Chronic Pain...How Do You Manage It?

[plumberscrack]

Every year about this time my body starts to feel the wear and tear I put on it. Lifting radiators, humping cast iron boilers, dragging water heaters around, going up and down stairs with a 30lb. tool bag. My body is telling me it's time to stop. Chronic back pain, bad knees, carpol tunnel and sore foots. Gets a little worse every year. Maybe I'm just getting old, carry too much weight under my belt or just over do it all the time.

I used to see a chiropractor 2 times a week before going to work. She helped out with the back pain using heated massages and TENS (transcutaneous electro-nerve stimulator). She moved to another office and changed her hours. I felt guilty leaving work in the middle of the day to get a massage. Besides, wife found out she was really cute...END OF SESSIONS!

Just bought a personal TENS unit and seems to help some. Never been one to take pain pills (at least not for medical reasons :)) and I was just wondering how others manage their daily pain.

Meds?
Herbal remedies?
Kabbalistic healing?
Accupuncture? I've worked with a few people who swear by this but needles make me faint :o

The Crack Needs Healing

[PLUMBER RICK]

the times i feal sore i will take a couple of aleve/ naproxen sodium 220mg (nsaid). by the way, joey doesn't mind me giving out plumbing advise, but she doesn't approve of my medical advise. by the way the aleve is a little blue pill. maybe that's why it works? mind over matter:confused:

last weekend i had to pull 110' of 1/2'' jetter hose stuck inside of a line out. i ended up using my block and tackle attached to the concrete ceiling to get it to move. even with that i was still sore.

then followed it up with 2- 50 gallon r-19 heaters to bring up the stairs 2 days later.

all i can say is aleve works for me.

and the k-60 is a life saver over the drum, especially on the roof;)

get better soon as we have a big date coming up soon:D

you don't want to be forced into a bidet if you can't wipe your own crack:eek:

rick.

[plumberscrack]

you don't want to be forced into a bidet if you can't wipe your own crack:eek:

rick.


LOL I'd rather have a stoma than use a bidet :grin:

[HVAC HAWK]

i sit in my hot tub 104* for 30min and it helps a lot

it is a insta spa small but it works

[westcoastplumber]

i soak my feet in the new foot bubbler (used in salons) that robert will get me for christmas..hard to be in high heels all day..

[DUNBAR]

Prescription narcotics. Yesterday was a prime example of why I need them to get through a job where I'm there for more than a few hours.

Today is recovery day; my fingers/hands are all swelled up, couldn't stand on my feet for an hour after I woke up, aching unbelievably but there's a check on my desk for the effort. It's all a memory now.


Just lately have I been getting into trouble in the mornings; I look like the images of the evolution of man.....starting from a slumped over crawl to someone standing upwards.

Bottom line is I've tried all the OTC methods, nothing works. I'm well beyond that and the future isn't exactly sunny and 75.

[ToUtahNow]

i sit in my hot tub 104* for 30min and it helps a lot

it is a insta spa small but it works

Ditto but mine is a full size and limits you to 20-minutes at a time for a reason.

Many years ago I removed a brand new Jacuzzi brand jetted tub out of Cher's beach house during a remodel. My back was killing me so when I got home I set her tub up in the garage and filled it with water from the laundry area. When I started the motor my pain melted away in minutes. Two hours later when I woke up the water was ice cold and my muscles were like jello. I soon after added a jetted tub to my bathroom and a spa to my backyard but now better understand why there are time limits.

Mark

[ToUtahNow]

i soak my feet in the new foot bubbler (used in salons) that Zeljka will get me for christmas..hard to be in high heels all day..

Robert,

Some things are better left unsaid.

Mark :cool:

[PLUMBER RICK]

i soak my feet in the new foot bubbler (used in salons) that robert will get me for christmas..hard to be in high heels all day..

are you talking to yourself again robert:confused:

not sure if osha allows high heels on the job site? are they steel toed:confused:

rick.

[plumberscrack]

EUUWWW!!!

You have Cher germs all over you! :barf:

[ToUtahNow]

EUUWWW!!!

