Ive walked the past two weeks at both jobs

When I first joined this forum, one of my few posts were about anabolic steroids. Although I have found a doctor to work with me with taking protein shakes, creatine, glutamin as well as steroids, little to no info can be found by word of mouth in real life.

Ever since Jr year in high school I started to develop pain in my legs and back. After high school and many visits to different doctors no conclusion could be made as to what i had. I just got the generic exercise and loose weight. I lost 10 inches around my waist and still it bothered me. It even affected the way I walked and I suffered a stress fracture and broke a leg in two places.

That leg took 17 months to heal and in the mean time I use a cane, crutch, walker, manual and powered wheelchair. Although the wheelchairs helped me to function over the pain, the pain was still there, just bad and worse. I had up to 13 different pain killers, patches and even had injections of pain killers to deal with the pain. I was talking celebrex, vioxx, batrax, indomenthian(SP?), tylenol #3, darvaceed n 100, ultracet, ultram, and some others i cant remember.

A trip to GNC for generic natural pain killers as these wore off lead me down a different path. I first started with natural cox 2 inhibitors and one day asked what would they recommend for a person who wants to build muscle. Despite my best efforts I had fallen into the trap where they would refer me back to my doctor when I asked about other stuff. Its not uncommon for when I visit hardware stores to buy parts and have to confess the part is for my wheelchair that they refer me back to the dumb, expensive wheelchair dealer.

Anyway, I got a tub of protein, creatine and glutamine, all GNC flavor. TO my surprise I felt less pain. Not much, but less. I took another round of drinks and felt less pain still. I went back and became a member and bought the larger containers.

About the time steroids made the news i bought a bottle. I felt rather stupid as I had asked before about them and the sales men would blow me off. This kid wondered in from the mall and started asking what was every bottle for and one next to me he said was a steroid. I bought it and took half the recommended dose.

Man, this was like takinga tylenol #3 however when it wore off the pain was less than twice as worse. For a month or so I contnued taking the shakes, packing them in my lunch and taking a steroid pill before taking my afternoon nap so I waked up pain free.

I slowly started using my exercise equipment I use to use a few years earlier when the pain was managable. I broke one cross trainer in two. I started petaling the recumberment one and watching my legs grow. I then bought a weight set to work with my arms while petaling and an elliptical cross trainer to use too. The elliptical was too difficult, so I kept with the bike and weights. I also would goto the mall and other less crowded stores like target and kmart to practice walking with a cane or shopping cart.

Well, three thursdays ago I broke the petal off my bike and started a second job to earn more money to buy food. I decided to try walking, I figured that was agreat way to start off a new job. The first day I was rather sore, but a protein shake and steroid pill later I was fine. THe remainder of that week I felt better and more confident when walking. Week 2 I started using the steps into the second job than using the ramp.

I even started back working out the few hours i have before bed and my jobs the next day. I thought that would take longer before I can do, so I dont over do it during the day with the two desk jobs.

So, after 9 years in the wheelchair I am walking again. I may use the wheelchair to get groceries or a mart cart, but I walk in my apartment, outside to the bus, on and off the bus to both jobs and back home.

I started this with a 40 inch waist weighing 200 pounds, I now weigh 310 pounds and wear a size 44 inch pants. My legs seemed to of grown the most, my arms the slowest. I did go from 3-15 pounds in 3 months. Gotta get more weigh too for the dumbells and a new bike when the extr amoney starts rolling in.

One of the things I've learned from my own health problems is that in the medical field, there are very few real specialists, all though there are many doctors who think that they are. There are many who give the same basic advice to every patient, no matter what the individual's chart says.

Often they are the victims of inertia, seeing so many people who fall within the bell shaped curve of symptoms and responses for a given malady that they tend to give everyone the same advice. While that advice may be appropriate for 90% of their patients I would call it generalized as opposed to specialized.

They may also refrain from giving you appropriate advice because today's overly-litigious culture has pushed them into practicing "defensive medicine". The fact that they may be unaware that they are doing it doesn't help the patient's chances in the least.

The relentless bombardment of biased information from drug company reps may lead to decisions that are not in the best interest of the patient, also.

Before I get flamed let me note that at no time did I say "All doctors," or "All patients," or "All the time." I will assert that ALL of these things HAVE happened to ME, however, and some of them on a disturbingly frequent basis. I have stopped doctors several times from implementing drugs and procedures which I knew were wrong for my situation in spite of the blind-spots noted above which directly led to the very low quality advice delivered by 'The pros from Dover'.

