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  1. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Uncanny Valley
    Posts
    14,498

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    Oh man kamikazejane, I'm so sorry you're having to go through all that. One of the things I'm very grateful for is that I don't have pain - the new sensation in my left arm is more of a burning type numbness than the right side, but it's only like a mild sunburn (in fact, when I'm outside I keep checking my arm to see if it's burnt ).

    The lumbar and thoracic stuff is getting better little by little. Wish I could say the same thing about the neck. My shoulders are so out of whack it's hard to know how much of the nerve compression is coming from the nerve roots and how much is from the thoracic outlet. I'm so hoping it's one of these things that gets worse before it gets better ... and that the new symptoms are just the result of my shoulders and upper spine realigning themselves ... fingers crossed.

    I totally hear you on the bike. I'm lucky that running (short distances, anyway) actually seems to help my symptoms, but if that made it worse too, I'd have to choose between running and cycling.

    You hang in there, yourself.
    Speed comes from what you put behind you. - Judi Ketteler

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Uncanny Valley
    Posts
    14,498
    Well, the left arm/shoulder stuff is getting worse, at this point it's the worst of it, though I've been kind of having a bad week with all of it.

    My PT was surprisingly honest that the doctors in her practice are of the type whose skills consist of taking an MRI and finding the dotted line that says "cut here." She doesn't know a physician who takes a more hands-on approach at this point (she knew one who moved away), but she has a PT colleague who's both more hands-on herself, and who may know a doctor as well - she's supposed to get back with me today, hopefully. My sister who's an acupuncture doctor is also checking her networks to see if there's anyone here she'd feel comfortable with. It's hardly a health care mecca here, but then again I know there are a lot of places that are worse.

    I'm really trying to be positive, but it's getting harder and harder.
    Speed comes from what you put behind you. - Judi Ketteler

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Central Indiana
    Posts
    6,034
    ((((Oak)))). I'm sorry to hear this is getting worse, not better. I hope you find a doctor to your liking soon. Hang in there until then....
    Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.

    --Mary Anne Radmacher

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Posts
    248
    I'm so sorry. I saw the thread title and cringed. I had to give up a sport thanks to my injury, and it hurt to give it up (but hey, now I'm here!).

    Have you considered a good chiropractor? I make that suggestion with great hesitation, because there are good chiropractors and ones that can leave you paralyzed, and sometimes it's hard to find the good ones. I happened to luck out on that score. Everything she did had the blessing of an independently seen orthopedic surgeon, and she was the one who ordered the MRI for my neck and recognized (quickly) that my injury wasn't something she'd be able to treat. She then sent me to one of the best (and most medically conservative) neurosurgeons in the city.

    She did something called spinal decompression (again, with the blessing of the orthopedic surgeon I'd gone to for a second opinion), which, while it wasn't able to fix the problem, kept me out of pain until the surgery. It's a gentle, computer based traction (I called it the rack, though).

    Again, I make the suggestion with trepidation, because I know there are definitely bad chiropractors out there (I saw one article that referred to them as chiromancers). Think your PT might have a recommendation?

    Good luck, and I'm so sorry it's derailing the sport you love!

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Uncanny Valley
    Posts
    14,498
    Thanks. Actually I've been seeing the chiropractor my PCP recommended. I was impressed with her initial exam but there have been a few things that have caused me to lose some confidence. My PT is setting me up with another PT in her practice who has a great deal of training and experience in manual therapy and we're going to go from there. Maybe with a new treatment focus, maybe with a referral to an ortho, we'll see after she sees me. My sister suggested I see a DO who's trained in Sutherland's technique - perhaps one of the doctors the new PT has in mind is one of those.
    Speed comes from what you put behind you. - Judi Ketteler

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    I am sorry to hear this, Oak.
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  7. #22
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    10,889
    Oak, so sorry to read this, hopefully the new doc can help you out. It is a pity that so many see surgery as the first option Have they tried injections/would you consider that? It did a world of good for me - it apparently brought the inflammation down enough that the more troublesome symptoms of nerve impingement (patterns of numbness from my jaw to my fingers) went away and haven't returned. My problem was pretty much limited to my cervical spine however, while it has multiple problems it certainly sounds less complex than your situation.

