Anybody dealing with physical ailments delaying your project?

Not me, but may as well be me...

Gotta little bambino in the NICU, been pretty much living at the hospital and working my ass off till she gets released....That said with the exception of the 5 days that she was a super sick girl I try to go in the garage and get 45 minutes in on the truck before I go to the hospital then work....

Even if it's not 45 minutes I try to get one small thing done (even as small as 15 minutes to cut out a small patch, grind a weld etc)

Keeps my sanity....clears my head a tad

 

After reading this thread, I feel a whole lot better. I had surgery on my right thumb about 6 weeks ago. Degenerative Arthritis, removed a joint in my thumb and replaced it with a "trampoline" made out of a tendon. I get my cast off on Wednesday and then physical therapy for a few weeks. Doc says I should be able to get back to work on the '40 as soon as the cast is off.

 

Too young to bitch about it, but two torn rotator cuffs and a blown knee. Some days I gotta call in to work and sit home cause it hurts too much to get out of bed. Partially dislocated my spine from my pelvis in high school and it took a few years to correct. That one hurts most often.

 

Broke my ankle in March. Developed a blood clot in that leg in May. On Warfarin. Leg swells and hurts. Warfarin makes me tired. Finally starting to work on the car but have to overcome lack of desire. Slow. Painful.

 

just old age

 

Stopped a .38 with my right leg 23 years ago. Fucked up that leg, with permanent drop foot, and my left leg compensated which fucked it all up as well, then the discs in my spine started turning to powder (DDD) and that took five operations and a neck fusion to hold so far. The fusion looks really cool on X-rays, a plate with three honkin' big wood screws holding it in place. When that back business first hit it was so bad I couldn't hold a wrench.

Oh, yeah--the first visit to the ER with the bullet wound involved six units of blood, one of which, like a Cracker Jacks box, contained a prize: Hepatitis C. I was given three to four years to live six years ago. Which is good for a laugh and all, but the fact that my liver is completely gone with cirrhosis, that ain't too funny. I'm waiting to start the chemo on that. Haven't had a drink since sometime in 1995. There are times I'd really like a few.

And the pain from my legs and residual nerve pain from the discs has me living on morphine. God bless papaver somniferum and its derivatives. Between the morphine and the hepatitis I don't have a hell of a lot of energy, tho. That's mainly my barrier now, fatigue. It's hard to get started and I have to stop before I'm really ready. But, I soldier on as best I can. 59 years old now.

ALSO--
"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."

Dude, back off if you have to and try Chantix. Stuff works better than voodoo. With me, I just forgot about cigarettes. When you get to the point where you got to remind yourself to smoke, you got it dicked.

 

I know and feel your pain guys. I had surgery on my elbow a month or so ago. Its still very numb. It was supposed to fix a crushed nerve in my arm because my fingers were totally numb. Since all that happened, I lost nearly all the muscle structure in the muscle between my thumb and index finger. Add on top of that, I have a degenerative bone disease manifesting itself mostly in my left hip. Its very painful to even walk at times. But I find that moving helps it free up a bit.

I just keep on truckin and hope I can drive the bloody thing one of these days

 

I suffer from severe migraines that take me out completely, sometimes to the point I am writhing on the floor screaming... quite the experience to say the least.

Trashed my right ankle setting up for a car show by falling off of the back of my truck and twisting it inboard 190 degrees... made a sound like twisting a handful of dried thistle. Shortly after that I broadsided a large truck that blew a stop sign and trashed my left ankle, also smashed my head into the door post making my migraines worse.

I got stranded on the side of the highway on a closed road (closed after I got on it) in a blizzard with no way to keep warm and nearly froze a few years back, (I was losing consciousness when some random guy drove up and we got my truck going just barely long enough for me to get close enough to home to coast in) since then I have a hard time being in the cold at all, and coupled with my ankles working outside int he cold is unbearable in just a few minutes.

Yeah, and that too!

 

...I was beginning to think you musta been sittin to close to the screen watchin Chuck Norris...lol but seriously that's a huge list of injuries which I really do hope you don't suffer pain from forever.I had a badly ruptured disc in '06 between L4/L5 which I carried for 8 months or so and it was AGONY in the mornings..I couldn't even touch my foot on the floor without goin thru the roof!!. My outer calf is gona be partially numb permanently now and now I'm gettin pain and lotsa spasm on the other side

In '01 I had a spell eatin hospital food after they found I had Constrictive Pericarditis..(google that 1) Nearly make that NEARLY took me out ,had nearly a year off work,had Legionnaires/pneumonia too...but its not been my time to go yet so I enjoy life and don't stress too much anymore..!!
and like all of you guys I still love workin on my projects

 

I have LWS which prevents me from doing much of anything on my cars... whats LWS you ask? light wallet syndrome

 

A bad case of lazy ass keeps me from getting anything done.

