Anybody dealing with physical ailments delaying your project?

B Bob, glad to hear there is hope for you. We have decided that every two years we will see another surgeon and see if the new technology will help with the problems.

Boutlaw, I know I am blessed with my wife. I see threads all the time about how bad the wife/girlfriend is. I have found that if you try to make their life good, they will generally reciprocate. My motto is "Happy wife, Happy life"

 

I first began my sedan project back in 1998, at the time I planned a manual trans behind my 400 horsepower engine. I figured it would be pretty quick. Just about the time the chassis was pretty much done...I hurt my right shoulder, bad. That started a long, drawn out saga of trips to the doctor, the othopedic surgeon and a whole host of other medical professionals.

Part way through this mess I decided that I might not ever be able to pull that shifter right, so I traded my whole manual trans setup for an automatic. Big mistake (although I didn't realize it at the time).

Fast forward a whole bunch of years...I got the right surgeon two years ago and he made me "brand new". I can row a shifter like I did as a kid...brutal!!

The problem now, of course, is that I wish that slush-box in my sedan would magically turn into a manual trans again. I'm starting to gather parts to correct this situation now but it's much harder since my income has gone to hell in the past few years...but I'll get it done.

Yeah, medical stuff always seems to throw a monkey wrench in the works.

 

I had a triple bipass and kidney failure two weeks before Christmas. I'm finally getting back in the garage now, and it fees good to work on my cars.

 

Every day that I can get out there makes me feel great, glad you are getting some work done!

 

Hard to believe at 17 i cant work on my car due to medical ailments

 

Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead......that May have been a bad choice of words!!!
Actually I wanted to find out if anyone on this thread has ever taken methadone for severe chronic pain or know of anyone that has or is currently. Doctors want to switch me to it. I was planning to do more lumbar fusions but in the long run, they won't make anything better, they will only help to stabilize things but will then make me a useless shell. No lifting, twisting or bending along with other restrictions that I didn't want to hear. So now we are looking for a helpful long term pain med plan. Methadone was brought up and my three doctors all seem to be in agreement. I would be coming from 60mg of mscontin and 30mg dilaudid with the norco thrown in for the pain spikes per day. Jesus, once you get those numbers on paper, that's pretty scary.
Anyone have any other avenues for pain relief?

 

I agree that fusions are a last resort and anything is to be tried before having any more done. If you want a larger group of people to talk with you might want to try Spinal-health.com forums. There are a lot of people there who have "Been there and Done that". Great group of people who have all sorts of spinal conditions to pull information from. Funny that you posted on this thread today as I just got my MRI back and was looking for more info on my condition.

 

Just saw this thread today. Dealing with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Grateful it's not cancer but, have had the laser ablation (TURP) twice since Nov. 2011. First time developed scar tissue which constricted my urethra worse than before the procedure. Second time was Feb. 2012. Still recovering from that one. On light duty restrictions since Nov. 17th, 2011. Only recently been cleared by Dr. to ride my scooter and lift heavy things again so, this weekend will be a thrash on the bed of my truck hoping to get something done.

 

not sure if this will help.
"I once had vertigo for 3 days straight.
It seemed to ease up when i turned my head as far as i could to each side, making sure you feel the stretch in you neck just under your ear. Someone told me afterwards that this opens up the ear canal & lets it drain "

Thanks RAT, I'll try it...<!-- / message -->

 

Well....I hate to whine, cause now I'm good. BUT, last april a year back, my dentist found a lump in my neck, the whole world ground to a stop fast, seen specialists who marveled at the fact that I had a tumor from my jaw, down my neck, filled my upper chest and almost touched my heart. Wow they said, finally saw the best head and neck surgeon in Canada, took him two hours to get it out, no cancer, but very nearly a death sentence, we were pretty scared. I have the best wife and kids there are, saw the best doctors, got the best treatment and its all good now, got some fucked up nerves in my neck, numbness and related shit, but I'm still here. It was the year from hell, I love my cars, but they mattered little, be thankful that no matter how bad it is, some poor bastard has it worse.

 

Mine is minor compaired to some of the others but still a pain in the ass. Hemorrhoids are killimg me.

