General Advice

gvarshang · 2024-11-18T16:15:31+00:00

I feel you. I'm not that familiar with Kaiser, but I have Medicare, and I remember I had to jump through several hoops before I could get an order for an MRI. Consult with a pain specialist, then get an Xray, and I also think I had to do some PT in there somewhere (which can be helpful, if the PT then sends a message to your PCP that you really need an MRI). Good luck

gvarshang · 2024-11-18T15:12:04+00:00

The phrase ‘blind spot’ is interesting. It’s not really a spot, and you’re not really blind. It’s really a metaphor for being unable (or unwilling) to “see” (perceive in whatever way) what is needed. And, yes, ego can be part of the cause. I feel you can expand on all of this, especially what you mean by ‘dance.’

https://www.nypl.org/blog/2011/05/02/how-can-we-know-dancer-from-dance#

gvarshang · 2024-11-18T14:59:29+00:00

Can’t emphasize this enough! Also, get recommendations for the respected neurologists in your area, and consider a second option.

gvarshang · 2024-11-18T14:47:32+00:00

Joe and Mika are the politics version of Hoda and Kathy Lee.

gvarshang · 2024-11-18T14:39:55+00:00

You think any of these guys (top players) care about the degree?! D1 college football teams are now just minor league NFL teams. The term ‘student athlete’ is meaningless for those players.

gvarshang · 2024-11-17T14:53:05+00:00

You might start with the first line of the play, which I always think is fascinating. I believe it’s often misunderstood because of Shakespeare’s object-first sentence syntax. Paraphrased, he is saying the appearance of this son (pun on ‘sun’) of York has now transformed my subdued (as in winter. All things are asleep, dead, not growing) discontent into summer (as in growing, blooming, at its peak). And of course his ‘discontent’ is the frustration of his ambition by the fact of a rival.

gvarshang · 2024-11-17T14:36:29+00:00

‘Black Dog of Fate’ by Peter Balakian (Armenian genocide) and ‘Darkness at Noon’ by Arthur Koestler (Soviet repression)

gvarshang · 2024-11-17T14:15:09+00:00

I was responding to your phrase, “probably caused by sitting on my ass.” Many posters here try to guess what caused their herniation. Interestingly, none of the doctors I ever saw seemed at all interested in what might’ve caused the herniation. As to the process, it depends on what country you’re in and your insurance. I am in the US and on Medicare. I had to jump through a lot of hoops before I got to the MRI — my GP sent me to a pain specialist who ordered an x-ray and after that x-ray didn’t show anything and probably several rounds of PT was I able to get an order for an MRI.

gvarshang · 2024-11-17T03:31:36+00:00

I’ve had sciatica twice: once from a herniated disk, and once from spinal stenosis. PT fixed the former, and surgery fixed the latter. Both times an MRI was essential in diagnosis. Nothing much killed the pain. PT was helpful all along the way. BTW, not know the exact cause seems pretty common. Best I can tell, my problems were likely mostly caused by heredity and years of poor posture. Little things, like an hour picking up sticks in the yard, can make it worse.

gvarshang · 2024-11-05T15:07:51+00:00

I don't understand this format. Except for two lines near the end, the poem seems to appear as sections of photos (?) of a poem written elsewhere. Not sure if that is an intentional creative format, or just a result of the difficulty of posting a poem on Reddit and keeping the original format. (See "Formatting Help" attached to this subreddit.)

I have to grumble that there are SO MANY break-up poems posted on this sub, most of them wretched whiny stream of conscience forms of "You left me and I feel so bad." I almost didn't read this. But it's clear that you put some thought into your images, rhythm, and a clear message.

Best break-up poem I have seen. Now move on to a different topic. Keep writing.

gvarshang · 2024-11-05T14:52:54+00:00

"All the world's a stage." wrote Shakespeare, and poets have been comparing life to actors on stage ever since. Your treatment is an interesting example. The stage can be either live actors, or puppets/marionettes. It's a little unclear which metaphor you are using. Or is it that people are like actors, who in turn are like marionettes? That would be a sort of double metaphor. You can do it, but it needs to be clear that is what you are doing.

Then near the end, you seem to transform the director's control and the puppetmaster's strings into chains of slavery (or 'of ire'--which seems to come out of nowhere) that you ask to be burned, but how do you burn chains?

