Had my 1st ride in an ambulance, today.

[leftyscott]

Been having lower back pain all this week... Nothng major... didn't miss any work. I just attributed it to working extra hard last weekend hauling wood out of the back 50 acres like I've been doing every w/e for the last 2 months.

Today I wake up and am unable to stand up due to pain. Tried for 2 hours but finally had no alternative but to call an ambulance to take me to the hospital. No major damage just muscle fatigue. No bending or lifting this w/e which means my wife is in charge of fireplace maintenence.
Also, no hauling, splitting, stacking for 2 weeks. This kinda sucks b/c I have 2-3 cords worth of rounds begging to be split. I guess there's no rush as this wood is for 2011-2012 burning.

On a plus side, I have enough Valium and Oxycodone to keep me reasonably happy for the next several days.

 

[wendell]

I hope you feel better soon!

 

[Spikem]

Ouch! Both figuratively and literally.

Get well soon!

 

[Jack Straw]

What are your winters like down there??

Hope you feel better.

 

[leftyscott]

What are your winters like down there??
Hope you feel better.

Winters are not too bad here. I burn most every day Nov. through March. It's rare when we get several days that the daily high temps stay below freezing.

On a side note, when I was a a kid growing up in PA, I was a huge Revolutionary War buff.
My family took a vacation up to the Saratoga battlefield. It was one of my most favorite vacations.

 

[ckarotka]

The ambulance is my other car. In one right now lol. Get better and no beer with those meds
or those secondaries might start talking to ya :-/

 

[smokinj]

sounds like one hell of a ride

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Did they at least let you blow the siren? Just kidding... I'm glad that it wasn't a disc problem or worse. Check into some exercises to strengthen those muscles when you are feeling better; things like McKenzie push-ups (you can Google it), crunches, and many others have helped me over the last few years after I ruptured my L-5 disc. And take it easy on those pain pills or you may have little or no recollection of this weekend lol!

Get well soon...

 

[chelmbold]

At lease it was a ride for back pain and not a saw cut

 

[bogydave]

Relax for a while, you earned it with the amount of work you did in the past 2 weeks.
The wood will still be there when your back is ready, slow & easy for a while.

 

[ROBERT F]

Owwwwww. sounds painfull. gotta be a better way to go on mini-vacation!

 

[learnin to burn]

Dude that sucks But at least you can lay around and watch your fire for a while.


Hint - No Back Seat Loading or you may find yourself in a cold room with a cold stove ;-P

 

[Cluttermagnet]

Glad you're going to be OK. This sort of thing is due to poor abdominal muscle tone. Any ab- related exercises have got to help. One hint- if you tolerate Ibuprofen OK (Motrin, Advil, etc.) you can start dosing as soon as you feel your back complaining. You can dose at 600mg (that's 3 of the 200mg pills) so long as you observe the daily limit (I think it is 2400 mg/ day). I have seen prescription strength Ibuprofen 600mg pills, so I know this is OK. The strategy is to start hammering the back pain (actually it's muscle spasms) as soon as it comes on. Works great, and allows me to avoid the heavier duty stuff like Oxycodone or Percocets every time. 1-3 days at most and I have no further need for the Ibuprofen.

BTW don't mix different type pain pills. Pick a type and stick with it.

I had lower back pain so severe one year that it took me 10-15 minutes to get up out of bed. Excruciating! Had to finger walk up the wall to get standing. I had overdone it on a several days long shed demolition. My back was real touchy for at least a month or two after that ordeal. Today I'm much more sensitive to the onset of lower back pain. I hammer it as soon as my back starts complaining. This definitely helps me avoid any long term pain from overexercising. Nips it in the bud. And I've had no reoccurence like that ordeal.

I dosed at 400mg several times on Saturday while hand shoveling my ~70ft drive with 18-20in of snow on it. I seem to have dodged the bullet, think I'll be OK on Sunday.

