Acting My Body’s Age
July 28th, 2008 . by CaryDo you all remember Logan?
He has polyneuropathy – the muscles in his back half ignore the nerves and the messages they send, so he doesn’t walk very well due to under-development of the leg muscles. Sometimes, he gets frustrated with not being able to get up and romp with the other dogs.
Friday evening he needed to go out. He tried several times to get going, but then he gave up. I tried to help him stand up a few more times, but he wasn’t ready to try, or something, but I finally got my game face on and lifted him (deadweight, no assistance from him, about 115 pounds of dog) up and through the back door, got him balanced on his legs, and he started tottering off to take care of his business. He kind of stutter stepped once, when I was almost straightening back up, and I made a lunge to keep him upright. That was where I made the mistake.
I overextended and exerted in that overextended position. I went down hard.
So, there I was, crumpled on the back patio. TMBWitW heard my whimpers requests for help. After mumbling something about stubborn old Marines again, she did everything she could to help me up. We ended up using the box dolly (with her standing on the blade, and me using the back as a hand ladder) to get me into a walking position. With great difficulty I managed to get to the bed. Meanwhile, TMBWitW called our chiropractor and he outlined a treatment for the muscles of hot bath, ice packs, heating pad, ice packs, alternating these for about an hour.
It worked, pretty darn well too. By Saturday morning when I woke up, I could almost move without pain. By Saturday evening I had regained most of my movement, and now I am pain-free and able to enjoy a full range of movement – well, as full as I have had recently.
Promises have been made to not attempt such a maneuver in the future.
How was your weekend?
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Apparently my weekend was a bit better than yours. I had back problems a couple weekends ago and a bit of exercise with a couple back rubs cleared it up so now I’m back to normal. (no pun intended. the sentence structure and the English language made me do it.)
I’m glad you are back at it and in time for the work week too!
Amazing how it works that way huh?
Yeah – back when I was slaving away for a paycheck, I could always count on being down for the weekend and able to work again on Monday.
Dang it.
Carey, glad you’re up and about. I injured my back in ’68 badly and I have repercussions still from a move similar to yours. And I had a great weekend, thanks.
As you will probably see I have moved my blog to http://standingingrace.blogspot.com. It is a blog that I started last year but never really used. Anywho, I posted this morning and referred to you humorously about Marines.
Hey, as I have told my children, it is the work week that makes the weekend so sweet…even Mondays. Have a great day.
Thanks for letting me know about the move, Johnny.
My original back injury was in ’92; with as much as I go through after only sixteen year I don’t want to try to imagine forty years of it!
I look forward to your new location, and have already added it to my blogroll.
I know how you feel. All I did was pull the rope on my lawnmower, and I went down like a box of rocks. The back is a funny thing and we must respect it. Guess you got the message. glad your ok.
Actually, Old Soldier, I would take that as a sign to not mow the lawn. Or at least get a young’un to do it for you…
Thanks for stopping by!
Go easy there Marine. I finally had to get my back fused in 2000. Got a nice plate and 4 screws
back there!!! Have good mobility now, but very careful with what I lift!!!
I have been very blessed in that I have not had to go under the knife. So far, chiropractic has been my lifesaver, and even adding up all the office visits I don’t think I’ve spent as much as I would have with surgery.
Hope they are at least chrome plated!
You obviously love dogs like various MANY people love dogs. I would only recommend this: read the book WATCHERS by Dean Koontz.
THEN let me know what you think.
BZ
I will put that on my “To Read” list. Thanks for the recommendation, BZ!
Yikes, sorry to hear about you and your dog. Sending good vibes for the both of you.
BTW my weekend was infinitely better than yours. Lots of lying in the sun by the pool, reading, drinking adult beverages.
“Watchers” was a really good book. Can’t say much for the movie though.
cube – I am soooo jealous. I don’t have a pool. And I had to stop enjoying adult beverages a while ago. However, I am still able to read. Just finished the Chronicles of Narnia – again – and my next selection is the complete works of Dr. Seuess – since MEG is paying attention to the words and pictures more than before…
Fashion some sort of trolley for Logan so you needn’t worry about this again. Three kinds of pain bother me to the point of incapacitation:
Tooth, foot, and back. Hope you’re well by now amigo.
I just went through The Chronicles of Narnia (again) myself. Without having a kid to read it to.
I expect to read it again in another year or so. I’ll give it enough time to where I forget the endings of each story.
Greybeard: The trolley is a good idea, except for the times when he is laying down. I’ve been trying to figure out a counter-weight system that is still small enough that it doesn’t overwhelm him completely.
prying1: I always enjoy re-reading the classics.
And look at me, not saying anything about how soon you could forget the endings…
Wow Cary, funny how weird things that happen to, make us stop and think. I have thrown my back out a few times now in my 40’s and it totally took me by surprise. 1st time, I was at Mother’s and bent over to pick up a wal-mart sack, and my back froze in a bent over position-thus, my 1st visit to a chiropractor who fixed me in about 3 visits. Of course, another time, I was standing behind the front door, in my shorts and bra, waving goodbye to my youngest while she got on the school bus, and when the bus disappeared, I stepped out onto a huge rock by the frontdoor to retrieve the morning paper, and the rock rocked me forward, and I managed to do a flip and land on my back in all my glory! I quickly jumped up and scurried back into the house and looked behind me to see if anyone saw that crazy neighbor lady laying on the ground in her bra and shorts. Whew, I was safe, no one saw, or no one ever told me they saw me flip to the ground. However, the great part of this story, beside the embarrassment, I didn’t receive one injury from that fall, not even a scratch, just an injured ego. Go figure, my back goes out at Mother’s just bending over, and it does nothing after flipping over landing in the grass. Who’d thunk it!
Sometimes, it is the littlest thing. I’m still not 100% clear on the original back injury, it was either loading a bathroom vanity by myself (hey, it was only six feet long, double sink, with rough top for a tile counter later and made out of solid oak) or reaching for the rag to clean the dipstick before starting the delivery truck. I went down after the rag didn’t quite meet the fingers, though, so maybe it’s juuuust the right position that will do it more than the hoops you jump through!
For me it is picking up something and tisting to set it back down. – I’ve learned to turn my whole body and not just twist my spine when holding something heavy.
A-yuhp! Experience gained is best held onto…