Vet Tech Journals: Good and Bad News

On Jul 16, 9:03*pm, Mischief wrote:
On Jul 16, 5:59*pm, "Pat" wrote:

cant afford a chiropractor. *in my area visits START at $65. *With my
health insurance, visits are $25 each visit. *I got a referral from my
doctor to the Physical therapy department and they will call me.

Kristi

Personally, I would see a physiotherapist before I go see a
chiropractor.
The only chiro I saw previously has only $$ sign in his eyes. Physio
isn't
cheap either now that the government insurance stopped paying physio
for those
under 65. The first evaluation visit is $85, which is not covered by
private insurance.
Subesequent visits in a private physio clinic is $55. The cheapest
clinic charges
around $35 and there is usually a long waiting list. I had good
results from different
physiotherpists on problems on different body parts - hands, shoulders
etc.
Some of them do acupunture, which was the main cure for me twice.
But I have since found a family doctor that does acupunture better
than any physio.
I had and charges less.
I also went on traction on my neck. It sounds scary, but not
uncomfortable at all.
So I imagine traction on the back, as mentioned by Yowie, shouldn't be
too bad.
They also teach you many exercises for your problems and for
prevention.
But massage therapy is the most relaxing, but unfortunately, the most
pricey treament.

Anyway, good luck on your back and your job. Did you doctor say what
is the
cause of you back pain?

Winnie

On Jul 17, 6:27*am, Winnie wrote:
On Jul 16, 9:03*pm, Mischief wrote:

On Jul 16, 5:59*pm, "Pat" wrote:

cant afford a chiropractor. *in my area visits START at $65. *With my
health insurance, visits are $25 each visit. *I got a referral from my
doctor to the Physical therapy department and they will call me.

Kristi

Personally, I would see a physiotherapist before I go see a
chiropractor.
The only chiro I saw previously has only $$ sign in his eyes. Physio
isn't
cheap either now that the government insurance stopped paying physio
for those
under 65. The first evaluation visit is $85, which is not covered by
private insurance.
Subesequent visits in a private physio clinic is $55. The cheapest
clinic charges
around $35 and there is usually a long waiting list. I had good
results from different
physiotherpists on problems on different body parts - hands, shoulders
etc.
Some of them do acupunture, which was the main cure for me twice.
But I have since found a family doctor that does acupunture better
than any physio.
I had and charges less.
I also went on traction on my neck. It sounds scary, but not
uncomfortable at all.
So I imagine traction on the back, as mentioned by Yowie, shouldn't be
too bad.
They also teach you many exercises for your problems and for
prevention.
But massage therapy is the most relaxing, but unfortunately, the most
pricey treament.

Anyway, good luck on your back and your job. Did you doctor say what
is the
cause of you back *pain?

Winnie

No, we're not sure what exactly caused it. I've been dealing with
back stiffness for a while, which I blamed on my mattress, but it
suddenly got worse, so I really tweaked something. When it started to
spasm I knew something was wrong.

And me being overweight doesn't help, but right now all I care about
is work. This is my second week and I can't lose my job.

I got a back brace and took some vicodin and I'm gonna suck it up and
try to prove to my manager that I can still work.

wish me luck,

Kristi

wrote:
On Jul 16, 7:40 pm, Mischief wrote:

So at this point I'm gonna use my lumbar massager, heating pads and
drugs and then give the note to my manager tomorrow and hopefully
she'll let me keep my job.

thanks for the continued purrs.

Kristi- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I'm not meaning to sound harsh, but, having experienced the effects of
Vicodin myself, you should not be driving or working in such a
setting when on Vicodin. The amount needed to ease the pain you
describe is enough to impair you and it's not safe for you to be
driving or handling animals as such.

So now you're an authority on drug therapies, too? Aside from the fact
that pain-killing drugs affect different people differently, Kristi's
veterinary training probably makes her better qualified than you are to
determine what represents a "safe" dosage for her.

On Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:10:44 -0700 (PDT), Mischief
wrote:

No, we're not sure what exactly caused it. I've been dealing with
back stiffness for a while, which I blamed on my mattress, but it
suddenly got worse, so I really tweaked something. When it started to
spasm I knew something was wrong.

