Hey There - Backs in rehab! Back Injury Recovery

[Young Grasshopper]

LOL...How's that for a title? Just starting a new thread because "Hey There" was getting so long.

Deb

[Angel-lover]

Hi Grasshopper & Joanne...

Grasshopper....you did good! We can't complain that we can't see the thread title! http://www.addis-welt.de/smilie/smilie/lachen/13.gif

Ummmm.....look down....farther down....at bottom of my post. There are a few little squares....one says "website"......hehe....just click on it! Don't forget to sign my guestbook. It takes a minute for my picture to come up...if you want to see how ugly I am. LOL

For my bigger Christian website I was talking about click here....
http:www.charlotteborden.tvheaven.com

It would be nice for you to make a homepage. They're easy, & lots of places are free. Mine are.

I'll check back in on you later. Take care. http://www.agifs.hpg.ig.com.br/cute_gifs/cute73.gif

[Joanne D]

Young-Grasshopper- You did better than I . I messed up good. I hope you back is better soon. I have had back problems since I was a teenager. That is a long time ago. I found that when I started walking that my back was stronger and I have less pain. I haven' t walked as much lately for one reason or another(whine,whine)and I have a difficult time even walking straight for a few hours in the am.
Hello Angel-Lover- I went to your site but I forgot to sign in on your site. You are a pretty young lady. I don't have a scanner or I would be learning how to do some of those things.
Bye...Joanne

[Happy Canuk]

Hi Joanne, Angel and Grasshopper.

Back pain is no picnic that is for sure. Have had more than my share of it over the past 30 years. Had back surgery 20 years ago, and now have developed Facet Joint Disease and Degenerative Disc Disease. Through in Fibromyalgia and we are having a real party going on:lol:

Joanne - I hope that you are soon going to be able to walk your walk again.

[Young Grasshopper]

Hi All!

Not much to report today....REALLY tired! Not sure why either...just slept alot the last day or so. Think I might need more iron in my diet or something. Can't even blame it on back meds....at least that's doing okay! Knock on wood!!!!!!!

Nice to see you Canuck! Hmmmm, and here I thought the surg. might fix all the back problems - I can dream can't I? That still sits in the back of my mind but Doc's have said I'm too young. Got to do my PT and drop some weight.....so easy to say so hard to do!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Deb

[Joanne D]

Good Morning Happy,Angel-Lover and Grasshopper,
I plan on getting control of my life again as soon as Wednesday is over. The arthritis is much better when I stay with my routine. .Today and tomorrow are not going to be the most comfortable ones this week. But what the heck, I'm strong..
I hope you guys are feeling better. See you on Thrusday....Joanne:strong: :cb: :hat: :angel:

[Angel-lover]

Hello Ladies.
Hope all are having a good day, today. I took my step-dad back to dr today....all is well. http://www.members.aol.com/teejaw/smilies/Phew.gif Just kinda taking it easy this evening.

Joanne...I'll be thinking about you tomorrow. Yes, I'm sure you're tough, but tests aren't any fun. Hang in there! http://www.agifs.hpg.ig.com.br/garfield/garfield6.gif

Deb...hope you're feeling better. I know all about back problems & being tired. This RA keeps me fatigued all the time.

Hi Happy Canuk.....Sorry you've had so many problems with your health. Goodness, I'm glad we can come in here & talk & feel like someone really understands!

I'll check in later....http://home.att.net/~scorh/Animation4m.gif

[Young Grasshopper]

Hi Ladies,

Not as tired today as yesterday...back is bugging me though...STILL!!! Grrrrr! I'm walking around like I'm 15 mths pregnant. Just can't seem to walk straight....have to make a cons. effort. I'm too young to be feeling like this!!!!!!!!!!!

Deb

[Stepping Out]

Angel, Joanne, Deb, & Happy:

I'm glad to have found this thread. I've had problems off and on with my back since I was a kid. I had back surgery 2 years ago (triple laminectomy) and I've been diagnosed with DDD, as well as Cauda Equina Syndrome. The CES has left me with a partially paralyzed right leg, and loss of sensation in my genital area, my buttocks, and both feet. I'm getting around o.k. with a leg brace and a forearm-style crutch. I do have problems with pain, but it's more in my leg and foot than in my back. I'm taking Neurontin and a muscle relaxer. Sometimes at night I take Darvocet, but only if the pain is bad.

