Pain and the hobby... discuss your pain.

[neurotix]

@damric and possibly other people. Long post incoming.

 

What are your experiences with chronic pain and the hobby of building PCs? What is wrong with you that causes pain and how do you cope with not just building rigs, but with life in pain in general?

 

Personally, I just had a procedure 3 weeks ago called a microdiscotomy, to remove disc material in the low back at L4-L5-S1 (two discs) that were so badly herniated that they were compressed and bulging out to the left, and down over the vertebrae bone. The procedure was supposed to help by removing the disc material that was putting pressure on descending nerve roots causing me to have pain in the low back and going all the way down the outside of my left leg, as well as around the left hip all the way into the groin. So far, the procedure has not helped and I am having pretty serious pain in the left low back daily, though there's been a few days it has been mild. I also have degenerative disc disease and the discs that were operated on are still being crushed by my vertebrae, because of this my surgeon said even with the procedure, I will always have low back pain.

 

On top of that, I have hip pain which is usually worsened/triggered by sitting and the specific thing wrong with my hips is a cam and pincer impingement (overgrowth of bone material of the top of the femur as well as the hip having bone overgrowth), I also have an anterior torn labrum on the left side (a tear in the cartilage that covers the hip joint). Additionally, I have neck pain caused by discs being mildly herniated and crushed on the left side at C4-C7.

 

To top it all off I also have fibromyalgia.

 

I have medicine currently, hydrocodone, gabapentin (for fibromyalgia) and clonazepam so I am generally pretty stoned the majority of my time awake. Unfortunately, none of the pills really help much save for gabapentin- without it I am in horrendous pain all over including the extremities and also have random stabbing pain all over my body.

 

I'm not sure how most people work on their rigs, but generally I take the side panels off, move it into another room and lay it on a table on it's back side, then lean over at the waist (which I can't do for 6 weeks, and generally causes bad low back pain) to work on taking out GPUs, installing them or whatever. I think this is how most people do it if they have a tower, lay it on its back and lean over it to work on it. I can't do this anymore.

 

Recently with my upgrade to a 5900x, having a dud chip and ordering a new one to replace it, my wonderful wife who is also into the hobby did basically all the work of removing side panels, moving it (I can't carry anything while I'm recovering), taking the GPUs out so we have access to the waterblock, she took the block off and cleaned the old chip TIM and cooler TIM... the only thing I helped with was applying the thermal paste and remounting the water block as it has an extremely poor mounting system for AM4 (Arctic Liquid Freezer II) which basically requires you hold the stock AM4 backplate in place from underneath while putting screws through the block and lining them up to go into the holes in the backplate. It basically has no front-side standoffs or anything to hold the backplate in place. So I helped mounting the block, then she put the GPUs back in, moved it back, hooked it up and everything which all requires bending at the waist.

 

I really miss being able to do these things on my own- anytime there's something wrong with my rig, my wife fixes it. I miss being able to test different coolers, thermal pastes and so forth like I did when I used air coolers back in 2012. I miss being able to walk more than about a quarter mile in the neighborhood, let alone go on long walks holding hands with my wife. I used to do soldering, art and other activities that require me to sit in a chair and lean forward at the waist and I generally can't draw or paint anymore, or repair old game systems soldering, so there's also that.

 

Not to mention sometimes my hip or neck pain is so bad that I'm not even able to sit at my rig because its just too painful. Sorry for the wall of text but there's a lot wrong with me.

 

So, this thread is for people to share their experiences, what is wrong with you physically, and how it limits or prevents you from doing the hobby and using your PC. Does it make you depressed or suicidal? How do you cope with it and accept that you have to live a life in pain, and have your activities limited by pain?

[Avacado]

14 minutes ago, neurotix said:

@damric and possibly other people. Long post incoming.

 

What are your experiences with chronic pain and the hobby of building PCs? What is wrong with you that causes pain and how do you cope with not just building rigs, but with life in pain in general?

 

Personally, I just had a procedure 3 weeks ago called a microdiscotomy, to remove disc material in the low back at L4-L5-S1 (two discs) that were so badly herniated that they were compressed and bulging out to the left, and down over the vertebrae bone. The procedure was supposed to help by removing the disc material that was putting pressure on descending nerve roots causing me to have pain in the low back and going all the way down the outside of my left leg, as well as around the left hip all the way into the groin. So far, the procedure has not helped and I am having pretty serious pain in the left low back daily, though there's been a few days it has been mild. I also have degenerative disc disease and the discs that were operated on are still being crushed by my vertebrae, because of this my surgeon said even with the procedure, I will always have low back pain.

