bad backs and the weather.......

[foaf]

wishing you the best.

I lived like a 90 yo man for years. mine was worst sitting, driving, standing. and you cant lay around all day, and when Id get up, from semi relief laying, it hurt the worst for 30 or so minutes every morning, and I know what you mean about being a big weather barometer.

So I live like this for years, I hate narcotics, or at least I have myself believing this, so pot and tons of advil and celebrex kept me going. And sure, the low success rate of surgery makes it seem like a dead end.

Eventually I figured, what could be worse than this. So I had a spinal fusion L5 S1, ALIF procedure, bone graft and giant lag screws in my back and rods and stuff. Crazy big operation. It went smoothly, my back didnt hurt much at all post op, the incision in the front kinda did. Back at work in 3 weeks.

Well, Im over 50 and now, I can do anything. I just got my purple belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu after 4 years of training, and I never have back pain.

Surgery does sometimes work.

 

[Stoner4Life]

frigging crippled today, my spine is screaming in pain, walking, bending, lifting anything at all. I can feel it w/every heartbeat.......

 

[Stoner4Life]

any day now, I'm sure I'll get that profound 'CRACK/POP' as my spine finds its own adjustment, my doctor tells me the rough handling of a chiropractor might paralyze me so I'm stuck waiting out these periods of extreme pressure.......

 

[huligun]

Hey Stoner4life

I know you are fixture on the site, but never knew that you were injured. Words cannot fix your problems, but hopefully you understand that I do feel for you.

I have a theory that eventually everyone will be hooked on narcotics before they die. Aging is painful. Injuries accelerate aging. Opiates are really the only tools that medicine has to help people cope with the pain of dying. People have been using them for hundreds of years or possibly even longer. I tell everyone that the longer they can live without opiates the better off they are. In fact doctors generally will not prescribe them for chronic problems because they facilitate addiction. What you have then are people that are needy and forced to get them off of the black market. People with arthritis are felons as they try to cope with pain.

The soft tissue in your body are like sponges. When hydrated correctly they swell and make pain more manageable. proper hydration is the key, and oddly enough, many people are in a state of dehydration. My advice to everyone is to force yourself to stay hydrated. If you notice, once someone is admitted to the hospital the first thing they do is connect to to IV units to force hydration. Coke or coffee do not hydrate you. You need to drink a lot of water and/or the sports drinks to be properly hydrated.

This advice I offer you in not something you will notice immediately. You have to force hydration as a ritual to good health. In the weeks that follow you will see increased health on several levels.

I would consider trying to eat healthy, foods that are whole, not so processed. Avoid or wean yourself down from coffee and colas. Force yourself to eat raw fruits and veggies. Try to stay away from fast foods and reduce meat. You are better health wise to be a little underweight than overweight.

Proper health and pain management is a philosophy, but it does work. You can make yourself feel better. Most pain that you feel is from dehydration either directly or indirectly.

I know this may seem like a pile of shit but trust me, I know what I am talking about.

 

[Stoner4Life]

peculiar complexities of a damaged spine

peculiar complexities of a damaged spine


only the injured and their caretakers might understand this:

because of my injury I have a permanent limp, the limp is caused by dry (advanced severe arthritis) compressed discs and nerve encroachment in the facet joints.

my trick knee (right one) is inflamed today and because my now normal limp can't be adjusted I cannot compensate my stride to properly accommodate the bad knee so that it now actually hobbles me instead, my gait now looks like someone suffering palsy.

it's not an excess of pain at all, it's just that I've lost so much of my ability to compensate my stride that the knee now bends & extends at/in its weakest position almost causing it to collapse under my weight from time to time while slowly gimpin' along, if I tried to move any faster it's a 100% certainty that I'd go down.

prior to my back injury I'd wrap that knee or pull on the nylon stretch brace I bought and I'd be good to go just a bit slower, now I move along like a muggers dream. if not for the bad spine my knee would be no more than a small inconvenience until swelling went down.

luckily enough for me a couple or three days of aspirin & Aleve together KO's a lot of the swelling in my knee.

 

[Protea]

sorry to hear this stoner. dont knw what else to say.
im with you in spirit

 

[Stoner4Life]

getting tired of this for sure, going to
bed feeling like a crippled 90 yr old.......