Joanne: I've had the colonoscopy before. I think that the worst part is drinking "the stuff" and having to stay near the potty:p
The procedure itself is o.k. The drugs make it easy!

Angel: Your posts are always so beautifully illustrated-and you're doing great with your weight loss.

What are you ladies doing for exercise? Anything else besides walking? Because of my paralysis, walking isn't really an option for weight loss I'm still working on once around Wal Mart! :D

Bye for now!
(P.S. I'm Joanne B)

[Angel-lover]

http://www.agifs.hpg.ig.com.br/ursos/urso80.gif Homebound!! I talked with you quite a while back on another thread. So glad you've joined us! We all understand what pain is & can relate with you.

Thanks for the notice on weight loss. I can't exercise due to back problems & RA. Not at all. So, I'm having to lose the hard way. But, I'm being patient...& it IS coming off.

I had a double laminectomy in my neck a few yrs ago, due to spasms in my back. It helped....but my neck bothers me once in awhile. I have a donor bone & a metal plate. I haven't given in for lower back surgery. The RA started in about a yr ago. Went through my body with a vengance. I'm already on Methotrexate (form of chemo) on Monday nights & Remicade treatments (2hr intraveneous) every 7 weeks. Life can be scarey, as well as aggravating sometimes. We gotta keep going though. I'm not giving up. I've got too much I want to do!

Although I can't exercise, I try to stay active. Just have to stop very often & rest. You can lose weight, if you really stay with a plan & drink lots of water. I just watch my calories & carbs. I don't deprive myself of something I really want, though, or I'll end up eating too much!! http://www.cartooncottage.com/images/ice-cream.gif

Keep us posted how you're doing!

[Young Grasshopper]

Hi All!

Welcome Homebound! Nice of you to join us! I've got a slipped disk and a bulging disk in my back. No surg yet...thank God...but rehab has been tough. Hard to do what I'm supposed to be doing...i.e. some exercises to strength lower back and stomach muscles and lose weight.

Doc also wanted me to take water walking classes at the local YMCA. You might look into them. Can't say that I ever went though.

Me? Back is still buggin me and find that I'm sleeping ALOT. Can't seem to stay awake really. Think that it's a combination of the meds and allergy medication. Not good. Hope to be better in a couple of days.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Deb

[Joanne D]

Grasshopper -Angel -Lover
The prep was much worse than the exam.I was waiting for the shot that put me to sleep for about 30 minutes. Now we need to find out what is the cause of the pain .Irritated stomach was all they told me and then put me on a expensive med that my insurance won't cover. I know the pain is in my abdomen and not my head.
Welcome Homebound..
I hope everyone is doing well today...Joanne

[Angel-lover]

Hi Joanne, Grasshopper, Homebound, Happy Canuk


Hope you all are having a good day. Sounds like a painful one...I'm sorry. I'm feeling fairly good these days. Of course, not great...but have been a LOT worse.

Joanne...glad the test is over for you. My twin daughters have what the dr calls irritable stomachs. (also, after colonoscopies) They have such pain sometimes, it's all they can do to stand it. I guess it's possible for that to be the diagnosis. They couldn't afford any medication, so they have to be very careful what they eat, like pizza, etc. & especially no caffeine....it's a real killer! They take pepto bismol everywhere they go, & also, have to stay close to a bathroom. I feel so sorry for them. They've been this way for quite awhile now. I hope you can get some relief soon....& an answer. Keep us posted.

Young Grasshopper....Sorry about you not feeling better. Get some rest....take care of yourself.

Homebound & Happy Canuk...Hope you're doing better today. I'll check in later. http://www.agifs.hpg.ig.com.br/criancas/menina16.gif

[Happy Canuk]

Angel, are you speaking about Irritable Bowel Syndrome? What helped me a great deal, was the low carb diet. Carbs don't digest well and tend to irritate the bowel. It is so good to be free of this.

I had one very painful experience in the lower quarter of the left side. Couldn't even stand up, the pain was so intense. Had a few tests done and everything was clear, so it was diagnosed as IBS (although I had been diagosed with this years before). Got some kind of pill that really helped. Took it for a few years when the pain would start until finally I just started taking Immodium. Now, it is very seldom I have a problem unless I eat the wrong thing. Sugar and coffee are bit culprits, along with wheat. If they have not tried the low carb diet they might want to just to see how it works for them. It sure was my life saver.

