Pain Killers ?

[Andy Collins]

I agree with the above. Since I had my ops my gut wall muscles are permanently relaxed. I work more now with my legs and shoulders to lift everything, I can't lift with my mid section as I prolapse. I can tell the change in use post op, I'm broader across the shoulders/back, and even to lift very light things I work through my legs more. As for pain relief, paracetomol is the best there is. It acts as a base for other more potent drugs such as morphine, making it work better. If I have any pains in my mid section I just have recommended doses of paracetomol these days.

[felixthelogchopper]

40's now myself and recently damaged tendons where they fix into the bone in elbow. A&E said sling for two days and Ibuprofen for two weeks to reduce swelling whilst resting so i went back after a week pumped full of Diclofenac potassium which like all pain killers only mask the pain which is the body's natural way of telling you to stop.

 

Back to not being able to pick up a coffee cup so more Diclofenac to get through the day because 'don't work don't earn' and back to before day one.

 

Going insane through frustration of not working and customers stacking up so back to work on Diclofenac and now done tendons between elbow and tricep as well and starting to worry.

 

I know where this is going:sneaky2:

 

A few years ago, my father was showing all the classic signs of bowel cancer. We watched him lose stones of weight and a stocky man who had always been the muscle of the family turned into a skinny old man before our eyes. The whole family were really concerned and the wait to see somebody on the NHS was so long as to really damage his chances of survival if that was what he had so we got him to have an endoscopy privately (with the very specialist he would have waited another few months to see on the NHS ). Fortunately, all was well so the doctor was chatting with my dad to try to ascertain the cause of the problem. As soon as my dad told him that he had been prescribed Diclofenac for knee problems, he told him that was the problem and advised him to get off of it straight away. He even got in touch with the GP to 'advise' him about the care he had given my dad. My advise to you is to get off it and stay off it.

[scraggs]

Anyone who thinks or say's painkillers have no serious long term side effects are kidding themselves, my mum spent years on various painkillers due to her arthritis and is now in stage 4 kidney failure and steadily getting worse as a result of them.

I very rarely take anything.

[Pumpy]

Back in the UK I had bad sciatica in my right leg for years, (bad, as in being stabbed bad), my social life involved laying face down on the floor groaning , as it got worse I was taking 4 ibuprofen every 2 hours to get through work. Went to the doctors and they put me on diclofenac and Cocodamol. Tried acupuncture, massage, chiro, physio and nothing helped for more than a day tops. Fun.

When I moved to Aus I saw a bloke who teaches Egoscue and Foundation Training, my problems were caused by 1. Being right side dominant to the point where it was causing major muscle imbalance and all the stresses that causes and 2. By not using my back muscles properly. We are told these days to make our stomachs and core stronger to support our backs and this is horsecrap! Your back muscles need to be stronger. Our backs are designed by nature to support our upper bodies and with our glutes and hamstrings are the most important muscles. Bending your back when lifting is a guaranteed way to hurt yourself badly, the spine is not a structural support and must be kept straight(allowing for the two natural curves, but they take care of themselves) and this is where the the back muscles come in. The muscles do the work and take the weight, not the spine. The glutes and hamstrings are there to lift the upper body. Eg, when you bend over and hinge at the hips with your weight in your heels(not toes) and a straight back then the glutes, hamstrings and back muscles take all the strain, the spine is extended and doesn't take weight, THIS IS HOW YOU ARE DESIGNED! If you bend over by bending your back then the weight of your upper body PLUS whatever you are lifting is put straight into your spine with no proper support from the muscles, this causes slipped/bulging discs, pinched nerves, blown vertebrae and God knows what else.

Watch how a heavy weight lifter bends and lifts, or even a toddler picks up a toy, weight in heels and back straight and lift!

 

Your back muscles basically go from the feet to the top of your head as they're all interlinked. Not using them as designed can cause, foot pain, cramp, tight calves and hamstrings, butt pain, stuff hips, sciatica, hypertension, shoulder pain, stuff neck, head aches and more, that's just what I've had. Oh and I'm taller now.

The creator of Foundation Training (Dr Eric Goodman) blew 4 or 5 vertebrae and was told he needed permanent fusion surgery, he refused now has a very physically active life without surgery just by changing the way he moved, it's on YouTube and it's very effective for athletes to office workers and everyone inbetween.