 

On top of that, I have hip pain which is usually worsened/triggered by sitting and the specific thing wrong with my hips is a cam and pincer impingement (overgrowth of bone material of the top of the femur as well as the hip having bone overgrowth), I also have an anterior torn labrum on the left side (a tear in the cartilage that covers the hip joint). Additionally, I have neck pain caused by discs being mildly herniated and crushed on the left side at C4-C7.

 

To top it all off I also have fibromyalgia.

 

I have medicine currently, hydrocodone, gabapentin (for fibromyalgia) and clonazepam so I am generally pretty stoned the majority of my time awake. Unfortunately, none of the pills really help much save for gabapentin- without it I am in horrendous pain all over including the extremities and also have random stabbing pain all over my body.

 

I'm not sure how most people work on their rigs, but generally I take the side panels off, move it into another room and lay it on a table on it's back side, then lean over at the waist (which I can't do for 6 weeks, and generally causes bad low back pain) to work on taking out GPUs, installing them or whatever. I think this is how most people do it if they have a tower, lay it on its back and lean over it to work on it. I can't do this anymore.

 

Recently with my upgrade to a 5900x, having a dud chip and ordering a new one to replace it, my wonderful wife who is also into the hobby did basically all the work of removing side panels, moving it (I can't carry anything while I'm recovering), taking the GPUs out so we have access to the waterblock, she took the block off and cleaned the old chip TIM and cooler TIM... the only thing I helped with was applying the thermal paste and remounting the water block as it has an extremely poor mounting system for AM4 (Arctic Liquid Freezer II) which basically requires you hold the stock AM4 backplate in place from underneath while putting screws through the block and lining them up to go into the holes in the backplate. It basically has no front-side standoffs or anything to hold the backplate in place. So I helped mounting the block, then she put the GPUs back in, moved it back, hooked it up and everything which all requires bending at the waist.

 

I really miss being able to do these things on my own- anytime there's something wrong with my rig, my wife fixes it. I miss being able to test different coolers, thermal pastes and so forth like I did when I used air coolers back in 2012. I miss being able to walk more than about a quarter mile in the neighborhood, let alone go on long walks holding hands with my wife. I used to do soldering, art and other activities that require me to sit in a chair and lean forward at the waist and I generally can't draw or paint anymore, or repair old game systems soldering, so there's also that.

 

Not to mention sometimes my hip or neck pain is so bad that I'm not even able to sit at my rig because its just too painful. Sorry for the wall of text but there's a lot wrong with me.

 

So, this thread is for people to share their experiences, what is wrong with you physically, and how it limits or prevents you from doing the hobby and using your PC. Does it make you depressed or suicidal? How do you cope with it and accept that you have to live a life in pain, and have your activities limited by pain?

I can relate to this as I have had three back surgeries myself. L-3 through S1. There are quite a few of the guys here with medical conditions that I have learned of as the resident medical professional. My last surgery was close to 10 years back and the third time has seemed to be the charm. I tend to work on tall tables and use a merry-go-round style spinner to rotate my rig on it's side. I implore to follow your restrictions to the letter to avoid having a revision. 

 

As to the "How do you deal with it?" question.... You do what you can tolerate without going past your physical limitations and accept the things you can't. If you can't man handle an 80 pound water cooled rig, then you will have to accept the fact that you might only be using air cooling moving forward. If a large case becomes to cumbersome, then you may need to start being a SFF fan boi. 

 

I am here if you want to discuss anything you are going through or need some friendly advice, just send me a PM.  

[neurotix]

Thank you for the reply. Some good suggestions too.

 

My case is a midtower but obviously what makes it so heavy is the 38mm radiator + coolant, and 2x FTW3 cards with huge heatsinks.

[damric]

Funny you might ask this. Yeah sometimes I just can't work on rigs. I've got work benches of various heights to use depending on how my back feels. Lately with my left knee injury my back is pretty sore from overcompensating. I have been putting off a teardown of my main build but I plan on starting that Monday. I had ordered a full cover water block for my 6900xt like 2 days before I had that bad accident where I blew my knee out and it's been just waiting for me to feel better. Things are going much better this past week. Much of the swelling around the knee is gone and I can bear some weight. I moved from crutches to just a cane. I am hoping that once my left knee gets repaired in 2023, that I'll be able to get my right knee repaired in 2024 (it's not quite blown out but can't run on it), that I might be able to run again. The VA used to give me narcotics to knock the pain down. They don't anymore, but I don't care. I only used them when I was REALLY uncomfortable. Been on Celebrex for years since my guts tend to bleed on motrin or aleve. Occasionally I take tylenol. What really helps is working out all the time. I feel like it increases my natural pain threshold so that I can just deal with life.

