I Need to Limit My Time Spent at My Desktop Computer
By Marsha
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
Midland, Michigan
March 4, 2017 7:20am CST
Yesterday I found it was fairly easy to lower myself into my arm-less chair at my computer desk and raise myself up again,, but I forgot that I shouldn't spend too long at a time there yet. I was probably in front of my desktop computer about an hour before getting up and moving. While the goal is to move every hour and walk around the house, the idea is to get up from a position where my legs are raised, not lowered to the ground which is the only way they can be at my desktop.
So, I have my phone set for fifteen minutes to spend writing here and checking my email. I will try doing this throughout the day. I will have to figure out how much is too much. Possibly as I fit in all my exercises and walking in the house and having my legs elevated and iced as much as possible when not doing the others I just mentioned, then sneaking in fifteen minutes at a time may work out fine. The idea would be not to be here each and every hour, but rather something like maybe four times a day for right now.
I can still check and post to facebook while on the recliner. I can still check and respond and comment to various types of posts on mylot and I can easily do a minimal amount of typing if needed on my email account.
To check and pay bills I need my desktop computer, so some of my time will be spent doing that and not visiting with my friends.
Today, I hope to share about how I'm almost pain free during the daytime hours but not so lucky at night. I'm still trying to figure out why. I want to share more about the iceman ice pack contraption that my insurance is paying for me to have going almost non-stop. I had a couple other ideas but they're hiding somewhere right now.
My alarm just rang, see you on my tablet. The picture of my mums are before they've bloomed, and I've probably used this photo before here last year.
8 people like this
9 responses
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
4 Mar 17
My dad is spending time with his legs raised in a recliner. He purchased a lap desk so he could use his laptop in a semi reclined position.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
4 Mar 17
Is that different than a device or laptop? I've not heard that term before.
I still have to watch and not spend all my time here either.
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
4 Mar 17
@MarshaMusselman it's a desk (padded) top that holds his laptop and allows him to use his mouse. His hands make it very difficult for him to use the track pad...my brother (our computer guru) disabled the track pad.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
5 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt It's good to know that the track pad can at least be disabled. I have a computer guru too that doesn't charge me too much. I don't have a laptop yet but if I ever do...
It sounds like a simple board with maybe a cushion underneath?
@celticeagle (189880)
• Boise, Idaho
5 Mar 17
Glad you are doing okay. I was the same way. I seemed to be pain free during the day but at night time I could sure feel it. Slow and easy wins the race.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (189880)
• Boise, Idaho
5 Mar 17
@MarshaMusselman ....No. I have arthritis in my one hip which causes me problems with my knees. But just the right should dislocation. My name is Eve.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
7 Mar 17
@celticeagle Which bothers you at night, your hip or your knee? How long have you been bothered by either one and how long are you hoping to go before getting either one done? I've heard of people getting seen for the first time that were told by the doctor that what they thought was the problem wasn't and the other joint needed the work first.
It could be that a hip replacement would allow your need to return to normal or vice versa. If you're hoping to wait a long time for treatment, I'd recommend physical therapy if you have insurance that would cover it for a bit. I did that some years ago. I got cleared by my insurance to have PT so that I could prolong needing a replacement-that was my idea not theirs.
If you'd be covered you could find out from the professionals what to do to prevent either one from getting worse.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
5 Mar 17
Did you have a knee replacement, too, Eve?
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@GardenGerty (169479)
• United States
6 Mar 17
It is very important for us not to sit too still. I do know that my time at the desktop tends to make me stiffer than I need to be.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
7 Mar 17
I've reverted to spending a lot of time in the recliner instead of in my chair, which isn't much better. The one benefit is that I can get my feet in the air, but I still am there more than walking more than I'd like. I slept in the recliner last night and got better sleep again with no pain, tonight I'm trying out the couch. It's at least long enough, but will be hard to get up in the middle of the night for my potty breaks.
I think I need to set a timer no matter where I sit or lay down. I figure if I can get good sleep tonight and sleep better and longer than today, then maybe I won't need any nap tomorrow. I got up at six am this morning.
@shaggin (74987)
• United States
4 Mar 17
Most of the time I use mylot from my tablet and if that is charging then I use my iPod. If I do it on my computer the spam redirects bugged me too much. During the night do you get up every hour to walk around? I am thinking if not maybe that is why you are hurting more at night?
