Life With My Pet Back

Well it is well and truly winter now. I always find that January is the coldest month here and for sometime in to February. We have for the past couple years been short on snow but we do get our fair share of ice.  Where I live they do grit the major roads but rarely the side roads or the pathways so if you are walking , you are dealing with ice. Before back issues walking in snow and ice never bothered me that much.  However since I had severe low back pain and bilateral sciatica and I know I have two herniated discs I am much more wary of walking in ice and snow and quite worried about slipping and falling. Although these days thank goodness I am mostly pain free I do know that if I was to slip, twist and jar my back I am likely to be in a lot of pain again. So I decided that as I do a lot of walking now and I do not want my back to limit my life anymore than it has to and if I want to go out in winter,  I cannot avoid ice, I would find a solution. Ice grippers at...

Isnt it strange how as we get a bit older we get all sorts of aches and pains in places we didn’t know we had places! They certainly were not there when we were younger. I know I have, and though I try to ignore it , I know I should really be paying attention, especially as my Mum has two kinds of arthritis and I have seen first hand the effects on her. So if you are wondering if that grinding in your knees as you walk down the stairs is a cause for concern – or if the weakened grip as you try to open a jar is normal – (why are those jars on sooo tight these days !) or you are in pain, you may be looking at an early indication of Arthritis. I suggest that you do get it checked out by a qualified healthcare professional and also read below. Arthritis Reversed Book If you already have Arthritis, you’re still going to love this because he reveals how you can actually reverse its effects with simple changes in your diet alone. And even if you yourself don’t h...

I used to use pillows between my knees when lying on my side and under my knees when lying on my back but while they did the job I did find it frustrating as when I moved around in the night suddenly all my support was gone and I had to reposition the pillows yet again. This tended to lead to a somewhat disturbed night!  With a full body pillow for  support - well it is just blissful.... You are cradled and supported and comfortable...it helps to align the spine and hips and in some cases the neck as well so your whole body is supported, comfortable and settled. It takes the pressure off my back and allows me to r-e-l-a-x and certainly leads towards a much more restful sleep.  Yes it does take up room in the bed but that is a small issue and when you and your partner get a good nights sleep is soon forgotten!  There are quite a few designs and different kinds of body pillow supports. Follow Jasmine Ann Raintree's board Back And Sciatic Pain Strategies. on Pinte...

I wanted to touch on a topic today that can be very distressing if you are suffering with it. As I have not suffered this myself I am going to give you a series of links to people in the field and to relevant support groups which I hope are helpful to you. We are talking about Arachnoiditis. No it is not about spiders! This is a chronic condition of the spine. It is inflammation of the arachnoid layer of the meninges. That is the protective layers found around the brain and spinal cord and it causes severe pain. I certainly do not want you to try and diagnose yourself from any description I give here but some of the common symptoms may be; Weakness and numbness or tingling in the legs Feeling of crawling insects on the leg Cramps and twitching Severe shooting pain And/or bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction. If you have these symptoms you must seek medical attention from your healthcare provider. To understand and read more about it here are detailed and descrip...