Work Safely to not Tear your body up

[63bkpkr]

Hi All 63kbpkr here and fresh out of the operating room on the 18th of March 2013.

The MRI indicated I had a completely torn rotary cuff, that's a tendon and muscle combo and is a part of the miracle of our bodies. In addition the MRI hinted at other damage in there.

When my surgeon got in there he found the rotary cuff tendon/muscle so damaged it was not useable. He used a portion of some similar tendon/muscle nearby to perform the surgery.

How did I manage to do this over time to myself. I work very hard and thereby get lots accomplished including really messing up my shoulder. In 2010 I found a fun paystreak along a river bank. I went at it with shovel and 5' long pry bar. With the pry bar I found I could move very large boulders but as the bar was a relatively short lever arm I needed to exert a great deal of energy to lift the boulders. This high stress spread out over a month or more of this type of work likely caused some damage. After I'd finished doing the dig and pry bar routine I had quite a trench started and to keep the bank from eroding I filled the trench with a lot of boulders and this likely added to the damage.


I've also done a fair amount of chain saw work cutting up firewood, tossing the logs and doing typical firewood duty and this could have added to my shoulder damage.

My hope here in sharing this with you is to alert you to the damage we can create to our own bodies by doing the things we like to do. We can still do them but we need to work our bodies less by using cable pullers and longer pry bars. Will I still do this type of work, Yes! But I will be smarter about it.

So I've one shoulder repaired and one more shoulder to be repaired as well as a knee to be repaired and I hope this does not sound like fun to any of you as it is not and it will be costly.

Caution to all to take care of yourselves out there...............63bkpkr

 

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[Fabrication Specialists]

Oh man my knees and back are BIG weather predictors and weather predictors are no fun. The best part about my back fusion was the cost of titanium in my back, $157,000 for just titanium! thank god for insurance!

 

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[63bkpkr]

Thank you Tnet for being here.

My My, what a simple post will do to make a person feel humble as well as thankful with all the information that keeps coming in from all those who have/will respond to this thread. I am so pleased that the thought to share with others is providing everyone with such an obvious benefit to all!

It is so interesting to find that regardless of how my body feels there is always a reason to be thankful for enjoying every day. I am the one here having it easy recovering from this shoulder surgery and I believe it is going well as I no longer need pain medication. It still hurts but not enough to warrant taking the meds.

On the 25th of April 2013 I will turn 69 years of age. I've had two knee surgeries, minicus & ACL repair. I broke a leg once while hiking in. Had a concussion as a kid and sprained my ankles a jillion times. Chipped a bone dirt biking, fell from a distance onto my back on a flat rock (no obvious damage) walked away from it, I've no weather predicting tendencies in any of my joints and have damaged myself with hard work several times in my life (one would think I'd learn to recognize this). In comparison to you good fellas that have shared your experiences with all of us, I've had it really easy.

I've never smoked, I do not drink alcohol now and never drank much before giving it up, I gave up coffee and that was a good thing for me, I've never done drugs save for pain pills after surgeries, I try to get a good nights rest(do not stay up late often), eat reasonably and food good for me(most of the time), I try to keep my weight down(try), I love bicycle riding, hiking, backpacking and in general testing my body to see what I can do with it. Along those lines I've also stretched myself for many years with physical as well as mental challenges both out in the hills as well as in town/at work. I do my best to be a good person and to be kind to others(still need work on this) and I give thanks for who I am and what I have.

What keeps me going is the question "what is around the next bend in the river/trail/mountain side/over the next hill, etc." and I am watched over all the time even when I am physically by myself which is often. And like all of you I am expecting to be around for some time to come. When it is my turn, it is simply my turn and not a loss.

My regards and thanks to all of you as I am enjoying and am in awe with your sharing your lives here..............63bkpkr/Herb

 

[KevinInColorado]

Wow, 63, you're quite a writer. As a younger (than you) guy this is good perspective too. I know I've let the fever overcome me to where I'm pushing too hard and likely to hurt myself. My shoulder has been sore for the last 6 months, now you have me worried even tho its been getting better. Anyway, thanks!