A lot of people with blown discs don't know as there aren't always symptoms.

I refuse to use painkillers of any kind any more.

Hope this helps someone.

 

Cheers all, Andy

 

Blimey, I could have written that post word for word! Very good advice IMO.

 

I have an unstable Spondylilisthesis (vertebrae not connected due to broken bones) consultant recommended the fuse op, at 48 I reckon I'm too young to risk it, I was on a heap of painkillers made my life misery, after 3-4 months proper exercise to get lined up again, I don't take any.

 

I also bought one of these Painsolve devices, stopped a debilitating sciatica in 3 weeks, noticed improvement after 4 days, it was a bit of a PITA to treat myself 3 times a day with it as each treatment took almost an hour (you get bored holding it in place) but it was well worth it. When I cut my thumb off the surgeon was amazed how fast it healed, I believe the Painsolve device drastically improved healing on it.

[wrsni]

Turned 53 in October past and been pretty hard on my body most of my life.

 

Have ridden and raced motorcycles since my mid teens, mostly tarmac now but raced motocross when I was younger. Back then Irish championship was 40mins + 2 laps and that was wrestling 500 Maicos and such like around, I've crashed bikes just about every way possible and got some serious beatings.

 

Working life hasn't been much easier, working on farms doing all sorts, crushed with cattle, out in all weathers and at all hours, got some serious soakings and founderings, have suffered from just about every disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans, salmonella, lepto, ringworm, had an attack of farmers lung one winter which nearly killed me. Then after I bought my own place, to help make ends meet I done a bit of contracting along with the farming, road work, landscaping, water mains, building sites, whatever, and that was another foundering session.

 

Anyway, the past 10 years or so things started to get really bad and I found myself reaching for the painkillers on a more regular basis, but of-course didn't realise it at the time. Then things came to a head about 4 years ago, firstly blood pressure went through the roof (headaches, real bad dizziness, sickness) and while that was going on had an attack of sciatica for the first time which just crippled me. Anyway all of this forced me to the GP, medication for stress and high blood pressure, painkillers and steroids for the sciatica, all of which to be fair I DID actually need and helped no end. It was only when I was getting back on my feet again and the main issue became the side effects of the medication that it dawned on me what was happening. I asked the doc what the drill was for stopping all "this stuff" and he just casually said "oh no, you're on all of this for life" and it was only then I caught on where I was heading.

 

So I weaned myself off the medication to see what would happen and actually it was OK. Looked in to the "worn body" thing in a bit of detail and the medical opinion is basically that if you've taken a lot out of yourself then the damage is done and you take medication the rest of your life to mask it. Against that, a good friend of mine is in to martial arts, exercise, herbal stuff and all that and he told me NOT to slow down. If you've been active all your life, stay active, maybe decrease the stress, the weight of the things you lift or whatever but stay active.

 

So that's what I do, keep busy and on the go. The medical people will tell you if you try to do something and it hurts, stop. This is bollocks, it could also be telling you that you need to be doing it more often to keep yourself flexible. I'm not getting any younger and I can't help that but I'm not much worse than maybe 10 years ago and certainly better than 4 or 5 years ago, and no medication. With the exception of the odd twinge the sciatica hasn't returned as yet and I was told it would trouble me the rest of my life. The worst thing for me is a day in the workshop stationary, so I break it up a couple of times by doing something else for 10 or 15 minutes. Change certainly, but don't slow down or stop and either stay of the medication or seek to use it as little as possible.

 

Hope this helps.

[White Noise]

Anyone who thinks or say's painkillers have no serious long term side effects are kidding themselves, my mum spent years on various painkillers due to her arthritis and is now in stage 4 kidney failure and steadily getting worse as a result of them.

I very rarely take anything.

 

Sorry to hear about your Mum .

[up a tree]

Im no doctor dont like using chemicals when can find an alternative I am similar age we dont get younger Try relaxing with Ti chi movments when pain starts coming ya ya I know but it help the tension goes the pain is less. I also use comfrey "knit bone" the roots are best but are deep and willow bark in a bath and sun glasses (It does not look great) but it helps The stuff thats in you can read on the net. Im no doc. so dont complain its what I use.