You have Cher germs all over you! :barf:

No this was a brand new home which had never been occupied. When I did the walk through there was not a single bathroom which was not being remodeled. I asked her what she wanted to do with the fixtures and she told me to throw them away. The morning we started the job the first thing I did was have the guys pull all of the fixtures and haul them off the job to protect them. I ended up selling them at the swap meet and giving them to friends and family.

Mark

[DUNBAR]

Ya'll going to have me in my jacuzzi today; I even have a winch built into the ceiling to raise and lower my disabled body into the water. I'm a lead weight though trying to get out of it. Gotta tv right at my feet as well.


I've used it maybe less than 5 times total since 05'. :(

Rubadubdub huge lard in da tub (http://www.msnusers.com/DUNBARPICTUREALBUM/masterbathshowroompictures.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=481)

[westcoastplumber]

MAN OH MAN! Zeljka and her english, geeze, guys, you had to quote it to, now I cannot fix it. :mad:

What she mean't was the tub is maybe one of her gifts and if she gets it, she will soak her feet in it and something about high heels.

I just read it and I have no clue what she was thinking.;)

[westcoastplumber]

Nice, I just went back and read it, that was cute mark, clever little man you are:p:D

Zeljka's english is pretty good actually:D

[oldslowchevy]

it is called.... hire a helper, he can lift, carry, install(under your supervision), be your gofor, stand there and look dumb when you throw him across the room when the boss shows up, be the scape goat for the mistakes you made while the boss was there, and just the all around beast of burdon.:D


trust me this works, no more pain. but the headaches are killed.

[ToUtahNow]

Robert,

You have a keeper than in Zeljka so don't let her get away. I just think it is cute when the wives cross-post on the forum. It is almost like cyber cross-dressing. When Joey does it I am always amazed at how smart Rick has become then I notice the capitalization and figure out it is Joey.

Mark:D

[oldslowchevy]

It is almost like cyber cross-dressing.


lol i said that about ben in the chat last week, as he signed on under his wifes acount. lmao:D:D:D

[Drain Medic]

I am now using that new Shiatsu massager i got the other day...works wonders. I wear the instant heat patches on my back usually thru the day. I use velcro knee braces when the knees start aching. I bought some pills at GNC called Glucosamine 750, it promotes joint flexibility. Works wonders after youve been taking them for a month. Its like getting a lube job on the joints. Other then that, a hot bath once in awhile.

[Frankiarmz]

OSC had a very good idea of using a helper for the heavy stuff if you can afford it. I dabbled in some of your trades as a homeowner but my body suffered from an occasional telephone pole on the shoulder or some equally stupid task for a human to perform. One thing I've learned from dealing with daily pain from assorted herniated discs, you have to break that cycle of pain once in a while. You don't have to use pain killers daily, but even once or twice a week can help relax all those cramped muscles. Starting with the neck, a thing called the bed buddy, two minutes in the microwave and you get an hour of so of warmth to soothe your aching neck, the Homedics massage cushion with shiatsu action is great to break up back cramps and spasms. There are some very good items to give added support to the wrists, elbows, knees and so forth. Plus those mechanix gloves protect the hands while allowing for free movement. I know you might end up looking like a gladiator going to war, but if you can save your body from more trauma it's worth it. A quick word to the younger guys, work is important but so is your health, stay fit to avoid some of the injuries that come with the trade and age. If anyone ever comments about you driving a truck, remember you will do much better if someone hits you with their car. I got T-boned twelve years ago when driving a compact by a woman driving a big Volvo. I got the worst of it and she was fine!

[gear junkie]

I find that prevention is the best cure. I'm no Jack Lalane but I work out 5 days a week. Your body will be sore at first then it will go easier. Doing ab exercises will help with a bad back.

[John Crapper III]

Ask saysflushable where he gets his inserts, he gave me a pair and they really helped a bone spur in my heal. My quack told me to blowing my belly out when I lift, stabalizes your core helps your back to stay in line.

check this site out http://www.emofree.com/ it worked on my sinus headaches.

[John Crapper III]

LOL I'd rather have a stoma than use a bidet :grin:


http://www.oversizesolutions.com/Self_Wipe_Toilet_Aid_p/528.htm?gclid=CNjd4JKYq5ACFShsGgodqCZu9A

Just in case.

