I am tired of my back

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Haynie

Member
Joined
May 20, 2011
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3,515
Location
Page Arizona
It has been nearly 2 months since back surgery and I still can't spend any time at the lathe. I get a little bit done than have to walk around, then a little more, then that is it. It is driving me crazy.
 
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I've not had surgery, but had an episode where I was in so much pain that morphine didn't touch it. ER doc gave me some really good muscle relaxers. I keep the prescription current to ease it off when I need it.
Every few months I get a spell where sitting or standing really aggrevate it and walking is a challenge. Even the "furniture walk" is difficult. I can feel the disc or whatever pop out in other areas such as between the shoulders, so the doc has to push it back in.
I guess breaking horses and being in a bad car wreck have taken a toll on me.

Back pain is no other kind of pain I have ever felt before.
 
Mark, Sorry to hear that the surgery didn't make your back a bunch better, but were you a good patient and did exactly as the Doctor and PT told you to? Did you do all those nasty repetitious exercises?, Now your scaring me, I'm getting whacked apart the 26th. But I'm just getting a hip.
 
I feel for you too !! Back injury is the pits.
As I work on construction sites all the time, I have to attend many safety inductions but only one ever stuck in my mind. It was called Child's Play.
There are loads of versions of it around. Here's one Very simple but oh so true.
If you ever want to know how to pick up a heavy load, then either ask a child or an adult that already suffers from a bad back. :wink:
 
I tore up some muscles in my back when I was about 15...had low grade pain and annoyance for years, PT did nothing and I have a severe aversion to anyone adding scars to my body, so "toughed it out"... when I was about 25, I was working on a ceiling fan at my in-laws house (old fan out, new one in), had the circuit breaker thrown and everything, following all the rules...the only rule I didn't count on was my wife deciding that she needed to turn the power back on "just for a minute"...two handfuls of wires and a water based organism made me very conductive! After the dust and smoke settled, I stood up and stretched AND MY BACK WAS FIXED! has never bothered me again...while I don't recommend it, it could work for you as well!
 
bitshird said:
Mark, Sorry to hear that the surgery didn't make your back a bunch better, but were you a good patient and did exactly as the Doctor and PT told you to? Did you do all those nasty repetitious exercises?, Now your scaring me, I'm getting whacked apart the 26th. But I'm just getting a hip.
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Not allowed any PT until after this Wednesday's appointments. Then I will go see the physical therapist. I jokingly tell folks that he came from Ghana after being trained in Rwanda. He a great guy and knows his stuff which mean no sympathy.

Believe me the surgery made it a LOT better. I am not complaining about the surgery. I am complaining about the frustration of not being able to do much. Maybe I am asking too much and 2 months is not long enough to be fully healed. I do heal slow.

I was talking a customer a couple days ago and he had the same surgery a while back. We both agreed that the pain from the surgery was like a gental massage compared to the pain we were in before..

I am waiting for the manufacturer to recall my back and send me a new model.
 
Haynie said:
bitshird said:
Mark, Sorry to hear that the surgery didn't make your back a bunch better, but were you a good patient and did exactly as the Doctor and PT told you to? Did you do all those nasty repetitious exercises?, Now your scaring me, I'm getting whacked apart the 26th. But I'm just getting a hip.
Click to expand...

Not allowed any PT until after this Wednesday's appointments. Then I will go see the physical therapist. I jokingly tell folks that he came from Ghana after being trained in Rwanda. He a great guy and knows his stuff which mean no sympathy.

Believe me the surgery made it a LOT better. I am not complaining about the surgery. I am complaining about the frustration of not being able to do much. Maybe I am asking too much and 2 months is not long enough to be fully healed. I do heal slow.

I was talking a customer a couple days ago and he had the same surgery a while back. We both agreed that the pain from the surgery was like a gental massage compared to the pain we were in before..

I am waiting for the manufacturer to recall my back and send me a new model.
Click to expand...


Mark, I think that Manufacturers recall is a whole new person.
They are telling me 4 to 7 days in the hospital, then 6 weeks before I can drive, but the PT starts right after I wake up, (I hope I don't forget to leave a wake up call)
I've only been able to sit in one place or stand for about 20 minutes for the past 2-1/2 years, lately it's gotten worse, and the Oxy Codone doesn't do a thing except make my mouth dry up.
I just pray that I exercise more sense than I did after my Heart surgery, Somewhere this one requires a balance of exercise and not getting STUPID which is one of my favorite things to do.
Then we'll see about the back, which everybody thought was the problem to begin with. The Pain Clinic actually did get some results for my back, That's what tipped them to do another MRI of my hip, well guess what it wasn't Sciatica after all, the bearing surface on the ball of my hip joint is actually worn through in three small areas.
 
You get to drive after 6 days? I had to wait 3 weeks! I am thinking STUPID is what has me still in pain but I can't think of what the stupid was. Oh well. Today is better than yesterday so I should be happy with little things.