[neurotix]

I've considered working out too but generally it worsens my pain. I used to do yoga, qigong (similar to Tai Chi), play basketball, practice martial arts/boxing (still have a heavy bag hung up in my basement), and lift weights (still have a weight bench). I can't really do anything of those things anymore. And I'm not allowed to exercise for 6 weeks... Well 3 more depending on what the doctor says. I also got an exercise bike last year that I've used like twice.

 

Sometimes I feel/think that I am responsible for my own pain and if I exercised regularly I would be better off. Almost like I'm at fault for my own pain because I don't do the stuff I used to do.

 

I'm also a 2 pack to 2 1/2 pack a day smoker and smoke the really strong Natural American Spirit menthol cigs. Which is bad for my pain and anxiety and hastens degenerative disc disease. Not to mention how it would affect me,say, playing basketball.

 

I've gone and done physical therapy as a prerequisite to getting my procedure. Doing the exercises just put me in pain. On the Revised Oswestry Disability Index for low back pain/dysfunction I was a 56 when I started (Severely disabled is 40-60) and when I finished I was a 70 (Crippled is 60-80).

 

Once I can, it would probably be a good idea to at least use the exercise bike for 20 minutes a day or as long as it takes to get me sweaty and winded (10 minutes was not enough).. as aerobic exercise is supposed to help fibromyalgia.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your knees, man. I knew you had back pain but having bad knees sucks. I've blown both of mine out when I was younger playing basketball but it wasn't permanent.

 

Maybe I should look into getting a taller table too.

[Avacado]

16 minutes ago, neurotix said:

I'm also a 2 pack to 2 1/2 pack a day smoker and smoke the really strong Natural American Spirit menthol cigs. Which is bad for my pain and anxiety and hastens degenerative disc disease. Not to mention how it would affect me,say, playing basketball.

 

I've gone and done physical therapy as a prerequisite to getting my procedure. Doing the exercises just put me in pain. On the Revised Oswestry Disability Index for low back pain/dysfunction I was a 56 when I started (Severely disabled is 40-60) and when I finished I was a 70 (Crippled is 60-80).

I'm not going to tell you that you should quit, you already know you should. I will tell you (Your doctor should have too) that smoking will prolong wound healing and tissue regeneration by 50%. So expect a much longer operative recovery timeframe and plan accordingly. 

 

PT is very painful but necessary as 70-90% of musculoskeletal conditions are acute and not chronic. A surgical option is always a last resort and PT being a prerequisite for it is good medical practice despite the pain. Sorry you had to deal with it =/. If you were to do an MRI on the population at age 70, 50% would have at least a mild disc herniation at some level, but may just not be symptomatic. 

Edited November 26, 2022 by Avacado

[The Pook]

had a DVT that caused a PE back in 2016. Got one lung, a 10/10 scar, and my right leg and foot are pretty fucked. Got back pain from my new gangster gait, I can't squat, and look like a grandpa if I have to get up from the floor. I can't sit/stand/walk for long periods of time but if I switch it up I'm usually ok. 

 

I used to run a bunch and still miss it. I tried a few times but about broke my face each time 

 

14 minutes ago, neurotix said:

I'm also a 2 pack to 2 1/2 pack a day smoker and smoke the really strong Natural American Spirit menthol cigs. Which is bad for my pain and anxiety and hastens degenerative disc disease. Not to mention how it would affect me,say, playing basketball.

 

if you want to quit: try vaping? It was a lot easier for me to ween off nicotine that way since you can precisely control the nicotine %. I started with 55mg -> 35mg -> 12mg -> 3mg -> 0mg over the course of about a year. The only withdrawals I had were when I first switched from cigs to a vape and it was only sweaty palms (no spaghetti). 

 

could be a new hobby while you recover too if PCs aren't right doable now. you can try different mods, tanks, flash custom firmware, build your own coils, DIY eliquid, ... 

[Sir Beregond]

Damn sorry to hear about all the issues and chronic pain you guys are dealing with. 

 

I have one chronic issue that's not really pain, but can be if I am not careful. I have a nice combo of a 2 inch hiatal hernia which results in basically 24/7 acid reflux issues, and another condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (called EoE for short). Suffice to say one or the other is bad enough, combined its a constant battle to not have an overly damaged esophagus (had grade D esophagitis for probably a longer time than I thought). Damage culminating in severe narrowing, inflammation, and tears of the lower esophagus. If I don't manage it well enough it gets pretty bad. So for now I am on twice daily Esomeprazole, once before bed Famotidine, and oddly enough asthma medicine (Flovent) for the EoE, but its swallowed to coat the esophagus, not inhaled. Despite all this I am still having nightly acid reflux issues, so liquid Gaviscon is always handy.

