Breakup

Breakup
In January 2002, Mustaine was hospitalized for the removal of a kidney stone and was administered pain medication that triggered a relapse of his drug addiction. Following his stay, Mustaine checked himself into a treatment center in Texas, where he suffered a peculiar injury causing severe nerve damage to his left arm.The injury, induced by falling asleep with his left arm over the back of a chair, caused compression of the radial nerve. He was diagnosed with radial neuropathy, which left him unable to grasp or even make a fist with his left hand.

On April 3, Mustaine announced in a press release that he was disbanding Megadeth as his arm injury rendered him unable to play guitar.For the next four months, he had physical therapy five days a week, and slowly began to "re-teach" his left hand.To fulfill contract obligations to Sanctuary, Megadeth released the compilation album ''Still Alive... and Well? The first half of the album contains live tracks recorded at the Web Theatre in Phoenix, and the second half has studio recordings from The World Needs a Hero''.[134]

Following nearly a year of recovery, including physical and electroshock therapy, Mustaine began work on what was to have been his first solo album. The new material was recorded with session musicians Vinnie Colaiuta and Jimmie Lee Sloas in October 2003. The project was put on hold when Mustaine agreed to remix and remaster Megadeth's eight-album back catalog on Capitol Records,re-recording portions that were missing or altered without his knowledge in the original mixing.