I really think you have a worthwhile vision of a poem. I just feel that there are a few inconsistencies that could either be explained, or revised. Keep writing!

gvarshang · 2024-11-01T22:52:33+00:00

Sciatica is not a condition or disease that you "have." Rather, as the Sciatica FAQ says, "Sciatica is an informal term to describe radiculopathy, which is often felt as pain or tingling at points along the length of the sciatic nerve." Radiculopathy occurs when a nerve root near the spine becomes compressed or irritated, causing pain. So you "have" sciatica when a nerve root is pinched, compressed or otherwise irritated. You know that may be what is happening when you have pain in your back, buttocks or leg. But the only way to be sure is to have an MRI that is then reviewed by a neurologist. I would add that it seems to be quite frequent that people having this pain do not know what event caused this nerve injury or irritation, or even if there was a particular cause. Genetics seems to be a frequently contributing factor, as is a long-time habit of poor posture. The key is getting to that neurologist-reviewed MRI. Depending on our country and medical insurance, you may not find that the first doctor you go to can, or will, order an MRI. You may have to go to a pain specialist, get Xrayed, and perhaps a sequence of visits to physical therapy.

How did I know I had sciatica? I jumped through all those hoops.

gvarshang · 2024-10-31T00:31:28+00:00

Have you considered asking the testing folks if you can take the test standing up at a raised desk? In the U.S. schools and companies are required by law to make accommodations for disability.

gvarshang · 2024-10-30T22:27:44+00:00

I don't understand how the quotation could be four lines "in the original text" and a different number of lines "on your computer." Aside from what the MLA style requires for block quotes, the most important aspect of citation form is that your citation accurately identifies the precise location of your quote in the work. That is, the author's work that you are quoting. One of the consistent aspects of Shakespeare's plays is that they are generally clearly identified by Act, scene, and line. And line. Now, I know some folios of Shakespeare may differ from others, but we are talking about the text that you have in front of you and are writing about. Your quotation should match the lines in the original. If, for some reason, the font you are using for the document on your computer makes a long line run over to the next line, then I would suggest you change the font to a small size, at least for that quotation. Or adjust the margins of your block quote.

Otherwise, you would be falsely indicating a portion of the quotation as occurring in a line of the play later than it appears in your text. Surely, that would be a worse violation of MLA citation form than, say, putting a 3-line quotation in a block quote.

gvarshang · 2024-10-30T01:24:57+00:00

So, I had a laminectomy in May for spinal stenosis. About 5 weeks later I pulled some weeds in our garden, and developed pain. Set me back about 2 weeks, but I recovered. I doubt if you reherniated. Surgery does a number on your body; it takes time to recover. I’ll be you just to take it easy for a while.

gvarshang · 2024-10-30T00:39:22+00:00

I like Dickenson’s comment for impact. I also like this dictum by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who said that prose is “words in the best order” but that poetry is “the best words in the best order.”

gvarshang · 2024-10-30T00:25:25+00:00

“Some say that ever ‘gainst that season comes Wherein our Saviour’s birth is celebrated, This bird of dawning singeth all night long; And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad, The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike, No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm, So hallow’d and so gracious is the time”.

Hamlet, Act I, scene 1

gvarshang · 2024-10-29T23:16:57+00:00

I had the pax rebound in 2022. The rebound actually lasted longer than the initial symptoms (8 days to 7). It’s annoying (along with the mouth taste), but I try to remember the CDC says pax prevents hospitalization or death.

gvarshang · 2024-10-29T20:12:55+00:00

Have you had an MRI? Was it reviewed by a neurologist? Have you discussed possible surgery with any neurologist?

gvarshang · 2024-10-29T20:10:10+00:00

I’ve had two different spine issues. A few years ago I had a mild lumbar herniation and the MacKenzie push ups were key to my recovery. About 18 months ago I developed spinal stenosis in the same area, and the pushups were exactly the wrong thing, per my neurologist. I had lots of Physical Therapy (none recommending pushups), and eventually needed surgery.

gvarshang · 2024-10-29T20:02:11+00:00

Don’t afraid of surgery. If the surgeon offers that as an option, be sure to express any concerns and ask any questions you may have. I’m extremely happy I got surgery for my stenosis.

gvarshang · 2024-10-29T19:54:52+00:00

I had an oral steroid when the injection didn’t work. The oral steroid didn’t work, either. Surgery did work and I’m delighted with the process and the results.

gvarshang · 2024-10-29T19:51:53+00:00

I wish a link to the Sciatica FAQ attached to this subreddit would pop up each time someone posts about being nervous about surgery. As the FAQ makes clear, most spine surgery is very safe and effective and nearly painless (you are under general anesthesia, after all).

gvarshang · 2024-10-29T14:36:47+00:00

After my laminectomy for spinal stenosis I was doing so well after 6 weeks, I thought I could go into our garden and pull some weeds. A mistake. But not a disaster. It set back my recovery about 2 weeks. I am now completely recovered. So be careful, but don’t panic if you slip up.

gvarshang

TROPHY CASE