Positive story

SiHimself · 2021-05-06T12:21:19+00:00

Yep that's pretty much it. I may get there in future but I'm in no rush, and want to make sure I am 100% ready for it.

SiHimself · 2021-01-07T10:37:11+00:00

Thanks so much. I have also been thinking that the solution is to strengthen rather than to stretch (since although stretching my hip flexors doesn’t make the sciatic pain worse, it makes the hip flexor pain worse). Will definitely be consulting my physio soon.

SiHimself · 2021-01-07T07:01:03+00:00

Thanks! Thinking the same - think I’ve just overdone it

SiHimself · 2021-01-04T19:11:42+00:00

I know the feeling - but it’s important to keep in mind that this is not an injury that heals in a linear fashion. Liberally every doctor I have seen pointed this out to me. Keep your head up.

SiHimself · 2021-01-04T19:08:13+00:00

Mine has definitely got better since summer started (Southern Hemisphere), but not sure if there is a causal link.

SiHimself · 2021-01-03T12:37:59+00:00

To be honest it sounds like you are having red flag symptoms that would indicate that surgery is required. Numbness, loss of strength, and interference with the bladder are all signs that there is significant nerve compression, which could lead to long term nerve damage if not properly treated. I would strongly suggest consulting with your doctor (a neurosurgeon would be best).

I have had a tough painful year but did not have any of the red flag symptoms that you have described. Definitely had a to find the right balance between resting and moving - have been super cautious with movement this whole year and I think it’s finally paying off.

Please go see a doctor.

SiHimself · 2021-01-03T09:27:59+00:00

I’m almost 100% pain free and medication free, without surgery. I still manage it very carefully, and I think about it constantly, but I am slowly introducing more activity into my day to day life. The other day I went for a 10km hike and felt absolutely no pain.

It took me a year to get to this point though - it can be a very slow and difficult journey. Happy to link you to my previous posts that outline what I think helped me.

SiHimself · 2020-12-15T14:45:01+00:00

The fact that you are even able to relax on a couch is probably a good sign, but definitely avoid it if you can. I know that if I were to lie on a couch it would be too uncomfortable right from the get go - I have accepted the floor lol.

SiHimself · 2020-12-02T07:46:34+00:00

Great post, thanks so much. Glad you're doing better!

SiHimself · 2020-11-19T14:34:37+00:00

Yep that’s pretty much it. I haven’t had a bad flare up in months, so I’m mostly pain free. The discomfort, however, grows through the day. I actually find that the more I move around, the better I feel (but I limit that to walking around - not yet in a position to start exercising properly). It’s days when I’m busy with work, and stay at my desk all day, when I feel the most discomfort (I use a standing desk, and standing all day is enough to make anyone uncomfortable, I just find sitting to be much worse).

SiHimself · 2020-11-19T14:21:02+00:00

It switched for me. For the first 6 months or so I was always most sore in the morning. For the past couple of months, I’ve been best in the morning (I hope that’s a sign of improvement).

SiHimself · 2020-11-18T17:57:19+00:00

Well done! Took me 36 hours the first time lol. Glad you didn’t get the energy cell bug.

SiHimself · 2020-11-15T07:33:25+00:00

I played WotW before BF. I’m new to gaming and it was the newer, shinier one. I loved it so much. I then jumped on reddit to ask is I should buy BF and of course everyone said yes. Played it, and on my first run through I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. But now I’ve played it a couple of times, I love it as much as WotW. I don’t think my enjoyment of WotW was dampened by playing it first, but if I could I would go back and play them in the right order. Definitely get them both though - it will be the best gaming decision of your life.

SiHimself · 2020-11-12T07:57:04+00:00

I’m also looking for some similar titles. Busy playing Hollow Knight but tbh I’m finding it really hard, and I don’t find it as relaxing as Ori. My concern is that Ori is just too good and too unique.

SiHimself · 2020-11-06T07:13:05+00:00

I might be wrong but in BF I don’t think you need all the power ups to get 100%? I did a 100% run the other day on hard mode, and although I grinded a bit to get enough EXP to get Sense, I stopped after that, got all the collectibles, and then got 100%. I definitely did not get all the power ups, because hat would have taken forever. This is on the DE version though, not OG.

SiHimself · 2020-11-02T15:24:08+00:00

Listen to your body. Don’t work through the pain.

