46 comments on “Being Healthy is EXPENSIVE

  1. First of all, I am glad you had a happy birthday. But I am very sorry to hear about your spinal problems. So painful and uncomfortable. I had a similar problem in 2004. 3 months of pain and difficult movement, and eventually I had to have surgery. However, everything worked out fine in the end. Take care and I send healing thoughts to you so you will soon be well and able to attend your son’s wedding.

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  2. Happy birthday, Muhammad. Back problems are so difficult to live with. I have had back surgery, so I know. Your list is accurate, especially about not stretching out to reach something and about facing forward toward the item. I am wishing for you a full recovery soon.

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  3. I am so sorry to hear that you are in pain, but it’s good you had a great celebration. Your advice is very good – I know I should follow it, but I am guilty of bad posture habits at the computer. It’s so hard to sit up straight! Please take care of yourself and know that we all wish you a happy holiday and a healthy New Year. Even if this is not the holiday or New Year you normally celebrate! 🙂 You flowers will be OK. Maybe a few not so strong ones will have trouble and you will be left with the best and strongest plants. Wishing you well from across the ocean –

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  4. Christmas night holy aside worries and sorrows. Open your heart and gets a touch of blessing that flows over the world tonight!

    Whether this year’s holidays will fill your heart with joy, confidence, hope and love. And Santa will bring the most desired and unexpected gifts and those close to you.
    Merry Christmas

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  5. I’m sorry to learn of your illness – hopefully you are better by now and can attend the wedding. All good wishes for you and yours for the new year!

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    • Thank you for all your prayers, Ann. Now I am well and had attended my son’s wedding in a very good condition. I am so sorry that I didn’t respond it as quickly as usual since I got the back problem and had to prepared a lot of things for my son’s wedding. I write new posts soon and hopefully can back as usual. Best wishes for you and yours.

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  6. Thanks Aura, nice transcription,

    I was wondering what happened to you.

    Back troubles I understand. I wish that I didn’t understand pinched nerves, stenosis, osteoporosis, osteo-arthritis, slipped discs, protruding discs, extruding discs, degenerative spine desease, degenerative disc disorder, ….. and everything needs doing regardless of how you feel. Damaged nerves can cause even the strongest muscles to be useless or work improperly or to spasm and cramp (any of them from thighs to toes to abdomen to buttocks to fingers and thumb to shoulders or anywhere, at unexpected moments for short or long durations. Injured backs can cause bowel and bladder troubles.

    Perhaps the ancient Romans wore that perfectly fitted armor for more than defense? When my husbands back was broken in a train wreck ,17 years ago, he had a molded plastic brace that looked like ancient battle armor. It did have little holes all through it so that air could pass through and to make it lighter in weight. He wore it for six months. It was helpful to his healing. He did heal without permanent nerve damage. I, on the other hand, have all of the previously listed back troubles +plus a few more from just plain old ordinary work (and a few dangerous falls). I’ve just worn out some of my parts, not the replaceable ones. 🙂 I’ve had two back surgeries which had I not had them, I would be unable to walk now, at all. I’ve found that temperature variations affect nerve function, as well as blood sugar, ordinary fatigue, and over all nutrition. And repetitive motions. Aaargh! I think everything affects nerve function!!

    If you can reduce the inflammation at the injury site then the swelling will go down and sometimes the discs and other tiny parts can be induced to slide back into place if you can relax the area enough. Being able to relax the muscles is dependent on reduced inflammation. There are medicines and herbs that can help with this. I don’t know what you have locally, and I won’t presume to recommend anything. But if the inflammation goes away, so will a great deal of the pain. If the pain goes away, you will be able to heal more quickly. Or at least feel some better.

    You will go to your son’s wedding, even if it hurts. Use a wheelchair if you have to, if your legs won’t
    work. But go. Plan now how to do it for all of the possible scenarios so that your children won’t worry too much. Let your doctor know if you will need medication to be able to do what you need to do. Getting married is scary enough! You remember, surely 🙂 Hire someone strong and knowledgeable to help you if you have to be lifted or hoisted so that you don’t cause your daughter’s back to become injured also. These are just some ideas to get you to the wedding ….

