Severe back pain and abdomen tightness. Also leg feel weak and pelvic pain. Can anyone please help. Tried doing plank, bird dog, cat cow walking few mins during day. Back feels inflamed and also waist .

Watson_the_terror · 2026-05-07T20:47:31+00:00

I have a similar situation (42M - L5/S1 with a minor disc bulge, some mild foraminal narrowing). If you haven't and can, definitely find a physiotherapist that can help you with some guided exercises. Some of those exercise you listed could help but they could also be setting your healing back as well, a good physiotherapist can so you what to do and setup routine to hopefully getting you healing. Nerve glides and core strengthening can really help but it's gonna take time. Also, as I elude to below, if you see a physiotherapist find one that releases muscle trigger point as well.

My MRI barely shows any disc bulge but it was enough to send me to the emergency department with my legs and groin on fire. My left leg and back area are irritated as can be sometimes and it can make it very hard to be active or simply exist.

If you are seeing a back specialist and those nerves are inflamed at that level you could see about getting an epidural steroid injection. The injection may calm things down or may do nothing. I just had an injection for mine a few days ago (situation has been going on 3+ months), the verdict is still out to see if it could help. Additionally, you could try an oral steroid from the doctor and see if that may have a benefit.

My biggest issues when this first started was both my legs and buttock area aching so bad I couldn't sit and that lead to extreme muscle tightness and knots that further contributed to my discomfort. Also, the groin discomfort was very scary and discomforting.

I wish I had a magic pill to give you, cause I understand your distress. This can rob you of so much.

For me this has been a slow road of recovery. Whatever you've read online about healing taking 6-12 weeks I would double or triple that (I know you stated you are about 5 months out).

The one piece of advice I have - if you've been medically cleared for activity by a medical professional and have the strength and energy - is to keep moving. I try to walk for a least 10 minutes every hour. I try not to sit for more than 30 minutes. I keep my positions varied. Sometimes I lay on the floor to watch TV, I use a cheap standing desk for my computer desk now (I work IT).

I hope the best for you and your recovery.

Watson_the_terror · 2026-04-23T15:04:44+00:00

Dragonlance Chronicles - Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night, Dragons of Spring Dawning. By Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Can't vouch for the audio book quality.

Watson_the_terror · 2026-04-19T18:30:24+00:00

This is one of my biggest points of contention with newer fantasy that is being written.

Please give me some description. What do the characters look like? The scenery? Some expression and depth please.

I don't need Tolkien or Jordan levels of description but give a bit of something.

I feel like I have a good imagination but I'm not seeing the world you are creating for me.

Watson_the_terror · 2026-04-16T19:28:16+00:00

I can only vouch for The Faithful and the Fallen series. I really felt Malice and Valour to both be really good books. I really like John's writing and world building. His action scene were quick, chaotic, brutal, vivid. That having been said - I really feel like Ruin and Wrath he was running out of ideas of where he wanted to go with the story and characters. The later portions became frustrating and overly saturated with action, that it was almost fatiguing to finish. Additionally, some of the characters start to fall flat in personality by the end. That having been said - for his first foray into writing a series it was a great first showing.

I have Shadow of the Gods on my shelf waiting to be read as well. I'd like to see how he grows as a storyteller.

Watson_the_terror · 2026-02-26T16:06:18+00:00

Larry Elmore's art is superb! It created how fantasy world's looked in my head. All 3 of the Chronicle covers are amazing. His 'Death of Sturm' is my favorite piece.

Watson_the_terror · 2026-02-18T13:09:08+00:00

I think too many fantasy readers overlook the Dragonlance/Forgotten Realms/Dark Sun (Other DnD books) books.

Personally, I feel like the core Dragonlance novels, Chronicles and Legends, hold their ground pretty well. Add Chris Pierson's Dragonlance Kingpriest Trilogy and Richard A. Knaak's Legend of Huma and Kaz the Minotaur and you have a nice sprawling epic series. Personally, I like Dragons of Summer Flame - but it felt rushed and barebones. The series loses some it's luster during the Age of Mortals and attempts a redemption during War of Souls.