 

The background to discovering I had any of these issues was for years having difficulty swallowing food, mostly at the first bite and always immediately needing something to drink with it. It culminated to one day swallowing a small piece of beef and suddenly having the sensation I was choking even though I could breath fine. During the 3 hours the piece of meat was lodged in that lower part of my esophagus almost to my stomach, it was a non-stop gag reflex that would culminate in many vomiting sessions even with nothing left to get rid of, and strictly only kept occurring because the gag reflux would not subside. A trip to the urgent care, they tried muscle relaxants that did ease the muscle and the meat passed. At that time they assumed it was a one time thing and didn't even think there was a chronic underlying issue.

 

Fast forward a few months after that and I once again have an issue and this time go to the ER as its even worse. This time they have a gastroenterologist on staff who proceeds to perform and upper endoscopy to remove the lodged food. He was also able to dilate my esophagus so that it was stretched back out to appropriate size. From there I was directed to see him at his normal practice. We started on meds and I had a proper exploratory upper endoscopy. Here they discovered the 2 inch hiatal hernia and the full extend of esophageal damage. The first round of meds helped but didn't work sufficiently and I started having swallowing issues again a few months later. They gave me another endoscopy to stretch out my esophagus again and then change up my medication to what it is now. A year later we did another upper endoscopy to monitor if current treatment was working and it seemed to be healing quite nicely. They also took the opportunity to gather some data by attaching a Bravo device to the side of my esophagus. It basically monitored acid levels for 3-4 days before it falls off and passes. Basically 3 out of the 4 days I had acid that was reaching up into my esophagus...the worst part was that I didn't even notice as none of those were the result of a full blown acid reflux attack.

 

Anyway, I am due to go back in to see how things are again, and my guess is re-stretch out my esophagus yet again as I am slowly starting to get issue swallowing food again. I've also been getting repeated acid reflux attacks at night recently, so I am inclined to think current treatment plan and daily medication isn't doing well enough to keep things at bay. Makes me wonder if they will want to do something about the hernia, but they hadn't wanted to touch it previously. So I don't know.

 

Anyway, that's my chronic thing.

[UltraMega]

 

9 hours ago, neurotix said:

I'm also a 2 pack to 2 1/2 pack a day smoker and smoke the really strong Natural American Spirit menthol cigs. Which is bad for my pain and anxiety and hastens degenerative disc disease. Not to mention how it would affect me,say, playing basketball.

Damn, I thought I used to smoke a lot. I just recently quit cigarettes, not really for health reasons so much as just got tired of spending $10+ on a pack every other day. Been vaping and it's fine as a replacement. Those UJOY disposable things are pretty cool if you want something that feels as close to a cigarette as possible. I miss it a little bit every now and then, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. 

 

I don't really have any major physical health issues myself, not yet anyway. Just mental ones. 

 

If any of you old dudes ever need someone to build a PC for you, I'm happy to do it; you pay shipping. 

Edited November 27, 2022 by ENTERPRISE
Cleaning

[neurotix]

31 minutes ago, Sir Beregond said:

Damn sorry to hear about all the issues and chronic pain you guys are dealing with. 

 

I have one chronic issue that's not really pain, but can be if I am not careful. I have a nice combo of a 2 inch hiatal hernia which results in basically 24/7 acid reflux issues, and another condition called Eosinophilic Esophagitis (called EoE for short). Suffice to say one or the other is bad enough, combined its a constant battle to not have an overly damaged esophagus (had grade D esophagitis for probably a longer time than I thought). Damage culminating in severe narrowing, inflammation, and tears of the lower esophagus. If I don't manage it well enough it gets pretty bad. So for now I am on twice daily Esomeprazole, once before bed Famotidine, and oddly enough asthma medicine (Flovent) for the EoE, but its swallowed to coat the esophagus, not inhaled. Despite all this I am still having nightly acid reflux issues, so liquid Gaviscon is always handy.