Cobb, my point in all of this is that you have to become your own expert in many medical situations. It sounds like you know this already. Many people are far too passive and make two very serious mistakes: First, they remain ignorant about their own disease, apparently not feeling that they have any responsibility to themselves in making intelligent decisions about their own treatment plans, and Secondly, they do not assert themselves when they get poorly thought out advice, squeezed from the tube as it were, by someone who calls himself a specialist. The catch is that to work the second part you must have already fulfilled the first part.

It sounds to me like you're acting like an adult. Health can be a very messy business and sometimes it's good to remember that no one gets out of life alive... The patients who shirk the responsibility for their own treatment plan are fooling themselves. They will pay the ultimate price no matter who makes the mistakes. The conscientious patient brings something to the doctors office that no one else can. He's been there for ALL the visits. He's felt ALL his own symptoms. He has a unique continuity that may be very valuable in determining the right treatment plan.

NOTE: I'm not trying to offend those in the med community. I certainly have my own issues and I often have a problem with tone when I try to express myself on issues I feel strongly about.

Cobb, fantastic news on the walking! Good for you man!

As far as doctors are concerned. I'm frankly amazed at some of the advise that people accept and walk away with. They know that they got nothing useful, but somehow never get around to asking again, or asking another.

When you have a specific and rare condition, finding someone familiar enough with it to give you good advice and treatment is hard, but that doc should know that he doesn't know, and he should be able to send you on to someone that does know!

Anything beyond a sprained ankle and you better take some interest in your own care and condition, otherwise youre not going to know if you've got a good doc or one too tired to know what day it is.

Read up, study, ask hard questions. Especially about what they are recommending to you. If it doesn't jive with what you've read elsewhere then ASK THEM ABOUT IT and to justify why this over that.

If the person is an old school doc who just wants you to do what they say and not ask questions then ask for a recomendation for a different doc from them. Stating that their treatment style is not to your liking is a perfectly good reason and they should be professional enough to recommend a couple of other folks for you to talk to.

And before doing ANYTHING invasive or dangerous or getting all upset at what they say you ask them to recommend someone for a second opinion. Never do anything drastic or believe anything drastic without asking a second doc about it. This is normal, it's not insulting to your doc for you to ask them to recommend someone for a second opinion. If they get their gander up about that then you have learned something important about that docs professionalism and you need that second opinion more than you knew!

Docs are like the rest of us now days. Working harder and collecting less money. You've got to work hard to find one that will be willing to work to figure you out. This is especially true for somebody like Cobb with a difficult condition to start with. But they are out there. It sucks to have to pay several docs for an initial visit where they actually take extra time (and bill you for the extra time) to get to know something about your problem. but when you expect them to take the $30 that your insurance is going to send them to see you on an initial visit, you shouldn't be surprised that they are rushed. So you've got to engage them and ask smart questions to keep them talking to you. it's not like they have a timer, if you're asking questions they wont leave you. but if they think they are done and you let them go before you understand, or are happy with what they have said, it's sad to blame them.

No doc can look at you in 10 minutes and have any good options for you. You need to find a good doc and get to know them and get checkups and all that other stupid stuff so that when something goes wrong somebody knows something about you.

James,

I wish I could frame issues the way you do. Reading mine and yours is like night and day.

Sub

Good posts, all of you. And well realized. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Cobb, continue to get well, best wishes and carry on. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Sub, virtually every post you make is of relevance. Best wishes. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I see the points on both sides of the curve. I guess where I came to common sense was the fact I had or still have a muscular disease, yet the docs were throwing pain killers, cox 2 medication and wheelchairs when I needed something to help the muscles. I am sure with the recent news about steroids and baseball many doctors would want nothing to do with it, but just like all things they can use used and abused with different results.

I too have been to a lot of doctors with a range of results. I have been told I have a sleeping disorder narcarism(SP?), one leg was shorter than the other and needed a shoe lift, another said my back was twisted and wanted to throw rods at it, another I was fat and lazy and needed to exercise, then one nailed the muscular disease, but treated the pain, not the cause. I came to the concolusion most doctors were like car mechanics.

