can you achieve that with any other activity? Seems running could be adding to your issue. With my back issues I found it was good to understand what was adding to the issue. Mine was MTB and my issues stopped once I shelved that activity
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10 Myths About Lower Back Pain (LBP)
- Thread starter VonMeister
- Start date
I had a fun 24 hours.
My back spasms have decreased in frequency, but increased in severity. For the most part, I can anticipate them a bit now,. Every time I stand up, I pause, flex my back, legs, and glutes, and wait for it. Every now and then they zap me unexpectedly and it's horrifying.
Yesterday I was helping make breakfast with Mrs. Dobbalina. I've gotten really nervous if people stand or move close to me because flinching usually leads to the worst spasms. We were at the sink and both turned around at the same time. I stumbled over my own feet, screamed something awful, and felt myself going down. Falling has been a real concern for a while. I couldn't step over the side of the tub the other day and it got me picturing falling in the bathroom. Thoughts of what I would break my head open on or the teeth I would lose stuck with me.
So as I'm falling and screaming (the pitch is so embarrasing because I don't really project my voice due to the pain associated with constricting my diaphragm), My body is continuing to spiral down. In my mind, it's sort of broken into still moments. The turn, the scream, the black out zap in my back, the tug on my legs, the thought of how I should try to land, the anticipation of pain, the fear of what might happen.
I land sort of crumpled with my feet underneath me and onto my knees. One hand was down behind supporting my upper body. I missed all hazards and scanned my body for the pain I was expecting. But it wasn't really there. I took a few minutes and breaths. I told the Mrs to clear everything out of the way (there was some recyclable trash next to the door), and not talk anymore after I assured her I was ok. I was surprised that I was able to manipulate my legs underneath me, reach up to the counter, and stand up with relative ease. It makes me curious what else I can do. Getting into bed is fucking awful, but I can fall on the ground?
Anyway. Sleep was almost non existent last night. My hips/glutes flaired up and ran pain and cramps up and down my legs all night. When I lay in bad, my hip/glute area feels like a ballon of hot pain waiting for me to put enough pressure on it so it will leak out down my leg. Last night, it did.
My surgeon reminded me this morning that the OR is closed until further notice. This is a fun journey.
My back spasms have decreased in frequency, but increased in severity. For the most part, I can anticipate them a bit now,. Every time I stand up, I pause, flex my back, legs, and glutes, and wait for it. Every now and then they zap me unexpectedly and it's horrifying.
Yesterday I was helping make breakfast with Mrs. Dobbalina. I've gotten really nervous if people stand or move close to me because flinching usually leads to the worst spasms. We were at the sink and both turned around at the same time. I stumbled over my own feet, screamed something awful, and felt myself going down. Falling has been a real concern for a while. I couldn't step over the side of the tub the other day and it got me picturing falling in the bathroom. Thoughts of what I would break my head open on or the teeth I would lose stuck with me.
So as I'm falling and screaming (the pitch is so embarrasing because I don't really project my voice due to the pain associated with constricting my diaphragm), My body is continuing to spiral down. In my mind, it's sort of broken into still moments. The turn, the scream, the black out zap in my back, the tug on my legs, the thought of how I should try to land, the anticipation of pain, the fear of what might happen.
I land sort of crumpled with my feet underneath me and onto my knees. One hand was down behind supporting my upper body. I missed all hazards and scanned my body for the pain I was expecting. But it wasn't really there. I took a few minutes and breaths. I told the Mrs to clear everything out of the way (there was some recyclable trash next to the door), and not talk anymore after I assured her I was ok. I was surprised that I was able to manipulate my legs underneath me, reach up to the counter, and stand up with relative ease. It makes me curious what else I can do. Getting into bed is fucking awful, but I can fall on the ground?
Anyway. Sleep was almost non existent last night. My hips/glutes flaired up and ran pain and cramps up and down my legs all night. When I lay in bad, my hip/glute area feels like a ballon of hot pain waiting for me to put enough pressure on it so it will leak out down my leg. Last night, it did.
My surgeon reminded me this morning that the OR is closed until further notice. This is a fun journey.
FUK! That sounds like how I was for 24 hours. To have that ongoing must be hell. No way to do this at another hospital? They don't need the OR for corona patients anyways. WTF? Nor would I think is the spine surgeon assisting pneumonia patients. I don't get it. Maybe if you offer to supply them the masks and gloves...
I really don't notice any pain while running, zero. I've always done a work out after my runs. I think today or tomorrow I'll run with no other work out. yesterday's work out of just pull ups push ups and planks did not make my back/butt worse. I've had to sit three hours doing online "professional development" and that made my butt hurt...
Hopefully heading in for a cortisone shot on Friday.
Had a fucking doozy of a day yesterday. Multiple painful, ear ringing, star seeing, nausea inducing, spasms in my upper glute area. Capped it off with my second fall to the ground in 2 days. This time i stepped to grab something and my leg disappeared. Luckily I was fine and didn't hit anything. It took an hour for spasms to subside long enough to try to get in bed.