 

The background to discovering I had any of these issues was for years having difficulty swallowing food, mostly at the first bite and always immediately needing something to drink with it. It culminated to one day swallowing a small piece of beef and suddenly having the sensation I was choking even though I could breath fine. During the 3 hours the piece of meat was lodged in that lower part of my esophagus almost to my stomach, it was a non-stop gag reflex that would culminate in many vomiting sessions even with nothing left to get rid of, and strictly only kept occurring because the gag reflux would not subside. A trip to the urgent care, they tried muscle relaxants that did ease the muscle and the meat passed. At that time they assumed it was a one time thing and didn't even think there was a chronic underlying issue.

 

Fast forward a few months after that and I once again have an issue and this time go to the ER as its even worse. This time they have a gastroenterologist on staff who proceeds to perform and upper endoscopy to remove the lodged food. He was also able to dilate my esophagus so that it was stretched back out to appropriate size. From there I was directed to see him at his normal practice. We started on meds and I had a proper exploratory upper endoscopy. Here they discovered the 2 inch hiatal hernia and the full extend of esophageal damage. The first round of meds helped but didn't work sufficiently and I started having swallowing issues again a few months later. They gave me another endoscopy to stretch out my esophagus again and then change up my medication to what it is now. A year later we did another upper endoscopy to monitor if current treatment was working and it seemed to be healing quite nicely. They also took the opportunity to gather some data by attaching a Bravo device to the side of my esophagus. It basically monitored acid levels for 3-4 days before it falls off and passes. Basically 3 out of the 4 days I had acid that was reaching up into my esophagus...the worst part was that I didn't even notice as none of those were the result of a full blown acid reflux attack.

 

Anyway, I am due to go back in to see how things are again, and my guess is re-stretch out my esophagus yet again as I am slowly starting to get issue swallowing food again. I've also been getting repeated acid reflux attacks at night recently, so I am inclined to think current treatment plan and daily medication isn't doing well enough to keep things at bay. Makes me wonder if they will want to do something about the hernia, but they hadn't wanted to touch it previously. So I don't know.

 

Anyway, that's my chronic thing.

 

This sounds horrible. I used to get acid reflux in the middle of the night causing me to wake up coughing if I ate Peanut Butter M&Ms and Doritos right before bed.

[Sir Beregond]

1 hour ago, neurotix said:

 

This sounds horrible. I used to get acid reflux in the middle of the night causing me to wake up coughing if I ate Peanut Butter M&Ms and Doritos right before bed.

Yeah I've been getting this a lot lately, so I am going to make an appt to get in fairly soon, but its like $2200 for them to do another endoscopy so I haven't been quick on doing so.

 

After that I'll actually hit my damn deductible. Sigh.

Edited November 27, 2022 by Sir Beregond

[pio]

I'm in a similar situation.  Back in June I fell asleep at my desk, in my chair, with my legs up on the desk.  You know that "bolt" feeling in the butt of most cheap office chairs?  Yeah.....that was poking directly into my lower back as I was sleeping.  Woke up, and my entire lower half was numb.  After a minute or two, it started getting a firey, insanely "hot" feeling burning pain.  I tried walking it off, and it did eventually start feeling better after like 10 minutes or so and some Tylenol / Ibuprofen.  Fast forward about a week, and my right leg "popped" out of socket and went 100% numb and it never properly popped back in right (feeling came back, but seriously bad pain too all the way up and down my leg).

Ever since those two incidents, I've been diagnosed with sciatica / sciatic nerve pain.  Went through PT recently, which seemed to help.  The pain's back again now though, just as bad as before.  Darn near to the point I can't walk again. -_-  IDK what to do at this point, my doctor says I'm fine and I just have to deal with it.

 

Sigh.....the joys of getting older.......

[neurotix]

10 hours ago, pioneerisloud said:

I'm in a similar situation.  Back in June I fell asleep at my desk, in my chair, with my legs up on the desk.  You know that "bolt" feeling in the butt of most cheap office chairs?  Yeah.....that was poking directly into my lower back as I was sleeping.  Woke up, and my entire lower half was numb.  After a minute or two, it started getting a firey, insanely "hot" feeling burning pain.  I tried walking it off, and it did eventually start feeling better after like 10 minutes or so and some Tylenol / Ibuprofen.  Fast forward about a week, and my right leg "popped" out of socket and went 100% numb and it never properly popped back in right (feeling came back, but seriously bad pain too all the way up and down my leg).

Ever since those two incidents, I've been diagnosed with sciatica / sciatic nerve pain.  Went through PT recently, which seemed to help.  The pain's back again now though, just as bad as before.  Darn near to the point I can't walk again. -_-  IDK what to do at this point, my doctor says I'm fine and I just have to deal with it.

 

Sigh.....the joys of getting older.......

