Anybody dealing with physical ailments delaying your project?

Just wondering how you stay motivated when you want to do stuff but can't due to physical limitations. Don't think this is a sob story, that's the farthest thing from the truth. I'm a very lucky guy with a great girl and two beautiful daughters. But I'm still young (relatively, 37) dealing with a rheumatological disease that makes it hard to get things done in a timely manner like I wish they could be (and should be under normal circumstances).

I always focus on the good things life has given me. In the grand scheme of things, I've got it pretty good. I'm thankful for what I have and things could for sure be A LOT worse. Faith plays a big part too. But it gets sort of frustrating when you want to do something simple but can't because of physical pain. I get kind of stir crazy.

Coming here and seeing what everybody else is doing gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. What do you do to keep the frustration at bay? What do you do to make your project "easier" when dealing with pain? I'm sure some of you old timers can give me some tips and tricks on how you deal with your "rheumatism". A jug with XXX on it like granny on the Beverly Hillbillies?

 

yea , about 2/3rds of the OFC is sick .................. steve

 

Being a card carrying geezer, I know all about where you are coming from. I had a serious back injury back in the late 70's. Having an old car to tinker with was the best therapy there was. I would sit in the chair, or lay in bed, an my mind would work on the car, then I would get up and do it. Everything was done twice that way, and very little had to be done over. If I could work for one hour, things really got done. I built a whole car this way, it was reliable and we drove it through several states over eleven years. Now, I have another, and the kid in me wants to freshen the engine for a good run at the 130 at Bonneville. My body says no, will my mind win out? Stay tuned!

 

Sarcoidosis of the lungs. It requires me to be on oxygen 24/7. Luckily, 80% of the time it passes in a year or 2, but right now I'm not doing much. I can take a tank with me out to the garage, but still run out of breath so quickly, it's hardly worth the trip. I can't be in cold weather because of the risk of pnumonia anyway, so I'm hoping for an early spring.

 

I joined the HAMB about ten years ago, Right after I went in for a 4 way bypass. Couldnt do a dang thing so I sat on the pueter and watched and visited with outher HAMBERS. A coupla months later I went back to workin full of piss/vinegar. Phyical conition has slowed me but still building, Except this week. Back has been out for a few days. The cost of being Graybeard.

 

Stage 4 cancerous brain tumour. Was rough being kinda stoned / tired etc.... during radiation and chemo. Completely resected, feel 99% now
Even in my dazed or weakend state, I had more ambition than I knew what to do with. I made lists of things to do on the car projects and organized tools, etc..

Stayed motivated on the HAMB, but ya can't do much about the frustration. I'm way behind on my builds and even my Alliance Membership. Just now getting back into full speed with my stuff and side jobs.

 

I physically don't have any cash in my wallet........

 

My cancer never slowed me down, but a damned heel spur (planar fasciitis) has me down like a flat tire.

 

Me also, but I'm 44. Weed helps and on the real bad days Vicoden, but on the real good days a Vicoden and a few beers.

 

I have the same thing. I get through the pain with orthotics. slip the little insert in and off you go. I never thought something as simple as a shoe insert could be a life saver. I bought mine at a sports store, paie 12.00 and have never looked back.
One hint to recovery is NEVER go without slippers or shoes that don't have cussioned insoles.

 

I injured my back and was paralyzed when I was 21. I walk around now with various implements, but I get tired real easy. Due to this, I have to have help on even the simplest of things. It's frustrating but I have great friends that are eager to learn about cars, so that helps. Not that I'm an expert or anything, so it's a 2 way learning experience.

 

I have two problems a bad back, which thanks to physical therapy is much better, and lackofcashitis, which is a horrible disease that affect millions of people everyday!

 

Does self inflicted count? I quit smoking on New Years day, and I'm so on edge and angry all I want to do is break things. I stripped out both screws holding my wife's license plate on last night for crying out loud. Nearly imploded right there in the driveway. The last place I can be right now is the garage with precious metal and blunt objects.

 

teddy it is hard to just get up most days. i to have medical issues thet kick me in the groin daily. take your meds and push on if even for 15 min a day then 4 days it gave you an hour and those hours add up fast even at 15 min a day. hey your not the same teddy f that use to keep my dad drunk back in rochester ny and points north are you.

 

I blew up my back in the Navy. Not bad enough for disability but it shoulda been.
I guess I was too Gung Ho. I have a life span in the garage,yard,house of about four hours then its movie time. Still a hurricane though. The football player high school prodogy can hardly keep up. Usually by the next day I'm back and goin.
I was rather amazed when I asked the Doc for a vicodin scrip and he had no hesitation.

 

I have a bad case of Lazy Ass that I'm trying to overcome.

 

well..ptsd, diabetes2, traumatic brain injury,double vision, neuropathy, skin cancer ,migraines, sleep apnea, chronic pain syndrome and they just found a lump in my breast....all military related..and you guys thought i was a natural pain...thank the va for getting me some help..or i wouldn't finish any car.

