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Just Venting
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=60393		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  NewOldTimer [ Wed Apr 27, 2011 12:44 am ]
Post subject:  Just Venting
The back story:

June 2008; I manage to injure my lower back at work. Pain is so intense, I was literally bedridden for three weeks.
Workman's Compensation insurance is less than cooperative (which appears to be the norm here in Illinois), and lawyers have to get involved.

Fast Forward:
After nearly 3 years of insurance crap, & court, and doctors, I finally have corrective surgery in February 2011.
After three weeks rehab, life is good. I'm nearly pain free for the first time in over three years.

I get medical release to return to work in March 2011. The day I return to work, I am promptly laid off.
(Also seems to be the norm here in Illinois). Good riddance, .... I decide to go back to school.

Quick fast forward:
I wake up Easter Sunday, and can barely move. My lower back is so stiff, it's all I can do to stand, sit, or walk without
shooters of pain. Back in to the doctor today........

Two prescriptions, and bed rest for at least a week.........

99.99% of people who have the surgery I have, are pain free for years afterward........ I get 6 weeks.
If I'm not back on my feet in about 6 weeks, I'm gonna have to put off school.

Not to happy about the situation......... :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Just had to vent......
Author:  warp2diesel [ Wed Apr 27, 2011 9:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Just Venting
If you can stand doing some research, check to see if any of your other meds can be interacting and causing problems, happens a lot now days.
If your Doc is capable of listening, discuss what you find and see if a light bulb goes off, it may make a difference.

When it comes to Chiropractors there two schools of thought that I am aware of, one is the old Back Cracker and the other is a Super High Performance Physical Therapy that worked great for a family friend who is a Master Chef. He had to change the way he worked, Played Sports, did jobs around the house, and other activities I won't mention.
For me I have a bad shoulder and after all the tests including an MRI, I went to PT. I had the Gal explain to me the why I did each exercise and I incorporated those movements into the physical part of my work, I made a fast recovery, but I have to use my muscles the way I relearned to all the time or the pain comes back with a vengeance.

If you are tall or even medium tall, house ergonomics totally suck due to the dogma dictates of the Real Estate Industry. Kitchen counters are set at ~35", the perfect height for the typical woman in the 1920's. Both my wife at 5'5" and myself at 6'1" get back aches from working at the sink. I have my Lathe jacked up so I don't get a back ache (when I get a chance to use it) and one of my Brothers in Law is 6'10" and built his saw horses extra tall so he does not get a back ache.
I fly a lot for my job and there are some airlines I will do my best to avoid like Spirit and Continental cram their seats even closer than Northwest now part of Delta. The old Delta planes seats are almost OK but the Northwest planes seats totally suck. Crammed airline seats can cause lots of back, leg, neck, and hip pain for me, I tend to fly Southwest since their CEO Gary Kelly is over 6' tall and won't cram the seats tight.

Hope this gives you some ideas. Even the History Channel has some good shows on the studies on how work related injuries can be and have been reduced using Ergonomics. Who knows, you might be the Home Improvement Contractor who applies some Ergonomics to the homes of all those Money Bags in parts of Lake County, IL. ChaChing!!! (That is a cash register sound not a racial slur, I am waiting for a Knee Jerk Reactionary to mouth off)
Author:  NewOldTimer [ Wed Apr 27, 2011 2:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just Venting
warp2diesel wrote:
If you can stand doing some research, check to see if any of your other meds can be interacting and causing problems, happens a lot now days.
If your Doc is capable of listening, discuss what you find and see if a light bulb goes off, it may make a difference.

When it comes to Chiropractors there two schools of thought that I am aware of, one is the old Back Cracker and the other is a Super High Performance Physical Therapy that worked great for a family friend who is a Master Chef. He had to change the way he worked, Played Sports, did jobs around the house, and other activities I won't mention.
For me I have a bad shoulder and after all the tests including an MRI, I went to PT. I had the Gal explain to me the why I did each exercise and I incorporated those movements into the physical part of my work, I made a fast recovery, but I have to use my muscles the way I relearned to all the time or the pain comes back with a vengeance.

If you are tall or even medium tall, house ergonomics totally suck due to the dogma dictates of the Real Estate Industry. Kitchen counters are set at ~35", the perfect height for the typical woman in the 1920's. Both my wife at 5'5" and myself at 6'1" get back aches from working at the sink. I have my Lathe jacked up so I don't get a back ache (when I get a chance to use it) and one of my Brothers in Law is 6'10" and built his saw horses extra tall so he does not get a back ache.
I fly a lot for my job and there are some airlines I will do my best to avoid like Spirit and Continental cram their seats even closer than Northwest now part of Delta. The old Delta planes seats are almost OK but the Northwest planes seats totally suck. Crammed airline seats can cause lots of back, leg, neck, and hip pain for me, I tend to fly Southwest since their CEO Gary Kelly is over 6' tall and won't cram the seats tight.

