Had a rough few days!

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Brooks803

Brooks803

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Joined
Sep 13, 2009
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Location
Aiken, South Carolina
Well these last few days have been really difficult. My Dad came home from the ER yesterday after having a heart attack that had been going on for 3 days before they knew! Since he had his gall bladder removed about a month ago everyone thought the symtoms were from that. Apparantly it was slow acting but ended up having an artery 100% clogged. Weird thing was his EKG was perfectly normal and it wasn't until they did a blood test that they figured out it was his heart. As soon as they found that out though everything happened REALLY fast. They rushed him to have a (dunno if I'll spell this right) catherization of the heart to see what's blocked. Thank God he didn't need surgery. 2 stints and he was pain free within the hour. Spent the night and go to go home yesterday. Just talked with him and he's doing MUCH better!

Unfortunately...I'm not doing great. Yesterday morning while getting ready to go back to the hospital to visit Dad I tripped and majorly threw my back out. Can't stand up straight and can hardly walk. So I've been laying on the couch ever since trying to recoup. What reallly sucks is that my chiropractor is on vacation until next week! My wife is making me go see a specialist asap to get an MRI and figure out what's going on with my back. This seems to happen every 5-6 months.

Atleast I can use my wife's laptop while laying on the couch so surf IAP since it doesn't look like I'll be doing any actual pen related work for a while :frown:
 
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glad to hear everything is ok with your dad
i feel ya on your back pain, for i have had low back pain since 2004 from a car wreck, rearended at a red light, boy was goin 30mph when he hit me. buddy ask me when does it not hurt, told him when i sleep but probablly does and just dont know it
hope you get your back lined out, its not fun when at times you can barely bend over enough to get your socks and shoes on without help.
Harry
 
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Jonathon,

You cant cast on the couch??? Sorry to hear you aren't doing so well, but I am glad to hear your Dad is doing great. Make sure you rest up properly and don't push yourself too hard too fast.

Jason
 
Jonathon,
It is good to hear that your dad is pain free and doing better. I don't give advice, but inform him he must do exactly what the Dr. tells him in regard to taking care of himself. DAMHIKT

Also please take care of your back. When your daughter arrives and you tell Shea "Don't worry honey, I'll take care of the baby tonight", and she cries at 2:00 am, and you are not able to get up because of your back; well, it isn't pretty. It has been a while for me, but that memory doesn't easily go away.

Bill
 
Jonathon, your Dad will probably recover much faster and better than you will on a couch! My ex-b.i.l. used to do that and have back trouble every few months. Said it was an old high school football injury. His employer got tired of him having time off work and then light duty when he came back so the next time he hurt his back on the job, they sent him and the crew to a specialist in the next town down the line. They literally picked him up and carried him into the emergency room and took all kinds of MRIs and Xrays and this and that and sent him home. No pain pills, no muscle relaxants, no nothing. He was given 6 weeks off and told to crawl if necessary to get around the house, and to sleep on the floor. No chairs, no couches, no recliners, no nothing. I went over to visit a time or two and this big guy had tears in his eyes from the pain. It was a sight to see. Do you know that after six weeks he went back to work and has never had another incident with back pain! Before, pain pills and relaxants never let the muscles heal!:wink:
 
Back pain is the WORST! I hope it comes around for you soon. Glad they got your Dad fixed up. Hope the healing continues for you both!
 
Glad to hear your Dad is better!

I know about the back pain your are suffering with. It's been 28 years for me. Some days are good and some are terrible. When it is the worst laying flat on my back on a carpeted floor to sleep is the best. That's the only thing that keeps things aligned. When I was first told to sleep on the floor I thought the Doctor was nuts! but, it does work. I hope you are better soon.
 
Sorry to hear about your misfortunes Johnathon. Hoping you and your father both have quick recoveries!
 
Thanks everyone for the well wishes! I talked with Dad earlier today and he feels great. His leg is a bit sore from the incision to his groin area where they had to run the wire inside his femoral artery. Other than that he says he feels like a new person.

