This is a back crack hug that I get from Mr Lifecruiser that is crucial for my daily life.
If I even try to do some ordinary household stuff, like take care of the dishes – or just is standing too long, my upper back is locking itself somehow and he has to crack my back to get me back in life again, so I can handle the lower back pain.
Yesterday I had another back crack. I went to the place where my upcoming big back investigation (so I thought) shall take place. This was just a first time to study their working methods and what’s coming for me.
Behold of my big surprise and extreme misbelief when I enter a place where it feels like you’ve been thrown back in time for about 40 years or so…. It turned out to be a place for pure work rehabilitation and the very worst kind in my opinion. And in very old boring and worned out premises.
You’re supposed to be there for at least 6 hours a day and sew pot-holders, first aid kits, put together birdhouses, work in the kitchen or the reception that didn’t even look like a real reception. If you’re lucky you may get hold of one of the computers for a little while.
If you only could have seen the premises. It was a very depressive look even for me that’s optimistic of my nature! And with a very depressive atmosphere from the few people that were there – they looked like zoombies.
I’m actually chocked. I didn’t think that these kind of places existed any more. It’s like a frantic joke or something.
Except from the fact that this should be a very serious matter. This is people who have been on sick leave and still have their illnessess, that come here – is this the right place to get encouraged to begin to work again…? They can’t be serious?
I’m thinking of people that maybe have been on a sick leave just because of depressions or being burned out, how the heck will they be able to put up with this? I find it insulting.
For me, this is totally wrong too. I’m in no shape for rehabilitation work and I thought I’ had made that pretty clear by describing my problems to them even in writing, even with a doctors certificate. I wonder if they can’t read? I won’t bother you with all the details, let’s just say that they’re many and I’m bored sick of being so sick 
I’m having trouble to just get through the day with ordinary life things. I can’t do any household work (poor Mr Lifecruiser!) and it would be quite a struggling for me to just get to this place every day within certain times.
I thought this should be a serious attempt to do a proper investigation of my back. A combined investigation led by a doctor, a physical therapist and maybe a occupational therapist. Some kind of experts.
I don’t count a house doctors 2 minutes look on my back for an investigation, do you? So they just sent me to work rehabilitation directly, hoping to save some money?
Believe me, If I were anywhere near a chance of being able to work, I would be out there already. I can assure you that my back is not anything anyone want to have. And if I could start work training, I had already done it myself. This writing is, as a matter of the fact, the result of me trying all the time.
I obviously have to talk again with my handling officer, I wonder what it was that she didn’t grasp? I asked her about this place, what it ment and she was sounding a bit vague in her answers. I should have known then that something were wrong. Of course, she is not available until Tuesday… They’re always so hard to catch.
Actually, so far, I’ve only bad experiences of our health care (except from my appendix surgery last year, that was an easy one), the only person that have helped me, is Mr Lifecruiser and myself!
Come to think about it, maybe he should have it as a profession, because he has become an excellent physical therapist He knows exactly how to deal with my different kind of back problems, lower/upper back, shoulders/neck and what alternative treatment to use in what case.
He has become an expert on different massage techniques *lol*, massage oils, massage equipment, painkilling spray’s and lotions, cushions supports, heat cushions, painkillers and obstruction of muscle inflammations.
So now you also know who my crack dealer is
Secret whisper: You should only know, how long it takes for me to get a post like this together… I have to work with it all day with a lot of breaks.
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Do you HAVE to go to this place? It just sounds awful!! ARe you going there so that you can get back in the work force? I am trying to understand WHY you went there in the FIRST place. It sounds horrible!! I would not go there IF I did not have too. I think that your hubby has all of the right answers. I have back trouble too. Standing too long, sitting too long hurts but exercise seems to be the right thing for me. I am in Curves here in the states. Stretching and exercise and losing weight has helped more than any medication so far has helped. I have been in pain for over 15 years now. Sandy
Lifecruiser: I don’t know yet Sandy. It’s the social insurance agency that sent me there and we’ll see what they says when I get hold of my handling officer over there. They can force me to go there, they have done that to others, so I’m prepared of that, but not accepting it, simply because it’s just not possible for my back to handle it.
I’ve been exercising on my own and I also found some special McKenzie movements that has helped me a lot in the more acute situations. Exercise especially helped in the beginning up to a certain level. If I hadn’t done those two things, I would never have gotten so far as I have. And I’m stubborn! *lol*
But then after that it seems that there is nothing more to do. Operation is no option, there is no good prognosis.
I always wondered where pot holders came from. Could you make me a blue one before Christmas..
Just kidding. Hope they come to their senses and provide you with proper care..