 

 

Sorry to hear that. I have a sciatica in my left leg as well, mostly going down the outside of it, and mostly caused by the low back issue/nerve roots in the low back. Quite a bit different.

 

I hope things get better for you, and everyone else here and everyone gets the help they need to find some relief.

[EHW Ai]

Wow, just wow. Mucho respect, guys. I mean I've dealt with a lot all my life, but my hat's off to all of you.

[neurotix]

18 hours ago, Avacado said:

I'm not going to tell you that you should quit, you already know you should. I will tell you (Your doctor should have too) that smoking will prolong wound healing and tissue regeneration by 50%. So expect a much longer operative recovery timeframe and plan accordingly. 

 

PT is very painful but necessary as 70-90% of musculoskeletal conditions are acute and not chronic. A surgical option is always a last resort and PT being a prerequisite for it is good medical practice despite the pain. Sorry you had to deal with it =/. If you were to do an MRI on the population at age 70, 50% would have at least a mild disc herniation at some level, but may just not be symptomatic. 

 

I know I need to quit smoking, believe you me. I have tried about 40-50 times this year and failed. I have a long list of positive reasons for quitting that we put up on the fridge with a magnet, filled a whole piece of looseleaf paper with benefits to quitting. What usually happens is I give them to my mom (I live with my wife and my retired mom- benefits to that like her grocery shopping and home cooked meals ) and I try and go cold turkey while the carton is hidden away in the bedroom. I try to do things like watch anime or play games to distract myself but the longest I've made it is til 1pm before basically demanding my smokes back. I probably have generalized anxiety disorder though it's not official, so going without my smokes makes me incredibly anxious and I get this overwhelming feeling of things being "not right" if that makes sense. Like, I need to smoke to feel "normal", well as normal as you can be on all the meds I take. I know I need to just deal with the withdrawl symptoms, but I know they never get better for me as I was hospitalized for a month in 2020 and couldn't smoke and still had that feeling of needing a cigarette all the way until I was released, and the first thing I did was light up.

 

Which brings up another point, do you take medications for pain or other conditions and have to deal with side effects? (Question for everyone in general)I have numerous side effects from the medications I take for pain and mental issues. The worst one is I have practically no libido anymore and it's from taking 3 1mg clonazepam daily. I've basically gone monk. And I used to be quite horny all the time, lol.

 

18 hours ago, The Pook said:

had a DVT that caused a PE back in 2016. Got one lung, a 10/10 scar, and my right leg and foot are pretty fucked. Got back pain from my new gangster gait, I can't squat, and look like a grandpa if I have to get up from the floor. I can't sit/stand/walk for long periods of time but if I switch it up I'm usually ok. 

 

I used to run a bunch and still miss it. I tried a few times but about broke my face each time 

 

 

if you want to quit: try vaping? It was a lot easier for me to ween off nicotine that way since you can precisely control the nicotine %. I started with 55mg -> 35mg -> 12mg -> 3mg -> 0mg over the course of about a year. The only withdrawals I had were when I first switched from cigs to a vape and it was only sweaty palms (no spaghetti). 

 

could be a new hobby while you recover too if PCs aren't right doable now. you can try different mods, tanks, flash custom firmware, build your own coils, DIY eliquid, ... 

 

Sorry I didn't reply to you sooner. I actually had to ask my wife what a DVT and PE was. Reading about it just now, it sounds horrible and you lost a lung to it from the PE I assume. This is still going on I assume, is there any treatment available for it? How painful is it? Is it just in your legs? How do you handle working on rigs?

 

Yeah, I tried vaping around 2016 and it's a big no-no for me. I did get one of those fat batteries with a large tank. The problem is I had no self control with it, just like with my smoking, so I was sitting on the couch using it non stop til the tank ran out. It was causing me to have panic attacks and severe anxiety, likely from nicotine overdose. I was also smoking 3 packs a day as well. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

 

 

[The Pook]

8 hours ago, neurotix said:

Sorry I didn't reply to you sooner. I actually had to ask my wife what a DVT and PE was. Reading about it just now, it sounds horrible and you lost a lung to it from the PE I assume. This is still going on I assume, is there any treatment available for it? How painful is it? Is it just in your legs? How do you handle working on rigs?

 

It's more annoying than painful unless I overdo it. The only real lasting effect is a damaged peroneal nerve on my right leg (weakness + pins and needles). I've got foot drop when walking/hip drop when standing and I get "shocks" in my back if I sit too long. If I stay within my limits I'm pretty pain free though. 

 

Working on my rig isn't really an issue, I just switch between standing/sitting throughout. And the missing lung I don't even notice, I can still rip bongs like a pro.