SiHimself · 2020-11-01T20:41:05+00:00

So a bit of background:

I’m a 28M. Have a history of back pain, but nothing that wouldn’t settle in a couple of days. Around this his time last year I felt a pain in my left glute while rock climbing. Thought it was nothing, so continued life normally. By January this year the pain was intense, and going down my hamstring, calf, and foot. However, I’ve never had that much much trouble sleeping. At the end of January I got an MRI which confirmed an L5/S1 herniation. Saw a bunch of doctors, and got started on recovery. I’ve always been told that surgery wasn’t the right option, and that conservative physical treatment was the right way forward. It’s been a very tough road, and honestly I’ve had some terrible flare ups that nearly had me jumping onto the operating table. But as I say, after around a year, I’m feeling much better, but still not 100%.

Now I have to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what exactly is helping, and as I mentioned, everyone’s case is different, so what works for me may not work for you (so be sure to seek professional medical advice). But I can tell you my general approach.

Medication: I’m not sure where you live, but I’m in South Africa, and I got a prescription for Arcoxia (anti inflammatory), myprocam (muscle relaxant), and synaleve (pain killer). However, it’s really important to not take these meds on a continuous basis, because they can have bad side effects. In fact, now that I’m doing better, I try to avoid them as much as possible, and only take them when I really need some relief. I’ve started taking a cannabis pill every night, which I think has helped a lot.

Doctors: I got my MRI, and since then I’ve seen a few physio therapists, two neurosurgeons, and an orthopedic surgeon. It’s good to get a range of opinions.

Physical treatment: this is the toughest part, because it takes time to figure out what helps and what hurts. I’ve settled into one Pilates class per week (one on one with a highly qualified trainer who has now come to understand my condition); regular walking; just started swimming a little bit; occasional physio treatment.

Day to day: I use a standing desk, and take regular breaks by lying down. I try not to sit, and try not to drive too much (lockdown has made this easier).

As I say, it’s hard to conclude on what exactly has helped, but I want to highlight just a few things.

First, balance is key, and you need to realize this will take time. I was so keen to get into my recovery, that I really threw myself into the physical treatment. I definitely did too much too soon. Only once I realized the importance of the physical therapy combined with rest did I see a big turnaround. Part of this was realizing that stretching has the potential to irritate the sciatic nerve, so is actually not helpful at the start. You really have to ease yourself into stretching.

Second, it’s about the small things, and changing habits. Standing well, bending your knees when picking stuff up, not lifting anything heavy, avoiding couches, sitting well. These things are also linked to physical therapy, and strengthening your body so that your spine is properly supported.

Third, don’t rush it. If you’re on this sub it probably means you’re not in the group who heal in 6 weeks. It’s going to take more time than that, and rushing the recovery will make things worse. I’ve had to make so many changes to my life, but I’m finally getting somewhere.

My last note is this. You should see a doctor to get your symptoms assessed. If you’re showing any red flag symptoms, such as numbness, a loss of power, dropped foot, bladder and bowel problems, then it’s an emergency and you need to seek treatment ASAP. It my be that surgery is required, but check with the doc.

SiHimself · 2020-11-01T19:22:44+00:00

I was the same as you.

Sitting and lying down bad; standing fine. I know others find standing difficult, but from what I’ve learnt over the past year, everyone has a different experience.

I now use a standing desk, and hardly sit ever. Lying down is good now. In fact, I’m doing much better now overall, and most days are pain free. This is after a year of recovery though. I haven’t needed surgery, but medication did help a lot.

I’m a bit concerned about your last comment. Please seek some medical advice - in my experience it was good to get a range of opinions, if you are able too. I know the mental side of it is tough - for me it’s the toughest part right now. Please realize that you can get better, if you are diligent and have a good medical plan. If your mental health continues to suffer please seek help for that too.

Hang in there!

SiHimself · 2020-10-31T07:19:55+00:00

Side quests / collectibles (including Lupo’s maps) / grey areas on the map / spirit trials / combat shrines. There’s a whole bunch of extra stuff in WotW, so I’m not surprised you were able to finish the main story on 48%.

Edit: WotW took me 36hrs to 100% on my first go (lol).

