So I heard some news about George.

[ammaringnyc]

Apparantly he fell asleep on his arm and woke up and he couldn’t feel it. He is going for treatment but it looks as though he won’t play drums for a little while.

[AGAP]

Thats terrible news, thanks for letting us know

I hope the physio/treatment goes well & he returns to form asap

[FlyingCloud]

omg, sorry to hear

hope he’s very careful with his arm now, and doesn’t start to play drums prematurely.
most of all I hope is, that he’s getting completely well again very soon

[simmons]

give it some time and threatment and the arm will be fine again.. – I hope.
talking about waking up with unpleasent surprises.eighties kiss guitarist mark st john woke up with his hand all swollen.. he had to quit kiss because of that..

[expect nothing]

ooo dear, that must be soo frustrating – hope he gets drumming again soon, (but not to soon, he must rest a little bit first)

[rambleon]

… that’s horrible to hear … hope you get better soon george

[johnbonhamisgod]

Hey y’all,
It is true that I suffered a neurological injury to my left arm not long ago. I’ll briefly capsulize what occurred. On the last date of my most recent European jaunt with Evan Dando, which was the Leeds Festival on August 23rd, I had stayed up all night toping with some English friends of mine. Being already incredibly sleep deprived, due in part to being in the midst of the most unusual European heat wave this summer, and said lands distinct lack of air condtioning, suffice it to say that by the time I boarded my flight home to New York I was thoroughly wiped out. Frustrated at my inabililty to fall asleep on the airplane I stupidly continued imbibing the free cocktails offered on the journey across the Atlantic. Needless to say that by the time I got off of the plane at JFK I was well in the bag. After the taxi ride home I bid a not so fond adieu to the person that my girlfriend had arranged to watch our loft (as she was Upstate working on a film shoot.) Looking at the clock I realized that it was only 7:30PM and I thought to myself that if I fell asleep at this time that I would just be screwing myself with the jet lag issue. Thus, in my infinite wisdom I decided that my best course of action was to try and stay awake until at least midnite, or so. Unfortunately my stupidity with regards to my disgusting over consumption of alcohol got the better of me, and I fell asleep on my couch with my left arm crumpled under my torso, and awoke some 14 hours later. Upon waking up my left arm was completely numb, but I thought nothing of it as I was certain that it would go away as is commonplace when one sleeps awkwardy on a limb for a short while. But this was no short while, and after about an hour I began to panic as I still couldn’t move my left hand. When the condition showed no sign of improvement 24 hours later, I went to the emergency room. The ER doctor informed me that I had sustained what is known as a crush injury to my radial nerve. He then made feel even more like a moron when he informed me that this injury is common among homeless people who pass out on sidewalks from booze or heroin. He then added the real stinger when he said that I probably wouldn’t be playing drums for at least nine months. This really freaked me out, as I was scheduled to be on tour again in less than two weeks. A few days later I consulted one of the leading neurologists in the country at Lenox Hill Hospital, who echoed the initial prognosis of the ER physician. I figured that I was totally screwed. as this is the doctor that treats the guys who play for the Jets and Giants when they end up in wheelchairs for the rest of their lives. Man did I ever feel like an idiot for being so cavalier with my livelihood!
Fortunately I took the advice of a good friend and sought out an accupuncturist. I figured that the Chinese have been practicing medicine for a hell of a lot longer than we have in Western Civilization, so there must be something to it. All that I have to say is GOD BLESS Dr. Lixin Sha! That woman is nothing short of a miracle worker, as one treatment with her showed marked improvement within a couple of days. Never mind the fact that she only charged me $75 for a one hour treatment, whereas Mr. Top Neurologist charged me $500 for ten minutes of his precious time. Being one of the myriad Americans with no health insurance, his bad news cost me half a months rent for nothing. To make a long story short, one more visit with Dr. Sha had me on tour, ON TIME! Granted, I was nowhere near 100 percent, but I was able to pull it off. I also must extend a big fat thank you to Evan and the boys for their encouragement and patience in allowing me to work through my convalescence while on the road. I must also thank my lovely girlfriend, Gimili, for her constant support, as well as being my shoulder to cry on. It wasn’t easy, and at times it was painfully frustrating, but after about three weeks into the tour I was back to my normal self. In fact, the whole experience has made the level of joy and satisfaction that I get from playing the drums even greater than ever. It may sound trite, but sometimes you really don’t appreciate what you have until it’s threatened to be snatched away from you. Also, I don’t think that I’ll be over indulging in alcohol anytime in the near (or distant) future. Finally, thanks to you all for even giving a crap that we do what we do. You rock!