[Angel-lover]

Hi....I'm not sure that's what it is, but I suspicion that it is. I was out of town helping another daughter with a newborn when one of the twins had the tests, so don't know just what the dr said. The other twin was in Oklahoma....(I'm in Alabama), when she had her tests. They have always had the same illnesses, all their life! They just called it irritable stomach. I've done a lot of reading & studying on it, & feel like it is Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I haven't found anything to advise them for help, though. Thanks so much. I'll tell them what you said & see if they'll try it. Although they're 34 yrs old, they're not very well disciplined when it comes to staying on a certain kind of diet though. I was really surprised when they cut out the caffeine! I know they sure do have painful episodes, though. I appreciate it so much. http://www.free4-all.co.uk/assets/images/ThankYouTextFadeOut.gif

[Young Grasshopper]

Hi Ladies,

Went for my annual "check under the hood" yesterday....already vented about it in 300 group. Doc has me scared...I'm better than I was yesterday (came home and ended up crying to one of my brothers). I seem to have all the symptoms for blood clots: headache, chest pain, etc. The symptoms were bad enough if taken on their own but together, with the potential for stroke, I'm upset. My grandmother died of a blood clot to the brain at 50 and I'm turning 33 in a few days. Guess time is catching up on me.

Heck, I just don't know. Need to be serious about losing the weight and getting in shape. Don't need a stroke to ad to my current bag of tricks. They took tests but I won't hear anything until next week. Even if they come back okay I need to remember yesterday. Need to remember how afraid I was/am and focus on getting my life/body together.

Guess I'm on a rant today. Just that the other night I had to take pain medication for my back...AGAIN. I'm supposed to be doing physical therepy and losing weight...I've known that for at least two years. Heck, knew it before that but this time it was "official"....as I was taking the pills out of the bottle it stuck me that they have become the focal point, how I mark time. I'm not counting days, months, holidays, et al....I'm living by pills. How many do I have left....like when I run out will that start a new phase in my life? Or will I just cop out again and go see the doc?

I'm not addicted to the pills....rarely take them because they make me feel so nasty but I've let them have too much control. They've become too much of a crutch. Easy to ignore what I should be doing. Too easy to continue to hide from life because I have such a covenient excuse. Guess the idea of a stroke jarred me....I don't want to die anytime soon and I definately don't want the life I'm currently living.

So today I'm starting over. Sorry to rant like this....guess I had to write a manifesto or something. :lol:

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Deb

[Joanne D]

Young Grasshopper- I do know how you are feeling. I have been there. I had a pain under my right breast for a couple years or more.I was in my thirty's.I tend to not go to a Doctor,but just wait for things to calm down and hopefully get better. I know, not good. Well I had to go and have a breat lump removed. In the routine xray they found this area in my right lung. They said I had cancer. Scared me to death. I went into surgery and lost the bottom right lobe of my lung. After 10 days in the hospital they said it was a blood clot that had lodged (thank God) and became necrotic. If it had not lodged I would have died. One of the worse parts was when the nurses came into the room to pull me up in the bed or give me care. I would hear them complaining about how many of them it took to lift me. It was almost 20 years before I got the message. I had to lose the weight ,or I thought I would surely die. I was facing back surgery and had a lot of other things wrong healthwise. I decided to give WW one more try. I had no expectations that it would work . It didn't the other 10 or more times. Well I gave it all I could and did lose 57 lbs. I now go to TOPS for the support. I also want to lose 12 more lbs.They are both good groups. I think Tops is the best for a support Group. I still use the WW method... It is a healthy way to eat for a lifetime.
Hello Ange-Lover and Housebound. Sorry, didn't mean to write a book....Joanne

[Young Grasshopper]

Thanks Joanne....:). Day isn't going so bad...have one heck of a headache from caffeine withdrawel but that should go away in a few days.

Hope you guys are staying cool! Feels like a sauna here!

