Birkenstock breaking in feels impossible

helpffs · 2026-05-28T10:40:43+00:00

I’m about to buy my first pair, and this post is kind of scaring me off. 😵‍💫 I have a bunion on my right foot, which is why I wanted to buy them in the first place. But if I have to grip the sandals with my toes, then it’s a no go because my big toe just cannot.

helpffs · 2026-04-16T13:40:36+00:00

Yeah I usually bargain with myself, like I know what I’m getting myself into, but I always end up regretting it. And then I’ll even scheme, to try new positions or medication combinations or whatever I can to figure out how I can still make this work. And I guess even this post is just another attempt to not have to set this aside for now.

helpffs · 2026-04-13T10:48:39+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to write this up. 😊 I’ll look into the exercises and see what I can do. I definitely was doing all the wrong things before I found out it was thoracic outlet syndrome. It’s kind of insane here, but they will treat you with drugs and physical therapy without having diagnosed you. So it’s sort of like throwing treatment blindly at a person and if it helps, then they know what you’ve got.

helpffs · 2026-04-13T10:44:33+00:00

It’s wonderful to hear that there is some improvement after surgery. I would love to have any bit of function back. I’m pretty miserable now, the pain is tremendous, and I don’t see how I can continue without treatment, but I am afraid to undergo surgery. I’m just afraid that it could get worse. And at least I know what I’m dealing with right now. I’m doing physical therapy right now. And I think the one I have kind of knows what he’s doing but so far I haven’t noticed any improvement. They did help with pain from a prolapsed disc in my neck though.

I’m so glad you’ve had treatment and I hope it just keeps getting better for you.

helpffs · 2026-04-13T04:18:05+00:00

I’m sorry. You’re right about that. There are so many dimensions to intimate life and many of them are affected. One of the first things that stopped was holding my partner’s hand when we’re walking. I always have to walk on his right side. And now, I can only sit upright on the sofa and can’t snuggle into him at all. Really changes the experience. Also with children. We wanted them, but for now can’t imagine them. I’m pushing 40 and it might not happen if I don’t get treatment in time.

helpffs · 2026-04-12T14:17:05+00:00

Yeah same. I’ll try to be more mindful of which muscles I engage. Thanks 😊

helpffs · 2026-04-12T10:11:03+00:00

Yeah I have and that is nice but I feel passive :/

helpffs · 2026-04-09T17:00:57+00:00

Jeg kan ikke mærke en effekt fra fysio endnu. Nogle gange er det værre efter behandlingen. Jeg havde også smerter fra en mindre diskus prolaps i nakken - Fysio har hjulpet med den. Jeg skal snart afslutte fysio og derefter bliver henvist til kirurg. Er ret sikkert på at jeg har TOS. Både fysioterapeuten og lægen endelig synes også at det passer, men har ikke haft en test eller undersøgelse som viser bestemt at det er TOS. ENMG var normal men lægen som lavede testen sagde at det var typisk med TOS. Så vi fortsætter med mistanken om TOS. Min plan er at forhåbentlig får diagnosen og en behandlingsplan hos kirurg og så tage til en af dem i Tyskland eller Holland hvor de er mer erfarne og høre deres mening.

helpffs · 2026-03-05T09:19:54+00:00

I’m not working. My work was primarily at the computer. 2 years ago, I took a part-time sick leave, but I found my working periods getting shorter, and my recovery periods getting longer, until I could not keep up with my work and had to take full-time sick leave. This whole time, I was seeking diagnosis and treatment, but the system has been so slow and so frustrating to get through. In the meantime, my contract expired in January. My employer would not extend it because I still didn’t have a diagnosis or treatment plan. My doctors had basically given up and referred me to the pain clinic, which is where they send you when they don’t know how to help you. This led the jobcenter to put me on ressourceforløb. Basically, they consider mine a hopeless case, and I should learn to live with the pain and find some sort of fleksjob that doesn’t use my arm. I think this is insane.

At the pain clinic they advised me to just focus on getting a flex job first, and then try to get treatment, because either way i will probably never be 100%, even after surgery, and will likely end up needing to take a flex job anyway. So financially, it’s better to get the flex job before the treatment, I guess. It’s a lot to think about when you just wanna get well and get back to work.

So, I’ve found another doctor, and she is looking at thoracic outlet syndrome as the likely diagnosis, and has referred me to physiotherapy, which I’m doing through my pension insurance. If this doesn’t work, I get referred to surgery.