 

I had surgery on right and left shoulders last year. A total of 6 surgeries since 2003, 3 on each. I haven't been able to do much in the last 9 months. I started replacing a rear wire harness on my Nomad at the end of October and haven't worked on it much since. I am just getting better and now it's cold and I have a new puppy dog that is keeping me busy.

 

I had a small piece of rusty metal fall under my safety glasses when hooking up exhaust to a manifold under a project. I had several projects going. The pain from this injury shut me down and it took quite a while for me to get under a car again.

Prior to that, I hit my hand with a 5 lb sledge hammer while removing lugs from a rotor. It was the last lug and I was almost through with the disc brake conversion. I honestly don't know how I didn't break any bones, but it shut me down for a couple weeks.

I am very lucky to be over these things.......

 

Hell, bad heart, bad knees, back, neck, pretty much wheelchair bound. Doc.
gave me 2 years left at the most, 5 years ago. Well i take vicadin, norco, flexiril,
like candy. Car, what car, is that what where doing?

 

I have a bad back, I'm not supposed to lift more than 20 pounds.....that's been the rules now for about 15 years.......but just here lately, with the bitter cold weather, it seems that my "give a shit" is broken too...

 

Ive "luckly" had a bad back since I was 17, no joke. Im a mechanic by trade and tough it out at work but can rarely get myself out in the shop when I get home. I have a OT car in the shop that needs a couple hours of work. Its been in there for well over a month and I cant seem get myself out to finish. I go out and look at it, and plan things out but cant seem to get the work done. It really sucks.

To top things off, I got some cortizone shots two weeks ago, and they made me MUCH better. Two whole days later I screw up my shoulder opening a smashed garage door at work, felt like I pulled something. Im actually heading to the doctor in a few minutes.

Anyone have any tips to help with cronic back pain? I hate taking the drugs. Honestly, they scare me a little bit. I watched a buddy throw his life away over a addiction to oxy a couple years ago. I only take them when Im in tremendous amounts of pain.

 

I've been working through it with a good insert, but the best thing I've found is called Step Stretch...and amen to the not going barefoot.

 

I don't have any disabilities .just laziness ,I needed a kick in the ass ,Thanks guys ,I hope you all the best . I was there a few years ago myself due to an auto immune disease called Gbs .Working was the best therapy .I easily get fatigued still .Have nerve damage in one leg .But that shouldn't affect me on doing body work .

 

Wow, I feel like a pansy for not feeling like working in the garage on some of the colder nights. Makes me feel like my progress isn't what I would want it to be.
You guys are REAL troopers, my hat off to you guys that have to deal with daily pains. It must take a lot of planning and frustration to get anything done, you have my respect.

 

Myasthenia Gravis a neurological disorder that causes extreme muscle weakness. Neuropathy in my feet from type 2 diabetes. Yeah it slows me down and I can't hardly walk when I first wake up, mostly from pain due to the muscle disorder. But I get as much as possible done when able. It slows things down, but like you I lean on my faith and count the many blessings I have. Hang in there, spend time with the family and friends when you can't work on the truck.

 

I got hit with Rectal Cancer in 2005, spent all of 2006 going through Radiation, Chemo & Surgery. I had just started the engine swap on my '49 Chevy, not really a big deal since it was a 235 replacing the 216, but I had all sorts little stuff I was doing to the car while the engine was out. I did a lot of just sitting in the garage looking at the parts scattered all over the place because I just didn't have the strength to do anything. The worst thing that happened was I got a lot of surface rust on things because they were just setting in the corner and being forgotten.

Well, now the engine is in, almost all of the mechanicals are fixed, the rust has been sanded and re-painted and now comes the worst part for me - re-doing the interior....good thing I feel good now!

 

I know the feeling, i've been doing the same thing I have all these parts done, and having physical problems, plus the mess with my family, being laid off, I have all this time and I'm not able to do much.

I'm having the same problems, I'm your age and i have arthritis, we don't have central heat in the house, and the cold is kicking my ass, my knees don't like to work right in this, and I have a lot of pain in several of my fingers, I'm a self taught machinist,so bad pain in your fingers just sucks!! I just can't get out there on the concrete and do anything in this, and when it's not cold,it's raining. I have all this time being laid off, and not getting anything done. I was going to suggest too, if you have arthritis, wearing a pair of sweat pants under your jeans really helps keep the cold out of your knees too. There is marfans in my family and I got some of the characteristics of it, so i have joint problems.

 

Wow, I had no idea so many of us were in the same boat, so to speak. Maybe I'll start a community group for us. The hamb gimps, lol.

What I have is called Ankylosing Spondylitis. It's very similar to arthritis and is attacking my spine and pelvis. Worst part for me is at night, I get hardly any sleep. Also, walking/standing on concrete. I can only take about a half hour of that before I have to give up. Heavy duty pain meds suck, they don't do much good anyway. When the docs were trying to figure out what was wrong with me, they thought I had bone cancer. I always think how lucky I am and how I don't have it so bad. It could be worse.

 

I have some aches and pains due to arthritis in my back,nothing like some of you guys.You guys are real troopers and an inspiration,my back hurts today but I'm going out to work on the 56 again.I also have lazitis and millerliteitis that keeps me from getting anything done.