Hello contractor crew.
I don't want to post this in 'General', as it's quite serious.
I'm posting this here as I'm at the end of the road regarding an illness I have had for over two years. I'm sure I can't be alone with it and wondered if you could please compare this to yourselves or contractor friends who you know have had something similar.
I've been a contractor for 8 years or so. I take the odd day off per month and have a few weeks holiday per year, probably 3 or 4 weeks total. There was a time when I was travelling worldwide on certain projects, but generally had a calm life, as the trips abroad were only occurring every 3 months for a week at a time. Two years ago, after about 6 months of increasing exercise (two to three gym classes a week, couple of runs) and overall pressure on myself to get fitter, I had a bad expercise. On a flight to Asia I had a small glass of champagne and, being small, had issue with the business class airline seat, which meant the lumbar area of my back was curved. Half an hour after the champagne I had some pain in the piriformis trigger area of my right back. I used some cushions and nodded off, as you do.
I wasn't well whilst there and felt lethargic, tired; tried to go running but felt pretty bad. I didn't want to be there and couldn't wait to leave - big deal, it's only a single week.
However upon my return the pain in my lower right back (attached picture) area was incredibly painful, so much so that I tried to do yoga to help it and other stretches. I found sleeping extraordinarily difficult and I think this induced some form of IBS. Had incredible back pain too in various area, particularly my left shoulderblade.
Management has meant it's gone away, but I can no longer eat certain types of food without the pain flaring up to incredible levels in my right hip and piriformis area (inflammation, heat, rather than just pain felt alone) and my left shoulder-blade can be ridiculously painful, although helped by massage. Foods off the list are: wheat, dairy (never did like dairy though), alcohol, etc. I can accept that the food part is probably just IBS - that's fair enough. Perhaps post-infectious or placing too much pressure on myself over the years.
The pain in my body though: that's not normal and is honestly crazy at times. From my middle spine outwards towards my shoulder blades and up to my shoulders regularly aches. My dentist has informed me that I appear to have 'bruxism', in which the teeth grind together during sleep, which has partially damaged by previously excellent teeth.
The reason why I do not believe this is stress or simply IBS:
I live alone, have a warchest I would never have thought imaginable and do not have children. I can exercise regularly, jog, hillwalk, road cycle and try to keep my spirits up.
My right leg, as a result of the hip inflammation (presumabLy) can often be very stiff - I like walking long distances to shake off the stiffness, but I've noticed that sitting in a contractor desk job from a Monday to Friday, even with many breaks, is causing it to be far worse come the Friday. If it was sciatica alone, I do not believe food would affect it as well as other parts of the body being in pain. I am aware that 'fibromyalgia' can be caused by emotional trauma and also, primarily, lack of deep sleep, perhaps as a result of said trauma.
I had an alcoholic father when a child, and used to clear up after him to avoid my mother and younger siblings being exposed to it. However I do feel that as this was when I was under the age of 14 I'm well over it now - I'm 30 years old.
I've been to the NHS about this and had an MRI scan a year ago for suspected 'Ankylosing Spondylitis' or some form of undiagnosed rheumatism; but the MRI scan just showed normal wear and tear at the base of my spine and nothing in the right sacroiliac joint area (where most spondylathropies begin, including Crohn's disease and other HLA-B27 genetic related immunological disorders - it's all very interesting how HLA-B27 is involved with so many diseases.) I also tested seronegative for Rheumatoid arthritis.
Being negative for these diseases is excellent, but it doesn't quite explain where this pain is coming from. My brother has had severe depression since being a teenager and is not quite the person he could be, even now that he is nearly 30 also. My mother's family appear to have a history of stomach issues too. I approached my doctor asking if this could be depression, but he seemed very certain it was not depression and that I was also not imagining it.
There is zero chance that piriformis syndrome (as was originally suggested by the NHS) could be the sole cause of this, because it's not isolated pain. It is pain that gets better with exercise and not with rest - this is a red flag. One thing I could probably add is that when things get much worse it feels as if I start shaking, as if I am coming down with a fever. My blood pressure is fine by the way!
I'm very fit, eat a wide varied diet and don't have liver dysfunction, thyroid issues nor diabetes. In fact I have no medically diagnosed issue that could be catered for. I don't drink, although do enjoy wine and ale, because I can't drink - it makes the pain and associated lack of sleep extremely worse. This has caused major issues with my social life, previous partner who I broke up with because of all this.
If anybody has any ideas (apart from 'man up!') then I would greatly appreciate it, as it seems a very sad situation that is surely resolvable. I don't take medication and generally avoid painkillers most of the time as I'd rather solve the source of the pain than just dull it permanently. I'm in a good contract now which is walking distance from my house but still see that this could make me sad enough to not want to work for a while, as sitting still makes everything far worse. I don't obviously want to end working because of this; I shouldn't be feeling 70 years old when I'm 30.