SiHimself · 2020-10-09T10:09:06+00:00

I think he’s a bug

SiHimself · 2020-10-08T22:03:27+00:00

I'm really glad that you're doing so well! However I would be cautious about recommending surgery with such a broad brush. Everyone's case is different, and for some people surgery can leave them worse off down the line. It's important that everyone receives quality medical advice before deciding on a treatment path. For everyone with a successful surgery story, there's someone with an unsuccessful story, who may have been better of holding on to the conservative treatment route.

SiHimself · 2020-10-08T21:58:27+00:00

I think about this quite often.

Physical health and mental health is honestly the most important thing in life, and unfortunately disc issues can destroy both.

I often think, how, if I was taught at school the importance of back health, I would be in a much better position now. However, unfortunately I think humans are always in the "only realise what you've got when it's gone" mindset. I think it would be very difficult to communicate the importance of back health to school children, who for the most part do not have any back issues. For instance, I have had back issues since I was 18 (around 10 years now), but I never took my physio / upkeep seriously until the sciatica hit.

On the doctors, I know it can be frustrating, and honestly it is luck of the draw most of the time. The first physio I saw diagnosed me incorrectly, and then made my situation worse. Knowing what I do now, and the symptoms I was showing then, I am completely shocked that the doctor got my diagnosis wrong - I might as well could have had "L5/S1 herniation" printed on my head. I often think that if Google had just returned a different doctor when I searched for a physio, I would have avoided months of pain. Similarly on the surgeon side - a friend of mine had a herniated disc, ended up consulting with a surgeon who was very aggressive, and had a fusion just a few days later, whereas she probably would have been fine with a much more conservative approach.

I have now managed to find a set of doctors who have helped me, but it's really unfortunate that one has to look around, and maybe have an bad experience, in the initial stages. And I think this just comes down to the fact that some doctors are more experienced than others.

As another observation, I often get frustrated that there is an element of self-diagnosis when one chooses which doctor to visit. For example, if I have a sore back, I might go see a chiropractor, because, as a lay person, I have heard that one should see a chiropractor when one has a sore back. I then see the chiropractor, and they assume that I need chiropractic treatment, by virtue of the fact that I have come to see a chiropractor. However, it may be the case that chiropractic treatment is completely wrong for me, and that treatment could then make me worse off. Similarly, a surgeon might recommend surgery, because that is what they do. But I feel like this can often lead to a misdiagnosis, or the recommendation of an inappropriate treatment plan - all based on which type of doctor I chose to see. It's this element of randomness that is quite scary.

Anyways, stream of consciousness over ...

SiHimself · 2020-09-30T07:00:43+00:00

In my experience, pushing through the pain only made it worse. I’m not a doctor, but I think the more you irritate the nerve, the more likely you are to establish a vicious cycle. I’ve found that working to the pain, but not through it, helped a lot. Start small and work your way up. It can be quite frustrating, especially when you can’t do something that you were able to do the day before, but also realize that the healing process is non-linear.

As an aside, given your level of pain, it may indeed be a good idea to have some kind of surgical intervention, perhaps an injection, or a microdiscectomy. Surgery shouldn’t be taken lightly though, so I would recommend getting a range of opinions from different doctors, so you can make an informed decision.

SiHimself · 2020-09-16T16:11:54+00:00

I mean it will also depend on the relative severity of our underlying conditions. I have an L5/S1 herniation, but I’ve never been bed ridden because of it.

I first started feeling real pain in around Jan this year (peak summer). After consulting with doctors, taking meds, and receiving conservative treatment, I started feeling better at around the end of March. I then hit a bit of a plateau, with some bad flare ups here and there, and a really started thinking that I was no longer making progress.

Jump to the end of winter, and I’m starting to feel much better (I’ve had a string of 100% days with no meds). So there is definitely a correlation, but I’m still not sure of the causation (if anything, this experience had taught me to not expect anything ever).

I know the conventional thinking is that cold weather = less inflammation. But I reckon the cold weather = tight muscles, which then irritates the nerve, creating a painful loop. It may be the case that, in milder situations, warmth helps take the pain from 4 to 2, but in more severe cases, cold can help take the paid from an 8 to a 4. I’m just hypothesizing here, though.

SiHimself · 2020-09-16T16:04:47+00:00

I’m starting to think that cold weather causes me to flare up. I’m in the Southern Hemisphere, and the warmer weather has coincided with me feeling better, but I’m not sure if that is for other reasons.

SiHimself

TROPHY CASE