 

Quote

Yeah, I tried vaping around 2016 and it's a big no-no for me. I did get one of those fat batteries with a large tank. The problem is I had no self control with it, just like with my smoking, so I was sitting on the couch using it non stop til the tank ran out. It was causing me to have panic attacks and severe anxiety, likely from nicotine overdose. I was also smoking 3 packs a day as well. Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

some SMOK mods (and I assume others) have a max puff setting with a lockout that gives you a set amount of puffs an hour/day. have your wife set the PIN and not tell you? 

 

kind of high-horsey: but if you want to quit then you can quit. everybody has more reasons to not quit  

Edited November 28, 2022 by The Pook

[EHW Ai]

oops, moved what was here to the dustbin; happens occasionally when one of my alters takes the stage...

 

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by iamjanco

[neurotix]

Just wanted to say to everyone, thanks for sharing your experiences with this and I hope everyone gets the care they need medically to have less pain and better quality of life.

[Sir Beregond]

Hope everyone is doing well. Still contemplating cancelling my upper endoscopy procedure coming up on Thursday when they called to tell me my portion was $1800. Let me tell you about how bad this insurance is. 

[damric]

1 hour ago, Sir Beregond said:

Hope everyone is doing well. Still contemplating cancelling my upper endoscopy procedure coming up on Thursday when they called to tell me my portion was $1800. Let me tell you about how bad this insurance is. 

Ffs what racket insurance is that?

[PCSarge]

Pain you say? i can share plenty. from fingers going up on the corner of wood splitter blades and cutting to the bone all the way up to having a trailer pulled out from under me while i was loading it on a forklift.

 

the forklift accident destroyed my lower back, as the front wheels remained on the trailer and the back end swung down straight to the parking lot off the dock. i have never ending pain in my lower back and left knee/ankle since that day, over 10 years ago now. i still presume the knee/ankle are from stomping the brake pedal with all the force i had before the forklift fell off the dock. i disabled myself further in late 2021 around halloween. was out riding my electric scooter without a helmet (yes i know avacado will call me a moron). the wind pulled my hat off, and in that split second knee jerk reaction i reached for it while rolling at 25MPH. i of course wiped out instantly. i turned myself in the air to protect my head and landed right shoulder first. 8 stitches over my right eye, a month and a half in a sling with a radial fractured upper right arm, it was dislocated aswell when i arrived at the hospital and they put it back in place, road burned my right leg something fierce too (it scraped right through a pair of jeans).

 

needless to say when i sit up in the morning i want to scream in agony as my back crunches into place, laying down at night or sitting in a chair with arch support relieves my back somewhat but not completely. i can only imagine how this pain will get worse as i age.

 

BUT! i am STILL dumb enough to pick up a 35-40lb watercooled rig and cart it out of my office to the kitchen for maintenance. and i work in IT for a living doing hardware installs for law offices. we all know hardware installs lead to carrying around relatively heavy equipment (servers, workstations, printers etc). ill pay for it as i get older im sure.

 

my condolences to anyone who lives in daily pain as i do, i'm sure many of you are much worse off than i am.

Edited January 17, 2023 by PCSarge

[neurotix]

9 hours ago, PCSarge said:

Pain you say? i can share plenty. from fingers going up on the corner of wood splitter blades and cutting to the bone all the way up to having a trailer pulled out from under me while i was loading it on a forklift.

 

the forklift accident destroyed my lower back, as the front wheels remained on the trailer and the back end swung down straight to the parking lot off the dock. i have never ending pain in my lower back and left knee/ankle since that day, over 10 years ago now. i still presume the knee/ankle are from stomping the brake pedal with all the force i had before the forklift fell off the dock. i disabled myself further in late 2021 around halloween. was out riding my electric scooter without a helmet (yes i know avacado will call me a moron). the wind pulled my hat off, and in that split second knee jerk reaction i reached for it while rolling at 25MPH. i of course wiped out instantly. i turned myself in the air to protect my head and landed right shoulder first. 8 stitches over my right eye, a month and a half in a sling with a radial fractured upper right arm, it was dislocated aswell when i arrived at the hospital and they put it back in place, road burned my right leg something fierce too (it scraped right through a pair of jeans).

 

needless to say when i sit up in the morning i want to scream in agony as my back crunches into place, laying down at night or sitting in a chair with arch support relieves my back somewhat but not completely. i can only imagine how this pain will get worse as i age.