Thanks in advance.
I don't want to post this in 'General', as it's quite serious.
I'm posting this here as I'm at the end of the road regarding an illness I have had for over two years. I'm sure I can't be alone with it and wondered if you could please compare this to yourselves or contractor friends who you know have had something similar.
I've been a contractor for 8 years or so. I take the odd day off per month and have a few weeks holiday per year, probably 3 or 4 weeks total. There was a time when I was travelling worldwide on certain projects, but generally had a calm life, as the trips abroad were only occurring every 3 months for a week at a time. Two years ago, after about 6 months of increasing exercise (two to three gym classes a week, couple of runs) and overall pressure on myself to get fitter, I had a bad expercise. On a flight to Asia I had a small glass of champagne and, being small, had issue with the business class airline seat, which meant the lumbar area of my back was curved. Half an hour after the champagne I had some pain in the piriformis trigger area of my right back. I used some cushions and nodded off, as you do.
I wasn't well whilst there and felt lethargic, tired; tried to go running but felt pretty bad. I didn't want to be there and couldn't wait to leave - big deal, it's only a single week.
However upon my return the pain in my lower right back (attached picture) area was incredibly painful, so much so that I tried to do yoga to help it and other stretches. I found sleeping extraordinarily difficult and I think this induced some form of IBS. Had incredible back pain too in various area, particularly my left shoulderblade.
Management has meant it's gone away, but I can no longer eat certain types of food without the pain flaring up to incredible levels in my right hip and piriformis area (inflammation, heat, rather than just pain felt alone) and my left shoulder-blade can be ridiculously painful, although helped by massage. Foods off the list are: wheat, dairy (never did like dairy though), alcohol, etc. I can accept that the food part is probably just IBS - that's fair enough. Perhaps post-infectious or placing too much pressure on myself over the years.
The pain in my body though: that's not normal and is honestly crazy at times. From my middle spine outwards towards my shoulder blades and up to my shoulders regularly aches. My dentist has informed me that I appear to have 'bruxism', in which the teeth grind together during sleep, which has partially damaged by previously excellent teeth.
The reason why I do not believe this is stress or simply IBS:
I live alone, have a warchest I would never have thought imaginable and do not have children. I can exercise regularly, jog, hillwalk, road cycle and try to keep my spirits up.
My right leg, as a result of the hip inflammation (presumabLy) can often be very stiff - I like walking long distances to shake off the stiffness, but I've noticed that sitting in a contractor desk job from a Monday to Friday, even with many breaks, is causing it to be far worse come the Friday. If it was sciatica alone, I do not believe food would affect it as well as other parts of the body being in pain. I am aware that 'fibromyalgia' can be caused by emotional trauma and also, primarily, lack of deep sleep, perhaps as a result of said trauma.
I had an alcoholic father when a child, and used to clear up after him to avoid my mother and younger siblings being exposed to it. However I do feel that as this was when I was under the age of 14 I'm well over it now - I'm 30 years old.
I've been to the NHS about this and had an MRI scan a year ago for suspected 'Ankylosing Spondylitis' or some form of undiagnosed rheumatism; but the MRI scan just showed normal wear and tear at the base of my spine and nothing in the right sacroiliac joint area (where most spondylathropies begin, including Crohn's disease and other HLA-B27 genetic related immunological disorders - it's all very interesting how HLA-B27 is involved with so many diseases.) I also tested seronegative for Rheumatoid arthritis.
Being negative for these diseases is excellent, but it doesn't quite explain where this pain is coming from. My brother has had severe depression since being a teenager and is not quite the person he could be, even now that he is nearly 30 also. My mother's family appear to have a history of stomach issues too. I approached my doctor asking if this could be depression, but he seemed very certain it was not depression and that I was also not imagining it.
There is zero chance that piriformis syndrome (as was originally suggested by the NHS) could be the sole cause of this, because it's not isolated pain. It is pain that gets better with exercise and not with rest - this is a red flag. One thing I could probably add is that when things get much worse it feels as if I start shaking, as if I am coming down with a fever. My blood pressure is fine by the way!
I'm very fit, eat a wide varied diet and don't have liver dysfunction, thyroid issues nor diabetes. In fact I have no medically diagnosed issue that could be catered for. I don't drink, although do enjoy wine and ale, because I can't drink - it makes the pain and associated lack of sleep extremely worse. This has caused major issues with my social life, previous partner who I broke up with because of all this.
If anybody has any ideas (apart from 'man up!') then I would greatly appreciate it, as it seems a very sad situation that is surely resolvable. I don't take medication and generally avoid painkillers most of the time as I'd rather solve the source of the pain than just dull it permanently. I'm in a good contract now which is walking distance from my house but still see that this could make me sad enough to not want to work for a while, as sitting still makes everything far worse. I don't obviously want to end working because of this; I shouldn't be feeling 70 years old when I'm 30.
Thanks in advance.
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