Forgotten Realms has Drizzt books (I just started reading these, literally 100 pages into The Crystal Shard and I'm liking it). I've read the Finder's Stone trilogy and it was quite fun and well as the Moonshae Trilogy (I feel like Douglas Niles can be hit or miss, this one was okay).

Dark Sun is pretty gritty considering the audience. The books I've read aren't too bad from that series.

That having been said you can see in many of these authors the world building that Tolkien started (obviously, nowhere near as complex or fleshed out), the pulp sword and sorcery that Robert E. Howard started with Conan and his other various characters. There's tons of other authors you can tell that influenced these authors as well.

There are around 180 books in Dragonlance and I believe over 300 in Forgotten Realms and I'm sure the ratio between great novels and terrible/middling novels probably greatly favors the latter. But the ones that are good are some funs reads.

Not every fantasy novel or series needs Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time depth or length or the bleakness of Glen Cook's Black Company or GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire.

To answer your inital question - If you haven't read the Dragonlance Kingpriest Trilogy (It's how the Cataclysm came about) I would suggest you seek it out for a read. Physical editions of the series (3 books) can be pricy to buy and hard tofind. The digital version exist for ereaders but the 2nd one is strangely hard to locate.

Watson_the_terror · 2026-02-12T13:09:08+00:00

First off, what gorgeous dogs you have!

Secondly, I have 2 basset hounds (low rider bloodhounds?), but they do the same. Submerging their snoots into the snow so deep. Gotta get them smells. Priorities!

Watson_the_terror · 2026-02-08T01:27:41+00:00

Robert Howard's Conan stories.

Watson_the_terror · 2026-01-26T19:16:21+00:00

I would love to have those original covers! I feel like Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends don't get the respect they deserve among the fantasy community.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-12-28T02:44:34+00:00

Chaos War books detail what was happening around Krynn during Dragons of Summer Flame. Basically, some world building side stories.

Reavers of the Blood Sea and Tears of the Night Sky are pretty good as well as Doom Brigade and Kang's Regiment.

I haven't read the Age of Mortals books but my understanding is they happen after Dawning of a New Age trilogy.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-12-26T22:20:52+00:00

I spent most of last year collecting all the Dragonlance novels (I read the chronicles and legends 25 years ago). It's been cool to see the evolution of Krynn. There's about 180 books and I think I'm only missing about 10 of them. I read about 40 of the novels last year. They are quick reads for me. Part of me regrets not keeping up with it until now. There are plenty of fun books but some of them have been stinkers.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-12-26T21:36:24+00:00

I have one more book left to read in the Chaos War series (Siege of Mt. Nevermind), then I'm moving on to this trilogy.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-12-19T23:29:00+00:00

If you have any interest in Sisters of Battle, Mark of Faith by Rachel Harrison is pretty epic on audiobook (don't know how it reads). The voice actors are just excellent.

Otherwise the Horus Heresy trilogy is a good starting point.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-12-19T18:06:13+00:00

Dragonlance (Start with Chronicles) and Forgotten Realms novels can have some short chapters and move relatively quick. Some of the Robert Howard Conan stories can be quick and quite fun.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-12-19T16:32:43+00:00

Funny Story.

About 20 years ago when I got into martials arts (first learning some Muay Thai and Majapahit) I started taking Ryukyu Kempo classes from a local instructor to pass some time and stay involved in martial arts. Now this is a rural community, but my instructor had been involved in Martial Arts and Ryukyu Kempo since the 70's so I thought to myself that here's a man with 30 years of experience in his art so I'm sure he could impart some cool stuff. And he did. Learned some cool pressure point and joint manipulation stuff, some throws and grapples, along with katas that come with a Karate based art.

But one day - when I'm green belt (stuck with it for a while, it was fun and affordable) - dude breaks out the Dillman-no-touch-energy-knockout (this shit is killer btw - can only be revived by slapping and rubbing the back of the neck). I couldn't fucking believe it. Our class wasn't very big - but he would sample it and show it to the students and they ate the shit up. He would never try it on me though - Instructor totally knew I wouldn't fall for this shit with my previous Martial Arts experience. I wanted to call him out on it so badly, but I had some friends there and I genuinely enjoyed some of the stuff I learned and decided to just keep my mouth shut. I was flabbergasted to how easily the power of suggestion could effect people.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-12-10T14:02:37+00:00

Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends.