 

[Oldyoungtimer]

I'm almost 26 and push myself hard to the limit every time i get out on the creek. I have been noticing lately my back is killing me. With only limited time to get out i try to make the most of it. I'm starting to realize i have got to work smarter not harder. This thread is a motivation to make myself look at the most ergonomic way to do things. Like you all say you only got one body take care of it. Thanks everyone for sharing your stories. I have as blast going all out till I'm wore out. But on the other hand i want to do this for a long time. So I'll look at risk verse reward. Is it worth it to not set up a seat to run my sluice or pan out some material? Not in the long run. I'm still going to give it all i have but with those voices speaking in the back of my head a little louder. Telling me to do it the right way not the fastest. Thanks everyone and hope all of your aches and pains heal fast and you find all the nuggets!

 

[Astrobouncer]

Hope you heal up soon man, enjoy your stories and threads!

 

[MadMarshall]

I understand what you are saying but would like to toss sumtin out there.. I look at it differently I am 34 and I have spent my youth out in the dirt and as an adult I always prefered labor.. Those aches those pains they all have stories.. I have a hard time trying to save my body when its on the decline anyway..I expect to get old I expect to ache I expect that one day the river may be out of my reach but I refuse to carry one bucket less or take an easy on my body so I can have better use of it when I am old.. When Im old I want to kick back and annoy the youngens....

 

[minerrick]

MadMarshall- sounds good at 34, but my guess you will re-think your decision when you are 50 or 60. Living in this body for the last 57 years- when you are young, you can do anything without serious repercussions- your body pretty much always bounces back. Just be forewared that you reach a certain age and the bounce back stops. That age is different for everyone. The body changes as it gets older. I am not saying not get out there and work hard, just be smart about how you work. I always wear a back brace- not because my back hurts, but because I don't want it to hurt. In retrospect, if I had to do it over again, at age 30, I would go to a chiropractor and tell them what I am doing mining and ask them what I should do to protect my body.

I've done physical labor the first half of my life, and in my 30's I had severe cases of tendonitis in my arms near my elbows. I should have asked someone then what to do to prevent it from occuring later on. All I did was buy arm braces at the store and went back to work. If I had to do it over, I would have asked someone in the know what stretches I needed to do to loosen up my binding up muscles.

 

[MadMarshall]

I know its truth what you say to a degree but I have see so many people of good health plenty of exercise watched their diet ect ect ect and in almost all the cases they are sickly or end up droppin dead young..We live in a day in age where we have an name for every ache and a cure to go with it.. And it is of my opinion it has to do with upbringing and genes thats simple.. I dont get sick becouse as a kid I swam in canals was always outside rain or shine and active..I heal from injuries becouse I use it I don't get lamed up and think of it asdamaged but in need of strengthing.. And when an Injury proves to be of a extreme nature I adapt to it and make it work..I have done my share of runnung and gunning when I was younger I do smoke and smoke but I dont bother with drugs even if prescribed as I can manage most pain.As for regretting it when I am old I doubt it!!! If I know longer have use when I am old then I will die as it should be!!Oh yea I forgot I also attribute my health to Attitude...

 

[Gravelwasher]

63,

Good to hear you have started the healing process and its only a matter of time till you can get out on a new adventures. Hope to see you soon, this spring time weather is causing my gold fever to sky rocket. Get well soon!!

 

[63bkpkr]

GravelWasher on a SkyRocket, sounds like a song title! Yes I would think the spring fever is tough to deal with especially with all the possibilities out there and OH how I can understand that!! Still Old Man Winter is not gone from us yet so be careful out there, do not get too far out that you can not get back out in three hours if it should start to snow, leave the equipment where it lies and get out.

Kevin, thank you for the kind thoughts. Do not be worried, do something positive about the pain, get it checked out. In my case the Surgeon got in there and found that through atrophy the muscle had diminished so much that it was useless, he had to take some from elsewhere.

Oldyoungtimer, it is wise of you to consider what is being shared here and use it to your benefit as that is why this thread was started, to benefit others.

Thank you Astrobouncer, I enjoy your posts, all your home made projects, your videos and the last one was showing some good gold. The semi-booming work was most interesting!

MadMarshall, I am only 69, I'm still doing what I was doing at 18 and will continue so once these three surgeries are behind me and I've put on some real muscle AS I've at least two more places to go to and I know I will find others to check out once I'm back out there. Football players start out young and receive all sorts of injuries. Of course the thrill of the game keeps them going along with the very high salaries, more than you and I together might earn in our life times. However, when they reach their forties they are racked with pain, getting out of bed is a struggle, dancing?, running? or any other physical thing for them becomes difficult. I do not want to be like that. I have not always taken good care of myself, I'm seeing it now and I do not like what I'm seeing so I've chosen to take better care of myself so that when I'm finally old I can still play with my great and possibly great-great grandchildren. I've a pact with my son, in 2076 we will do the 4th of July ceremony together and the next day we will go backpacking into some rough country.

