• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Dre Armeda

and I love tacos

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Archives for jiu jitsu

jiu jitsu

A Rollercoaster of Mind and Body

Dre Armeda · Apr 29, 2016 ·

Thank you for all the texts and messages wishing me luck with the neurosurgeon visit yesterday. A lot of you have asked status and I haven’t shared with many as I am trying to wrap my head around it all.

What the hell is going on?

After a ton of tests and doctors visits, yesterday I received a prognosis from a neurosurgeon that came recommended by my Godparents, Dr. Abshire of Temecula Valley Neurosurgery. This is my second neurosurgeon opinion after countless MRI’s, nerve studies, chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture and cupping treatments, sports medicine and orthopedic surgeon visits, physical therapy and so on.

Dre MRI Neck Cervical

During my visit yesterday, Dr. Abshire recommended a level 2 Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion (ACDF) on discs C4/5 – C6/7. ACDF is a surgery to remove a herniated or degenerative disc in the neck area of the spine. The incision is made in the front of the spine through the throat area. After the disc is removed, a bone graft is inserted to fuse together the bones above and below the disc space. Level 2 means I would be getting two done at once which is not awesome. Here’s a good simulation of what happens during an ACDF:

Looks pretty nasty, doesn’t it?

Symptoms and lack there of.

Now, for context. Anyone who has seen me or trained with me over the last 6-7 months knows that my left arm has completely atrophied (Hard to tell in the picture with these tiny guns of mine).

Left Arm Atrophy

What has most likely happened is C5 has bulged enough that it is sitting on the main nerve root that controls signals to parts of my arm. I have lost deltoid and bicep strength and range of motion to a point where I couldn’t lift my arm to hold a toothbrush or pour a cup of coffee. I had to learn how to protect that vulnerable arm on the mat. I have spent a tremendous amount of energy and countless hours on the mat retooling my Jiu Jitsu game in an effort to work around the dead arm. It was painstaking and saddening to feel like I was starting over again, but I did it. I never quit and I feel like a monster right now.

One Arm Bandit
Took 2nd at the Jiu Jitsu World League 2016 Las Vegas Super Championship with one dangling arm ๐Ÿ™‚

It has been a huge challenge. The arm has certainly started improving over the last 3 months which has helped, but not considerably. I still get the sensation of pins and needles down the shoulder and to the bicep with certain neck/head movements. This is a symptom that shows that the nerve is still alive but still being impinged. My arm and shoulder still become extremely fatigued during training or when I work movements that use the Bicep and Deltoid. It’s super annoying!

The thing that really puzzles me the most about all of this is that I don’t have consistent pain, and have not since the last impactful episode occurred last summer. The first signs of neck issues started in March of 2014 where I kinked my neck warming up for Jiu Jitsu NoGi. I couldn’t move it hurt so bad. That kept recurring randomly every few months until June of last year when I started losing strength and motion.

Physical Therapy

Since then, I get sore but it’s not continual pain. It’s discomfort, soreness, and a ton of pins and needles. It is knots along my shoulder-blade and a crackling sensation when moving my neck left or right. However, no consistent pain, and that really concerns me. This lack of pain leaves me in a place not knowing what the right solution is, and the neurosurgeon’s don’t seem 100% confident in their prognosis due to there being no consistent pain.

So what’s next?

I am not quite sure. I know I have a lot of unanswered questions that I need to consult with Dr. Abshire about. In our initial discussions it doesn’t seem like there are a lot of options. Another viable direction with no long-term impact studies, especially when correlated with combat sports, is complete disc replacement. There have been short-term studies with good results but not enough data to make a determination that this direction is a long-term solution.

It is likely that if the ACDF surgery is the only answer, it won’t be something I am willing to do until after summer. Again, I am not in pain, I am just living with one functional arm and discomfort. I will keep researching and hunting for viable alternatives, and most certainly I will keep training for the time being. This may be the end of my Jiu Jitsu road, at least the paved road I have become accustomed to walking upon. I will enjoy every last roll until the bitter end.

~One Arm Bandit

Something Doesn’t Feel Right? Trust Your Gut!

Dre Armeda · May 21, 2015 ·

It has been a rough month with an injury causing me pain in my lower abdomen. I have been in and out of the doctor’s office the last 4 weeks or so running labs, ultrasounds and being checked for various things. Finally, this week I got some closure.

I reviewed my ultrasound with the doc yesterday and they found an inguinal hernia. In layman’s terms:

An inguinal hernia occurs when soft tissue โ€” usually part of the membrane lining the abdominal cavity (omentum) or part of the intestine โ€” protrudes through a weak point in the abdominal muscles.

This is something that could have been there for years and I just started feeling symptoms. It could have been that my journey to better health opened the door to preexisting issues from my lets say more “husky” days. I am sure my ab strength wasn’t doing great at the point I weighed the most. ๐Ÿ™‚

In any event, I went and saw the surgeon this afternoon, and I will indeed need surgery to correct the hernia. They will be fixing me via a laparoscopic surgical procedure that includes some camera action to find the tear(s). I hope the footage is good!

Needless to say I am very disappointed. I am making progress on my weight which is awesome, I am floating around 200 (competition weight) and looking now to get to 185 standing. I am registered for a couple upcoming competitions that I am sure I won’t be ready for considering recovery. My Jiu Jitsu game feels awesome, I feel confident about my technique and it seems only when I feel this way am I presented with another injury, issue, or adversity.

That’s OK though, because I’ll get through it like I do every other time, it’s just rather frustrating. Ultimately I have come to the conclusion that I can’t change my path completely, I just have to learn to better deal with the challenges that I am presented with, and keep on, keeping on! I’ll get to my finish line one way or another!