    We are all relatives
    Bear

    P.S.
    Congratulations!!

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    • Thank you so much, My Bear. God had blessed me with your prayers. I am recovering my illness and I did attended my son’s wedding last Wednesday, Jan 8.2014 in a very well condition. It was really a great wedding ceremony and reception was taken place at a beautiful garden near my house. My back problem had gone but numbness in my left little finger. My older daughter had accompanied me to substitute her late mother for a ceremonial procession and Aura could not present on her brother’s wedding since she had to attend a job training in Jakarta.

      Now, I am back to you all and You will see his wedding story on my next post. I think you have to know about a traditional wedding in my community especially on my son’s wedding that I had prepared for him last month prior to the ceremony. It is interesting to read 🙂

      Meanwhile, I am having trouble with creating a new post, non the less I have contacted WordPress support to help me solve this problem.

      I highly appreciate your attention – I Love you !!! 😀

      Best wishes for you

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      • I am so glad you are “on the mend” I am on a mountain near Huntsville, Alabama with My 90 year old ACTIVE father (about whom I blogged), my 87 year old step mother and her 83 year old sister who are recovering from pneumonia and flu and various other chronic ills that won’t go away, and some geriatric problems + unique diets and well they do have lots of good stories when we can all stop long enough to talk and listen. All three are one half deaf, so I am the listener. This is a borrowed computer for an hour or so, then I shall again be away from the cyber world. Congratulations for the wonderful wedding. I will do more than reply to notifications …. someday. Bear

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    • Thank you very much, Bear. What a joyful being with healthy old beloved father and your step mother and her sister . Hope you always have good times with them. Now, the heavy rains fall all day every day at my place that made us lazy to go out from the house. I just drop my little granddaughter by the kindergarten and pick her up at midday when the school finished. Those what we do in the heavy rains. see you soon.

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    Johns Hopkins Health Alerts
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    When Osteoarthritis Leads to Spinal Stenosis

    Osteoarthritis of the spine is a common cause of lower back pain and stiffness, and it can lead to a condition known as spinal stenosis. In spinal stenosis, degenerative changes in the spine cause the spinal canal to become narrower. This narrowing (stenosis) places pressure on the spinal cord and on the nerves branching out from it. This may lead to a range of symptoms, from vague numbness and weakness in the legs while standing and walking to, in the most severe cases, extreme pain and difficulties with bowel and bladder control.

    Spinal stenosis can result from injury to the back, or, more often, as a normal part of the aging process. With age, the spongy disks between the vertebrae, which serve as a cushion, lose moisture and elasticity. Like a sponge, as the disks become harder and dry out, they shrink, which reduces the distance between the vertebrae above and below the disk. Sometimes the disks herniate (bulge out), pressing on nerves such as the sciatic nerve.
    •As the spine settles into a new position, the facet joints located at the back of each vertebra are forced to bear more weight. This increased pressure can lead to osteoarthritis and the deterioration of the facet joints.
    •As a result of the disk and facet joint deterioration, the vertebrae come even closer to one another and begin to rub together, eventually wearing away the cartilage covering their ends. As the cartilage deteriorates, the joints and supporting ligaments may thicken, narrowing the spinal canal.
    •Over time, the increased friction from the bones rubbing together may lead to the formation of overgrowths or bone spurs (osteophytes) at the facet joints as well as around the rims of the vertebrae. If these spurs grow inside the spinal canal, they can pinch the spinal cord as well as the sciatic nerve and other nerves that run through it.

    What does it feel like? Spinal stenosis is associated with an array of symptoms, including:
    •Pain in the neck or back
    •Pain, weakness, numbness or cramping in the legs, back or buttocks
    •Shooting pain down the back of one leg (sciatica), which often begins as pain in the hip or buttocks
    •Feeling of heaviness or weakness in the legs
    •Clumsiness, tripping, falls

    Pain from spinal stenosis typically worsens when you stand or walk. Sitting or leaning forward may relieve the pain by taking pressure off the involved nerves. Conservative measures resolve spinal stenosis symptoms in many but not all patients. Back surgery may be considered if you have persistent pain, leg weakness or bowel or bladder problems related to the spinal stenosis.

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