Deb

[Joanne D]

I am trying to change to deca too. I am slowly adding and increasing the decaf hoping I don't get the headaches..I did this once before and it worked well. I just fell off the wagon and have to start over...
Hope everyone is having a good weekend...Joanne

[Angel-lover]

Hi Ladies......I am so sorry you're going through this, Grasshopper. My heart goes out to you! We're going to think positive! You are NOT going to have a stroke! You are going to take care of yourself as you're suppose to......starting today!! We want daily reports of how you're doing.....& that you've done what you should. The cycle of strokes is going to stop with you! Yes, it's scarey....I've had scares before....so I know. Just come on in here & talk, vent, scream, or whatever you need to do!

We'll be here for you, & can listen anytime. Like you said...sometimes we just need to put it down, & get it out in the open! You're in my thoughts & prayers.http://www.vfwds.com/graphics/images/roses/bgrose.gif

Joanne....Sounds like you've been through some pretty rough times, also. I'm sorry. Sometimes, we have to have a wake-up call, I guess. That seems to be a lot of my motivation.

I've changed to Folger's decaf lately, & really like it. I can't tell that it's bothering me at all. I still want my coffee first thing....but that's it. Wish you both luck.

Hope you have a great week end. Try not to worry....just focus on being well. http://www.agifs.hpg.ig.com.br/criancas/menina153.gif

[Happy Canuk]

Joanne and Grasshopper - I gave up coffee a year and a few months ago and I don't miss it at all. Coffee really irriates IBS, and it seemed to give me heart palpations. I was told by my Naturepath to drink decaf but to use the Swiss Water Decaf. I guess it is supposed to be better for you than the kind extracted with ethalyne. I don't know much about it. I really like Costco's Kirkland coffee, both regular and decaf (not swiss water though).

Grasshopper, I hope you can stop the stroke business with yourself. It does help to use us as a journal.

Hi Angel - hope your day went well.

[Joanne D]

Happy ,Grasshopper ,Angel-Lover.
Happy ,I remember when you gave up coffee. I was trying to do the same then and failed. I know I have to now.
Grasshopper, My only reason of giving you some of my history is to try and let you know that we are behind you. You are not alone.You can take charge of your life and health. Losing the weight is the first step in reducing your risk of strokes. If you haven't done it yet find a good support group and join. The first step through the doors are the hardest. I feel sure you can do it.Don't give in to this problem. Take it one day,one step,one pound at a time.You can do it.
Angel-Lover- Yes I have had a lot of difficulties. Most people would have not survived them. I am 70 years old and still there are parts of my life that are too difficult to think about...I deserve to be happy in spite of the things in this world that I have to fight against. I tend to push back and stay away from hurtful things.
Enough!!....Bye...Joanne

[Young Grasshopper]

Hi Ladies!

Thanks for your support! Feeling a little more upbeat today. No headaches and no caffeine today! :) We'll see how I do during the week. My vice is soda not coffee. Never got a real taste for that...thought about trying to switch over but why start another bad habit?

I heard that drinking one cup of green tea a day will make you lose 10 lbs over a year's time. Who knows? Might try that. Supposed to be a very good for you.

I'm taking it one day at a time. Trying to switch over to water and get moving. Even went swimming today...Yeah ME! We'll see how it goes. I've done some research and I think the whole stroke thing comes into play with menopause. Got a few years to that so I'm taking it as a sign to get my rear in gear.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!!!!!!!

Deb :lol:

[Angel-lover]

Hi everybody!

Grasshopper.....you need to get everything behind you that you can, before menopause....that's for sure!!!!! http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung/mittelgrosse/medium-smiley-014.gif Glad you're a little more upbeat today. You know, I really didn't drink a lot of water, until I started my diet April 23rd. Then, I went on nothing but water (& a couple of cups of coffee in the morning). Now, I go with water in my hand all the time....can't get enough! It's really good for me, & I really don't miss other drinks, now. I've heard the green tea is good for you, also. Just didn't see myself acquiring the taste for it.

Yes, Joanne....you do deserve to be happy. You sound like a strong person to have survived whatever stumbling blocks you've had. If you want to stay away from hurtful things....ok. Remember, though, if you need to talk about them....we can talk anytime. Privately....if you want. Hope your stomach is better.http://www.sunsetangel.com/angels/graphics/cherub202.gif

Hello Homebound & Happy Canuk...Hope you had a good weekend! http://www.agifs.hpg.ig.com.br/ursos/urso6.gif

[Young Grasshopper]

Think I'm going to start a new thread!!!!!!!!!! :)

DO NOT POST HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NEW THREAD STARTED :)