I wish all of us well and encourage all of us to take good care of the body we've been given so it will be as enjoyable as possible for us as well as others we love and enjoy being around as we get closer to returning to where we came from...............63bkpkr

MM, I was reluctant to include this but after re-reading the post I felt I should.

I had a young brother in law back in Detroit Michigan. He was a working type just like me and once he found full time employment he worked hard at it. He took a job with a has-mat cleanup company, neither he nor his fellow workers took all the precautions they should have. One day while trying to force the lid of the container truck closed there was an explosion, he was badly injured. Once he recovered he went right back to work with the has-mat company. A few years later and I mean a few, he was laying in a hospital bed sobbing that he was too young to die and he was, 39. He died as he did not take care of himself, he died drugged as the pain from all the illness in his body was too much for him, 39 for him was an old age. I do not wish this on anyone, I especially wish you my brother a long and healthy life free of pain yet full of goodness.

 

[KevinInColorado]

63, thanks, after reading all this I called the Dr office and have an appt for Tuesday


MadMarshall I hope you rethink your approach. I'm 49 and in very, very good shape and even so injuries take longer and longer to heal. Be careful out there!

 

[Hoser John]

Herbs like the ever ready bunny-he may run down a mite but just keeps on a hiking YAHOOOOOO-heal thyself my son the good book pontificates and that means doing what feeds the soul....John

 

[calisdad]

63 it sure sounds like you're doing all the right things to insure a full recovery. I will say I had friend who had that surgery years ago and he said the therapy was painful but necessary. A woman in his doctors office didn't do the therapy and lost use of her arm.

It's a bit timely as I sit here in bed, quite sore from chainsawing manzanita yesterday (you don't own peoperty- it owns you). I retired early as working in construction for 35 years wore my body down. Traffic accidents didn't help. We do need exercise to keep in shape but sometimes it hard to see the line when we cross it.

One thing not mentioned is ear protection. Years of skillsaws and shotguns have left a ringing in my ears I'd rather be without. Asked my wife the other night if the crickets weren't especially loud and she said 'what crickets?'.

 

[minerrick]

Ears! I was thinking about calling Honda motor company to see if they could build a small motor that had a water jacket on it, so it would quiet down the noise-both to insure the enviros who are sharing mother nature with me aren't disturbed by the noise of a motor, but also because in my rock lined canyon, the motor noise bounces off the rock walls and becomes very annoying when I am not in the water and tending the box.

 

[mtau]

When I was young, I was like most everyone- 10ft tall and bullet proof. Now, with ruptured disks, blown out knees, and a stroke last summer. If I'ld known I was going to live this long, I'ld have taken better care of myself.

 

[63bkpkr]

Hey Hoser,
Yes sir I will be back out there In Person! Since we are sharing some younger pictures here's one of me a little younger, back in 2001.

This is MY hidden box canyon way up in the hills and it is a dicey climb up to it and "interesting" getting into it. Lots of native rainbow trout 18" to 24" long and big dorsal to belly.

This one was a bit smaller so I put it back to grow more, actually let all of them go back, catch and release so their little ones repopulate the main river as it needs it..............63bkpkr

Kevin, I would appreciate your sharing with us the results of the visit with the doc.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Will do 63!


Ps: you look like my kind of folks...adventurous and upbeat!

 

[Hoser John]

I've seen how ya get there and not only no but LL no--weren't we young and crazy at one time-still better to have flown like a eagle than spent a lifetime waddling around like a duck. Heal up bud as ya got many more great adventures a comn' down the road for us. Just finished my new dredge and ready to go hahahaha-John

 

[goldenIrishman]

Time to put the old saying of "Work SMARTER... NOT harder" into practice! It took me some time to figure out what my father and grand dad meant by that.

 

[Jeff95531]

63 Thanks for the reminder. It reminded me of two sayings of mine. To the young ones (I'm 55): All those times you shook it off and said that didn't hurt? It will later, trust me.
And my favorite: The older I get, the more I realize my memories outnumber my abilities.
Bottom line? Realize you may not be able to do today what you did yesterday. Use your lifetime of experience to help yourself out. Sure, you don't think you'll slip, but check out the path if you do. Take an extra moment to see if you can do anything to make whatever you're doing safer. And take a partner because you are likely at a secluded spot you don't talk about very much.