Asking opinions really as I'm at a crossroads wondering if there's any point carrying on....

I've been working on my Discovery 1 v8 for a while now totally refurbing it, jobs done so far...

1. New top end engine-wise inc. Cam, sprockets & chain, lifters core plugs cylinder head gaskets.
2. All new suspension & bush kit inc. A-frame ball joint
3. Reconditioned transfer box (professionally done). Auto box flushed, new filter & fluid.
4. Chassis completely scrubbed down, treated to a couple of coats of red oxide & black top coat.
5. Inner wings scrubbed, small patches where necessary, then treated as per chassis.

I've still got a lot of work to do i.e. new brake lines & new fuel lines, 1 bush which is proving a real pain, 2 small patches of welding to the rear wheel arches & a new front wing painting & installing. The rear diff needs looking at as it clunks (too much backlash I think)

But here lies my problem which has really gutted me in that I've right royally FUBAR'ed my back which has left me in agony & hardly any feeling in my right leg whatsoever. Its totally gutted me and being told I need surgery & after care / rehabilitation for at least 6 months after I'm wondering if its just time to call it a day???

I'm stuck because I've put a lot of effort into it but should I keep it & left it rust in the garage??? Or try to flog it (in an unroadworthy condition) which I know I'll never get the money back for all the stuff I've paid for ???

Big question!!
Will you be able to sit in it after hospital visit, comfortably??
If the answer is going to be "No" it may be time to say goodbye

But if it yes? But you will be able to drive it comfortably (as is with most "High sitting position" vehicles) please keep!

As with the work to be done! If you can't or unable to do it yourself!!

Would you be willing to help a young person willing to learn the basics! And under your supervision! Put her together? You get to drive again! And young person has achieved some basics in vehicle maintenance?

Just an opportunity/option open for you?

I feel for you having got a back problem myself including an operation. Fortunately I can still drive but it's put my classic car rebuild on permanent hold as it has with yours. I toyed with the idea of getting a youngster to help me with the build but I've gone down the route of selling the parts. Best of luck.

It shouldn't rust in the garage much if at all if it's dry.
I was bed ridden after an accident just as I was about to do a 200 TDI conversion to my 110, 6 months sleeping downstairs and another 5 yrs before I was not quite back to normal.
You will slowly be able to do stuff and get help for the hard to do stuff so things move on.
As an example, I lost a lot of arm strength once I could sort of walk again and the 200 TDI needed rebuilding, I had the engine on a black and decker workmate and I set to cleaning the crap off with thinners and a paintbrush. Rang mates to turn the block for me so I could get to the other side and carried on cleaning.
Not much but it was progress.
Managed to strip it all down myself but with mates coming round to lift the head, crank etc and turn the block over as necessary. Rebuilt the same way.
Couple of mates installed it with me supervising cos they weren't mechanically brilliant.
I finished off the light stuff on my own.
You WILL get fitter just do stuff that doesn't hurt too much but at the same time don't seize up from inactivity like I did.
@gstuart is the back buggered expert on here and he's still doing stuff

If it is in a garage then there is no rush.

As I have a wrecked back* I do tend to sometimes rely on the specialists.

My own help is a selection of things to sit on. Like a brake and hub stool a door lock chair and so on.

* will be asking for fusion if not operable, had the physio, not much help.

@Jasonmichael - sorry to hear about your back

Flossie said:

@gstuart is the back buggered expert on here and he's still doing stuff

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Whilst sadly true, he is not the only one ... I take 60 tablets a day due a muscle disease, but I still do stuff - not much stuff, I'll grant you that, but I'm still "doing"

As already said, if the garage is dry, then park it up and come back to it when you can. As Flossie says, if you do nothing, then you will seize up, so a project you know is worth saving to get you going again, post op.....

Hmmm! think I might just leave it gathering dust in the garage then. I ain't gonna be working on it for at least 6 months after surgery, which I can't have for another 2 weeks due to having to self isolate (covid rules). Just so frustrating when I've come so far

Jasonmichael said:

Hmmm! think I might just leave it gathering dust in the garage then. I ain't gonna be working on it for at least 6 months after surgery, which I can't have for another 2 weeks due to having to self isolate (covid rules). Just so frustrating when I've come so far

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Can't believe so many of us have bad backs, me too since an accident when I was 17. Chiropractic is my best friend when it gets really bad and otherwise "Callanetics for your back", still available secondhand from Amazon. +1 to all advice above. Wifey has a titanium cage in her back and she is able to garden for hours and hours. Mind you, she takes a ton of Morphine sulfate!
Very. very, very best of luck with it all mate.

Thanks all for your replies!

I've been 'suffering' for 4 years with back pain but kept soldiering on. Up till recently I was going to a Chiropractor visiting 2-3 times a month. All came to a head last week when I tried to get out of bed in the morning & collapsed on the floor like a sack of spuds & lost feeling in my right leg. Went for a MRI scan & L3,4 & 5 are fooked! with the disc pushing right into my nerves causing loss of feeling. The consultant said its urgent that I have the op i.e. this coming week because if it carries on I could permanently damage the nerves causing my right leg to.....well...not work at all. BUT due to COVID laws I have to self isolate for the 2 weeks to make sure I ain't got it!?!?!!? Which is most annoying, but what can I do? Most likely having disc removal & rods inserted with screws to strengthen when I eventually go under the knife

Jasonmichael said:

Thanks all for your replies!