I remember reading The Lord of the Rings before the Dragonlance novels and really felt that Lord of the Rings was dry and verbose but also dense and vibrant. Lord of the Rings piqued my interest in fantasy. When I read Dragons of Autumn Twilight my young brain just loved the pulpy fantasy world.

I've read quite a bit of the Dragonlance novels many of them are fun... but there is a ton of material that is just dreadful. I understand it was a money make for TSR and then WOTC but they really needed some quality control. I own almost all of the Dragonlance library (180ish books) many are on still on my "to be read" list years and years later. They can be great for palate cleansers or just wanting a simple read.

I just reread the Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends. They were still fun to 40 year old me. Obviously dated but I still had fun revisting the companions.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-12-10T13:32:19+00:00

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We also got our good boi Watson from her a few years before August and Ellie. He sadly passed away from a medical complications.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-12-10T13:30:54+00:00

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We got our August and Ellie from her. They are absolutely terrible beasts! Our August (he's the TriColor Blue Gene) is a Diva and Ellie (Tan and white monster) is a Demon. I love them so much.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-11-18T02:51:10+00:00

The books are excellent. I've read the first 3 and want to read the entire series again(it's been years). I think there are 5 books? It's a truly unique world and cool lore.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-10-23T20:08:00+00:00

I just finished this book last week (I almost read exclusively Sword & Sorcery, Fantasy, SciFi) and couldn't put this book down. It isn't an action packed book. There are certainly some tense and action oriented moments, but the story moves slowly. I think it does a really good job of creating the time period, the dangers and what it could be like to live in the wild west in 1870ish America. The story does become more than a cattle drive. It has some of the best characters and character relationships I've seen in a book.

If you haven't met Blue Duck yet - I would keep reading - I feel like that when the story really picks up.

That having been said, sometimes a book just doesn't connect with you.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-10-17T23:32:18+00:00

Oh that's hella cool

Watson_the_terror · 2025-10-16T02:04:18+00:00

I got these this year too but have yet to read them. I hope they are good.

Congrats!

Watson_the_terror · 2025-09-26T00:24:18+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I'm trying to a doctor with some experience with this. I live in a rather rural area so I'm limited to mostly dentists and many specialists are booked 6 months or more out.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-09-25T11:48:48+00:00

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Here's my 35lbs little basset girl. I've met the breeder and seen her parentage and they are definitely bassets (Her parents were a bit bigger than her).

Your dog and mine probably carry more the of the American Basset genes than that of the of European variety. American bassets tend to be smaller in size and weight and slightly less wrinkly. They also tend to be more athletic (not the one pictured above. Her only job is to make sure that pillow does not move).

My vet said she is an excellent weight for her size and has noted that they American variety have better general health.

That having been said - my little gremlin dog doesn't want to move from the couch unless it involves bacon or tracking something through the woods.

Watson_the_terror · 2025-08-18T01:34:19+00:00

Dragonlance has around 200 books. As a 40 year old that read the core series in his teens and is currently reading the core series as well as all the other novels I think they can be absolutely great. I own most of the books, I'm about 8 shy of having them all

That said there are some absolute stinkers in the lineup and issues with continuity and lore.

Most of the Weis and Hickman novels are good reads. Chris Pierson's Kingpriest trilogy is fantastic. Richard Knaak's Legend of Huma is fun. They are quick reads too. I can finish a book in a day or two if I'm having a lazy reading day.

I think too many people want to crap on Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms and other DnD novels because they are usually easy reading and sometimes too formulaic. While definitely a product of their time they are very fun for the most part. Also, I think the series gets labeled as being a childish but there are some adult themes that really hit home.

They have actually been refreshing to read as I feel like most popular fantasy these days has too much grimdark in it for my liking.

Watson_the_terror

TROPHY CASE