Having a game plan
 

I think one of the biggest reasons that I'm making progress now, and failed in the past, is I have a game plan.

The Sharon Butler Self Care Program combined with the Intu-flow program has been a great combination for me. I've been able to combine ideas I've gotten from both of them and make them my own. Just randomly doing stretches never got me anywhere. I'd improve a little bit here or there but it was never anything long lasting.

Also, I've learned to be patient. In the past I've tried to push things too hard and fast. Then I'd get a huge flare up, get discouraged, and give up.

Another thing is, now I'm starting to have a lot of confidence in what I'm doing. The first year or so into this, I really wasn't sure if it was going to get me anywhere. I thought I might be causing myself a lot of extra pain for nothing. Now that I see it's helping me, it makes it a whole lot easier to keep pressing on.

Not moving is a huge mistake
 

One of the biggest mistakes I've made over the years is not moving enough. It got to the point where any kind of movement, or stretching, caused me so much pain afterwards, I just stopped. It wasn't just the TOS. I have back pain, hip pain, leg pain, pretty much my entire body.

I realize now that was a mistake. By not moving, my body just got tighter and tighter. If you don't move, no nutrition gets into your muscles and joints, so you can't heal. Basically, I was just dying a slow painful death.

I haven't come across anyone with TOS who has done Intu-flow, but quite a few people with back problems. This guy had a pretty messed up back and made the same mistake I did, he stopped moving. Sounds like he's doing a lot better now with Intu-flow and CST.http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=jyW9mY_5L0U

Clubbells
 

I've gotten pretty good with my 1 lb Indian clubs so I just bought a pair of 5 lb Clubbells. That's a pretty big jump in weight for a club. A 5 lb Clubbell feels surprisingly heavy because of the leverage. I'll have to go slowly with these, but I'm excited. This is all uncharted territory for me, so we'll see what happens.

Here's what a Clubbell looks like:http://www.clubbell.tv/ A 5 lb Clubbell is the smallest. I'm not trying to be a hero here. I think they go up to 45 lbs.:eek:

:eek::eek::eek: 1 to 5 is a big jump, but you can do it! I saw them being used in a gym recently and the way the people moved with them was so cool. It reminded me a lot of Qigong, but with a weight. The Eastern practice of moving in constant 3D makes a heck of a lot of sense for our bodies.

I agree with you about moving. When I was told not to move, no cooking, no driving, rest, rest, rest, I got worse. Prior to resting, I could cook, but after several months I felt I could barely open a can or stir a pot. Complete BS!

Thank you for continuing to share your progress. The DVD is still mocking me. I haven't opened it yet as I'm afraid :eek:. I have a tendency to go all out and then curse myself later.

Thank you for continuing to share your progress. The DVD is still mocking me. I haven't opened it yet as I'm afraid :eek:. I have a tendency to go all out and then curse myself later.[/QUOTE]

I hear ya on doing too much. I have a tendency to get excited with something new and over do it myself, but I'm learning. I'm wanting to play with those new clubs so badly, but I'm still a little sore from using them the first time. Patience is hard.

Major flare-up
 

It's been several months since I've had a major flare-up so I kind of forgot how bad they can be. I played with the new clubs a little bit on Tuesday and a little bit on Wednesday. Obviously, it was way too much. When the flare calms down, I'm going to have to dial things back and start out much slower. Trying something new is usually when I get a flare-up but it's also kept me progressing. When I get complacent the progress usually stops.

I really like the Joseph Weisberg stretch set and it only takes 3 minutes. You might consider adding it to your routine. I think it's unlikely to cause flare ups and you'll still have plenty of time for anything else you want to do.

This flare is wearin' me out
 

My legs hurt so bad this morning I could hardly walk when I got up. I had to have painkillers for breakfast. Plus, every night this throbbing, shooting pain on the left side of my neck wakes me up. It's driving me crazy. I think the only positive thing I have to say right now is my surgical side really isn't bothering me that much, it's just that the rest of my body feels like it got run over by a truck.

Sorry to hear that. Is this the continuation of the same flare up you reported Nov 21?

For what's it worth, I think Thomas Hanna's Somatics and Craig Williamson's Muscular Retraining are friendly ways to get more out of your body that are unlikely to cause flareups. I'm still in the middle of them so we'll see where I'm at in another month, but so far, so good.

Also, find yourself an OMT or a PT that knows OMT.

Back to back overnight hospital stays
 

Having a rough week. That big flare I was having, the TOS part calmed down, but the lower back pain sent me to the emergency room Sunday morning. I woke up and couldn't even get out of bed. When I finally managed the pain was horrific! Standing and holding onto the wall was all I could do. It had me bawling like a baby. Worst pain of my life.

I had to take an ambulance to the hospital because I could barely walk and sitting was out of the question. I've never gone to the emergency room for TOS or lower back pain before.

In the emergency room, they pumped me full all kinds of painkillers and drugs, but nothing helped much. By the end of the day, I still could barely stand so they kept me overnight and did an MRI first thing Monday morning. They said I have a lot of scar tissue in my lower back from the two surgeries I had years ago and it was inflaming the nerve roots. Then they sent me home, which I wasn't happy about because my pain was still through the roof.

Tuesday morning, I woke up and the pain was just as bad as ever. Tuesday afternoon, I managed to get into my friend's truck and back to the emergency room. At least no ambulance this time.

I got lucky this time and there was a spine Dr. on call. He gave me steroids throughout the night in my IV and I was able to move around much better in the morning. I was pretty surprised. He followed that up with an epidural and that helped as well.

I came home yesterday afternoon and am feeling quite a bit better. Still pain, but a least it's manageable. That's the worst lower back flare up I've ever had in my life. Hopefully that will never happen again.

I'm going to make a follow up visit with this spine Dr. He said if this doesn't calm me down he's got some other options we can discuss. I figure it's a good idea in case this is the start of more problems.:(