So far so good. I do get sore, but ice as well as a protein shake helps it as well as rest. Nice to rest and have the pain go. I use to rest with no results.

Great news COBB.

now i could just shut-up and leave it at that , But nooo.

if you want more protien, and dont like what the shakes do to you, or the liver damage and such. Seafood products, often have some of the highest natural protien with the least ammount of fat.
Scallops, Halibut, oysters, shrimp, fish, stuff like that can be a meal, and lots of protien. then beans and meat, and peanutbutter, can be high too with fats, but generally natural fats.

of course my idea of PAIN, is painfull, and might be inacurate, but without it, how can the brain know what is in need of repairs? pain works the muscles, and sends the juice down to do the repairs. it also can be a natural pain killer as when the pain gets high, more of the natural drugs are releaced into the system.
Minus the pain that keeps a person from functioning, i like my pain, and wouldnt give it up for the repairs i get, for any cheap drugs. but thats just me, and my opinon.

they say without the muscle structure on the spine, the skeletal structure just falls to the ground.

muscles need "preperation prior to use" meaning a knowlege from the brain that they are going to have to function in the respect that you will use them. (back strain from lifting something you thought was light).

muscle is basically protiene based, and kinda uses WATER for hydrolics, and expansion and contraction. meaning caffiene, and alcohol or any diuretics can deplete the muscles by dehydration.

and now you know why i aint a DOCTOR /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

also the enzymes in the drinks (which can be aquired naturally from lettuce) get your guts to process the sugars and protiens in them faster.
this seems to backfire later in life, as seen in the enlarged bellies of former weightlifters /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif by supplimenting any aspect of the bodies natural operations you can offset the balances of them.
so if you get loads of enzymes, your own body is less likely to produce them as quickly.

You need to make sure and cycle off of these supplements, especially with creatine.

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I am sure with the recent news about steroids and baseball many doctors would want nothing to do with it

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, certainly not if you're a ball player and want to bulk up /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif But otherwise I think docs prescribe them a LOT. They are one of the few true "miracle" drugs when it comes to inflammation. But like anything else that actually DOES something, it's dangerous to take them long term unless you know what you're doing. I was on them myself just a few months ago for a week due to a lung problem. Worked like the miracle that they are for about 3 days. After that other things started to get fishy. I gained 5 pounds of water weight in the last 2 days of the 5 that I was on them. That all went away very quickly when I started tapering off them. But if I had to be on them any longer that would have continued to get worse.

I have a friend that takes steroid shots from the doctor if he starts showing symptoms from Poison Oak. After the shots, the scatching, itching doesn't get too bad he says.

Fantastic news, cobb! I pray that you continue to improve :thumbups:

WTG Cobb!

I hope the cure doesn't turn out to be worse than the ailment however! Be careful on these meds/supliments etc.!

I don't remember (if you ever indicated!) your age. At 45, my body is already starting to give me fits. Today for about two minutes I couldn't put ANY weight on my right leg. Then just as suddenly it was gone.

Anyhow, walking at work can only be a great thing in the eyes of the managers!!!

Great news Cobb. I am impressed at your determination.
You will certainly continue to improve.
You have written well.
Ledean

Thanks guys. Maybe if you know someone with a muscular disease you can pitch a protein drink to them or extra protein in their diet or something? So far, most i have met rather take their dope.

Yes, I do cycle as well as rotate flavors, brands and servings and change or switch up exercises. Its amazing how fast your body can adapt. I did see that special on 30 days on fx where a guy took hgh and supplements for a month and it screwed up his liver and sperm count. Afterwards those returned to normal. I doubt someone with multiple disabilities like me should make kids, I rather not and wouldnt care if i was sterle or not.

As for diet, I love rice. Most folks i talk to say their animals love rice when they get it with their chineese food, but I will order an extra package of it, yum, yum, yum. It seems to be the best mix of protein and carbs.

Still going strong. Had some soreness the other day, I started to shy away from the one shake a day to slim fast. I used ice to treat the soreness and had a protein shake. Pain gone the next morning.

vid, I hate pain, but i have to admit I am addicted to having my legs and arms slightly sore. Its just my back, neck and shoulders I dont want to ache. I enjoyed the rush I got earlier this year when I stood up from the wheelchair to stretch before I started walking. WOW, I could almost feel every strand in my legs. That went away since then.

Still going strong. Got 20 more pounds for my weight set and some weights for my mom.