UPDATE:
ok so today 12/22/14, i go to p/t. i have 3 more appointments left the gal said. she also said that she is not too sure if i will be getting anymore appointments.
reason she tells me:
"you're not making any progress (or) your not improving". actually not too sure what she said, my mind was spinning after i got off the table and nearly fell as my back pain shot up after my last exercise and i was in desperate NEED of the ice bag.
well, la-da-frickin-da...........
I HAVE BEEN TELLING THEM, that every time i go to p/t, i come out worse then when i went in, that the pains are still there, and every thing else i have been telling them since day fricking ONE......!!!!!!!
Always happens. You can complain every day as they are so used to complainers (they get complacent to the specific needs of the patient), they label you as a malingerer, try different PT trick exercises to see if you're lying, whining until "they" decide to tell you that you are not improving.
Now, I do have an appointment with the surgeon tomorrow (Tues, Dec 23rd) at or about 11 AM.
of course i will be telling the doctor of the ongoing pains, the inability to bend to touch my toes, the inability to twist my body, and the God forsaken inability to lift MORE THAN my dinner plate...!!!
Make sure you let your doctor know what's going on. Every little detail, use up every minute allotted to you.
I don't remember, but does your work comp case manager "nurse" show up? This would be the perfect time to get them all in sync.
I also a little earlier today (when i got home from p/t) typed up an update for the lawyer, telling him of the probability of no more p/t and the on going pain, etc,etc. i will leave it at that, this being a holiday week, i really do not know if the lawyer or his gals are even in the office, but i dropped off the update just the same.
Most peoples brains goes into shut down mode this close to the holidays, they are probably closing off easy cases, thinking about what gifts to get, closing off cases, thinking about what to make for dinner, closing off cases, thinking about how they are going to entertain, closing off cases.....if you know what I mean.
here's a quick example or two from today..
they give me these dumbbells, 10 pounds each. i have to raise them from my sides, up to my chest, then lower them...sounds simple...right enough...???
as soon as they get up to my chest..................
the frigging pain shoots from my lower back, down to my leg, and up to my neck.........in other words, "from top to bottom"..........
NOW ......WHAT THE HELL.....???
Honestly, they are still trying to work on your "Core" strength. A lot of pain can be reduced and a lot of weight can be handled if you build your core strength. Do you tighten your abs when you do this? It's easy not to and to cheat a bit. If your not tightening your abs than your spine will take the brunt of exercise and immediately hurt. The strengthening exercise becomes useless. The goal is to tighten the abs and have those muscles as well as your shoulder and upper back muscles take the brunt and start to get stronger by working together. The muscles around your spine (including abs upper back) help strengthen the spine.
IMO: The weight is WAY too much. 1.5-3 pounds each should be done first. 10lbs is BS especially since you are voicing your pain.
before that, they have this machine. there are weights inside, and i have to pull a cable to lift them. then i have to stand side by side with the machine, and hold the cable in front of me, and sorta push out the cable from my chest, outwards, then back to my chest.
sounds quite simple...huh...???
except, as i do that exercise, again, the pain is immense as it is tugging against my back while trying to hold the mere frigging 15 lbs BOTH hands are trying to work with.....
This type of exercise is the same, core strength build your abs to help support your spine. HOWEVER! It does seem a little too advanced for a person that is not making progress. 15 pounds seems right but if you complain, they should be dropping down to 10 pounds. Tighten the abs. Practice by holding your breath as you do one rep. It really does work. As you get better than you can actually exhale or breath as your abs are tight.
they have this wooden "milk crate" weighs a mere 13 lbs empty.
the gal (today) puts in 12 pounds of dumbbells, and the 13 lbs is what.....25 lbs..??
i CAN push it away from me (its a push/pull exercise), but God *********&^&^%^&*&*(^&*^&*...try to pull it back......!!!!
Same as the above, another core strengthening exercise. It is also used in a FCE for testing/malingering purposes.
Hold your abs tight and you will be amazed at how much you can move, lift carry. Once your abs get stronger your spine will than you.
Especially since you have multi level fusion.
When I say strengthened abs, it doesn't mean getting 6 pack abs. We all have them but we also have a layer of fat that hides them.
so i take out the 5 lbs weight, she see's it and puts it back. i try once more, cannot pull it back, take out the extra 5 lbs, and see she's that, but does not say 2 words to me....but she does write down something again...WTF.........????????.
It's a no no to decide on your own what you will and won't do. The best way to handle this would have been to refuse to move it until weight was taken off, reinforce your verbal pain concerns by protecting yourself. They would probably lower the weight for you.
As far as them writing notes? Yep, they wrote that you either removed the weight on your own or the weight seemed like too much. Most likely both.
If and when she put the weight back and you continued struggling with your push pull game, than there is a slight chance of malingering.
Bottom line: You either do the exercises with little complaints as you build your core or you just shut down and tell them it's really hurting your spine.
So there you have it.....
i cannot lift, pull more than the weights a 15 year old can
frankly, i'm just glad my "Johnson" doesn't weigh all that much either, or i'd be in real deep................shhhh.........
now to tell the doctor, and get his response....tomorrow........
tell ya'll what too........
it's true the old saying..........
once your back is operated on..............you'll always have problems, or YOU WILL GET THEM sooner or later.
True, once you get back surgery, you somehow start to favor that area and protect it. building your core strength is HUGE and does take lots of practice and working through some pain. In your case, it seemed like the PT was pushing you too much to finalize some notes and show they attempted to progress you through in a timely manner. In the end, tell your doctor everything. Start writing things down now so you don't forget.
Good Luck and no monkey slapping johnson exercises. We men have built in core strength in that department, unless you need the V-pill.