    He was a "Physiatrist", if I recall properly. I know injections don't work in all situations/for all people but I did want to mention it.
    Last edited by Catrin; 07-14-2012 at 04:41 AM.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Posts
    49
    OakLeaf, sorry to hear this. I don't understand the issue fully but I really hope that you find the right medical support and resolve this problem.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Western Canada-prairies, mountain & ocean
    Posts
    6,984
    Keep us posted, Oak. Hang in there. Eat healthy, etc.

    What else do you love to do besides jogging & cycling? (I know it's not the same, but still...mental life insurance is useful.)
    My Personal blog on cycling & other favourite passions.
    遙知馬力日久見人心 Over a long distance, you learn about the strength of your horse; over a long period of time, you get to know what’s in a person’s heart.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Uncanny Valley
    Posts
    14,498
    Quote Originally Posted by shootingstar View Post
    What else do you love to do besides jogging & cycling? (I know it's not the same, but still...mental life insurance is useful.)
    Well you know the gear that lets people do things without using their arms is geared to people MUCH worse off than I. You can understand why I'm reluctant to go there. I am considering a portable massage table, that would at least let me read through the face hole.
    Speed comes from what you put behind you. - Judi Ketteler

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Uncanny Valley
    Posts
    14,498
    OK if I whine a little more? Ignore if not ...

    The good news is at least I have a direction in mind. I started seeing a new PT three sessions ago, who's taking a different, more hands-on approach, releasing trigger points in my diaphragm (ow!) and intercostals as well as the more traditional muscles and doing more mobilization and stretching, less of the strength work that tends to aggravate whatever it isn't directly relieving.

    Several people agreed that I'm most likely to be helped by an osteopath who practices Sutherland's techniques. The bad news is that the nearest ones are an hour and a half away over country roads that are just murder on my back. I have an appointment in a month. I'm planning to let DH drive, and lie down in the back of the car. Still...

    The isolation is as bad as anything else. Basically everyone I know is from either cycling or yoga - I've tried going to some political meetings and stuff just to meet people, but I can't be upright that long. So the only people I have any interaction with all day are my husband and my therapists, and you guys and my FB friends.

    I know I know I know a lot of people have it much worse. I just need to vent right now....
    Last edited by OakLeaf; 08-02-2012 at 05:32 AM.
    Speed comes from what you put behind you. - Judi Ketteler

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Central Indiana
    Posts
    6,034
    I'm so sorry, Oak. While my isolation in the booming metropolis of Franklin, Indiana isn't quite as extreme as your situation, I definitely felt painfully bereft of my old cycling and running friends when we moved there. It's gotten better over time, but I still have far less interaction than I once did. I've cried many a time over it. So, I do understand at least part of your pain and sincerely hope that you find physical and emotional relief soon.
    Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.

    --Mary Anne Radmacher

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Newport, RI
    Posts
    3,821
    (((Oakleaf))). This sounds awful. I hope you find someone to help, and can get there in one piece. I hope you get your life back soon.
    '02 Eddy Merckx Fuga, Selle An Atomica
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    Slacker on wheels.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Long Island, NY
    Posts
    39
    Oh, Oak, I'm so sorry to read about your troubles! My husband had 2 herniated discs a few months back, and for days he was flat on his back. He had jumped down from the rig and that was it-he was in so much pain he had to leave work. (That NEVER happens!) after spending 3 days completely on his back, he was able to move around a little but he couldn't drive, so he had to be driven into the city to see the doctor. Finally they prescribed PT and we have one around the block-she's fabulous. All the electrical stimulation, manual stuff,it did take some times but now he's back to work and doing well.

    I hope your recovery comes soon for you. I'm glad you changed things up when it wasn't working. It's all about what's right for you and facilitates healing.

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    209
    Oak, sorry its been so rough for you. I know how you feel about not being able to do stuff and then isolation on top of that. I understand what you mean about others having it worse, but still, it hurts.

    I hope the new PT works for you and the osteopath can bring more relief to you.

    dt

 

 

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