Pottering in the garage

[Rannsachair]

Been a funny couple of weeks on holiday: I have developed severe abdominal and lower back pain -been to docs a couple of times and A&E a couple of times this week. Am on the max dose of Tramadol and Diazepam they will give me without being admitted into hospital. I am in severe pain sitting or lying down so not much sleep and best i can do is potter in the garage with no heavy lifting. Getting married on Tuesday made for a more interesting week despite the pain. Just waiting to see if it is the cancer or unrelated musculoskeletal pain.

So I have wasted hours tidying, refurbishing tools and cleaning things:

A vintage drill sharpener:

A toolmakers jack:

A selection of toolmakers clamps:

Doc has signed me off work next week, so looks like more pottering to help me through the pain.

 

[Barking Mat]

Be careful, playing with power tools on that cocktail.

Or are you used to it?

My sympathies, and best wishes.

Nice pootling, with bits.

And getting married on Tuesday!

 

[brightspark]

im on tramadol because my backs knocked some days 3 or 4 other days none depending on what jobs im doing at work .I try not to take early at work as they make u feel lousy and lack concentration. not good working on live cables most days . hope u get sorted

 

[fizzy]

Nice to see you are still keeping busy. Best of luck with everything

 

[Barking Mat]

im on tramadol because my backs knocked some days 3 or 4 other days none depending on what jobs im doing at work .I try not to take early at work as they make u feel lousy and lack concentration. not good working on live cables most days

Jesus, I'll recount my 3 ? Month tramadol broken ribs holiday again...

Lying in bed, watching SNNC, and basically dribbling, till I weaned myself off them.

I'm never tried the 'pams.

Pharmaceuticals I try to avoid. Well I do, unless I've broken my ribs.

Pain is no fun.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Just waiting to see if it is the cancer or unrelated musculoskeletal pain.

Hope it's the latter, Tom. Fingers crossed and will be thinking of you.

 

[Lewis_RX8]

Pharmaceuticals I try to avoid. Well I do, unless I've broken my ribs.

I go with this approach as well. If needs must then so be it but most of the time avoided

 

[dobbslc]

Hope it all end well mate! Hopefully you've just wrenched something on your wedding night

 

[frank horton]

tidying up is most beneficial and good for finding other jobs to do.....
in the old house/ w/shop.....
used to get real fed up.....
I tore the shop apart, I mean everything out either on wheels or a pallet truck.....
sweep up, mop the floor, find stuff u lost.....the put all back...
I came out of it in a better mood and it's nice to have a tidy shop.....
till the next time....
I use Trammer's as well but ration em....just 2 per day....
if all else fails just go to bed for a nap....
take care, congrats on the wedding.....

 

[blackolive (Ste)]

Hope its a good outcome

 

[Rannsachair]

At least doing things in the garage takes my mind of the pain, it takes me about 20 minutes getting in and out of bed and when I wake the pain is too bad to stay in bed. The Tramadol is just taking the edge of the pain. Unfortunately the pain started the week before the wedding. I do not recall lifting anything heavy, though I did spend a couple of hours hammering out rusted bearings from a boat trailer.

i tried some welding, but bending over was agony, which did not help my welds: https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/swing-away-rear-wheel-carrier-on-my-defender.103961/

The garage and shed are looking tidy, I will do a few wee jobs on the lathe now, I picked up a Diamond Tool Holder from eccentric engineering, so been making some bushes:

It is super easy to sharpen with the jig provided:

 

[Agroshield]

A vintage drill sharpener:

Drill sharpener is a Reliance. Some info. on lathes.co.uk site. Andrew Mawson (of this forum) has posted instructions for it on the Model Engineer forum but the images are not great, so you could try him for better ones.

 

[8ob]

At least doing things in the garage takes my mind of the pain, it takes me about 20 minutes getting in and out of bed and when I wake the pain is too bad to stay in bed. The Tramadol is just taking the edge

It's hard to know what's best for a bad back, a quack will always fill you full of pills and tell you to rest and a chiropractor will tell you to keep moving about. The last time I was on all fours the chiropractor pulled me about and stuck me under a heat lamp, stood me back up and followed this up with the biggest ollocking I have ever had. Basically told me I was old, knackered and to get help rather than pull my back about,took this on board and although things are not right they are bearable. Take care.

Bob

 

[Shox Dr]

Nothing worse than a bad back (lets hope thats all it is). I’ve had one since my early 20s. Always hurt it doing daft things, usually picking something up no one else can/wants to. Get the job done and go home sort of stuff.

As Im getting on, I find that I dont have to do much to give me jip for days afterwards. Im sat here with nerve pain from my Back/shoulder down my arm into my hand, from moving a bike 2 days ago.

As for drugs, I prefer to stay away from them these days. I found I became reliant on them, scoffing them every day, believing they were staving off the pain. Problem is they fuddle your brain, and you dont know it.

Best thing I have these days is a regular sports massage, total agony un-knotting my muscles but boy is it worth it.

 

[badabec]

Hello, I've never been a fan of Tramadol, they don't seem to do much for the pain and just make you confused and/or dopey.
Over the counter co-codamol and co-dydramol both have sub-therapeutic doses of codeine and dihydrocodeine respectively. Not enough to do any good, but enough to cause constipation and possibly addiction.
If your stomach can take it, three aspirin tablets four times a day with food would be my choice. Apart from the stomach upset, the sign of overdose is ringing in the ears, and you really have to take a lot to get that.
Otherwise, straightforward paracetamol, two tablets four times a day is just as good.
Again, if your stomach can take it, aspirin and paracetamol four times a day.
If you can't take aspirin, ibuprofen 400mg is an alternative, but it still upsets stomachs.

As an aside, there are legal restrictions on the sale over the counter of paracetamol, co-codamol (500/8) and co-dydramol yet I would regularly dispense prescriptions for 200 paracetamol, 200 co-dydramol (the full strength one) or 200 co-codamol 500/30.

 

[northwest]

As an aside, there are legal restrictions on the sale over the counter of paracetamol,

here in the UK. I get friends and family to bring back bottles of 500 from Canada and the US. It saves me stopping at four pharmacies on the way home, running the gauntlet of questions and queues just to stock up. For the record I do not take Paracetamol regularly or in any quantity.

 

[Shox Dr]

here in the UK. I get friends and family to bring back bottles of 500 from Canada and the US. It saves me stopping at four pharmacies on the way home, running the gauntlet of questions and queues just to stock up. For the record I do not take Paracetamol regularly or in any quantity.

You can still buy boxes of 100 soluble Paracetamol, and Co-codamol. Ibuprofen and be bought in 600s x96 in a box.

 

[Rannsachair]

We get free prescriptions in Scotland, so the doc prescribed me a box of 100 paracetamol, 100 tramadol and Voltarol jel.

 

[arther dailey]

Fingers crossed for you , and congratulations on the wedding , I hope things improve health wise and totally agree that tidying and keeping busy are a help to keep those joints/muscles from siezing , we all know how to ruin a engine is to leave it un used in a corner think it applies to humans as well and it keeps your mind occupied which i find a good thing . wishing you and yours all the best.

 

[badabec]

Blister packs reduced paracetamol suicide rates by over 20%.
Voltarol gel still has to round the blood stream to get to the joint, via the liver. It's the massage that helps at first. The hot gels just take your mind off it.

Congratulations on your wedding and don't forget the anniversaries!