Tee Dee .09 rebuild.. and run!

Thanks Troy, Doug and Andrus. I'm pretty sure that this injury was a result of lifting a VERY heavy (nearly 300lbs.) transformer (team-lift with a fellow employee) off the floor and onto a skid. Neither of us expected it to be that heavy.. but after dead-lifting it.. there was no sense in putting it back down, when the skid was right there next to it. I mentioned all of this this in another thread a couple weeks ago.. so I'm reiterating. I didn't start having trouble until a few days later.. so I couldn't ethically report it as a work-injury.

I'm no stranger to back-injury.. and back "problems" run in my family. My dad, two younger brothers and me are all tall through the trunk. We're all 6+ feet tall and wear trousers with a 30" inseam.. We've all had back problems at one point or another. My dad had micro-surgery (probably around my age) to relieve the stenosis (spinal-arthritis) in his back. He was like a "new man" following the procedure. My youngest brother blew-out (squashed..) 2 discs in either his lumbar or thoracic region which needed to be completely removed.. leaving three vertebrae to fuse together. That was decades ago when he was in his 20's.. He's a "Stone-Mason" by trade.. and I don't need to tell you how much of a strain that's been on him ever since. Being self-employed and facing fierce-competition in the stone-trade over the last 10 years along with going through a divorce.. leaves him unable to afford health insurance. He's in MUCH WORSE shape than I am.. and has now lost the feeling in his fingers/hands. He "eats" x10 Advil "Liqui-Gels" daily.. just to make it through.

Doug, I haven't heard of "Soma"... but was prescribed (this week) "Cyclobenzaprine" (Flexoril) 10mg x3/daily. I actually get more relief from OTC Naproxen Sodium.. but I really don't like taking meds of any sort unless I'm in excruciating pain. Prior to the recent Flexoril.. I was prescribed Diclofenac Sodium tablets; a leading osteoarthritis med. which gave me bad headaches.. (one of the side-effects..) I was getting them for a week after stopping taking it. For me; the risks outweighed the benefits.

I've been receiving for the first time in my life; PT for almost 2 months now, twice a week.. and can't say that it's helped. I usually recover from these episodes in two or three days.. but not this time.

I actually don't feel too bad.. unless I have to bend forward.. or carry weight out in front of me. For example; I can push a lawn-mower for hours.. but using a string-trimmer for just two minutes will do me in.

For the last several years; having to bend forward for any more than a minute or two, causes my back-muscles to spasm. My wife was watching me replace a water-pump in my car.. where I had to lean-over the fender.. (you know the drill..) and it was literally killing me.

I don't favor taking a needle to the spine (steroid injections)... but that's coming on Oct 2nd. I'm out of work with no pay until then. A friend told me that he "crawled-in"... and after having them; "danced-out". That's encouraging.. but my anxiety-needle is pegged.. due mostly to my recent employment situation.

It's an absolutely gorgeous day today.. (finally..) and what I should be doing is flying my Cox PT-19 Flight-Trainer... (pokes Kim..) I've got one more freshly-rebuilt product-engine that needs a home.. but the models' fuel tank (bowl) doesn't want to stay snapped-on. I really need to address that issue.. and have some fun. Maybe I can rig-up a small wedge-tank. There's plenty of room in the nose, behind the firewall to do that.