 

Damn man, that's wild, glad you made it out of that!

 

Ok, there are three of us, that have been working on our car for the last 10 years (yes our build has been going on for 10 years....) so lets see.

My wife (she is involved as I am)
- two pregnancies

Me
- 3 herniated disks in the spine, enough to put me into hospital a couple of times with on-going pain issues

Dad
- three spinal surgeries
- One new hip
- two new knees
- three strokes

And we are still going. We are thinking of making a sign for the front of our garage calling it the "sheltered workshop"

Oh and the usual lack of cash issues...

 

Triple by pass,3 Heart attacks,back problems{ car Accidents,}stuffed left knee,burnt lungs { trying rescue Elderly Gent house fire],Pass most Time working at ST Vincent De Paul Shop,workin on 1934 Studbaker Truck{ when able,Shit there is Someone Worse off than Me.} Cheers Rebel Koolsville Down under.

 

53 years old, back is shot (some days are worse than others of course), arthritis in left knee and right shoulder, hearing is bad (constant ringing in my head) from years of playing in rock and roll bands and working on a noisy gas furnace when i was a young man. But still consider myself very lucky that I'm not in worse shape. I just pop a pain pill and carry on (that's on the good days of course.)

 

As bad as it gets some days, there is always someone out there who has it worse. This kind of thinking helps to keep it all in perspective on those days when you cant even get out of bed. Keep that positive attitude and dont let it get you down.

 

I had a bad car accident in 1978... didn't go back to work full time until 1983, but once I was squared away I was up to full speed again working on street cars and building stock cars.

Then I had another one last fall. I have a serious back injury that has required 3 sets of spinal injections and I'm still far from okay.

I'm looking for a project now, but realize that any heavy fabrication is out of the question. So I either have to find a partially finished project or buy a finished car and modify it from there. My condition may improve though.

Bob

 

I have been in a wheelchair since Jan 3rd, 1982. Broke my back riding an inner tube in the snow and getting thrown into the nose of my 69 Bonneville ragtop (which I owned for 6 days at that time) at about 70MPH. Almost a compound fracture of my spine. Sure ruined that day for me. But my brother went to his grave feeling guilty for the accident as he was towing me. It wasn't his fault, that why it's called an accident.

So fast forward 30 years to now. I have been restoring cars since 8th grade. Got into hi-tech work for 20+ years. Now specializing in Amphicars. Sure some things I do are slower and a pain to get done. Then I was in a Head-on wreck by a non-insured moron 4 years ago which trashed my shoulders and dissolved 30 years of my savings. Time to re-invent myself.... again.

Why mention these things? As bad as this may seem to some, it's no more than a stubbed toe compared to others. I have my arms and my brain (occasionally) so I am fortunate to be able to do what I do. I have a Harley I ride (pic is of me on my scoot with wheelchair on the sidecar) and the hand controls I invented and patented. My licence plate (HDGIMP) frame is made from the 2 rods that spent 13 years in my back. I have some nice toys, a great girlfriend and 2 awesome step-kiddos who make everyday worth getting up for.

So take your time, do what you can, be patient and know that there is a way around everything! I used my electric hoist in the garage to lift me and my chair into the rafters so I could change a light bulb once. Just look around you, no matter how bad things feel, you are just average. There are many who are percieved worse off than you and many who are percieved better off too. I had a Dr friend once tell me if I wanted sympathy I could always find it in the dictionary right between "shit" and "syphilis." Sure enuf, there it is!

 