-George-

[Robert]

"johnbonhamisgod" wrote:

Hey y’all,
He then added the real stinger when he said that I probably wouldn’t be playing drums for at least nine months.

"johnbonhamisgod" wrote:

Fortunately I took the advice of a good friend and sought out an accupuncturist. I figured that the Chinese have been practicing medicine for a hell of a lot longer than we have in Western Civilization, so there must be something to it. All that I have to say is GOD BLESS Dr. Lixin Sha! That woman is nothing short of a miracle worker, as one treatment with her showed marked improvement within a couple of days. Never mind the fact that she only charged me $75 for a one hour treatment, whereas Mr. Top Neurologist charged me $500 for ten minutes of his precious time. Being one of the myriad Americans with no health insurance, his bad news cost me half a months rent for nothing. To make a long story short, one more visit with Dr. Sha had me on tour, ON TIME!

Thanks for sharing your story with us George! And I’m really glad that you pulled through that really scary situation and that it ended well!

[SG]

Best wishes George,great to hear from you

[AGAP]

Thanks for taking the time to let us know how things are going

So glad to hear you’re doing so much better, can’t imagine the shock when you heard the neurologists prognosis. Very happy for you, sounds like a full recovery in record time, congrats!!!

I’ll never understand the American Health Care System, there has to be a better way.

[kracked873]

george rules so do chinese accupuncturists

[Bucky Ramone]

Thanks for the story, and good to hear that everything’s fine

[rambleon]

soooo glad to hear that you’re better now …

can’t believe that neurologist guy charged you $500 for a consultation – that’s scandalous !! :slap:

[FlyingCloud]

hey george, thanks for keeping us updated, really great to hear things went ok again that fast

…the worst thing with that kind of injury must be to sit around, not able to do things like before :(:(

[johnbonhamisgod]

"I’ll never understand the American Health Care System, there has to be a better way." – Voodoo Girl –

Hey Voodoo Girl, I couldn’t agree with you more. Our health care system is completely broken, and no one even talks about fixing it. Christ, the Clinton’s (especially Hillary), and I’m no fan of them or many other politcians, were nearly publicly lynched when they attempted to address the issue in the early days of Clinton’s first administration. Now with George W and his cast of yo-yos running the show in Washington, I don’t think that there’s any hope that anything will improve in the foreseeable future. I note that you’re from Canada, and although I understand that the "single payer" system that you have up there is less than perfect, it is far better than what passes muster south of your border. My friends in the UK constantly complain about their National Health. I always have to remind them that at least they can go to a doctor or hospital, get the medication(s) that they need, and not have to worry about whether or not the bill will affect your ability to pay your next months rent on time! In large American cities such as New York, where I reside, the disparity between the health care facilities available to the monied and the poor is appalling. The poor, however, at least have access to health care via various government programs available to those citizens who are truly destitute. It’s those people who have jobs where their employers do not provide affordable health insurance, and the self-employed (such as myself) that truly get screwed. We have to pick up 100% of the cost of our health care all on our own. In fact, I have a close friend who was recently informed that she only has two to three years left to live due to advanced metastatic breast cancer. Rather than being able to fully concentrate on her well being and happiness in what amounts to the final years of her all too brief life, she is now concentrating her energies on finding a bankruptcy attorney. So much for "The Greatest Nation On Earth!"

-George-

[Author]

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