I've been 'suffering' for 4 years with back pain but kept soldiering on. Up till recently I was going to a Chiropractor visiting 2-3 times a month. All came to a head last week when I tried to get out of bed in the morning & collapsed on the floor like a sack of spuds & lost feeling in my right leg. Went for a MRI scan & L3,4 & 5 are fooked! with the disc pushing right into my nerves causing loss of feeling. The consultant said its urgent that I have the op i.e. this coming week because if it carries on I could permanently damage the nerves causing my right leg to.....well...not work at all. BUT due to COVID laws I have to self isolate for the 2 weeks to make sure I ain't got it!?!?!!? Which is most annoying, but what can I do? Most likely having disc removal & rods inserted with screws to strengthen when I eventually go under the knife

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This is more or less exactly what has happened to wifey. she had 3 slipped discs due to a slight accident, (she ran down a flight of steps carryign a pile of books, missed a step, didn't fall or anything but must have landed awkwardly) It took the medics 7 years (yes, mad isn't it) before a doctor in London took 20 minutes to say that the pain in her hip was reffered pain from her back. she had an op to remove the herniation from the discs, which involved injecting her with an extract of papain enzyme. This did its job and "ate" the excess disc but wifey had an anphylactic shock reaction to the enzyme, heart stopped, the whole 9 yards. fortunately they reanaimated her. but she was asleep for 3 days and woke up blown up like Michelin man. She was very lucky to survive, this is why they no longer do it, and she got written up in The Lancet as a result.
However, the damaged discs had rubbed away at her nerves and she was left with loss of eeling ans some control in her left leg. she has since has further work finishing up with the titanium cage in her back. she now has what is called a "Drope foot" which means she often has to wear a thing called a "foot up" device, whcih holds her foot horizontal. She does actually have a bit of control over it and doesn't wear it around the hose, but she still falls over every now and then as her foot won't move when she tells it too if you see what I mean!
So that is why the doc told you you need the op. Wifey's left leg is the one affected so she can drive an auto. So provided you take it easy the 2 weeks shouldn't make much difference, so don't worry yourself overmuch about it. It took wifey 7 years to have damage that could not be repaired.
As I said before, the very best of luck with it! You'll have seen the op, several times, if you've watched Supervet!

Hi

so heartbreaking to hear of so many suffering with back problems and really feel for u

indeed get the surgery done sd like others have said it will only get worse, know it’s easy to say but try not to worry, ur in the hands or professionals and plse keep us informed of how u progress, ur get great support from here

alas mine started in the USA , carried a steel threading machine up some stairs , machine weighed around 50-60 kgs

twisted at the top of the stairs to get out of someone’s way, felt some pain then dropped to the floor , ambulance to hospital , smashed nerves from L5 to L3 , never felt pain like it

surgery done, couldn’t walk after , bladder retention , left leg stuffed , had to fly home because no work , no money

ended up in st thomas , Dr Lucas was a specialist , the doctor in the USA wouldn’t help him in any way to tell him what hardware was Fitted in my back, size of screws etc , so they had to make all new tooling , was then transferred to guys for the surgery

they found that they had severed multiple nerves , one of the screws also touching nerves causing extreme pain , so the surgeon in the states has seriously messed it up

alas a lot of more damage was done but couldnt be helped after a year I was able to walk again , had 3 x more surgeries after that , Dr Lucas was a saint in my eyes as I was allowed to learn to walk again

Feel blessed I can walk, left foot is virtually dead, with a lot of feeling gone in the same leg, but can drive an auto, still have a lot of pain but next surgery would put me in a wheelchair , so prefer to stay as I am

if I do work on the landy, ie take a wheel of I’ll suffer for around 2-3 weeks but worth it because it allows me to keep my independence , now each day , take 120 mg of morphine mst and 900MG of gabapentin

Christ I’m gassing again , once again so sorry to hear of all the suffering that everyone is enduring , forum has also become such a great support system

take care

ps, @Jasonmichael , u might end up with hardware like this, if I may also say , plse plse don’t push it after surgery , allow ur body to heal, take one day at a time, know ur be keen to get up and do things, DONT , ur nerves etc will all be inflamed , take care and all the best and again, please let us know how u get on

gstuart said:

Hi

so heartbreaking to hear of so many suffering with back problems and really feel for u

indeed get the surgery done sd like others have said it will only get worse, know it’s easy to say but try not to worry, ur in the hands or professionals and plse keep us informed of how u progress, ur get great support from here

alas mine started in the USA , carried a steel threading machine up some stairs , machine weighed around 50-60 kgs

twisted at the top of the stairs to get out of someone’s way, felt some pain then dropped to the floor , ambulance to hospital , smashed nerves from L5 to L3 , never felt pain like it

surgery done, couldn’t walk after , bladder retention , left leg stuffed , had to fly home because no work , no money

ended up in st thomas , Dr Lucas was a specialist , the doctor in the USA wouldn’t help him in any way to tell him what hardware was Fitted in my back, size of screws etc , so they had to make all new tooling , was then transferred to guys for the surgery

they found that they had severed multiple nerves , one of the screws also touching nerves causing extreme pain , so the surgeon in the states has seriously messed it up

alas a lot of more damage was done but couldnt be helped after a year I was able to walk again , had 3 x more surgeries after that , Dr Lucas was a saint in my eyes as I was allowed to learn to walk again

Feel blessed I can walk, left foot is virtually dead, with a lot of feeling gone in the same leg, but can drive an auto, still have a lot of pain but next surgery would put me in a wheelchair , so prefer to stay as I am

if I do work on the landy, ie take a wheel of I’ll suffer for around 2-3 weeks but worth it because it allows me to keep my independence , now each day , take 120 mg of morphine mst and 900MG of gabapentin

Christ I’m gassing again , once again so sorry to hear of all the suffering that everyone is enduring , forum has also become such a great support system

take care

ps, @Jasonmichael , u might end up with hardware like this, if I may also say , plse plse don’t push it after surgery , allow ur body to heal, take one day at a time, know ur be keen to get up and do things, DONT , ur nerves etc will all be inflamed , take care and all the best and again, please let us know how u get on

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So sorry to hear your story. Shame you couldn't sue the backside off the Yank quack. The pain you suffer, the drugs you take, the lack of feeling in your left leg is so like wifey's. Do sympathise mate.

Stanleysteamer said:

So sorry to hear your story. Shame you couldn't sue the backside off the Yank quack. The pain you suffer, the drugs you take, the lack of feeling in your left leg is so like wifey's. Do sympathise mate.

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bless u, but at the end of the day if I’m being honest I’m pleased I can at last walk and not got a colostomy bag as that was also a fear, extremely grateful as I know others suffer more than me

indeed but alas need to be on the country to sue them as believe me he totally destroyed what my life was, forcing us as a family after 3 x years getting visas to then come back home, inc the NHS picking up the pieces of there bodge up

the flight home was horrendous as I’ve never been in so much pain in all my life, but have to say the flight staff were fantastic allowing me to stretch out on several empty seats, but wanted to crawl up in a ball and die

also so sorry to hear about ur beloved suffering like that and indeed does sound so similar , left foot I can lift but the reflex like pushing down a clutch is now dead, can’t do that anymore , also hard ref walking because I can’t feel the ground , but as always as humans we adapt , hate taking drugs and worst of all because I have a blue badge is the abuse I’ve had whilst parking , saying I was a cheat , low life the list goes on and on

Now I just ignore it now but does hurt, my late wife useto tear them a new backside ,but know think that’s why I also don’t go out much anymore , walk the dog 3-4am , including shopping at those hours so hardly see anyone around

still at the end of the day , have a roof over my head, my wonderful soul mate candy and food in the fridge and lucky enough to have a car, so count my blessings

Looking like its surgery on Saturday... As long as my Covid & other associated tests come back negative that I had done today.

Bloody Hell talk about prodded, poked, jabbed with a needle several times (I'm very stingy at giving blood). Swabs scrapping the back of my throat & right up 2 nostrils & a swab of my groin (what that was for I dunno) Roll on Saturday!!!! Just wanna get it done now!

gstuart said:

l because I have a blue badge is the abuse I’ve had whilst parking , saying I was a cheat , low life

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Walk with a stick, it shuts them up and if it doesn't you can defend yourself with it.
@Jasonmichael Really do hope today went well.
Looking forward to hearing back from you, hopefully with good news.
All fingers and toes crossed for you!
Good luck" doesn't really cover it!

Well, surgery this aft. Back in the room (awake and functioning--eating mostly as I was ravinous) stood up at 11pm for a pizz. Now feeling sleepy as the next set of painkillers are kicking in.

Jasonmichael said:

Well, surgery this aft. Back in the room (awake and functioning--eating mostly as I was ravinous) stood up at 11pm for a pizz. Now feeling sleepy as the next set of painkillers are kicking in.

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Here's to a speedy and good recovery .

gstuart said:

I have a blue badge is the abuse I’ve had whilst parking , saying I was a cheat , low life the list goes on and on

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- I ask them, in the most patronising way I can manage, at which medical school did they gain their M.D. - most are so confused by the question, that they just wonder off, mumbling

Stanleysteamer said:

Walk with a stick, it shuts them up and if it doesn't you can defend yourself with it.

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+1, or actually two sticks .......

Jasonmichael said:

Well, surgery this aft. Back in the room (awake and functioning--eating mostly as I was ravinous) stood up at 11pm for a pizz. Now feeling sleepy as the next set of painkillers are kicking in.

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Great!
"Stood up" that's a good start! At least lower half is functioning, as well as bladder.
Do hope it continues to go well!