I'm doing a bit better after laying down for a bit. Keeping active usually helps the most when things are just sore, but right now I'm way out of alignment and am forced into a humped over fashion when walking. After a bit I can stand a bit straighter, but only for a couple minutes before I need to sit down again. I'll get through it though, I'm too stubborn to be beaten by pain. :biggrin:
 
Jonathan:

I have broken my back twice, it is a pain that can not be comprehended till it has happened to you! Sorry to hear your having issues!

Each person is diferent but this is what has helped for me NEVER STOP MOVING IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE! Even if it's just leg lifts while in the rack! Pillow between your knees if you sleep on your side. Seems to me your over 6 foot by a bit if I remember the pic I saw correctly. Get a couple of bricks under the corners of your favorite chair, we are both over 6 foot and I raised everything. Adding some bricks under his recliner was all it took to end my brothers back pain. ALWAYS use good body mechanics always always always.....yes even bend at the knee to lift the toilet lid!

Now the tougher part, stay in shape, again even if all you can do is leg lifts in bed. Find an activity you enjoy and do it, regularly! YOGA!!! I know but it's more enjoyable than you might think and it can give your back new life! Yoga and competitive white water Kayaking is what saved me from life in a wheel chair last time around! Sports medicine spinal specialists opinion and my own. Core work! make them back and belly muscles do there job! If you haven't herd from a Physical therapist that you need to pull in your belly button and straiten your back you should. Believe it or not Pilate's is a good way to learn the correct posture/muscle control. Being one of the most bullheaded living things on the planet helped me drop the cane they said I would need the rest of my life and sheer will got me back into the mountains. No I cant do everything I once did but who can for more than 4 or 5 decades?
 
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Is the back pain accompanied by any numbness? My father had back problems accompanied with sporadic numbness and it turned out to be a herniated disc. hope you feel better
 
Jonathon
Feel better. Glad your father is doing better. But for you get well fast I need more blanks.:) Listen to your wife. Call me if you need anything.

Alan
 
Hope you feel better Jonathon. I was just going to say: "Listen to your wifey"
Vicodin and Flexeril help when I get one of those. Also heat packs / ice packs.

We are in the parent care mode also. Hang in there.
 
Best wishes to both of you for a speedy recovery. Several years ago, a good friend of mine was rushed to the hospital after he collapsed while jogging. It turned out that as long as he didn't exert himself, everything was fine. As soon as he started exercising, a constricted artery would close and he'd faint. The doctors put in a stint and he's been fine ever since. They do so many now that it's a routine procedure.

About a year ago, I herniated a disk, and it felt like a whole-leg charlie-horse that wouldn't let go for five hours. The only relief I could get was from hot baths. My doctor gave me a series of exercises to reduce back pain, and when that subsided, I had physical therapy to regain leg/foot control/strength. I think the exercise that helped the most in the long run, though, was simply walking. I still have some disasthesia in my foot, but walking seems to keep it to a minimum.

Good luck and get better soon.

Regards,
Eric
 
Thanks everyone for the support! I appreciate all the tips and advice. Also thank you for sharing your own experiences.

Dad's doing great. I've been talking with him daily. He's still taking it easy, but otherwise active and feeling fine.

I'm still not great. I do have an appointment with a specialist next Wed. Just from talking with them today I think they'll be awesome to work with. Much better than the last 2 specialists I saw when this happened in the past. All they did was take an Xray saying that they won't show anything unless there's a fracture, then when they see it they say there's nothing wrong with me and send me home. Then when I ask about something for the pain they immdiately jump to the conclusion that I'm just after pain pills and send me home.

I'll get there though, I've got a lil girl on the way and I'll be damned if I'm going to let this get in the way of me holding her from day 1!
 
I've got a lil girl on the way and I'll be damned if I'm going to let this get in the way of me holding her from day 1!


God is Good!!!!!!!!!
 
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