Hey Alan B,

"Because I'd left service with an undiagnosed and untreated compression fracture of L1 at the sacral Lumber junction."

* Vertebrae for each spinal region are numbered downwards.

So I'm not sure if you meant L5 or S1, as the lumbar (L) vertebrae adjacent to the Lumbosacral junction is L5.

"That moved gradually up my spine taking the spinal processors from one side of my spine out, i.e., L2 and 3."

- wrong way around -

If it was working its way 'up' your spine from the injured area,
Then it would go from L5/S1 (Lumbosacral junction) upwards to L4, then L3, L2, L1;
And L1 sits adjacent to and beneath T12;
And T12 / L1 is the Thoracolumbar junction.
The thoracic part of the spine (12 vertebrae T1 - T12) is where the ribcage is...

- Not saying your lying about your injury, just saying you've maybe numbered the vertebrae incorrectly,
because L1 is at the Thoracolumbar junction, not the Lumbosacral junction.

What did you mean by 'spinal processors'?
Did you mean spinous process's (plural)?
They are the rear-most part of the verterbra.

I hope you were able to get some good medical treatment for your spinal injuries.
It sounds like you did a pretty good job on it, but I'm no expert.

plantagenet,
you want to show off with figures ? Then why not show us the figures resulting from the waste brought on by incompetent Labor-voting bureaucrats ?
It'll make the smokers look like a little puff in the wind !

The largest ever study on vaping (e-cigarettes) found that it was 95% safer than smoking. The study was done by the Public Health England. Indeed the actual data indicated that vaping was closer to 100% safer in terms of the diseases normally caused by smoking.But good scientists never say 100% (or that the debate is over).

Additionally, studies in the US show that there is no 2nd hand smoking danger from vaping nor that is a gateway to smoking.

But strong evidence shows that many smokers can use vaping as a way to stop smoking ie transition from a product that, it is claimed, will kill them to one that is largely or totally safe.

Yet in Australia, government efforts are all about suppressing vaping. If the authorities were in the least concerned about the health of smokers they would be, as they are in the UK, encouraging smokers to take up vaping and making it easy to do so.

That they don't demonstrates that the entire jihad against smoking has been about things other than the welfare of the smoker - control over others, forcing one's views onto others, government revenues.

Oh and we shouldn't forget that the various anti-smoking organisations gain gigantic funding from the government to continue to harass smokers. Since careers, salaries and status are involved, we can be assured that the anti-smoking campaign will continue and that true solutions like vaping will be demonised.

Forget smoking. Booze is the killer.

A recent study sponsored by St. Vincent’s hospital in Melbourne found that alcohol causes more overall harm than any other drugs. Smoking doesn’t get a mention.

Twenty two drugs were examined for their risks. The harm score for alcohol was 77 out f 100: higher than the next three most commonly used illegal drugs – Crystal Meth, 66 out of 100, Heroin, 58 out of 100, and Fenatanyls, 51 out of 100.

6,000 Australians die of alcohol related conditions each year.

Cost to the community each year, $6.8 billion.

If I have numbered the vertebrae incorrectly, so also have a number of orthopedic specialists who contributed to my legal documentation.

The cervical vertebrae are number from top to bottom. I used to know the position of every bone and their numbers, cervical, thoracic and lumbar

The spinal processors are those spurs of bone on each side of every vertebra, that act as the interlocking hinges, separated by disc material, that allow the spine to flex. And mostly at the neck and lumbar areas. My lumbar spine now virtually one piece of solid reinforced bone.

Treatment included multiple spinal procedures, two major. Bone grafts and metal reinforcing to both sides of the lumbar spine as a permanent fixture. And only to stabilize the injury. Cord damage being unrepairable!

Now mainly pain-free and no longer needing shiploads of addictive medication. Even so, a good outcome considering prognosis. Still mobile, but my situation not improved by recent and massive haemorrhagic stroke.

Brain still functioning normally, although memory isn't what it was. Thank you for your concern and interest.

That said and back on topic, there are no good outcomes from nicotine addiction. As for the other legal drug, alcohol, may have some benefits in very modest moderation.

Smoking more harmful than heroin addiction as is alcohol dependence, where one drink is one too many and a thousand never enough! Ice is worse than all put together and in every negative way and outcomes!
Alan B.

"If I have numbered the vertebrae incorrectly, so also have a number of orthopedic specialists who contributed to my legal documentation."

That's extremely unlikely, especially in legal documentation.
Orthopaedic surgeons are the highest in the hospital food chain.
They do spinal surgery on pediatric patients, knowing every vertebra would be second nature to them.

"compression fracture of L1 at the sacral Lumber junction."

- I assure you L1 is at the thoracolumbar junction, not the sacrolumbar juntion.

"The spinal processors are those spurs of bone on each side of every vertebra, that act as the interlocking hinges, separated by disc material"

- The intervertebral discs sit in-between the vertebral bodies of each vertebra. The parts of the spinal column that act as hinges are the articular facets and they sit posterior to the vertebra bodies.
(There are also rib facets on thoracic vertebrae)

"My lumbar spine now virtually one piece of solid reinforced bone."

Sounds like you underwent a spinal fusion surgery with rods.
Did they give you titanium?

"Cord damage being unrepairable!"
What does that mean? (in layman's terms)
What is the result / symptoms of that neurological damage?

"Now mainly pain-free and no longer needing shiploads of addictive medication."

I'm glad you're managing your pain medications better;
And the best way too, by not needing it.

Sounds like your surgery went well, though I'm terribly sorry to hear about your recent stroke.
(I know little about stokes so cannot really comment there)
I hope your doing a little better now.

"Ice is worse than all put together and in every negative way and outcomes!"

Fentanyl kills much much much more than ice.
You cannot even compare the two, but fentanyl does have a use in helping (if that's the right word to use) patients in palliative care.