Essential stuff for fans of Lee Jackson

[leejacksonaudio]

Sorry for the long hiatus. Here's a tl;dr version of what's gone on since my last post.

 

• I spent a crapload of time in the hospital. I got out on August 15th.
• I had a ton of antibiotics infused, then cut off abruptly when my diagnosis was changed. I'm now diagnosed with edema, venous insufficiency, and venous stasis, with stasis dermatitis causing the redness on my legs.
• I'm getting compression wraps done on my legs 3x a week under the direction of a wound care doctor, who says I also have 10% lymphedema mixed in with everything.
• I'm in the process of getting an MRI of my right shoulder done, under general anesthetic due to massive pain I experience when I lie down flat (rotator cuff issues).
• I'm being referred to a hematologist for iron IV infusions due to chronic anemia.

 

And that's the short version. Imagine what I've had to leave out!

[BonciuADV]

Hope you get better soon 🙏

[vyruss]

Was just thinking of you Lee.  Sending prayers your way.

[leejacksonaudio]

Just now got the official word from the orthopedic doctor on my rotator cuff. He's diagnosed it as a "complete rotator cuff tear or rupture." FYI.

[WH-Wilou84]

Thanks for the heads-up Lee. I hope you find strength with each new day.
Hang in there !

[Gez]

It's good to hear from you again Lee, even if those news aren't good.

[Daytime Waitress]

Great to hear that you're still kicking. Take it as easy as you can.

[indigotyrian]

Take care of yourself and be well, man. I'm hoping for a speedy recovery.

[Murdoch]

3 hours ago, leejacksonaudio said:

Just now got the official word from the orthopedic doctor on my rotator cuff. He's diagnosed it as a "complete rotator cuff tear or rupture." FYI.

 

Ow :( Good to hear from you again regardless Lee. Hopefully this one at least can be dealt to.

[leejacksonaudio]

The folks at the Duke Nukem Forever 2001 Restoration Project have released their First Slice Teaser Trailer. The music is by yours truly.

 

Oh, what could have been...?

 

 

 

[Dusty_Rhodes]

4 hours ago, leejacksonaudio said:

The folks at the Duke Nukem Forever 2001 Restoration Project have released their First Slice Teaser Trailer. The music is by yours truly.

 

Oh, what could have been...?

 

 

 

Wow that's awesome. Really fascinating to see the community work on this.

[Kyka]

Well as an absolute worst case scenario, at least we know the music is gonna be really good. :D

[leejacksonaudio]

Here's the soundtrack to Dan Douglas's Duke Smoochem 3D YouTube Demo from earlier this year, now available on Bandcamp!  Please grab a copy today, on Bandcamp Friday!

 

https://leejackson1.bandcamp.com/track/double-decker-chase

 

The YouTube video, just to refresh your memory:

 

 

[Daytime Waitress]

4 hours ago, leejacksonaudio said:

Here's the soundtrack to Dan Douglas's Duke Smoochem 3D YouTube Demo from earlier this year, now available on Bandcamp!  Please grab a copy today, on Bandcamp Friday!

 

https://leejackson1.bandcamp.com/track/double-decker-chase

 

The YouTube video, just to refresh your memory:

 

 

 

Lee really out here composing the score to This is England 2: Post-Brexit Blues.

[leejacksonaudio]

I will be releasing my 4th album on November 4th. Here are the details:

 

Album Title: "Lady Tygress' Suite and Other Commissions"

 

Nine tracks.

 

Full physical CD, digital, and streaming release.

 

Fourth album. November 4th. Please watch the forum for updates.

 

https://dleejackson.lbjackson.com/2022/09/new-album-coming-out-november-4th/

 

[Dusty_Rhodes]

18 hours ago, leejacksonaudio said:

I will be releasing my 4th album on November 4th. Here are the details:

 

Album Title: "Lady Tygress' Suite and Other Commissions"

 

Nine tracks.

 

Full physical CD, digital, and streaming release.

