kinds of physical activity, and now it's causing nerve pain. One wonders, why now, what else changed - posture, bone density, other? Best luck with the surgery and recovery, and be diligent with the follow-up PT.
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Author: Ken Lagace
Date: 2019-09-02 06:15
From another equal vintage, many parts are not working very well as they were, but we have had the wisdom and persistence to last this long - so hang in there, keep a smile on your face and all will be well (again, like past experiences we have had!).
Good Luck - and update here often!
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Author: Jordan Selburn
Date: 2019-09-02 08:44
From someone a bit younger, but dealing with a bout of cervicular radiculopathy myself, it's not a lot of fun. Best of luck, Tony - have a fast and full recovery!
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2019-09-02 14:29
Thanks to all of you for your good wishes. The surgeon thinks there should be no problems, with a high probability of a complete recovery, so I'm fairly upbeat about it. Just in case it doesn't work as planned I've had a couple of offers to be reborn as a percussionist, so I may have a whole new career.
Tony F.
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-09-03 05:31
Tony F wrote:
> Thanks to all of you for your good wishes. The surgeon thinks
> there should be no problems, with a high probability of a
> complete recovery, so I'm fairly upbeat about it. Just in case
> it doesn't work as planned I've had a couple of offers to be
> reborn as a percussionist, so I may have a whole new career.
>
😄
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-09-03 05:35
Tony F wrote:
> Thanks to all of you for your good wishes. The surgeon thinks
> there should be no problems, with a high probability of a
> complete recovery, so I'm fairly upbeat about it. Just in case
> it doesn't work as planned I've had a couple of offers to be
> reborn as a percussionist, so I may have a whole new career.
>
😄
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Author: Jordan Selburn
Date: 2019-09-03 07:06
m1964 wrote:
> Tony F wrote:
>
> > Thanks to all of you for your good wishes. The surgeon thinks
> > there should be no problems, with a high probability of a
> > complete recovery, so I'm fairly upbeat about it. Just in
> case
> > it doesn't work as planned I've had a couple of offers to be
> > reborn as a percussionist, so I may have a whole new career.
> >
>
> 😄
"Reborn as a percussionist"? Why would you give up being a musician?? :-)
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Author: Bill
Date: 2019-09-04 01:40
I haven't read all of the replies here, but I would suggest adapting to a crystal (glass) mouthpiece with a very open facing that would require soft reeds. This type of set-up is an abomination for some clarinet players, but it ain't bad, really. You may have to get a shorter barrel.
But you're still playing. Worth a try. I do wish you an excellent recovery and many more years of playing!
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-09-04 05:10
Theoretically his ability to play should not be affected.
Spine surgery at lower level should have nothing to with lips, tongue, etc.
His lung capacity may decrease slightly if that.
It's like taking a very sedentary vacation for 3-4 weeks.
As long as the surgery goes well, he should be able to recover completely and resume playing in a few weeks.
Good luck, Tony F.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2019-09-04 07:08
The problem I'm having isn't really with the embouchure or breathing, it's more concerned with my ability to support the instrument and a loss of sensation in the fingers of the right hand. At the moment my right hand and arm are subject to acute tingling and I have a lack of feeling in the fingers. The surgeon assures me that this will improve after surgery.
Tony F.
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Author: m1964
Date: 2019-09-04 23:52
Ah, I must have misread your original post.
Cervical spine surgeries also have been done for long time and the results are good. Nerve regeneration may take 3-6 month, but may take less time too.
Someone suggested a neck strap- that is not going to work on a reconstructed spine but you can look for something like this:
https://neotechstraps.com/sax-practice-harness.html
Again,
Good luck
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