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Oh yes, oh yes. I stopped working in the hospital, but unfortunately, I waited until the damage was permanent. I just work around the pain.
I am not sure how I'm going to keep on coping, though. I had some tests and they say I have gastritis and I shouldn't take IBU any more!?!?!?! Nor caffeine!!!! How will I survive NOW? Tylenol helps, but only in combination with a *lot* of ibu. I'm so depressed.
Love
Dennie
Well... I chalk my tense upper back to being out of shape primarily...of course, my work doesn't help, but I can't blame nursing for it.
I talked with my doctor and asked for (and received) an order for PT. I had my eval and I begin tomorrow... including pool exercises and massage. I'm pretty sure that this, combined with the exercise and diet plan I've recently begun will make a tremendous difference. Yes, it hurts to do the exercises at the moment, but, I can only see this escalating if I don't grin and bear it right now.... I can't imagine having this get to the point where narcotics are the only treatment... gonna take responsibility for it before it's too late.
Hot soaks in the bathtub, as flat on my back as I can get. No bending, lifting, reaching, or pulling, when it is really bad (for a few hours, or a day), getting help when I needed it at work to lift or turn, Ibuprofen, Flexeril, gentle back rub from hubby, pathological attention to body mechanics until situation clears. Finally-maybe considering a different aspect of our profession.
It's been about two years ago now that I was on my way home from working my usual double shifts and as we were stopped at the stoplight, (I was the passenger) when a drunk hit us from behind. I guess he didn't realize that there was anything in front of him... He not only ran into us but pushed us into the car in front of us totalling it as well... Long story short, fractured T11, T12 and L4. so the ortho says I should have no chronic problems after about a year... Wrong! Chronic lower back pain! I don't want to complain because I think I am the lucky one! What do I do for it... I don't want to take any sort of drugs whatsoever so I try stretching occasionally and you just sort of get use to feeling this way...
micro, RN
1,173 Posts
about a week and a half ago.......
i was great, young for my elderly years and nothing worse for wear........
then awoke the next morning after an "unremarkable night of work as a nurse".........and my whole right back (upper) has just hauled up and claimed itself as another country in this old body of mine...............
and i am tough and know that i am not a workman's comp girl ..... so i chuck it up, exercise, take ibuprofen and walk it off......but it has not went away.........
so today.........i make the first call to my doc......."I don't want to come see you, but maybe some muscle relaxant or something.....you know the stress of being a nurse........?????
so, all are your backs hurting you...........
and what are you doing about it.............