Alligatorob's Diary

[Marsia]

Oh, so sorry to hear about the spinal stenosis and about your dog. Is there anything that can lengthen the spaces in the vertebrae again, like maybe yoga or pilates? Do you have to be careful to do just low impact exercise like swimming now? Your dog sounds too happy for her own good. I'm glad she has you as her owner and that you can retrain her so she doesn't go in the bad part of the driveway anymore. Too bad you can't put something on her like a body cone instead of those head cones so she doesn't jump up on things. I am grieving getting weaker as I get older. I think I need to do a lot more exercises where I lift my own weight. It's great you enjoy going to the gym and working out so long. Did the physical therapist ok your gym exercises?

 

[liza3]

Thanks Liza, and yes I think all addictions are different, but share many common characteristics. Do you think you could ever become an occasional or intermittent smoker? My guess is no, once restarting it would be hard to stop again. Not that you'd want to. I am lucky, never started, so my occasional cigar does not cause me to crave more. At about one a month, in warmer weather anyway, I think I am ok.

Doctor told me everyone who lives long enough develops spinal stenosis, its just deterioration of the vertebrae narrowing nerve passages. Some people never feel the effects, the narrowing doesn't matter too much for them. However commonly it results in neck or back pain, and sometimes that pain can be felt to spread. I am lucky, no back pain I think that is worse than neck... well maybe. Anyway its just one of those aging processes to be lived with and managed, no cure, but some treatments can help.

Yeah I don't think i could ever smoke casually--I guess that's the problem when the addiction is food--one has to eat so it's not something you can just go cold turkey on! I remember after years of quitting smoking I was living in a stressful situation and there were a lot of smokers around me. I was trying not to give in and someone said something about a cigarette here and there wouldn't harm me...and then yep another good few years of being addicted before i could give them up again!

I hope you can find good treatments to continue to manage the spinal stenosis...

 

[alligatorob]

Yesterday was not a bad day, I ate ok, not great, but ok, and most importantly no binge. No gym but it seemed I was very busy all day, yard work and I got my first real bunch of peaches. I cut them up and prepared for fermentation, about 60 lbs before processing. Not enough for the first peach brandy batch I have in mind so I put them in the freezer. Took up lots of space.

Rob, I think the hardest part of getting older is mentally feeling as you did when you were much younger but your body physically just can't keep up without pain & so much extra effort. It's very frustrating. Once you start making adjustments you feel older. It's a Catch-22 situation. *sigh*

Well said, it can get frustrating. I am 70 now, 71 in a few weeks, and its beginning to sink in. When I was in my 60s I could kind of rationalize and believe that saying, something like 60 is the new 40... But of course it wasn't true. I am pretty sure 70 is the well... new 70.

I'm glad your doggo will recover xo

So am I, she gave us a scare but I think now she is past the worst risk. Its now just a matter of time and finding out how complete the recovery will be. She is walking a little better today, but when I let her go up a couple of steps I could see it was hurting her, and she did not do it very well... Just have to be patient, easier for me than the dog...

 

[Llama]

The average 70-y/o now has a LOT more quality of life than the average 70-y/o 50 or 100 years ago. Probably comparable to 50-y/o back then. But that's not much of a consolation when theory becomes practice. Spinal stenosis sucks.

 

[alligatorob]

Today was a good day, I ate fairly well and feel good tonight. No gym today, but that was planned. Spent a lot of the day building a ramp so the injured dog can get onto the bed. Seems to work.

Is there anything that can lengthen the spaces in the vertebrae again, like maybe yoga or pilates?

The doctor said something like that was possible. That is what the physical therapy is supposed to be helping with. It seemed to be going well, my pain decreased. However finding that my right side is getting weaker, without pain, is disturbing. I have a Dr's appointment Thursday to talk about it.

Do you have to be careful to do just low impact exercise like swimming now? ... I am grieving getting weaker as I get older. I think I need to do a lot more exercises where I lift my own weight. It's great you enjoy going to the gym and working out so long. Did the physical therapist ok your gym exercises?

I have not really changed anything, just lightened up the weights a bit. Both therapists and doctors have always said that so long as it was not painful I can do whatever exercise I want. Learning to stop when it hurt was a good thing.

I hope you can find good treatments to continue to manage the spinal stenosis...