Switched to Nortriptyline and a norco overnight.
slept way better. So ready for this to end.
Had a fucking doozy of a day yesterday. Multiple painful, ear ringing, star seeing, nausea inducing, spasms in my upper glute area. Capped it off with my second fall to the ground in 2 days. This time i stepped to grab something and my leg disappeared. Luckily I was fine and didn't hit anything. It took an hour for spasms to subside long enough to try to get in bed.
Switched to Nortriptyline and a norco overnight.
slept way better. So ready for this to end.
Don't know what to say. When a condition is endangering your life, I would think that it has some priority/urgency. I'm guessing that the pain meds are opioids? At this point I would write a strongly worded letter, registered , to get it in writing that they know your situation and are refusing treatment, forcing you to use opioids.
Other than that...wear a helmet?
what is your current rehab/exercise regiment and how is it going llilibel? Are you still doing pull ups?
I'm doing a lot of wet sand running nowadays, the skimboard is great interval training and watching the waves roll into the shore to present the right opportunity for a slide gives some of the mediation benefits of surfing. We are now in lockdown stage 3. No sitting or gathering on the beach, exercise allowed. Talk of a stage 4 coming. I'm currently operating on 2 days/surf and skim in a row, then a couple of days rest. On day 2 of surf/skim I finish off with a little bit of strength training. I have now got a 10L water container, rectangular in shape with a moulded handle - $4, using it for single leg DL and one arm bent rows.
I'm 59 now, taking it easy with the skimboard, not trying to push it for more speed, just enjoying get used to it.
2 ways of stretching hamstring are to stand up and touch the toes, or sit down with one leg extended and lean forward, either way, these would be bad for a condition where bending forward is forbidden. I use a way a learned from taewkwondo - asian squat, then extend one leg, using the muscle in front of the shin only pull the toes back towards the body for a bit of extra stretch. This keeps the back fairly straight, but I don't know if it is suitable for your situation.
We can't even get near the beach now. When I did pull ups, when I'd get near my failure point (unable to do another) I'd be slightly raising my knees towards my chest, and when I did this I'd get a flash of pain across the lower back. I mentioned this to PT and she said to stop. Basically anything that causes pain I should stop. I' m doing planks and push ups for now. And stretching.
This is the hamstring stretch I was given by PT-
Also gave me this plank variation-
Feralseppo also gave me this book which I'm reading and will start doing the stretches next week.
Let's play a game of "WOULD YOU RATHER"...
Would you rather float through "shelter in place" orders for an unforeseeable time with a ruptured L2-L3 that provides you with luxuries like....crippling muscle spasms, an inability to move comfortably or naturally, painful fits of spasms and nerve pain overnight that keep you from sleeping...
OR
Go to the hospital three times in San Mateo County where the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in has increased by 87 percent since last Monday bringing them to 589 cases and 21 deaths and ultimately have a bone in your spine drilled through to take out a pesky piece of disc tissue that has perched itself upon a nerve bundle branch?
Would you rather float through "shelter in place" orders for an unforeseeable time with a ruptured L2-L3 that provides you with luxuries like....crippling muscle spasms, an inability to move comfortably or naturally, painful fits of spasms and nerve pain overnight that keep you from sleeping...
OR
Go to the hospital three times in San Mateo County where the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in has increased by 87 percent since last Monday bringing them to 589 cases and 21 deaths and ultimately have a bone in your spine drilled through to take out a pesky piece of disc tissue that has perched itself upon a nerve bundle branch?
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Likely entirely unrelated... just placebo maybe, along with being a little more sedate (iso life) and maybe the new kettlebells training... BUT ever since I've tried the cannabis oil (inc the fun stuff kept in it), my back has been infinitely better. To the point where pain is gone, i'm only age-appropriately stiff in the morning, but nothing i'd claim as pain.
Hoping to continue this experiment!
Hoping to continue this experiment!
You forgot Option 3. Start squatting 400 lbs and dead lifting 500 lbs. See you just need a strong back. It's all in your head.
Did they OK you for the surgery? Are you otherwise healthy? Age? I think if I was really healthy, not in the over 65 age group, and had a full face respirator and a gallon of hand sanitizer, I'd go for the pain relief...
I doubt you'd be in the same ward and the c-19 patients.
Totally....
I just had a second epidural. Fuuuuuuuck it was so much worse than the first. I was wailing and whining thew whole time.
For surgery, I'm on the schedule for next Friday but everything is sort of day to day.
I'm healthy (not real healthy) 5"11 200, but likely down to 190 now,. 36,
The hospital in Redwood City is where it will be, They have a drive up clinic for Covid Testing.
Good luck with the surgery.
Could they have given you a local anesthetic before the epidural?
They gave me something beforehand. 2 shots and a sublingual. It helped loosen me up.
Getting on the table is horrible. I have to lay flat on my stomach which I haven't done in months. So that takes 15 minutes of cringing and worry.
THey gave me a local anesthetic all over my back, but once they go sub dermis and plug into those nerve areas and drop the load. Holy fuck it's a wild ride. By the 4th I was crying mercy