[CWSmith]

I've got a couple of dislocated discs in my neck that are pinching on a nerve, makes my left hand go numb, leg and foot a bit numb, and my neck and shoulder feel like it's broken.

When it flares up, about the best thing I can do is bite on a stick... hickory is better, but I've come to acquire a taste for birch! (Nah, only joking, but when neck problem does flare up there's nothing I can do accept try to get somewhere and remain motionless with some ice packs.)

Biggest thing for me is to take some flexerol (sp?) and some Motrin whenever I feel it start to aggevate. A couple of years ago, it was so bad I couldn't lay down and had to sleep in a chair for over a month.

The daily aches and pains like the knees and the foot swells are a nuisance that a few asprin will numb, but then I think about the neck problem and remember that the current aches are nothing. Fortunately for me, I don't have the daily demands of a job anymore, so I can put off for a short while.

So, Flexerol, Motrin, Asprin.... "better living through chemistry" is my motto,

CWS

[garager]

Aleeve for immediate relief, which is about 45 minutes. We take sauna's up here, well some have hottubs, but a sauna will work just as well and you sweet all the toxic out of your body at the same time. You will also get a great feeling of being clean. :cool: :)

[PLUMBER RICK]

Robert,

You have a keeper than in Zeljka so don't let her get away. I just think it is cute when the wives cross-post on the forum. It is almost like cyber cross-dressing. When Joey does it I am always amazed at how smart Rick has become then I notice the capitalization and figure out it is Joey.

Mark:D


ya, but lets see her answer the tuff plumbing questions:rolleyes:

and when she does, you can be sure i was next to her:D

I COULD GO BACK TO ALL CAPS:)

rick.

[plumberscrack]

Aleeve for immediate relief, which is about 45 minutes. We take sauna's up here, well some have hottubs, but a sauna will work just as well and you sweet all the toxic out of your body at the same time. You will also get a great feeling of being clean. :cool: :)

Thank you all for your answers. I will try the Gluclosamine and maybe the Shiatzu massager. My chiropracter told me to do ab crunches too....I laughed. Who's Jack Lalane?..did he invent the ab roller?

Like Dunbar, over the counter drugs are no longer effective for some of my pain. I installed a steam bath in the basement. I know what you mean Garager about purging the toxins out of you ;) but sends my blood pressure through the roof. I use a eucalyptus oil on the spout.

[ToUtahNow]

Who's Jack Lalane?..did he invent the ab roller?




Jack Lalanne is know as the grandfather of physical fitness. He is now in his 90s but here is some of what he has accomplished:


1954 (age 40): Jack swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge) in San Francisco (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco), underwater, with 140 pounds of equipment, including two air tanks. A world record.
1955 (age 41): Jack swam from Alcatraz Island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcatraz_Island) to Fisherman's Wharf (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisherman%27s_Wharf) in San Francisco while handcuffed. When interviewed afterwards he was quoted as saying that the worst thing about the ordeal was being handcuffed, which reduced his chance to star jump significantly.
1956 (age 42): Jack set a world record of 1,033 push ups in 23 minutes on You Asked for It (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Asked_for_It), a television program with Art Baker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Baker).
1957 (age 43): Jack swam the Golden Gate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate) channel while towing a 2,500-pound cabin cruiser (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_cruiser). The swift ocean currents turned this one-mile swim into a swimming distance of 6.5 miles.
1958 (age 44): Jack star jumped (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_jump) atop a paddleboard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddleboard) nonstop from Farallon Islands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farallon_Islands) to the San Francisco shore. The 30-mile trip took 9.5 hours.
1959 (age 45): Jack did 1,000 star jumps and 1,000 chin-ups in 1 hour, 22 minutes. His well-known white German shepherd (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_shepherd), Happy, was born this year, the same year The Jack LaLanne Show (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Jack_LaLanne_Show&action=edit) went nationwide.
1974 (age 60): For the second time, Jack swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf. Again, he was handcuffed, but this time he was also shackled and towed a 1,000-pound boat.
1975 (age 61): Repeating his performance of 21 years earlier, Jack again swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater and handcuffed, but this time he was shackled and towed a 1,000-pound boat.
1976 (age 62): To commemorate the "Spirit of '76 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_of_%2776)", United States Bicentennial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bicentennial), Jack swam one mile in Long Beach Harbor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Beach_Harbor). He was handcuffed and shackled, and he towed 13 boats (representing the 13 original colonies) containing 76 people.
1979 (age 65): Jack towed 65 boats in Lake Ashinoko (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Ashi), near Tokyo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo), Japan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan). He was handcuffed and shackled, and the boats were filled with 6,500 pounds of Louisiana Pacific (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Pacific) wood pulp.
1980 (age 66): Jack towed 10 boats in North Miami, Florida (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Miami%2C_Florida). The boats carried 77 people, and he towed them for over one mile in less than one hour.
1984 (age 70): Once again handcuffed and shackled, Jack fought strong winds and currents as he swam 1.5 miles while towing 70 boats with 70 people from the Queen's Way Bridge (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Queen%27s_Way_Bridge&action=edit) in the Long Beach Harbor (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Beach_Harbor) to the Queen Mary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary).
1992 (age 78): Jack received the Academy of Body Building and Fitness (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Academy_of_Body_Building_and_Fitne ss&action=edit) Award.
1994 (age 80): Jack received the State of California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness Lifetime Achievement Award.
1996 (age 82): Jack received the Dwight D. Eisenhower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D._Eisenhower) Fitness Award.
1999 (age 85): Jack received the Spirit of Muscle Beach (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_Beach) Award.
2002 (age 88): Jack received a star on the Hollywood Boulevard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Boulevard) Walk of Fame (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_of_Fame).
2004 (age 90): Jack celebrated his 90th birthday in New York (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City), San Francisco, and Los Angeles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles). ESPN Classic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPN_Classic) ran a 24-hour marathon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon) of the original Jack LaLanne television shows.
2004 (age 90): Jack became the official spokesperson for Covenant Reliance Producers, LLC, a Financial Marketing Organization based in Nashville Tennessee
2005 (age 91): Jack received the Jack Webb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Webb) Award from the Los Angeles Police Department (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Police_Department) Historical Society, the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award, Interglobal's International Infomercial Award, the Freddie, and the Medical Media Public Service Award, and he was a Free Spirit honoree at Al Neuharth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Neuharth)'s Freedom Forum.When I was a kid there were no 24-Hour Fitness gyms but there were Jack Lalanne gyms.

Mark

[oldslowchevy]

omg, i have ALOT of catching up to do...... i may be younger but i am lazy

[wwsmith]

Years ago I shattered my right arm in bicycle vs. car accident (I was on the cycle). I have since then managed to do a good number on my back and right shoulder in various skiing incidents thinking I was much better than I obviously was. I think some of my pain is a result of something more opposite than many of you where as I now spend much of my time behind a desk (actually working from my couch today) and not enough physical exercise so when I do end work on something more physcially intense I end up being sore. I have changed that by getting more active again and the bulk of the remaining pain is just the way it will be for my life I am sure. When I was living in Taiwain I was put on a local remedy which worked great as I spent much of my time standing and standing on concrete and steel flooring in fabs which was a killer on my back as the clean room suits offered little foot cushioning. After moving back to the US I stopped taking it and wasn't in too much pain which I attributed to living in Phoenix which is more friendly to arthiritis with the climate although had days of severe discomfort. Since moving back to MT I have started taking Phenocane, which is some kind of herbal anti inflammatory and other stuff (2 pills a day) which has worked well. Not 100%, but much better with the harsher climates and I am now able to be more active again.

Not associated with the product at all, nor pushing it, just saying that is what I take and works well for me.

[MrsSeatDown]

I still have trouble managing my chronic pain as he keeps following me. I send him away on trips, but he always comes back.:withstupid::trash-him::D

[drtyhands]

I still have trouble managing my chronic pain as he keeps following me. I send him away on trips, but he always comes back.:withstupid::trash-him::D:rotflmao1: