Slipped Disc Help! 'The Galaxy of Slipped Disc Symptoms' with a green-glowing central star 'for nausea' and an asteroid 'for quality of life hit'.

Stamina Returning but Pinched Nerves 'Stage 5' - Slipped Disc Symptom

Try to imagine 'just for a moment' that you're a boxer 'in a boxing ring': Your slipped discs 'are now in the corner' as you have unleashed 'a flurry of punches upon them' - yet as you 'step forwards' your slipped discs remind you 'with a punch' (which gets through your guard) that you're not fully healed 'just yet'. For around month forty of my recovery, I realised that I was 'feeling good' for four to five days of the week, and that many of my activities had returned to be being 'much more enjoyable' - with me concentrating on the activity (as opposed to me saying 'my bad back'). Yet afterwards, I could still suffer with a pinched nerve in my neck (spreading to my right shoulder) and/or a pinched nerve in my lower back:

Pinched Nerves at Christmas 'thy festive mix' stamina, hobby and merry 'but too much fun' arcing again!
Pinched Nerves at Christmas 'thy festive mix' stamina, hobby and merry 'but too much fun' arcing again!

How do pinched nerves affect your stamina? You've been 'pounding your slipped discs into that corner' whilst grinning about 'how good it feels' - but as you step forwards 'to finish this fight' your back starts to tell you 'pull that punch'. It would be great 'to win this fight now' - but that 'torturing nerve path/arc in your back' has taught you well! For if you do 'throw that knockout punch' then you may miss, and find yourself in the corner again (for two to three days). For I have found that my stamina 'recovers the better' when you realise that 'you've done enough for today' so stop till tomorrow.

At this stage of my recovery, I have found that I have a lot more 'energy to channel' and that my mind is free to think about 'interests other than injury' (fantasy, games and dragons) whilst feeling that 'I am enjoying my life so much more'. It doesn't mean that 'I'm fully healed yet', just that my body is starting to feel 'a step closer' to being seventy percent healed. Yet those 'storm clouds' of pinched nerves can still 'torture me' (especially when I have 'done too much') - with the following activities having given me pinched nerves (over my 'much more enjoyable for me' Christmas of 2020):

  • Setting up my 'old work pc' as a games machine (to play the old dos games 'Lands of Lore' and 'The 7th Guest'). This involved me searching for two power leads, mouse, audio cables plus speakers, keyboard, monitor and vga lead. In the past, such searching would have been 'a cause for agony' - but here it was 'much less so'. Yet the pc 'still aggravated my back'. As being an older pc, its case is made of solid steel (it's very heavy 'seeming heavier than my UPS') and whilst I lifted it correctly (on the 23rd of December), I ended up with pinched nerves in my lower back and upper neck (as the pc's weight 'was well beyond' what I should have lifted). My pinched nerves 'were still torturing me' on the 24th and 25th of December - which as I cooked Christmas dinner (and sat down to eat it) caused me to ask a question: why did I lift that heavy pc? Because of my old games! I was also 'taking a risk' as I pulled my first Christmas cracker (I tried to 'pull it sitting down' but as the cracker tore 'it jarred my back'). Even so, my pinched nerves had cleared by the 27th of December, when I was able to get on with 'connecting up' all those old cables, and installed Windows XP Professional (as I couldn't remember my old pc's password). There was further 'head scratching that evening', when 'Lands of Lore' would not run! I solved this on the 29th with a bizarre 'keep having to bend, push memory stick in, hour or two' whilst I was installing various device drivers and DOSBox 0.72 (after which 'Lands of Lore' runs fine!). Mind you, I was regretting 'this bending' later in the evening - as I had a pinched nerve in my neck again. This had cleared by the 30th whereby I was soon 'having fun' as Conrad 'being lost again' in the Draracle Caves - I had managed to forget to pick up 'The Magic Atlas' (so that's what the Library key is for!). As for the Draracle's gift? It was the silver goblet this time! As your back heals, the playing of such games 'becomes more fun' as your able to concentrate on the game, as opposed to your back. I was now in Opinwood, then it was down into the 'Urbish Mines' (after I'd slayed 'the Lahrkon' - using the green skull). I was having fun! But what of 'The 7th Guest'? There's more fun 'to be had here' but not right now, because having set-up 'my old pc' in-front of my cd storage racks, I don't fancy moving it 'just yet'.
  • Painting my model miniatures for five to six hours a day, for eight days running. This feels like a 'major milestone for me' (because it was Christmas 2016 'when I last painted like this'). I have started to 'really enjoy' my painting again, as that receding slipped disc in my neck, is now 'less aggravated' by such long painting sessions - although I still 'take a break' every hour or so (to get a snack) and I also seem to know 'when it's time to finish painting for the day' (as my neck 'tells me when'). I feel excited 'that I can now paint' using my favourite painting method: whilst waiting for the paint to dry 'on finer details' of almost finished models, switching to paint 'the basic details' of models that 'I've just started'. This means that I have a lot more 'models and paint out' which feels great! Even so 'I still have to pinch myself' (to see if I am dreaming) - because I can remember 'what it was like' when my three slipped discs 'had taken my hobby from me' ... I had been painting the barbarian, dwarf, elf and wizard (from HeroQuest) 'but I had to stop' - because I couldn't sit down! My models 'gathered dust' whilst I looked at them, wondering 'when and if' I would ever be able to paint them again? It was hard 'but toughens'!
  • Charging my car's battery (whilst painting my model miniatures), putting air in its tyres and cleaning its interior. I have now 'healed to the stage' where I can do 'more than one task' in a day ('just as I did' on the 2nd of January 2021). Yet at the same time 'do I still have to be sensible' - I know that I find it hard 'to clean the interior' of my car, so I asked my Mum 'to help me'. Mum cleaned my dashboard and seats, whilst I 'stooped down' for ten minutes (or so) cleaning the 'mould off' of my driver's seat belt (which had 'built up' due to dampness). As I had left my car on charge for around six hours (whilst miniature painting) it was thus 'early evening' when I took my car 'off charge' and put air into its tyres. It was here that I made a mistake - I should have asked my Mum (or Dad) 'as usual' to carry my portable power pack out for me (as it weighs around nine kilograms). Instead, I carried it out myself, connected it to my tyre inflator, put air into each of my tyres (including lifting my power pack 'several times') and then carried it back indoors. I felt 'very pleased with myself' (for having done so much) and I felt 'even happier' laughing about the 'cleaning fun' that Mum and I had - because as we were both sitting in my car, I had happened to say 'just like in the good old days, going for a drive, on a witch's broomstick that has four seats on it!'. It made us both laugh, and I felt 'even happier' when I realised that 'I was fine all evening'. My happy feelings continued 'into the next day' when I was able to get on with 'six to seven hours of miniature painting'. But by early evening, I asked myself a question: have I painted for too long today? The answer 'soon revealed itself' when I had a shower - as shortly afterwards 'everything that I had done' on my car and painting 'came back with a vengeance'. I had pinched nerves in my upper neck and right shoulder 'from hell'. YES 'I had overdone it' - BUT 'at the same time' I found that 'I started to laugh' as I said to myself 'I've DONE too MUCH' ...

Because when you're able to 'laugh more about your injury' then life is much more fun! Yes that zip wire 'did me in' but if I hadn't gone on it, then you wouldn't be reading this right now! And I wouldn't be laughing - or is that my warlock's cackle? For having to go through Christmas with slipped discs 'is a spell in itself' which will see you have 'highs and lows' mixed with 'discomfort and pleasure' mixed with 'plenty of time to yourself' - which through this 'journey called healing' gives you pinched nerves 'backwards and forwards' as you ponder to yourself 'the question of the day' (or night time) ...

How do you pull a Christmas cracker with slipped discs? Stand up (with a slight 'bend in your knees' and one heel 'off the ground'), whilst holding onto the edge 'of your dining room table' (with one hand), whilst pulling the cracker (with your other hand) and looking forward 'to wearing your Christmas crown' whilst rejoicing to 'the days of stamina' again.

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