Best back book ever....
http://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Bac.../dp/0959774661
It explains how you probably got there, what to do about it, and what to
do to prevent it from happening again.

(standard disclaimer applies -- I have no monetary ties to this book
whatsoever)


wish me luck,

Good luck.

I'm not meaning to sound harsh, but, having experienced the effects of
Vicodin myself, you should not be driving or working in such a
setting when on Vicodin. The amount needed to ease the pain you
describe is enough to impair you and it's not safe for you to be
driving or handling animals as such.

Just because you can't take vicodin without it knocking you on your ass
doesn't mean that it affects everyone that way. Some people have
tolerances for certain drugs where others just can't touch them.

I have chronic pain and regularly take ultram and darvocet and function
way better on the medications than I ever could without them. But give
me Demerol and I'm sick from it and have projectile vomiting

Celeste

On Jul 17, 2:07*pm, "EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)"
wrote:
wrote:
On Jul 16, 7:40 pm, Mischief wrote:
So at this point I'm gonna use my lumbar massager, heating pads and
drugs and then give the note to my manager tomorrow and hopefully
she'll let me keep my job.

thanks for the continued purrs.

Kristi- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I'm not meaning to sound harsh, but, having experienced the effects of
Vicodin myself, *you should not be driving or working in such a
setting when on Vicodin. The amount needed to ease the pain you
describe is enough to impair you and it's not safe for you to be
driving or handling animals as such.

So now you're an authority on drug therapies, too?
*
I never said I was. I voiced a *valid* concern for her safety based on
my own experience. She kindly clarified how it affects her and it's
all good. A reasonable person wouldn't take issue with that.

Aside from the fact
that pain-killing drugs affect different people differently, Kristi's
veterinary training probably makes her better qualified than you are to
determine what represents a "safe" dosage for her.- Hide quoted text -


Ummmm...I am also a vet tech and at 50, have been in the field for
much longer than she has ICYDK.

"Mischief" wrote in message
...
So I managed to get a new job, that's the good news, I got the call
the last week of june and they wanted me to start on July 6th.

Problem is that somewhere in that week between when I was hired and
when I started I did something to my back.

I've been dealing with a stiff back for the last few years. I've
blamed my mattress to me sleeping funky. But this time it was
different.

I started getting back spasms, and slight difficulty standing/getting
up/bending. Once I couldn't sleep at all. Off to the doctor last
week.

Doctor gave me muscle relaxers and told me to take it easy, and gave
me a note saying to restrict my work detail.

I told my manager and she flipped. "Why didn't you disclose this when
I interviewed you?" My answer was simple, I didn't HAVE this problem
during the interview. I offered the note, but she was more concerned
about my ability to do my job. I told her I would do the best I
could.

I managed to get through the rest of last week and this monday.
Spasms would occasionally come but i would get through it. Being on
my feet all day didn't help. But the spasms came back this morning
and I called in to take another day off (I had yesterday off)

The manager is ****ed again and so am I. She not only wants a doctors
note but also certification saying that I am fit to do the job she
hired me for. She's gonna email me the full 'job description' for the
doctor.

This really ticks me off. I'm sure part of the reason for my back is
being on my feet all day, and that I'm overweight. But financially I
can't lose this job. Part of me wants to just grit my teeth and bear
it but then I could REALLy mess up my back. I just had my 31st
birthday and I don't want to really screw my back.

I made an appt for the doctor this afternoon, and hopefully I can get
better drugs or something so I can DO my job. If I lose this job, I'm
totally screwed and will have to really do drastic changes.

Worst case scenario is that I find a smaller apartment for me and my
three cats and put the majority of my stuff in storage. I have a
credit line I can dip into only once, but if I do then I will have
nothing left, so if I have to move I won't be able to put down a
deposit. I need to get some sort of income really soon.

My settlement from my accident is STILL in the process and is going so
slow I can't wait for it.

ugh.....

