->  WC> With no funding forthcoming I haven't seen a doctor since 1995

-> WOA! Complain as I will about our publicly funded system, at least

->  we can 'walk-in' to a clinic at any given time, and they can refer us
->  to an suitable specialist.

->  WC> except one clinic that refills my antidepressant.

-> And I guess there's no physician there that can give you advice?

->  WC> What's the point?

-> What's the alternative? I'd have no one else here to give a hard
->  time to. [-| 

->  WC> Health's failing in other ways due to inactivity.

-> I hear that! Sedentary life is something I thought I'd never need to
-> get used to until my eighties. That's about when my grandmother
-> stopped walking a country mile every day to the community water well
-> for her daily supply.

Shoot it was no big deal for me to walk 30 miles the day before injured
not that I did it often.
Next day 9 blocks was quite tough, now 6 on a really infrequent good
day.

-> This sucks, to be sure! Being a bit of a geek, I was able to run this
-> mini-'puter in the bedroom, so I don't have to feel isolated, even
-> though I really am. As an aside, I get to learn all about this Linux
-> OS, but I have to exercise the memory, and note taking skills when
-> trying to remember the tidily bits.
 
Try either Knoppix or "Point and Click Linux" with CD available at
Barnes and Noble bookstores.

I'm running Knoppix downloaded and burned for me by Charles Angelich
and that's a FREE download.
As I've 256 Meg of RAM, 128 needed minimum for GUI, I can boot to CD
and run it entirely in RAM with NO hard drive as I'm doing now
or install it to a hard drive.
Takes me aboput 6 minutes from powerup to online with everything
configured.

Knoppix is quite simple to deal with allowing you
to have a Windows like desktop, only better, up and running right away.

You need actual hardware modem, sound card, printer
for them to be recognised.
Software driven peripherals will not do.
Generally speaking if you can use DOS with it Linux
will do even better.
                    
-> What I take from your situation, is that a spinal fusion would return
-> your life to near pre-accident condition. Sure we always run a risk on
-> a OR table, but I've heard of many who have fused spines, and are up
-> gardening, bicycling, or whatever!

That's why I begged the surgeon, literally, to do it!!!
I think he was afrqaid of spoiling his record with a fatality
but I was quite up to it at the time.
Today I wouldn't make it halfway through before I croaked.

-> Do you have a support system near you? 

I'm a loner, always have been.
My criteria for friends is so high few qualify.
My support syystem consists of this computer, the internet
and my entirely docile and friendly Pit Bull.

-> I'll bet you they could drum up
-> some pressure on your HMO (If that's what you call them?) through letter
-> writing campaigns, or media blitzes. 
   
Oh sure I _could_ get on an HMO but when one does that here ALL
medical services are sharply reduced as regards existing conditions
in favor of preventative medicine, checkups and the like.
I'd be a loser on that so I run plain vanilla Medicare.
I'd LOSE services.

-> Me, I'm most likely stuck with my
-> condition for the rest of my life, but I plan on living it regardless
-> how crapy it is.

Same here and it's pretty damn bad.
Mind you I'm no wimp either.
Broke an ankle once and never went to a doctor.
It wasn't setting quite right but fortunately 
I was pushing my luck walking at 10 days  and broke it AGAIN 
with it setting correctly that time.
 
That second break hurt quite a bit I can tell you
but all is well now.

->  -> Because my hamstring seemed tight, I would try to
->  -> stretch it like a muscle. The
->  -> stretch involves moving to tension, then trying to move
further to tension,
->  -> ad-noseum. This had the net affect to cram my hip joint
->  -> into the socket to the
->  -> point that I couldn't walk. With the neural glide, one
->  -> pulls on the hamstring
->  -> until the nerve sings, then you back off. Then you pull
->  -> the stretch until the
->  -> nerve sings again. The key I believe is not to pull the
stretch until the
->  -> tension is reached. I can do that until the cows come home,
but it is very
->  -> counter-productive as my nerve only sings in certain positions.

->  -> As your nerve is not immobilized, and the pain is
->  -> originating in the back, I
->  -> wouldn't recommend it to you unless you get a MD's
->  -> approval. PLEASE!!! Don't
->  -> try to do this yourself!

->  WC> The ONLY spinal exercise I do is attempt to strengthen muscles
->  WC> supporting the back to slightly compensate for the lack of spinal
->  WC> discs. When I go grocery shopping I do them in a really hot bath
->  WC> to buy me the time required to get through that.

-> I trust you aren't bathing when you do the shopping?  Sorry,
->  couldn't resist.

No, just ahead.
The heat seems to elasticise my spine and allow it to expand just a bit
with the exercise.
I'm 2 1/2 inches shorter than I was pre-injury.

-> One thing I always do, is use a cart whether I'm loading up, or just
->  getting a few items.  Something tells me a walker is going to be in
->  my near future.
  
Same here, heck I snag a cart at the furthest most
part of the grocery store's parking lot to walk
it in to lean on.

We're both a mess :-(
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