Lifecruiser: Thanks. I only think they made pink ones, will that do? You can always close your eyes…?
actually what helps me the most is STRETCHING…Have you done that? There are some really great stretching DVD’s. Do you have a DVD player? I could see about sending one of the DVD stretching DVD’s to you if you like and see if it would help your back. I just know that stretching has helped mine…BUT it takes time. You have to do them EVERY day…..This Social Insurance Agency can MAKE you go? REALLY!! Hmm! Sandy
Lifecruiser: That is so sweet of you Sandy. Yes, I’ve done that too, but maybe it’s not the same stretchings. What’s the name of the DVD? Maybe I can get a hunch of it by that or get it here myself. Stretching is one of the things that can have an influence too. It’s necessary because if the muscles gets too short you can end up with a lot of problems. Just as you have to have abdominal muscles and leg muscles to relieve pressure of the back.
Yes, Social Insurance Agency can MAKE me go, if the handling officer not is listening to me. What they do in that case is to threaten to not pay out my insurance money. Without them life would be tough. They have done that to others.
The problem is that we have gotten a higher number of people on sick leave over here and instead of wonder WHY and maybe do something about that, they sharpened the rules. They kick on the poor ones that already is laying down. I’m not surprised that people get more ill, it’s an awful stress nowadays. We have a lot of burned out people among other stress or load related sicknessess.
Well that is just SAD…what happens to the people as they age then..say like me..I am 61…guess I would just have to get a hole and climb in…smile!! Sandy
Sometimes I wonder that too… Luckily I have some time left before that experience… *lol* And 61 is no age – I saw a Swedish woman on TV last night, she is 97 and still an aerobic instructor for elderly several times a week!!! My god, she wasn’t still for more than a minute or two! Remarkable women. She was in better shape than me….
Ohhhhhh no! Is there nothing you can DO about this? Is this what comes of National Health Care? Can you go to someone else??? Pooooooor Mrs. Lifecruiser! This just makes me want to cryyyy!
Lifecruiser: We’ll see what they say on Tuesday. If they persist on me going there, I can’t do much more, but I won’t be able to go there for long, so it’s wasted time and money for all involved. Maybe that’s what’s they need, to really be able to confirm that I can’t go through it?
I’ll keep you in my prayers hun.
Lifecruiser: Thanks
Lifecruiser: Ohhh, poor you… It sounds like you have a worse upper back than I have, my biggest problem is in the lower back. I can see that you really have tried almost everything. You may get nerves squeezed too as it sounds by your description.
There is one thing though, that you don’t mention at all, which surprises me: McKenzie exercises. That is the only thing that have helped me, even if it doesn’t take away my back problem totally, it is GOLD to have when it’s in the really acute phase.
I found out abut it on the internet and bought this book about it: Treat your own back and started to try out the method. I very quickly found out that this helped me, so I introduced it to my physical therapist who wasn’t educated on this, but asked a collegue (that was educated on the technique) about it and it was a go.
I recommend you to buy the book and try it very careful too see if it can help you and maybe discuss it with a physical therapist too. I did it best by myself, but that can be individual. There is also one for the neck, which I recommend too.
This is simple exercises, not hard to do at all. In te beginning it hurt some, but then we’re used to pain so what’s the difference? I could feel just after I’ve done the exercises a couple of times, that something happened! It was not like you had to do it for weeks before you know if it’s doing some good – you know it very fast!
I have the books in Swedish only otherwise I would have written down more from the book, but right now I don’t have the time to translate! I maybe be back soon with some translation.
I hope it will help you too, you really have an unbearable situation there.
I’ll keep in touch.
Take care
Just tracking back from your TIT about it this week;
> I don’t count a house doctors 2 minutes look on my back for an investigation, do you?
That’s absolutely shocking.
> So they just sent me to work rehabilitation directly, hoping to save some money?
Maybe they were utilising psych-shit on you with this too.
“See, she’s gone back without making a big fuss – so there’s nothing wrong with her.”
I’ve been through the process of the hospital not properly reading or taking in advice from private professionals i’ve consulted. Had a stupid registrar doctor acuse me that MS was “just in my head”, amongst other members of stuff. Nice to have an MRI scan as loud proof to smash into their faces.
I hope you can find forward momentum & support on your side with it – they sound terrible. Thinking of you and will catch up with you further soon
Take care!
Lifecruiser: Sounds like you’ve been around with some shit too. I get so tired of such things. I myself has met several doctors like that, very strange ones too, my nearest has to and so has my friends, so I’m beginning to wonder how things are…. Instead of evolving our knowledge and science we seem to have a drawnback.
Thing is, that the sick ones has enough to deal with already without taking this kind of shit, that’s what makes it so very bad. A more weak person really can break down totally from this kind of shit, so they’re doing things wrose instead of helping which should be the obvious.