 

[lordofthenugz]

Bad ankles, knees, right hip, right shoulder, and lower back from sports, hard work, age, and stupidity. All flare up w cold or extreme fluctuation in humidity. Low impact exercise and warm dry weather are necessary. Chiefin a doob helps too

 

[b00m]

Sending You Good Vibes and Strength To Stay Strong My Friend :friends:

 

[mrwags]

I don't want to exclude anyone here with any sore joints at all that are affected by the weather, altitude or any other environmental triggers (anxiety or mental), even gout from too rich a diet.


my back's been bad since an accident @ work in '04, previous to that I'd visited a chiropractor only 3 times in over 22 yrs of being here in MN.


most of you guys know me by now, amongst other attributes I'm a skeptic for sure, in fact I'll tell you that this is one of my philosophies... "Don't tell me, show me!" & this is another my dad told me & that I swear by, "believe none of what you hear and just half of what you see."


before my accident I'd never have believed that the weather could have such an immediate and profound effect on my back & how I feel for the day. some days the effect is pressure on my lower vertebrae making me feel as though I weigh 600-700 pounds; the nerves in my legs go numb w/in moments of me standing up.


I can't imagine having an operation & coming out worse, a 50/50% chance that even most doctors will admit to.

enough whimpering from me for now, I'm gonna go lie down by my bowl and check in later to see if any fellow invalids have chimed in here.

btw I just asked for and got a prescription from my doctor for a motorized scooter of my own, I'm so fucking tired of getting into one of them @ the store and having it run out of juice halfway through these new warehouse sized emporiums. work comp can hardly say no as I've whooped them every time we go to court for something.......


so what triggers your aches and pains?

Long Story Short... I raced motorcycles for for 18 years and have broken everything but my neck back twice so yes I feel you pain. You will forever know the rain is coming a few days b4 anyone else and might suggest a hot tub and some Horse Liniment from the Farmers Supply Store.

This liniment is made for people as well but to get it requires a prescription but to get the same stuff for your horse you can buy so go figure.

On really bad days have some Epsom Salt laying around and run a bath as hot as you can stand it and pour in a half quart of the Epsom salt in your bath. The heat on the water open your pours and then the salt can get into your flesh and tenderize it like a steak. Once you relieve the pressure the pain goes away well for a little bit anyway.

Those Inversion tables help as well. The idea of stretching you back joints so that the oxygen infused blood can get between them and help the healing.

I could have ever damn pill they make but I choose to take NONE of them for pills are evil and imho are the worst dealers in the world.

I will get a name for the Liniment and pm it to ya and post hear so all of you can try it instead of the nasty ass pain pills.


Be Well
Wags

 

[DoobieDuck]

S4L you have my support, for what that's worth buddy, how bout "I feel your pain"...Oh life goes on, I hope you find some relief. I don't know what else to say, Peeps like us are in for the long haul..be well..I care..DD

 

[Stoner4Life]

thanks guys, I often consider that this might be payback for my past dirty deeds in life.......

 

[Stoner4Life]

didn't get that big 'POP' I was looking for but have found some relief anyway. everyday life becomes more bearable again.......

 

[Peacemonger]

Last few days my hips have killed me. I was ejected from my baja-bug thirty nine years ago. Drinking taking qualudes and three grain truanl...(Another story) ran in to tree. Ya . I was an idiot..ok. Worked my entire life in misery. Four people I know who have had back surgery, one had good result, one about the same no change two actually worse over time. I don't like those odds. I got pills up the kazzoo...what I told the doc when I got my Med script (and I have a state card as well) was The Canna does not take away the pain..."it just helps take my mind off the pain" he said that was the best description he had ever heard from a patient. I got seven bones in my left wrist that where broken when I was ten years old and the idiot doctor did not set the wrist properly. Feels like a hot poker is inside my entire hand wrist and lower arm. Said they could fix that but i would loose 90 % movement of my wrist so I live with the pain.As for weather yes it matters mostly if you have an injury that has turned into arthritus over time like mine has.Getting old sucks ass...!

 

[Drift13]

I hear ya on the "getting old sucks" but it sure beats the alternative. I have been living with with chronic pain for 15 years or more. Some days suck and some ain't too bad. Then outa the clear blue it hurts so bad I can barely walk. Waiting for the ain't too bad to happen again. Giving up is not an option. Hope tommorrow is better for y'all.

 

[Stoner4Life]

and right back to square one again, just fucked.

 

[Stoner4Life]

got some great weed and my back's making a recovery.

 

[Protea]

you should just enjoi your weed and maybe the sunshine to day. then hope tomorrow will be better.
thats pretty much what i am doing thees days, trying to study but whit a head full of mud it gets hard.
j
stay strong stoner. there is better times coming i hope

 

[kerrf]

Keep on going S4L, there are bright spots still out there even though there are dark ones too.

 

[Stoner4Life]

I'm so close to getting that 'pop' in my back, it'll give me some much needed relief from the pressure/compression I feel, it's gonna happen soon, I can feel it coming.......