Twenty Thousand Times
By fishtiger58
@fishtiger58 (29823)
Momence, Illinois
February 11, 2017 9:14am CST
Good morning all, I hope today finds you all well. I haven't been here in a few days as I pulled a muscle in my back and just couldn't sit at my computer. My best position has been flat on my back. Everything I have done for the past couple of days has taken my breath away. Thankfully today things are better, still sore but much better.
I am almost embarrassed to say how I pulled my back out but I guess it's just one of the wonderful things that can go wrong as we age. So I took my shower the other day and as I was getting dressed specifically putting on my t shirt I threw out my back. Now I'm 58 years old and if you calculate my years on mother earth with how many days I have put on a t shirt, that's approximately 20,000 times I have put a shirt on. No heavy lifting, no bending over awkwardly, no car accident, or doing some silly exercise, putting on my shirt. And the really sad thing is this is the 2nd time I have thrown my back out doing this one tiny little daily thing.
It's pretty amazing that this sort of injury can happen, I have friends who have ended up in back surgery for sneezing and throwing out their back, also one friend who had a bad cold and was coughing a lot ended up in back surgery after throwing out her back coughing.
So beware you all I have often said it's the little things in life that mean so much, it can also be the little things in life that can throw you for a loop. Take care of your backs.
13 people like this
15 responses
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
11 Feb 17
I do that as well Alfredo, I love laying on a big exercise ball to stretch my back out, however I can't lay on that ball all day lol. So because of my bad back, I have discs out of line just slightly since I was 13 I am susceptible to these kinds of injuries. I have had many injuries to my back which take my breath away many times over my life time. They of course want to do back surgery which I won't do for any reason.
2 people like this
@amadeo (111948)
• United States
11 Feb 17
@fishtiger58 I do not blame you on the surgery.I have known many that they were not too happy with it.
Good choice there
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (80050)
• United States
11 Feb 17
I have back issues so I know how easy it is to throw it out. I've sneezed and had mine go out plenty of times. Thankfully I've never had to have back surgery but I've many a trip to the chiropractor for relief. Glad that you're feeling better and hopefully it won't happen again.
3 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
11 Feb 17
I too have back issues and they want to do back surgery which I won't allow. I have had a bad back since I was 13 sad to say. I have some pain in my back every day of my life since I was 13 it's just something I'm actually used to. However because of my weak back I am susceptible to these kinds of injuries. I have several discs that won't stay aligned. Not hugely out of line but enough to cause problems.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
11 Feb 17
My mother in law broke her back by lifting a pot of coffee. Aging is no fun!
2 people like this
@katsmeow1213 (28717)
• United States
14 Feb 17
@fishtiger58 and youth is the opposite, the body can do anything, but the mind still needs to develop
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
14 Feb 17
Yikes she broke her back, oh man that's awful. Aging is pure hell, the mind is willing the body is not.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
15 Feb 17
@katsmeow1213 You are right, I never thought of it that way.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (111319)
• El Paso, Texas
11 Feb 17
Yep, it gets really tricky pulling a shirt over our heads as we get older. A friend of mine had to give away all her mom's pull over type shirts because she'd get stuck trying to get the shirts straightened out and in her case she wrenched her shoulder.
What really struck me though is that you're still so young for that to be happening to you, Linda's mom was 71 when that happened to her.
2 people like this
@rebelann (111319)
• El Paso, Texas
11 Feb 17
Yeah, surgery on backs isn't the greatest idea @fishtiger58 but sometimes it is unavoidable. I had to have surgery on mine due to the sliver of calcium that had formed and was pressing on the major nerve that lead down my arms threatening to sever it. Otherwise I wouldn't have either.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
11 Feb 17
@rebelann Well for that I would have certainly had a back surgery, mine hasn't gotten worse I don't think over the years so I will live with it instead of having the surgery.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
11 Feb 17
I have several discs just slightly out of line, and they want to do surgery which I won't allow. I have heard to many horror stories about back surgeries. I have had pain in my back since I was about 13 every single day of my life. But you get used to the daily pain and sometimes don't even notice it because it's a constant. My chiropractor told me he has seen better backs on 80 year olds and that was when I was like 19.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (459742)
• Switzerland
14 Feb 17
@fishtiger58 It's the second time I cause a problem to my right shoulder and both time it was a silly movement I make every day.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
14 Feb 17
@LadyDuck That's how it happens I guess for old folks like us, it's shocking when it happens.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
14 Feb 17
It's hell getting old the mind is willing the body however is not.