Kristi

Kristi,

You have my utmost sympathy-back pain can make it very difficult to
function, and it is often nearly impossible to trace the cause. Even
something as simple as twisting sideways at the wrong time can cause very
painful spasms, as you undoubtedly know. I wanted to briefly comment on
excess weight and back pain because you mentioned both of them. I have been
through that route. I realize that not all of us will have the same
results, but I thought I might be able to give you some positive thoughts.
First, it is *not* true that a person needs to be hungry in order to lose
weight. I went through years of dieting, off and on, and was a true yo-yo
dieter. I went through just about every diet imaginable, except that I
never fell for the ridiculous diets like one food (grapefruit, for example).
But, I tried extreme low calorie and all sorts of other "diet plans." I
was always hungry and found that I frequently developed headaches and became
nervous and agitated. I'm sure there are many others on this group who can
relate to that because this reaction is very common, and also unhealthy.
Then, I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes. That was my wake-up call! A friend
who was also diabetic told me about South Beach and reducing unhealthy
carbs. I looked into it, tried it-and for the first time, I was successful!
The first two weeks are difficult and very restrictive, but the theory does
work (at least, it did for me). That is, the extreme restriction on carbs
eliminated a lifetime of cravings to sweets and all sorts of dense carbs. I
modified the next stage to be more restrictive than South Beach requires
because I do have diabetes. That is, I follow the basic plan but *in
addition* I eat *no* potatoes, flour, refined sugar, pasta, or white rice.
Incidentally, this is *not* a low-carb diet. Instead, South Beach
emphasizes "good carbs" instead of "bad carbs." I eat lots of fresh fruit
and vegetables.

What has been the result? I gradually lost a lot of weight (about 60
pounds), and I brought my BG completely under control through this change in
diet. My cholesterol and triglycerides dropped and are now within normal
range (something that had not been true for many years). I have not needed
any medication since March 2004, and my last A1c was 5.2. My doctor told me
at my last visit that "very few" people are so successful at maintaining
complete control over diabetes simply through change in diet.

Am I hungry? NO! I can eat *lots* of food on this diet, and I do not count
calories-I simply select from the list of foods that are good for me. If I
am hungry, I *eat.* Again, I just eat different foods than I would have in
the fast. It does not even bother me to sit with friends while they eat the
foods (cake, pie, etc.) that I used to love because I lost those cravings
once I got so many carbs out of my system. I use fresh fruit and yogurt for
my desserts now, and I truly enjoy them. I frequently make yogurt cheese to
eat with strawberries and blueberries or raspberries. I like that every bit
as much as I used to like cake and ice cream.

Now, as to back pain: I used to have lower back pain that would be very
uncomfortable if I had to stand for any length of time. That means I had to
"suffer through" discomfort on a daily basis because teaching requires a
person to stand in front of a class for significant periods of time. I did
not usually have back spasms, as you described, but I did have extreme
discomfort. Well, that also went away when I lost that weight! In fact, a
student was visiting with me in my office yesterday. He said that he had
noticed that I have arthritis in my fingers and that he was particularly
aware of it because his wife is a physical therapist. However, he said that
he was surprised to see that it did not seem to bother me at all to stand in
front of the class for two hours. Fortunately, I do not have the
debilitating effects that arthritis has on many people because mine seems to
be confined to my hands (injury-related, going back to about age 25), but I
would have found standing for two hours to be extremely uncomfortable before
I made these changes in my life. I hope you will be able to find the same
success. Back pain can make life very difficult, as you have illustrated.

MaryL

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
Duffy: http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly: http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together: http://tinyurl.com/8b47e

MaryL wrote:

You have my utmost sympathy-back pain can make it very difficult to
function, and it is often nearly impossible to trace the cause. Even
something as simple as twisting sideways at the wrong time can cause very
painful spasms, as you undoubtedly know. I wanted to briefly comment on
excess weight and back pain because you mentioned both of them. I have been
through that route. I realize that not all of us will have the same
results, but I thought I might be able to give you some positive thoughts.
First, it is *not* true that a person needs to be hungry in order to lose
weight. I went through years of dieting, off and on, and was a true yo-yo
dieter. I went through just about every diet imaginable, except that I
never fell for the ridiculous diets like one food (grapefruit, for example).
But, I tried extreme low calorie and all sorts of other "diet plans." I
was always hungry and found that I frequently developed headaches and became
nervous and agitated. I'm sure there are many others on this group who can
relate to that because this reaction is very common, and also unhealthy.
Then, I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes. That was my wake-up call! A friend
who was also diabetic told me about South Beach and reducing unhealthy
carbs. I looked into it, tried it-and for the first time, I was successful!
The first two weeks are difficult and very restrictive, but the theory does
work (at least, it did for me). That is, the extreme restriction on carbs
eliminated a lifetime of cravings to sweets and all sorts of dense carbs. I
modified the next stage to be more restrictive than South Beach requires
because I do have diabetes. That is, I follow the basic plan but *in
addition* I eat *no* potatoes, flour, refined sugar, pasta, or white rice.
Incidentally, this is *not* a low-carb diet. Instead, South Beach
emphasizes "good carbs" instead of "bad carbs." I eat lots of fresh fruit
and vegetables.

What has been the result? I gradually lost a lot of weight (about 60
pounds), and I brought my BG completely under control through this change in
diet. My cholesterol and triglycerides dropped and are now within normal
range (something that had not been true for many years). I have not needed
any medication since March 2004, and my last A1c was 5.2. My doctor told me
at my last visit that "very few" people are so successful at maintaining
complete control over diabetes simply through change in diet.

Am I hungry? NO! I can eat *lots* of food on this diet, and I do not count
calories-I simply select from the list of foods that are good for me. If I
am hungry, I *eat.* Again, I just eat different foods than I would have in
the fast. It does not even bother me to sit with friends while they eat the
foods (cake, pie, etc.) that I used to love because I lost those cravings
once I got so many carbs out of my system. I use fresh fruit and yogurt for
my desserts now, and I truly enjoy them. I frequently make yogurt cheese to
eat with strawberries and blueberries or raspberries. I like that every bit
as much as I used to like cake and ice cream.

This sounds sensible, Mary, because you have chosen a lifetime way of
eating that's healthy, that gives you enough to eat, that addresses
your body's specific needs, and that you can stick with. That's a much
better way of taking care of yourself than the deprivation diets that so
many people do, but can't stick with for life. They might be "successful"
in reaching a goal weight, but if the diet isn't reasonable to continue
with, most will gain the weight back. I'm sorry you had to get diabetes
to do it, but it sounds like you found a healthy way around that problem!

--
Joyce ^..^

To email me, remove the XXX from my user name.

On Jul 16, 9:18*am, Mischief wrote:


Massive purrs are being aimed your way. You must have shot an
albatross the things that have happened to you lately

I've also got to work Monday through not feeling too good (I'm
supposed to be going to a concert tonight as well!)- feels like a
touch of 'flu, which given I live in Tower Hamlets, which is
apparently UK's "Swine 'flu central" is a bit worrying- the local bank
was closed yesterday and some people say it's because most of the
staff called in sick with 'flu and I was in there on Wednesday...

I'll let you all know if I start to go "oink"!


Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:

This sounds sensible, Mary, because you have chosen a lifetime way of
eating that's healthy, that gives you enough to eat, that addresses
your body's specific needs, and that you can stick with. That's a much
better way of taking care of yourself than the deprivation diets that so
many people do, but can't stick with for life. They might be "successful"
in reaching a goal weight, but if the diet isn't reasonable to continue
with, most will gain the weight back. I'm sorry you had to get diabetes
to do it, but it sounds like you found a healthy way around that problem!

--
Joyce ^..^

To email me, remove the XXX from my user name.

In many ways, I think diabetes has made me healthier because it motivated me
to finally change my lifestyle (and stick to it). I now actually feel
better and have more energy that I had for many years. When we went to
Greece this spring, I had no difficulty with all those steps and uphill
walking--something that would have been more difficult when I was much
younger! Ironically, this has made me think back to something my
grandfather said many years ago. He said that the way to live to a "healthy
old age" was to have a "treatable illness" and *take care of it.*

MaryL