 

[CowboyAndy]

i went through the same thing this summer. i was working on my boat and was laying down under the bow and went to get up and could not physically stand up! it hurt real bad, and the worst part was i had my 3 year old in there with me and no one else was home and my cell phone was on the porch! i just sat there for about 45 min and finally i was able to move enough where i climbed out and hobbled in the house. once i laid down on the couch i couldnt move again. i spent the next 2 days practically immobile.

 

[WayneB]

Surprised nobody mentioned asking around for a good Chiropractor. I have been using them on and off for 30+ yrs. You need to find a good one, there is more of an art to what they do than what the pill pushers do. I went through all kinds of Doc's at one time for a shoulder injury, would not take surgery or Cortisone shot, Chiropractor finally fixed me. I would stress finding a good one by reputation though, my experience is that more are of no use than the minority who are literal Godsends. JMHO

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Glad you're going to be OK. This sort of thing is due to poor abdominal muscle tone. Any ab- related exercises have got to help. One hint- if you tolerate Ibuprofen OK (Motrin, Advil, etc.) you can start dosing as soon as you feel your back complaining. You can dose at 600mg (that's 3 of the 200mg pills) so long as you observe the daily limit (I think it is 2400 mg/ day). I have seen prescription strength Ibuprofen 600mg pills, so I know this is OK. The strategy is to start hammering the back pain (actually it's muscle spasms) as soon as it comes on. Works great, and allows me to avoid the heavier duty stuff like Oxycodone or Percocets every time. 1-3 days at most and I have no further need for the Ibuprofen.


I dosed at 400mg several times on Saturday while hand shoveling my ~70ft drive with 18-20in of snow on it. I seem to have dodged the bullet, think I'll be OK on Sunday.

I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but watch out for taking heavy doses of this on a steady basis; it'll wreck your kidneys after awhile.

 

[Ratman]

(Moe): "Oh Jasper, how long have you had a weak back."
(Larry): "Oh about a week back."


Get well soon!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

lefty, it sounds like you might be in la-la land for a few days. May as well make the most of it and do whatever you can indoors. You have the computer so that is a big help. That is pretty much how I spend my time when I can't get out. At least it helps occupy the mind which is worth a lot.

We wish you a full recovery.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Relax for a while, you earned it with the amount of work you did in the past 2 weeks.
The wood will still be there when your back is ready, slow & easy for a while.

Bogydave, I like your avatar. That has always been one of my favorites.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Surprised nobody mentioned asking around for a good Chiropractor. I have been using them on and off for 30+ yrs. You need to find a good one, there is more of an art to what they do than what the pill pushers do. I went through all kinds of Doc's at one time for a shoulder injury, would not take surgery or Cortisone shot, Chiropractor finally fixed me. I would stress finding a good one by reputation though, my experience is that more are of no use than the minority who are literal Godsends. JMHO

But the big problem is finding a good one! They seem to be few and far between. Also, they can not fix everything as we've found. Some things they are fantastic and others.... Fortunately we have found one that can help on some things. For example, I was ready for neck surgery because of so much pain and little motion. Deterioriating disc disease. After trying 2 new chiropractors, I found one who has really helped my neck. However, he has not helped the back at all.

 

[Cluttermagnet]

Glad you're going to be OK. This sort of thing is due to poor abdominal muscle tone. Any ab- related exercises have got to help. One hint- if you tolerate Ibuprofen OK (Motrin, Advil, etc.) you can start dosing as soon as you feel your back complaining. You can dose at 600mg (that's 3 of the 200mg pills) so long as you observe the daily limit (I think it is 2400 mg/ day). I have seen prescription strength Ibuprofen 600mg pills, so I know this is OK. The strategy is to start hammering the back pain (actually it's muscle spasms) as soon as it comes on. Works great, and allows me to avoid the heavier duty stuff like Oxycodone or Percocets every time. 1-3 days at most and I have no further need for the Ibuprofen.


I dosed at 400mg several times on Saturday while hand shoveling my ~70ft drive with 18-20in of snow on it. I seem to have dodged the bullet, think I'll be OK on Sunday.