 

Fourth album. November 4th. Please watch the forum for updates.

 

https://dleejackson.lbjackson.com/2022/09/new-album-coming-out-november-4th/

 

Congrats Lee! I'm excited to hear it. Damn the torpedoes!

[leejacksonaudio]

7 hours ago, Dusty_Rhodes said:

Congrats Lee! I'm excited to hear it. Damn the torpedoes!

 

Someone's been deep-reading my Bandcamp profile. :)

[leejacksonaudio]

I received the results of the EMG (electromyogram) test during an appointment with my neck surgeon yesterday. They found several things. Allow me to transcribe from their report:

 

1. There is electrodiagnostic evidence supportive of left C6 radiculopathy.
2. There is electrodiagnostic evidence supportive of moderate right and mild-moderate left median sensorimotor neuropathy in its wrist segment, as seen in carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), with bilateral APB reinnervation on needle EMG.
3. There is electrodiagnostic evidence consistent with moderate, left ulnar neuropathy in its elbow segment (UNE) that affects both sensory and motor fibers, with left FDI/ADM reinnervation on EMG.

 

The doctor read this and then did a few diagnostic tests on me, including a squeeze test for strength on my hands. He did one test that hurt the top of my left hand like hell, then stopped and said, "Whoa! Wait a minute." He looked down at my left hand and said, "you've got muscle atrophy!" Sure enough, and I don't know how I missed this all this time, I saw that there were divots in my left hand - one on the back side centered above my ring finger, and another in the flesh between my thumb and forefinger. He told me there was no need for me to get the MRI that I had scheduled for him, since he wouldn't be able to treat the problem - I would need to go to an arm and hand specialist.

 

So, I now have a referral to an arm and hand specialist, with the following commentary:

 

     Reason: Patient has left hand wasting and left cubital tunnel syndrome. Please evaluate and treat.

     Diagnosis: G56.22 - Cubital tunnel syndrome on left

                     G56.03 - Bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome

 

I've been told that there is a possibility that the cubital tunnel syndrome can be treated without surgery, but I don't know what the doctor is going to do about the wasting of my hand muscles. We'll find out.

 

 

[leejacksonaudio]

I have since learned that the cubital tunnel syndrome from which I suffer can cause muscle atrophy in the hand. Check out this link:

 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21997-cubital-tunnel-syndrome

 

Read the section about, "What happens if cubital tunnel syndrome goes untreated?" That's what's happening to me. Good lord, this is worrying the shit out of me now.

[Biodegradable]

30 minutes ago, leejacksonaudio said:

Read the section about, "What happens if cubital tunnel syndrome goes untreated?" That's what's happening to me. Good lord, this is worrying the shit out of me now.

 

Hopefully this has been noticed fairly early into the process and treatment will help your muscle bounce back, Lee. I'm dreadfully sorry for this recent batch of lousy news.

[leejacksonaudio]

Just now, Biodegradable said:

 

Hopefully this has been noticed fairly early into the process and treatment will help your muscle bounce back, Lee. I'm dreadfully sorry for this recent batch of lousy news.

No, the muscle atrophy doesn't happen until the later stages. From the web site:

 

Quote

You might experience a problem called atrophy (muscle wasting in your hand) if you don’t get treatment for cubital tunnel syndrome. Your muscles could weaken. Your hand might look bony and not function as well.

 

I don't know how long I've been dealing with this. It's either been a very long time, or it's been a very rapid onset. One or the other.

[Biodegradable]

That'll teach me trying to read at near-midnight. Regardless, I hope they can still help you regardless.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

49 minutes ago, leejacksonaudio said:

I have since learned that the cubital tunnel syndrome from which I suffer can cause muscle atrophy in the hand. Check out this link:

 

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21997-cubital-tunnel-syndrome

 

Read the section about, "What happens if cubital tunnel syndrome goes untreated?" That's what's happening to me. Good lord, this is worrying the shit out of me now.