2 people like this
@just4him (307773)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
13 Feb 17
For me it's my ribs. It doesn't take much for me to bruise or break them. I have a bruised one right now. So I do understand how the little things can cause a lot of damage to a person. I hope your back gets better soon and you don't end up in surgery because of it.
2 people like this
@just4him (307773)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
15 Feb 17
@fishtiger58 I'm very happy it is.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
15 Feb 17
@just4him I am too I do rather enjoy breathing without pain lol.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
14 Feb 17
No matter what I will not allow surgery, I will live with it as I have most of my life. And yes thanks my back is way better.
2 people like this
@allknowing (130233)
• India
12 Feb 17
It is the slip disc thing saga I think. This thing does not need much of activity., There are solutions and I hope you are doing what you are expected to do.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
14 Feb 17
My back is better now thanks, I just had to wait it out.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
14 Feb 17
It's much much better thanks. I knew it was just a matter of time.
2 people like this
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
11 Feb 17
I could understand throwing out a back with a sneeze, but my getting dressed...wow, glad you are feeling better.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
11 Feb 17
Yup it's happened twice now, ridiculous but true. Yes thanks I'm much better today.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
11 Feb 17
@AbbyGreenhill Oh yikes that's a horrifying thought lol.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118664)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Feb 17
I've heard of people throwing out their backs from sneezing or coughing, but having it happen as a result of putting on a shirt is a new one to me! I hope your back feels better soon! And since you can't take any more chances of throwing your back out again while getting dressed, you are just going to have to walk around topless from now on! LOL
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
14 Feb 17
Topless is a horrifying thought lol. But as expected it's much better now.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247219)
• United States
11 Feb 17
I'm so sorry! I was wondering where you were. Now I know. My husband threw out his back years ago moving a tiny Habatchi grill two inches! I was dusting a countertop and had to see a chiropractor for 6 weeks, so I know what you mean. Feel better soon.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
14 Feb 17
Thanks so much better now. Yea my hubby picked up a throw off the couch and threw out his back, first time for him and thankfully hasn't happened again. He missed almost 2 weeks of work because of that, but had sick time so we were ok money wise.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
11 Feb 17
Thanks I'm feeling much better today. Yup sneezing is a big cause of back injury.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
11 Feb 17
I have several discs out of line since I was 13 years old, they of course suggest back surgery but that's a no go as far as I'm concerned. I have to many friends who went through back surgery and now they are in worse shape. I have pain in my back always, since I was 13 but you learn to live with it. However because of that I am susceptible to injuries such as I described. It's a pain but I believe back surgery would be way worse. so I deal with it.
2 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
11 Feb 17
@Kandae11 Much better today thanks. Yea never will I allow them to do back surgery on me.
1 person likes this
@Kandae11 (53698)
•
11 Feb 17
@fishtiger58 I also have heard, very bad news about back surgery.Hope you feel better soon.
2 people like this
@lookatdesktop (27129)
• Dallas, Texas
15 Feb 17
I hear ya. I can relate. Soak long in a tub of warm bath water and let the heat work on it. I pulled a muscle in my back and I am 59 years old. I don't have pain now but several months earlier I got this from trying to lift a fallen limb off our next door neighbor's garage from an old pin oak tree. It would not budge. It wasn't until having sawed several limbs and getting help with the removal of that limb that I began to feel the pain. To top things off, I later tried to lift a 50 pound bag of dog food for a lady at the grocery store. I was almost over the pain and then after lifting that dog food the pain came back. Yea. I can relate.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
18 Feb 17
It's not fun to have pain in the back, I like the long hot soak too for my back. Seems for me heat works well.
1 person likes this