I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but watch out for taking heavy doses of this on a steady basis; it'll wreck your kidneys after awhile.

Probably true. Indeed, the 'heavy dose' regimen with Ibuprofen is meant to be used only briefly, like for several day periods. It is an 'off label' protocol, or as prescribed by your doctor. But it is a well known and generally safe use of the med. Other than that, the 200 mg, single tablet, package instructions regimen should be followed for longer periods. I believe there is a bit less risk than with Acetominophen (Tylenol), however. That stuff, when combined with alcohol, has been known to blow out a liver in a single weekend, putting the unlucky person on the organ donor list. All drugs should be used sparingly.

BTW the good thing about Ibuprofen is it's a muscle relaxant. This is just what's needed for lower back muscle spasms, and that is why this inexpensive, over- the- counter med is so effective at hammering the onset of that kind of back pain. Aspirin and Acetominophen are not muscle relaxants.

Yes, chiropractic would be real good for this kind of back pain. Good suggestion, WASAJCO.

 

[gpcollen1]

I started having some odd lower back pain 2 years back that was unlike my normal aches and pains from physical labor. It came and went in a few weeks with some stretching, chiropractor care and some 'medication'. Next time was almost 2 months, then another month or two. This last episode began in March, got really bad in April, began getting better in May --- worse in June. Here we are now after upteen Orthopedic visits, 3 epidural injections [steroidal]...surgery scheduled for Jan 5. Microdiscectomy for me - L5-S1.

Bottom line - those discs only take so much beating and eventually they get to a point where the bulge and put some pressure on a nerve - then they get worse. Once they herniate, the only option is surgery really. I am now pretty pumped to get this done so I can get back to life without pain.

Good luck to you and all wood getters with back issues. Remember that those pills are addictive. I have been taking them for long enough that I do get 'grumpy' when I do not take them, though I still take days off from pills just to prove I 'can'. I look forward to weening myself off and getting back to vitamins and exercise.

PS - an alternative to the narcotics is a little drug called Tramadol. This stuff really does help with the throbbing pain I have and I do not have to be on Oxy all the time - just when the pain is bad.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I started having some odd lower back pain 2 years back that was unlike my normal aches and pains from physical labor. It came and went in a few weeks with some stretching, chiropractor care and some 'medication'. Next time was almost 2 months, then another month or two. This last episode began in March, got really bad in April, began getting better in May --- worse in June. Here we are now after upteen Orthopedic visits, 3 epidural injections [steroidal]...surgery scheduled for Jan 5. Microdiscectomy for me - L5-S1.

Did anyone ever have you do McKenzie extensions (pushups)? I had a ruptured L5-S1 Summer of 2007, and a physical therapist had me do 200 of these pushups a day, broken into 3 sessions morning, evening and night. After 8 days, I actually felt the disc push itself back into place. After that, he had me do more core exercises, and I thankfully have been pretty good since. And I FINALLY found a very good chiropractor that is helping me as was discussed above. I wish you the best with your situation; Google McKenzie extensions (pushups from the waist up) and ask your doctors about it-possibly it is an option for you. Best of luck...

 

[pulldownclaw]

lefty, sorry to hear about your back. I blew mine out almost 2 years ago exactly. I know your pain. I had my 2 young boys with me over at a neighbors house while I was loading up some oak rounds and I picked one up and twisted the wrong way, BAM! I was on the ground. Ended up being a lumbar muscle strain, and I am mostly better now, but am more careful. That was no fun for awhile, make sure to do your exercises and be careful out there once you get better.

 

[leftyscott]

Because I suffer from Parkinson's Disease (45 years old) I experience significant muscle rigidiity. My neuro. thinks there is a connection, albeit indirect, between the Parkinson's and the injury. It's a wake-up call for me to do more stretching excercises before heading out next time.

Today is the first day I didn't have real pain. I'll probably take it easy this weeked and hit it the following weekend.

Thanks for all of the kind words.

Scott