 

BUT! i am STILL dumb enough to pick up a 35-40lb watercooled rig and cart it out of my office to the kitchen for maintenance. and i work in IT for a living doing hardware installs for law offices. we all know hardware installs lead to carrying around relatively heavy equipment (servers, workstations, printers etc). ill pay for it as i get older im sure.

 

my condolences to anyone who lives in daily pain as i do, i'm sure many of you are much worse off than i am.

 

 

If you happened to read my original post and what I have to go through and deal with, well, I think you have it even worse. I'm on disability and don't even work because of DDD and fibromyalgia as well as compressed discs in my neck and low back, and a hip torn labrum and cam and pincer impingement.

 

Much respect to the fact you actually hold down a job and one that involves carrying things, etc. I don't know how you force yourself through the pain. I find it difficult to force myself through the pain just walking around my house and going up and down stairs, let alone going out to appointments or shopping with the wife.

 

Any tips on how you cope with it mentally and just force yourself through would be valuable to everyone here, I think.

 

Also, is there anything doctors can do for you? Do you get pain meds or anything? Because this sounds like its much worse than anything posted so far, though I suppose it's relative and everyone feels pain differently. Personally, anything leaning over a desk like art, soldering, building keyboards, working on computers I can only do on good pain days and doing so will cause me to be in bad pain the next day. It sucks.

[Avacado]

1 hour ago, neurotix said:

 

 

If you happened to read my original post and what I have to go through and deal with, well, I think you have it even worse. I'm on disability and don't even work because of DDD and fibromyalgia as well as compressed discs in my neck and low back, and a hip torn labrum and cam and pincer impingement.

 

Much respect to the fact you actually hold down a job and one that involves carrying things, etc. I don't know how you force yourself through the pain. I find it difficult to force myself through the pain just walking around my house and going up and down stairs, let alone going out to appointments or shopping with the wife.

 

Any tips on how you cope with it mentally and just force yourself through would be valuable to everyone here, I think.

 

Also, is there anything doctors can do for you? Do you get pain meds or anything? Because this sounds like its much worse than anything posted so far, though I suppose it's relative and everyone feels pain differently. Personally, anything leaning over a desk like art, soldering, building keyboards, working on computers I can only do on good pain days and doing so will cause me to be in bad pain the next day. It sucks.

There comes a point where you need to decide to surrender or fight through the pain regardless of your limitations. I do understand that there are some disabilities that are indeed crippling and life altering. But that's the point, if you are disabled beyond repair, you need to adjust your life as such and stop trying to get back to a point which is unobtainable. There are reasons we do not like to prescribe narcotics long term besides addiction, first an foremost is Hyperalgesia. Long story short, the longer you take pain medicine, the more pain you have. I have DDD too, underwent three back surgeries, PTSD, Significant TBI amongst other things and I hurt everyday. I do not let this define me or prevent me from living the life I want to lead, no one here should either. 

 

I am not trying to beat you up here, but people who are not medical rarely understand that the solutions THEY think they need to get better often is completely backwards and undermines the road to recovery. I have had the pleasure of talking with many of you about your medical conditions and I am grateful for that, I know most of you struggle everyday, so I am sure I might take some flak from this. Take heed though, I have been in medicine for 20 years and I will be able to argue out any counter points at length.  

Edited January 17, 2023 by Avacado

[schuck6566]

Because I couldn't stay bent over for long periods of time, I end up doing most of my work laying on the floor with the case standing up in front of me or when it HAS to be on it's side it's in my lap. (sciatica,ruptured disk,arthritis) Afterwards I roll over,pull myself upright,then squat pick the case up and move it where it needs to go without bending. Sent message about smoking.

[Sir Beregond]

3 hours ago, Avacado said:

I am not trying to beat you up here, but people who are not medical rarely understand that the solutions THEY think they need to get better often is completely backwards and undermines the road to recovery. I have had the pleasure of talking with many of you about your medical conditions and I am grateful for that, I know most of you struggle everyday, so I am sure I might take some flak from this. Take heed though, I have been in medicine for 20 years and I will be able to argue out any counter points at length.  

One thing I like about my doctor. He doesn't just try to shove pills at me unless absolutely needed and is always exploring both my lifestyle for improvements, physical therapy (for past issues I have had), etc. 

 

I've been wanting to get rid of these acid reflux pills I've been on daily now since 2020 and initially finding out I had issues and that hiatal hernia. Sadly it looks like I am permanently on them unless they do a surgery which they say will likely result in trading one issue for another. In the meantime, I've lost 10 lbs since Thanksgiving and still working on it. I need to lose about another 50 and I think that will help alleviate a lot of my problems. 

Edited January 17, 2023 by Sir Beregond