Thanks Liza, and I am trying. Was told my options were exercise and PT, injections, surgery, or live with it. So far I am still hopeful for the exercise and PT route, don't want to do any of the others...

The average 70-y/o now has a LOT more quality of life than the average 70-y/o 50 or 100 years ago. Probably comparable to 50-y/o back then.

Good point, if I had been born 100 years earlier I'd probably be dead, need to be happy for that I guess.

Spinal stenosis sucks.

Yeah, so I am discovering. Have you had much PT success in treating it?

 

[Llama]

Treatment of spinal stenosis very much depends on how it's developing. If it's just a shortening of the intervertebral spaces exercise can help a bit but often bone mass starts to grow outward and inward from structures that have been heavily loaded throughout your life and exercise can't do anything to widen the vertebral canal itself. In that case the best you can do is work on muscular stability (through exercise) to reduce unnecessary irritation of the nerves and get injections when inflammation does occur because inflammation brings swelling with it.
Surgery means scraping out the canal or even opening up the dorsal side. Nobody wants surgery so close to so many big nerves but when it goes well it can be a great help. Scraping out the canal is generally only a temporary fix - which could still mean ten years if you're lucky - but of course removing the back of one or more vertebrae is a lot more invasive.
In general you want to pay attention you your posture (head forward posture means your nerves have a lot less space than they might have) and reduce inflammation wherever possible.
I'm not a dietician but in my personal joint agony experience that means regular exercise, drinking lots of water, eating your greens, and reducing highly processed food. Most of which I think you do anyway.

 

[liza3]

NIce work on building that ramp for your dog

 

[alligatorob]

Today I binged, not my worst, but not good. I did record everything, actually surprised the calories were not higher.

Thanks Llama, I appreciate your expertise. After my Dr's visit Thursday I may have some treatment options to run by you.

you want to pay attention you your posture (head forward posture means your nerves have a lot less space than they might have)

Thanks that is interesting. I do look down too much, when I walk or do most anything. I know its a bad habit, but one that's hard to break. Done it all my life, could be a contributor to the problem. One thing I notice is that when I don't look down I don't feel as stable, looking at what my feet are doing is comforting.... Always joked that it was because I grew up in rural Florida with lots of snakes, some venomous. Moved many a water moccasin and an occasional rattler from the path, carrying a big stick was always a good idea. So I learned to look down when walking to keep from stepping on one. Maybe some truth to it, I remember my father always warning me to look where I was stepping.

 

[alligatorob]

NIce work on building that ramp for your dog

Thanks, the dog is doing a bit better every day, getting more optimistic for her recovery.

 

[Llama]

The physio answer to needing to see where you're stepping is to look at the floor 5m in front of you rather than 50 cm. And maybe work on balance. Neither helps for sudden snakes but I don't think they're currently a real worry for you

 

[alligatorob]

Today was a good day, ate well, exercised, and feel good tonight. Calories were a bit higher than my general target, but not bad for having gone out for dinner.

The physio answer to needing to see where you're stepping is to look at the floor 5m in front of you rather than 50 cm. And maybe work on balance.

Thanks, I have been trying. Since I had the knee surgery and can now straighten my legs and walk more upright I've been trying, but easier said than done. If I think about it I can walk upright and look straight ahead, but soon I stop thinking about it and my brain puts my body back where it thinks it should be... My balance isn't the best, but that's not really the reason. I just feel more comfortable doing what I've always done, looked down at my feet when they are moving... Plan to keep working on it, but it maybe one of those teaching an old horse new tricks things...

Neither helps for sudden snakes but I don't think they're currently a real worry for you

I don't know... 70 years without a single venomous snake bite, hard to argue with success, LOL

 

[Llama]

I started working on my posture at 20, more than half my life ago, and while it's definitely easier to stay upright because the different muscles are more balanced I still have to remind myself. All. The. Time. It's worth it though, for my spine and shoulders.

 

[Cate]

OK. I am going to really concentrate more on my posture. 5 metres in front, though? I think (know) I would be too scared of tripping on something, like tree roots or a dog I did almost tread on a Tiger snake once because I was walking up a mountain & looking at the view.