I have been dealing with a very bad back for the last 10 years . I have 3 disc in a row that were paper thin 9 years ago so I suspect they are totally gone now . I am taking very strong pain meds to help me live a so called normal life . I love build cars , building engines but have to be super careful on what I do . My back can go out and put me to the ground in wrenching pain at the drop of a wrench at any time ! Doesn't matter what I am doing or how I am bending it just goes when it feels like it . Then I have to sit is terrible pain for 2 to 4 weeks until it starts to let up ! I am getting pretty good at finding when it's time to stop . I have trouble standing still for times just talking . I have to be moving all the time which actually help .
Then I had a cyst on my finger cause from holding wrench's all these year as the Dr told me . So I had 2 removed over the winter . Dr says it's a very simple process and will take 15 mins tops . Well they ended up putting me to sleep for way longer than 15 mins . This was Feb 1-2012 and I still can't get the same use as it was before I got the operation ! I can't close my hand to hold a wrench so my 55 Ford is still on stands with a new engine and trans waiting to be installed . I am right handed so that was the hand that was operated on . I am know looking for another DR plus a Lawyer . It really sucks because I would have kept putting up with the problem that I have had for the last 8 years if I knew this would have been the out come !
So I will be off to the Jalopy Showdown tomorrow in my 4x4 and not my 55 Ford like I was hoping to be going in .
Plain F**king sucks , and yes I am still very mad due to the Dr and the operation !
BUT I still try to do what I can when I can and One Wat or The Other , I will be driving in my 55 Ford this summer and enjoying all the work I have put into this car ! I WILL FINISH THAT CAR !

Hope to see everyone at the show tomorrow !

Retro Jim

 

Adding another to my long list

This happened on March 26th due to a slip and fall caused by my landlords negligence and I'm getting screwed with no insurance and attorneys not returning my calls and the landlord not giving me his homeowners info I request.. Limited use of my hand and my job involves my hands, and my boss almost shit canned me over it

Last knuckle is what you're looking at, and also suffered nerve and tendon damage

 

Google "epley maneuver".

 

Stage III Chronic Lyme disease has been keeping projects on hold for a few years now for me. Had to sell everything I had as I can't work.

Getting better slowly, keeping my head up. It's not terminal, and I have a lot of years left.

 

Hard to post to this without looking like I need a pity party but the "C" has probably sped up my build. The clock may be ticking.

 

lackamoola. no seriously everybody that thinks they have problems should look around. some people complain about everything but when you, read posts like these you realize how good off you are. and some things arent that bad. god bless all of you people with serious ailments

 

Driving home from work April 6th this year, passed out. No known reason, doctors not sure what caused it. Now can't drive for 6 months, minor issue but it means my wife has to drive everywhere and I'm holding on for dear life. I now know why they call it the JESUS Handle.

 

I have a neromuscular disease similar to als, but not as agressive thank goodness and got the cancer tag added on this april. Reminds me of what my brother said, "Nobody gets out of here alive". All we can do is make the best of each day and be alot more forgiving to the one's we love, because in the end that's all we truly have...

 

A close friend told me several years ago "if you're gonna get old, start getting tough now". I'm 60 now and beginning to see what he was talking about. I still do almost anything I really want to, just at 1/2 speed. I've found that slowing down is much better than stopping......I feel very fortunate to have had good health. When I'm hurting, I often ask myself, how bad do I have to be hurting, before it's a problem? Time will tell, I guess.

 

I just found this thread and surprised how many of us have vertigo. I'm 65 and I've had it for a year and a half. Mine is constant, every day. While I can function, every task becomes a real chore and tends to screw up my body for the rest of the day. Consequently, I've had to sell my 32 coupe because the ride was just too rough. I now have a 46 Ford sedan which has a much softer ride, but long trips are out. Moving my head sided to side isn't much of a problem, but get me on a bouncy road and it becomes hard for me to focus and if it last long enough, it will make me sick. I've been to three specialists and no one seems to help. Physical therapy helped me cope, but did not cure.

 

Degenerative disc disease in my lower back since '91...some days I need help just getting out of bed. I try to spend my down time doing research on the web for my project, a '29 traditional roadster...thank god for you guys on the HAMB for that. I've learned how to get things done by myself, or with the help of my 95lb wife w/ her broken hip.
When I feel like whining about my challenges, I try to draw inspiration from those with worse afflictions than mine who get things done.....and there are many. Persevere man, the options are very limited, but the rewards are great.

 

I was 36 when Rheumatoid Arthritis paid a visit. ( Still visting BTW ). Life changeing for sure. Once you get over the " Why Me " you must work with your DR on the best way to lowere the pain/fatique stuff. The worst part is most people have no idea that you are ill. Car stuff takes a back seat at times due to the nature of this beast. Good Luck !!