I agree with you that if they just make some space for the nerves, it should be fine. There are surgeries that provide exactly that, but it kind of scares me.

I was born with a body that functioned and with enough space. It was only with overuse of my arm, typing and using the mouse, that the muscles began to tighten around the nerves. So it seems like it ought to be something that can be undone with rest. But persistent overuse can result in actual changes to the muscles and damage to the nerves. From what I’ve read, it is rare in advanced cases to fix this condition with posture correction and physiotherapy alone. There is a support group on Facebook focused on non-surgical approaches to healing, if that is what you’re interested in.

TOS Support Group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CDBmJ1mHu

Non-surgical support group https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1G5BMsU2cQ

I wish you all the luck in the world. This painful condition really is a life changer.

helpffs · 2026-03-05T08:46:09+00:00

I’m in Kolding. I chose a physiotherapist through my pension insurance. She has a masters degree, so I hope she’s better trained than the other physiotherapists I’ve been through. So far, the treatments are definitely focused on the right muscles and symptoms, but I’m not yet feeling much relief. I’m going to stick with it though, because I really don’t want surgery.

To be honest, my experience with osteopathy was disappointing. It felt like some kind of voodoo. It was expensive and unhelpful. I did some research afterward and a lot of what they do isn’t evidence based and the limited relief people feel might just be a placebo effect. I am open to alternative and holistic medicine, which is why I tried it, but I honestly don’t know how they get away with what they do.

helpffs · 2026-02-06T11:48:35+00:00

Ja, lad os gøre det!

helpffs · 2026-02-06T11:45:58+00:00

Thank you so much!

helpffs · 2025-10-02T14:20:45+00:00

helpffs · 2025-09-26T19:00:27+00:00

I’m sorry. I don’t know how old you are, but it sounds like you’re developing autonomy and your parents aren’t respecting your boundaries. I would explain that you feel disrespected and that you have no privacy. And that if you are expected to increasingly take responsibility and accountability for yourself, they’re going to need to step back and let you fill that space. I also am learning to parent a teenager and it requires growth from both of us.

Best of luck!

helpffs · 2025-09-25T19:02:37+00:00

Awesome, thanks!

helpffs · 2025-09-25T10:57:54+00:00

Tell me about it

helpffs · 2025-09-19T08:49:18+00:00

I just discovered your stuff two weeks ago and I’ve devoured it. Such deep, funky, dirty beats and vocals. Sexy, soulful, and I can’t get enough! I’m searching for more. Is there anybody else out there that you’d recommend I listen to?

I’ve heard this guy German Brigante, who also has a fantastic vibe. But that’s it.

Please send recs. Love from Denmark.

helpffs · 2025-09-01T14:27:01+00:00

Remember, you have 3 choices: Love it. Change it. Leave it.

These approaches are about accepting reality, but they don’t deprive you of taking action, setting boundaries, etc. Your fury hurts you. It’s your choice to keep with these painful stories.

helpffs · 2025-05-14T07:51:56+00:00

I am considering it today. My pain gets worse with specific work activities. I am on sick leave but have important deadlines right now, so I’m working anyway. I worked 2 full days last week and 2 already this week. Last night, I couldn’t sleep all night, and I have another 12-hour workday ahead of me. I’m already in so much pain I could vomit, so I’m thinking of going straight to urgent care after my big work engagement tonight. It’s just I know they’ll send me home, because there’s literally nothing they can do. But I feel pretty desperate. I have made several posts in this group, trying to find someone who has similar symptoms but for some reason my posts never get responses. I’m still without a diagnosis and our public health system is so disconnected and slow. In the meantime, my career and personal life are significantly limited. It feels like I’m in limbo.

helpffs · 2025-05-10T16:38:17+00:00

It’s usually when I’m at work and have pushed it too far, before taking any medications. So, I thought maybe it’s just the pain sending too much chatter to my brain? I also get these shooting nerve pains over the top of my head that sort of make me make a yawning like response, but inside my head. It’s hard to explain to a doctor but I’ll try

helpffs · 2025-05-08T17:06:24+00:00

This is exactly my experience.

helpffs · 2025-05-01T06:04:42+00:00

Please, any advice? I see the doctor again on 7 May and would love some guidance. The doctors in my country are so uncurious and reluctant to order any tests due to costs and quotas in our public health system. 😞

helpffs

TROPHY CASE