Slightly OT - Woodworking & Medical Issues

[JSpill]

Andy:

First of all Thank You for your service to our country. You truly are an inspiration on how to deal with life's setbacks. The advice you offered Benny was spot on. Like you, I have Chronic Inflammatory Demylenating Polyneuropathy. I use a walker to get around when out of the house. In my basement shop I'm able to move about by grabbing onto things. Shop time lasts 2-3 hours. The hardest part is getting up the stairs. Dealing with this disease for twenty years has allowed me to come up with good ideas for making tasks easier. 
Once again, thank you for all you have done as a citizen, and as a positive roll model. I will think of your advice often as I go about my daily business. Stay Strong.

[Adnick]

To all: Really humbled by the thanks, always a little reluctant to talk about such things....

J: Very sorry to hear about your CIPN, know the pain and fatigue can put one down in a hurry. As I may have already stated, my getting around apparatus is a wheelchair, not confined, but the Doctors keep telling me I will be, and in shop design, an other things, plan everything I do as if I will be.

Just built a new workbench and could not figure out a design that works for a wheelchair, did make it higher than amost all the books say, and used a leg vise and a LN tail vise , I left a large overhang on the tail vise end in order to get a wheelchair under it.

Conceivably one could build a semi circle shape bench but it makes my head hurt thinking about it.... like you I walk in the shop, and I'm a big fall hazard, must keep items off the floor and the paths clear, and always make sure there are no sharp things in the, "reach out and grab path" when falliing.

Would like to hear about any concepts or devices you have used or even heard about in dealing with shop access/mobility for the disabled. My research into shop design for the disabled produced very little, and surprisingly there are no books that I'm aware of. Also do machine shop type work, welding, and ammunition reloading, so many solutions cross over....

Regards,
Andy

,

[rudedan60]

All, the body sometimes just does weird things to us. Andy glad you are still with us.  I'm a retired reservist that had a back and neck injury on Active Duty and only recently got a disability for.  I have Residues, from GBS Guillain-Barre (gee-YAH-buh-RAY) syndrome.  So I do not feel my legs except nerve pain, my feet hurt all the time and I can still get extremely fatigued.  I have to watch it, so I do not work when I should not.  It takes me much longer to do things, because I have to take breaks. If I overdue it, it is 1-2 days to recover from the fatigue.  I call myself a cripple, since to get down to the floor is a struggle.  As well as just trying to stand back up.  A project to finish my basement and move my shop to a smaller chunk is taking 2 years.  My goal was to be done by November.  Missed that deadline. 
 So it is always a balance. 
My youngest Son of 10 years, has never known me without the GBS.  He was born 1 month after my diagnoses. All I can say is we all have issues, just do the best and help others when you can. Dan

[Steve N]

I have Residues, from GBS Guillain-Barre (gee-YAH-buh-RAY) syndrome.  So I do not feel my legs except nerve pain, my feet hurt all the time

Dan, perhaps you are aware of it, and possibly already use it. I have Diabetes, and with it Diabetic Neuropathy that affects both my feet. Without medication I have feet on fire, with electronic jolts and jingles. Walking is a problem. The OTC drug I take is what is most commonly used in Europe for leg nerve pain, regardless of cause, it's A Lipoic Acid, most places will just call it Lipoic Acid. You will find it at drug stores, and health food places in a number of different doses. I take 400mg twice a day, but started on 800mg twice a day, and have walked down the dose. I find 200mg isn't enough unless I go 3 times a day, and 3 times just doesn't work well for me. I can do twice easily. I have no Nerve pain in my feet any more. If I could get rid of the Bursitis, I'd be young again


Some links about it, toward your Guillain Barre If you get hooked into some European links you will see a lot more about it. Since I have been using it I have converted a lot of Doctors to it's use. The prescribed product is Lyrica, which is a totally different drug, and if you have heard the warnings they rip off for it's TV ad's you'll think, glad I am not taking that one. The Lipoic is another of many substances that is found naturally occuring in the human body, and boosting it doesn't have severe concerns of any type, unless you go to doses like 4000mg twice a day, or silliness like that. Try it, you'll like it......