See you on that mats…..soon enough!

Oss

One Stripe Blue – The Jiu Jitsu Journey is Real

Dre Armeda · Feb 11, 2015 ·

It is a long journey, and sometimes life happens! Of course, life always happens, it’s just that sometimes you have to adjust priorities. Your every day routine shifts.

I earned my first blue belt stripe at Carlson Gracie Menifee in December, and I couldn’t be more excited. Not excited about the stripe per se, but about what it means to see forward movement in my journey.

DreJitsu Blue Belt Stripe

Over the last year life has led me in various directions. Some good, some great, and some painful. I have been through some nagging injuries which quite honestly are getting a bit annoying. If you ask, I’ll continue to blame old age. I also made various life changes that included some very involved career moves which took focus and dedication, and a bit more travel than I had seen over the previous 12 months.

Needless to say, these variables have slowed my mat time, and training has not been consistent. From November through December my training increased only to be slowed by more travel and injuries come the new year.

The purpose of this post was really to remind myself that life will continue to happen, and that’s OK. I am a 37-year-old businessman and father of 5 beautiful daughters. Curve balls are going to be part of my being on this earth ๐Ÿ™‚

That said, I love Jiu Jitsu. It has truly changed my life, and I can’t ever see a day where it isn’t somehow a part of my life. I still study through videos and read about techniques every day, even when I know I can’t train for whatever reason. The journey continues, and always will.

My commitment to my journey has not weakened, in fact I would argue that it strengthens by the day. I am committed to my team and couldn’t ask for better folks to train with. This is the month leading into the IBJJF Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship which is the next tournament I will be competing at. I am not prepared as I should be, but I am doing it anyway. I am not a medal chaser (although reaching the podium rocks) but rather a practitioner that believes that competition elevates your training which ultimately helps improve your game. Improving is my focus, and competing will give me the opportunity to win and learn, or learn and learn, there is no losing.

To close, I’d like to point out that I know for a fact there are a lot of players out there dealing with these same events, constraints, blocks, whatever you want to call them. All I can personally say is it sure feels good when I am on the mat, and even though it’s tough for me to consistently train sometimes, I always go back. Can you honestly tell me you don’t feel a bit of a void or an emptiness when you’re not training? Don’t let it get to you! Just do it, go train. Find a way. Life will continue, and so will your Jiu Jitsu journey as long as you get back on the mat as often as you can!

~Oss

DreJitsu Goes Blue

Dre Armeda · Jun 24, 2014 ·

A lot has changed in the last couple months. I have a lot to write about. I need to catch up, and I will. I will start with the latest news first, and work my way back over the coming weeks.

I am excited to announce that I was awarded my blue belt last night by Master Carlson Gracie Jr. and my coach, Orlando Alonso!

Dre Blue Belt

I am beyond excited about this new stage in my Jiu Jitsu journey, and can’t wait to get on the mats!
[Read more…] about DreJitsu Goes Blue

Hello world! Hello Jiu Jitsu.

Dre Armeda · Nov 28, 2013 ·

My journey has already begun. Welcome to the place where I’ll note, log, and chat about my experiences as I practice and learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the gentle art!

Before we get started, I want to give a shout out to my school and team at Carlson Gracie Menifee, my coach Orlando Alonso, Tony Perez, Daniel Cid, and everyone else who has taught and encouraged me. We’re just getting started, and more on all these awesome folks along the way!


Team Carlson Gracie Menifee
Team Carlson Gracie Menifee

In early May, Tony Perez, my business partner, my road dog, and brother-in-law hit me up. He was very enthusiastic about a new Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school opening up in the town we live in, Menifee, California. He tried talking me into going and checking it out, and at first I resisted.

You see, Tony has trained on and off since 2010. In fact, he had a few competitions under his belt already. By this summer, he was already what I consider a very technical white belt. He definitely knew more than me on the mat, still does in fact, and he executes very well. He had slowed down on his training for a while due to injuries mostly, but also because work schedules had been crazy, and the school he had been training at was in Temecula, about a 25 minute drive each way.

In any event, along with our other business partner Daniel Cid (Purple belt), Tony had been hounding me for quite a while to get on the mat. I had always pushed back, I would tell them I love BJJ and MMA in general, but as a spectator, not as a practitioner.

This time was different though. Along with Tony’s excitement and encouragement, my eldest daughter Hallie was also expressing interest in signing up for a martial art. As a fan of BJJ, I naturally encouraged her to try it out before anything else, she was hesitant. She was more interested in starting with striking which I can appreciate, but I felt it may not be the best place for her to start. With the positive pressure from the guys, and my daughters interest, I told her if she started with BJJ, I would too.

This was early May, and off we went to visit Carlson Gracie Menifee, and to meet Coach Orlando Alonso.

I have not only earned a couple stripes, I have lost 40lbs since I started, and I am in the best shape of my life at 36. My four eldest daughters are all practicing as well, making this our new family way of life.

Over the last couple months I have been thinking about starting this site to try and document as much of my journey as possible. Here we are on the eve of Thanksgiving, 2013, and I finally finished the logo, and I am actually writing the first post.

It has been an interesting 6 months on and off the mat, and I believe the next 6, 16, and so on will be just as interesting. I hope you find value in my posts, pictures, and videos along the way.

Don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you have questions, I would love to hear from you!

OSS!

 

Primary Sidebar

Dre Armeda, MBA, CISSP

Dre Armedaa

Sr. Director of Program Management at @GoDaddy – Partners Business, Dad to 5 girls, Navy Veteran, Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt, Angels & Chargers loyal, Jeep head & taco lover.

Vice President of Product – Resume

Get Social with Dre

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 ยท Monochrome Pro on Genesis Framework ยท WordPress ยท Log in