 

[liza3]

yes old habits hard to break! I know I used to walk head down all the time--i think it was a sort of introspection/self consciousness thing--now I generally do look up and around when I am walking on streets, but I'm sure there are a lot of other bad habit postures I have that i am not even aware of...awareness is the first step I guess!

 

[Emilyrose]

Building a ramp for your injured dog is so sweet.

Well done on the good eating and exercise day. And feeling good of course! The most important part.

 

[alligatorob]

Today was a good day, ate pretty well, exercised and feel good tonight.

I started working on my posture at 20, more than half my life ago, and while it's definitely easier to stay upright because the different muscles are more balanced I still have to remind myself. All. The. Time. It's worth it though, for my spine and shoulders.

And without a single snake bite? Maybe you don't have any in Austria, did St Patrick visit you also? You make a good point, in fact today I spent a lot of time trying to look straight ahead and stand upright. I can, just have trouble remembering to...

OK. I am going to really concentrate more on my posture.

I did my best today, but starting about 50 years behind Llama it will be a struggle...

yes old habits hard to break! I know I used to walk head down all the time--i think it was a sort of introspection/self consciousness thing--now I generally do look up and around when I am walking on streets, but I'm sure there are a lot of other bad habit postures I have that i am not even aware of...awareness is the first step I guess!

How did you break the habit?

Building a ramp for your injured dog is so sweet.

Well done on the good eating and exercise day. And feeling good of course! The most important part.

Thanks Emily, you are right the feeling good is really what matters. Dog seems to appreciate it, doesn't complain about the lack of paint finish.

 

[liza3]

I don't know how I broke the habit Rob--maybe just grew less introspective? I'm always just curious now what's going on around me, and looking at trees and birds and the sky and stuff as I walk...There is one fellow I know here who I always notice has his eyes to the ground as he walks--i always just imagine him deep in thought, but maybe he's keeping an eye out for snakes
Anyways nice to see you had a good day

 

[Llama]

Plenty of snakes in Austria but they do their best to stay away, which is almost a shame because I'm always happy to see them when I do. Population density may have something to do with it, or maybe you're just more light-footed than me and they don't notice your approach.

 

[Cate]

I walk fairly upright on my regular walks & look at the scenery but I know what's ahead. Trying to do our best is all we can do, Rob. Playing golf the main thing is to keep your head down when you play a shot. That is SO hard!
Feeling good about what we do is the best.
Lovely dog ramp, Rob. It's nice to know another softie

 

[alligatorob]

Binged again today...

Also went back to the spine guy I've been seeing. The physical therapist has been concerned that although my pain is getting better I am getting weaker. Concerned enough that she called the spine guy right away, after measuring. Measured my strength in my right arm, its gone down by about half what she measured a couple of months. I knew it was happening, just had not quantified it. The spine guy is a nurse practitioner who used to be a chiropractor, in a spine clinic, so I think he knows a lot about it. He was also concerned, but quickly said I needed to see a neurosurgeon... so that's next. He had no suggestions for treatment, said it was really out of his expertise. At least he's honest... One good thing he said was that I still had good strength, but it should not be getting worse, not so fast anyway. No other joints or muscles in my body are impacted..

I don't know how I broke the habit Rob--maybe just grew less introspective? I'm always just curious now what's going on around me, and looking at trees and birds and the sky and stuff as I walk...There is one fellow I know here who I always notice has his eyes to the ground as he walks--i always just imagine him deep in thought, but maybe he's keeping an eye out for snakes

Thanks Liza, I am also interested in what's going on around me, I'll try to remember that as I walk.

Plenty of snakes in Austria but they do their best to stay away, which is almost a shame because I'm always happy to see them when I do.

I like snakes, collected them when I was a kid, always had a lot around the house. No venomous ones. My mother was quite tolerant.

I almost never kill one, not even the venomous variety. As an adult only did that once, a big rattlesnake in the middle of a crowded campground full of kids.

maybe you're just more light-footed than me and they don't notice your approach.

Not likely...

I walk fairly upright on my regular walks & look at the scenery but I know what's ahead. Trying to do our best is all we can do, Rob. Playing golf the main thing is to keep your head down when you play a shot. That is SO hard!
Feeling good about what we do is the best.
Lovely dog ramp, Rob. It's nice to know another softie

I tried to stay more upright today, but am always catching myself... its a process. Glad you liked the ramp, so did the dog!