[Admiral]

 If I could get rid of the Bursitis, I'd be young again

Curt:  I have bursitis in my right shoulder, and a "tennis elbow" on my right arm.  About 7 years ago, my primary care prescribed Lovaza, which is an Omega-3 ester, for lowering triglycerides, and it is nothing more than the fish oil you get in a health food store, but is pharmaceutical grade, pure and concentrated; a lot of the stuff from the health food store is old and rancid, you really don't know what you're getting.  Taking 4 a day (the prescribed amount) is like taking 16 or more of the health food store variety.  Well, in the end it did absolutely chit for my triglycerides, but the side effect was its well known action as an anti-inflammatory, and my bursitis in my shoulder went away.  I imagine it helps my knees as well, but the most dramatic thing was the shoulder and elbow.  She wanted to stop the script when it wasn't working on the triglycerides, but I told her of the beneficial effects on my elbow and shoulder, and further told her that if she wanted to cancel the scrip I'd break her arm.  I'm down to two a day to lengthen the time between refills and the cost, still working like a charm.  So try it, I swear by it, and its very benign in terms of side effects; the only side effect I experienced is some passing of gas when you first start it, but I've not had any of that in years.  There is now a generic version, cheaper for your drug plan.  It couldn't hurt.....

[Steve N]

I too am on fish oil, or the equivalent. I get mine at the local Sams club, and the product is dated when the jars get filled, which my Doc assures me is right at the end of the factory line as the pills are produced
Anyhow he suggested Sams, they go through their complete inventory about 5 times a month. He also takes it, and gets his from the same store. In my case it really helps my fatty liver, and brings down my Triglycerides nicely, another benefit of the Diabetes
 
 


I take the equivalent of 6 of your Lovaza's a day, and I still have huge Bursitis problems. I wish it worked like that for me. You are right about cost. LOML does the Comp Bene function for her employer, and she acts like $$$$$$$$ spent on drugs comes out of her pocket, she didn't like the cost. Me, I'm like Mehhh, I have so many little pills one more can't break the bank
 
 

[cputnam]

I take fish oil (Costco) and give my GSD Cosequin. Cosequin has been a miracle drug for my dogs that have had hip problems. I think that Lovaza works on cartilage which I no longer have in my neck and back. I use a lot of topical lidocaine/prilocaine which helps a little. My daughter found an essential oil concoction that deep heats and actually helps me. Got off oxycontin around the beginning of the year; needed a larger dose and I didn't want to walk around doped up nor did I like being treated as a criminal.

[daddo]

Last year I started dealing with very stiff and hurting joints- hard to get around and in pain a lot. I felt it coming on for about 3 years. Went on a diet of proper foods and dropped certain foods, began taking certain vitamins and it is gone. I'm feeling like I did in my 40's instead of my present 62. In fact, I just cut a tree down and hauled it off today by myself. I still take no poisons like medications what-so-ever. It's true- You are what you eat.

I use carpet in the shop for my feet and try and remember my limitations.

[Steve N]

daddo, it's settled then, you are now our meal planner

[iclark]

Arthritis in the hips has been progressively slowing me down.

I now have magnetic pickup tools scattered all over the shop to deal with dropped items that will stick to a magnet.

For those that will not, I now have a couple of gadgets from LV that are very helpful:

Soft Touch Grippers


Folding Garden Kneeler

The grippers help pick up items.

The kneeler helps me get down and up for when I need to work on lower parts of tools. It is amazing how much that little bit of elevation helps my ankles, too. It folds up and gets out of the way when not needed.

I have the floor pads/cushions at the lathe and that does help, but I still need to take breaks and sit down more often than I used to do.

Probably the biggest challenge for me is to not let my pride get in the way when I really need to ask someone for help and then to wait to do whatever that is when I can get someone to come help. Too soon old and too late smart certainly comes to mind often.