Good luck with everything.
 
Haynie said:
I am waiting for the manufacturer to recall my back and send me a new model.
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Unfortunately, humans are still paying the price for coming down out of the trees and standing upright. :frown:

I hope that the PT will make it all better. But you must do the exercises no matter how much it hurts. My BIL had a knee replaced and didn't do the PT. Now he has a walker (54).
 
Mark you need to re read my post, SIX WEEKS!! before I can drive, 3 to 4 weeks before I can even ride in a car.
Lord I Feel sorry for Andrew :biggrin: He's my designated indentured servant, There was a word other than servant, but some would find it offensive :eek:
 
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I thought something looked strange since you sounded way worse than me. You have my sympathies I am a control freak and being subject to another person's schedule was horrible.

As for coming out of the trees I think my ancestor fell out the tree and uttered the first "Doh!!! my back!!!"
 
:good::good: Gentleman; I too feel your pain, but have not been under the knife. My Dr. told me to work out and watch what I eat. Seems to have worked so far.The other night I was watching a show on back pain and they were showing a new less invasive back procedure. The Drs. insert two small plates in the vertabras that are moving or rubbing together. They have a threaded hole in them and a double threaded bolt is inserted that acts like a turnbuckle. This keeps everything aligned and seperated. Everything is in miniture of course. They said you would be walking the same day and, have very little down time . Idea makes sence to me. I'm always for less pain. Jim S
 
Im not positive what they are called but i think maybe fatigue mats, they use them in warehouses and restaruants if your shop is in garage or basement with concrete these things really make a diff on back pain, but its a rubber mat witch kinda cusions the ground, not sure if it will help you but might be worth looking into for you or anybody else its a lot better then standing on concrete floor
 
I also feel your pain...

I had surgery about 10 years ago now triple fusion L 2,3,4. It was disabling for me I still go to pain management. BUT I can function and now am getting better than I was.

I can offer you this time is a VERY, VERY hard thing. It took a good year for me just to heal. Time will pass the worst thing you can do is depressed about it (I did it just made it worse). When you can do your therapy keep it going as long as you can then keep moving. I was a couch potato too much pain too move BUT I know know that was the worst thing. I now go to gym and exercise regular not easy to do and hard in the beginning. But I feel so much better.

Give yourself time to heal keep a positive attitude and try not to think about the now think about it's going to get better....time will pass.

Good Luck
 
Mark, how far do you live from the lake? perhaps getting in the water and moving around might be a good thing, less weight in the water, and just a slight resistance.
and I wanna see some of your pens and stuff.
 
I've had 2 back surgeries, and the recovery was more than a year after the 2nd. What most doctors won't, or don't tell you is how long it really takes to get back to where you're close to normal.

After my last surgery, I couldn't even stand straight for about an hour after I got up each morning. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stand straight. That went away after about 3 months. It took about a year before I could do even light repetitive lifting without paying for it the next day. I guess what I'm saying is that it will take some time to get back to normal. And just remember your new normal probably won't be your old normal. My doc told me that 75 lbs was the most I should ever attempt to lift anymore.

I also know others with completely different results from mine. Some worse, but most better. The hardest thing is being patient when you start to feel better.
 
Kinger said:
Im not positive what they are called but i think maybe fatigue mats, they use them in warehouses and restaruants if your shop is in garage or basement with concrete these things really make a diff on back pain, but its a rubber mat witch kinda cusions the ground, not sure if it will help you but might be worth looking into for you or anybody else its a lot better then standing on concrete floor
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:smile::smile: Go to any Walmart, K-Mart, or big box store. Look in the kids department for Play Pads. They are 2 foot squares of foam rubber 3/4" thick that lock together like a jigsaw puzzle in any formation you want. They come with edge strips to make an even edge. I think I paid about $10 - $12 for a package of ten that covers a 10 X 4 foot ares. I use mine in a "L" shape to go in front of my bench, mini lathe, and drill press. Works great. Jim S
 
Leviblue said:
I've not had surgery, but had an episode where I was in so much pain that morphine didn't touch it. ER doc gave me some really good muscle relaxers. I keep the prescription current to ease it off when I need it.
Every few months I get a spell where sitting or standing really aggrevate it and walking is a challenge. Even the "furniture walk" is difficult. I can feel the disc or whatever pop out in other areas such as between the shoulders, so the doc has to push it back in.
I guess breaking horses and being in a bad car wreck have taken a toll on me.

Back pain is no other kind of pain I have ever felt before.
Click to expand...

I bet if you had known you were going to live ths long, you would have taken better care of yourself, huh!? :devil:
 
Back doc said I can start PT and doing things, but that it will be rough going. Also said residual pain because of nerve irritation happens sometimes.

Hopefully things will get better as I finally get to exercise.
 
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