Hope this gives you some ideas. Even the History Channel has some good shows on the studies on how work related injuries can be and have been reduced using Ergonomics. Who knows, you might be the Home Improvement Contractor who applies some Ergonomics to the homes of all those Money Bags in parts of Lake County, IL. ChaChing!!! (That is a cash register sound not a racial slur, I am waiting for a Knee Jerk Reactionary to mouth off)


I was just in need of venting last night, & really wasn't expecting any responses. Kinda surprised. :o

My doctor / surgeon is the best! He actually called me at home the evening after surgery to check up on me. :shock:
Until yesterday, I was off all meds, and had been for weeks. I was even instructed to stop taking the meds for my
blood pressure, as they had been prescribed only because my blood pressure was elevated due to being in pain 24/7.

My Physical Therapist had me modify some of the exercises and training techniques I due in my martial arts training,
and recommended I continue doing most of my training (NO SITUPS!), because in his words,
"You probably know more about core training than I do."

I haven't done anything with a Chiropractor, and honestly don't know that I will at this point.

I was just taken aback, allot concerned, and even a little scared that this popped up out of nowhere.
It was kinda like going back to square one, and I really didn't want to start the whole process all over again.

My doctor seems to think this is only a minor setback, and we'll know more when I go back to see him on Monday.

Thanks for the reply, and concern. I really wasn't expecting it.
Author:  bhc04 [ Wed Apr 27, 2011 4:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just Venting
Has your doc. done an MRI on your low back? If not "should" to make sure you don't have a serious ruptured disc problem.
Author:  NewOldTimer [ Wed Apr 27, 2011 5:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just Venting
bhc04 wrote:
Has your doc. done an MRI on your low back? If not "should" to make sure you don't have a serious ruptured disc problem.


That what February surgery repaired.
Had MRI, & CT to verify everything prior to surgery.

Surgery was successful, just a "minor" set back over Easter weekend.
Author:  KJ 119 [ Wed Apr 27, 2011 7:22 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just Venting
20#s of epsom salt in a steming hot bath for as long as you can take it.
Multi-vitamin(because you will feel like jello),tall glass of water, and a bed. You'll thank me later.

I live day to day with haunting injuries. Today at work I pulled my old hernia lifting heavy spools of wire for some serious wire pulls. Tomorrow will be the same thing.

In the end, you'll never feel the way you did before the injury. Truth be told.
You've gotta take it day by day and make the best of it, the main thing is to just keep on truckin'. :JEEPIN:
Hope you feel better soon.
Author:  bhc04 [ Wed Apr 27, 2011 10:15 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just Venting
NewOldTimer wrote:
bhc04 wrote:
Has your doc. done an MRI on your low back? If not "should" to make sure you don't have a serious ruptured disc problem.


That what February surgery repaired.
Had MRI, & CT to verify everything prior to surgery.

Surgery was successful, just a "minor" set back over Easter weekend.


If you just had surgery in Feb. 2011, you're expecting recovery to soon. Had L-4 / L-5 disc surgery in 1985. I don't know how old you are, but I was 41. Took 6-7 months to recover enough to where i could go back to work on "line duty" Fire Fighter and it wasn't 100% but about 90% for me. I'm "much" older now and couple times a year have setbacks with extreme pain for a few weeks of which I just take it easy, let my Chiropractor adjust several times in a few week period, and what really helps "alot" is having a good deep tissue massage about every week and then try to maintain the massage thing about every 3-4 weeks. I know how you feel and sympatize with you. Anyone who has never had low back pain cannot understand, you can't even bend over to brush your teeth or even stand sometimes to pee.
Author:  warp2diesel [ Wed Apr 27, 2011 11:41 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just Venting
I bring a TENS unit with me on every road trip in my checked luggage, just in case I need it. During PT, I was prescribed 8 naproxen per day and got depressed for no reason and had to change to ibuprofen. I now take 2 200mG of ibuprofen per day to control inflammation and use the TENS unit for the pain when needed. Sometimes I go a couple months with out using it and other times I use it for up to two hours per day. Great tool when I need it. Your Physical Therapist can show you how to use it and where to place the electrode pads on your back. I did not bother to ask my insurance to cover it, so I got mine a professional grade 2 channel unit for $59 + Shipping online. I bet it would have cost me a lot more through my insurance. You can use the electrode pads over and over as long as you keep them clean and put them back on the plastic pad.
If you place it in the wrong location on your back and use the wrong settings, you will mess your pants and not with #1 or #2, but #3. One doctor was using a TENS unit on a woman with severe back pain and her WARP DRIVE kicked in and she made her doctor teach he husband how to hook it up that way, what a way to get rid of back pain.
The two channel units sold as sex toys for $139+ are a rip off and a joke.

Good luck.
Author:  Sir Sam [ Thu Apr 28, 2011 1:50 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Just Venting
warp2diesel wrote:
If you are tall or even medium tall, house ergonomics totally suck due to the dogma dictates of the Real Estate Industry. Kitchen counters are set at ~35", the perfect height for the typical woman in the 1920's. Both my wife at 5'5" and myself at 6'1" get back aches from working at the sink.


Man I'm the same way, have to be just a little hunched over to use the sink, ends up doing a number on my back VERY quickly.

I've almost thought about getting a stepstool, putting that in front of the sink, and then kneeling on it to the the dishes.
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