1 person likes this
@shaggin (74987)
• United States
5 Mar 17
@MarshaMusselman I wouldn't want to get up every hour in the night either but wondered if being inactive at night causes the pain. I hope soon it stops hurting at night. It has to be awful to try to sleep and be in pain like that!
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
4 Mar 17
I'm still in the process of figuring out why. It wasn't quite so bad last night. Thursday night it was probably between 8-9, but last night closer to 6 with a few bursts higher.
I want to target standing up knee lifts which target the quads and help me get in and out of car doors easily or more-so. I also may work on some 'touching ones toes' bends to strengthen my thighs and butt. The latter I'll need to wait till someone is in the room in case I lose my balance.
When it was recommended that we get up each hour to walk about the house, they didn't mean during the night too.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (74987)
• United States
5 Mar 17
@MarshaMusselman My father in law stopped by today and was talking about his needing his knees replaced. Maybe just the knee cap I can't remember what he said.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
5 Mar 17
wow I had had something laid out for me a ffew years back as my]
legs were swelling but I did not do as well as you are doing so Im
now on diuretics to keep my legs nice and slim. Still I must be
doing something right as Im now ninety and in pretty good health
too. I get up and walk around the room every two hours then of course meals also take me away from my desktop.'
Yo u have had a painful leg problem I understand hope it gets
better for you.=
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
7 Mar 17
When your legs were swelling were you raising them up on pillows or a nice recliner and did you try icing them? Were they swelling on there own, or did you have surgery of some type?
Lori Moore's chiropractor suggests twenty minutes sitting down at a time and then moving about before sitting again. I'm hoping to remember that. It helps our spine and back not have issues too.
I had a lot more pain before surgery than I do now.
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
7 Mar 17
I am glad your recovery is going so well.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
7 Mar 17
I think certain aspects are doing extremely well, but I don't think I'm pushing myself as much as I could be with the exercises. I went to my first PT appointment today and lordy did she push my surgical let. I found out a little bit what or how we can push the leg without overdoing it, but I'm not sure yet what overdoing it is.
She put me on a machine to begin with that moves your knees up and down. Or I should say you move your knees up and down and then it moves, lol. She had it on a level that I would never have tried for myself if I was doing this on my own, yet it didn't really hurt while doing it. It did strain an area or two, possibly the muscles directly attached to my new hardware, but she said that I'd feel that no matter what in the beginning, and maybe soon I won't even notice that at all.Even though I could 'feel' it, there wasn't really any pain at all, just discomfort.
I may have made the mistake of telling her getting in and out of cars is the hardest thing. Because she got my leg to go 95 degrees today whereas before the furthest I got was 85, and Friday in my assessment it was back down to 75. That's mostly because I'm not faithfully doing each of my exercises the number of times it says each day. Even at 95, I can't get into the car easily and changed how I was getting in and out.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
4 Mar 17
The first few days it was easier to remember to get up and move when in the recliner. Since I did most of my mylotting from my desktop, before my surgery, I could easily be there non-stop again without remembering to move around enough. (Meaning not moving around for hours at a time which was my norm before while sitting at my desk).
For now I seem to be sleeping too much in my recliner. I didn't spend much time there before. Sleeping more than usual during the day may be the main reason I'm awake more at night feeling any pain. It's too soon to know for sure.
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
4 Mar 17
There may be various reasons that I'm awake feeling pain in the night. Since I'm barely in pain while awake it makes me wonder why I'm in so much more pain at night. A good part could be that with my sleeping more chunks of the day away that I'm not getting as many exercises done each day. Another reason could be my bed itself.
I've thought I always had the left side of the bed. But, I do remember one place we lived that I slept on the right side. I now wonder when and why that changed. I do not remember whether I slept on both sides while in our current house or whether it was only the left side beginning back then. We've been here fifteen or so years.
It is hard getting the surgical leg into the bed. My right hip and surrounding muscles or flab as the case might be could be working harder than necessary to get my leg onto the bed, since I have to pull it up. The other possibility may be that side of the bed could be worn down enough that laying there in one position, on my back, is causing undue stress on that area of my body.
And yes, I am taking pain killers and a nerve block. The first every 4-6hrs as needed, the second I'm taking twice per day till gone..
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
4 Mar 17
Easy will somewhat be my middle name. It's not the same as being a pushover.
I'd forgotten my picture was a kaleidoscope of my mum's and the actual plant, not my cactus.
It takes time to delete when we can't highlight the section.
to be deleted: When my cactus bloomed near the holiday it was only half the plant. It lasted a decent amount of time but probably shorter