Over the years I've learned not to rely on basic medical websites for anything other than basic info (descriptions, symptoms, etc). If you're searching for information about a specific concern, chances are good that it has been studied already. Studies will give you raw information. Here is a study on CTS:

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5207278/

 

Atrophy is present in about 18% of men with the condition, and age does not play much of a factor.

[leejacksonaudio]

Medical Update 9/19/22:

 

I saw my shoulder surgeon today. His diagnosis: a full-width rotator cuff tear. Solution: major surgery, incapacitated for a couple of months, with it taking a full 9 months to a year to fully heal. However, he told me to see my arm/hand surgeon and talk to them about getting my Cubital Tunnel Syndrome dealt with and my left hand working better than it currently is before I go ahead and schedule shoulder surgery now. My arm/hand surgeon appointment is on October 3rd, and my shoulder surgeon follow-up is on October 10th. We'll get things coordinated somehow.

 

Gonna be a lot of surgery in my near future.

[Stupid Bunny]

Hang in there Lee. Surgery is no fun but it’ll all be worth it if it keeps your hands all working and musical and such. Keep on keeping us posted!

[leejacksonaudio]

I have a rather long update. Please bear with me.

 

I had an appointment with a hand and arm surgeon this past Monday morning to see what needed to be done for me. She came highly recommended, and had in fact treated my daughter-in-law some while earlier with excellent results.

 

After the doctor ran some tests, she discussed the situation with me. Put simply, I'm going to need a double, possibly triple procedure done during a single surgery. It turns out I not only have Cubital Tunnel Syndrome with left hand atrophy, but I have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as well. She's going to release the Carpal Tunnel and the Cubital Tunnel, and she may have to also perform a traverse of the Cubital Tunnel tendon or nerve (not sure which). All in all, my recovery time is going to take 8 to 11 weeks if everything goes well.

 

There is a downside. The atrophy of my left hand muscles, severe as it is, is permanent. There is no way to regrow the muscles. Not at my age. Put simply, this means I've lost the use of my pinky finger and most of the use of my ring finger, and I've lost considerable strength in my thumb and in the rest of my hand that I'll never get back. Suffice it to say that I'm going to have to figure out another way of playing bass lines on my Arturia Keylab 88. I'm also going to be a bit slower when it comes to doing input on Cakewalk by Bandlab, especially when Control keys are involved.

 

The surgery is not a waste of time, though. It will keep my hand from getting worse (e.g., it won't develop a claw posture, nor will it lose more muscle). The tingling sensation I have in it 24/7 is supposed to improve as well. For these reasons among others, I'm going through with it.

 

There is just one small matter that really irks me about the surgery, and that's the surgery date. Wouldn't you know it, they scheduled it for the release date of my fourth album, "Lady Tygress' Suite and Other Commissions," smack dab on November 4th? There's no way I can reschedule it, either. I'll work something out so that the album gets released on time, but good lord, this is an inconvenience!

 

Oh, well - such is life.

[Biodegradable]

While the news may be a little disheartening, Lee, your indomitable spirit through all of your hardship remains unshakeable and inspiring. My father is only a couple years older than you and a few months ago he slipped on a patch of black ice and broke his wrist. While he's been recovering, he was told that he may never completely regain the full motion of his right hand. However, he taught himself to write left-handed while in a cast and as his hand has continued to heal, he's still been using it to work his tools in his shed and run his handyman business. If the late Espi was able to figure out a way to play Doom one-handed with just a mouse after he had his arm amputated and my old man can still wield a hammer and saw after shattering his wrist, then you'll find a way to continue to produce your music post-surgery. I'm damn certain of that.

 

Stay strong, Lee.

[taufan99]

@leejacksonaudio Sorry to hear about your current condition. But I hope you're able to make a good recovery!

[Kyka]

Just posting to wish you every blessing and success. Lee, you have been a huge inspiration for me over the years. Godspeed. :)

[Sonikkumania]

Sucks you have to go through all that :/ but it'll most definately be over swiftly - and people here myself included wish you all the best during treatment and recovery!