 

I found the HAMB during an extended vacation at a rehab facility, it keeps me going when my brain says "lets get it in gear" and my body says "f-you"

Oxy, Kadian and zanaflex 3 times a day at least lets me shit, shower and shave myself, it's a real mental trip to have someone else wipe your butt, suicide scenarios are nightly dreams, counseling keeps me going. We should have a gimp-fest car show, make sure you bring your scooters.

 

It can be tough, but as car people we need to stick together and be there for our brothers who are not able bodied, to keep this lifestyle accessible and feasible to them too.

 

Fell 30ft back in 1979, broke both feet, shattered an ankle and stacked up my vertebra like a gambler's chips. After the operation (back, laminectomy) the doc laid me off for two years. I would go out to the garage an hour at a time and work on my O/T hot rod jeep (74 CJ5, I installed an LT-1/M-21). Filled the time just right and seemed to be the sort of excercise I needed. Still get a little pain twinge from time to time, but I know I'm lucky to be walking.

I'm aware that we have several HAMBers with serious disabilities, but they "motor" on regardless. That's what is impressive to - folks with little chance of recovery or healing finding a way to enjoy this hobby to the fullest as best they can. Bless them, and the good friends that help them. You're an inspiration to those with life-changing disabilities.

dj

 

Been struggling with my own health demons for twenty years now, I was 32 when they started. It really helps to know that others have similar struggles, but what really gets me motivated is the realization that it could be a lot worse and I am able to do things others can't.

 

Sloth, hey it's a disease, really. Red bulls ain't workin so good any more.

 

wow, some of you guys have some stories that make my trivial things at what i think my young age 38 seems small........carpal tunnel so bad, it hurts all the way into my neck......good luck guys, hope all gets well!!!

 

VERY Bad knees here.

One thing I have learned DON"T sit on the couch. KEEP MOVING
If you sit on your ass you will be buried below the grass before you know it. KEEP MOVING

 

I'm 59 this year......regular aches and pains for an older fart......Feel bad for some of you, but see that you manage....Makes me feel lucky to as healthy as I am.

 

Was hit by a car in '05 while riding my bike.
Took my left leg above the knee & most of my vision.

STILL LOVE CARS & BIKES!

 

Never realized there were so many people on here with physical ailments.
I feel fine for my age (58) but my vision is pretty bad. 20/70 in one eye and nothing in the other.
I haven't actually driven since the early 80's ,but I recently bought an O/T truck to restore last year because I missed working on one.
Hello,my name is John,and I'm a motorhed.

 

I do what i can now after 8 trips getting cut up but found a younger kid that eager to learn and does a lot to help.Pay him and hes happy and so iam i.

 

Sounds like a plan.

 

Pitts64;I'm ready to try that myself,especially with a rotten right hip,degenerative discs and Arthur in most joints. My problem is my addiction to chocolate chip Pop-Tarts(TM) and chocolate chip cookies. I've never had the good fortune to try Denise's,but I'm sure that they would cause an addiction worse than any drug. I've heard that cutting the sugar intake helps with joint pain;I may have to bite the bullet-hard-and give it a try.

Had a couple encounters with skin cancer,which has not been an issue with working on anything,but the other stuff makes it a real bitch at times. Especially now,in the winter. Not enough heat in the garage leads to a lack of mechanical motivation. It(the pain) has had me sell my Harley,considering selling the vintage snowmobiles,cuz if it ain't fun,why do it?

All in all,I'm fortunate;I can still walk,stand(albeit with difficulty after a while),and get up from sitting. And,crawl over and under the car. Reading some of your issues,I'm not worthy to clean your garages.

Wishing better health to all of you out there.

 

62 in a few weeks, bad knees, broke back, blind, fat, ugly, and I have been shot, stabbed , blowed up and run over(several times). Would not change a thing

 

This is a pretty old thread, but I'll add myself to the record of the infirm; I had 6 bypasses done in January. I'm 41.

The H.A.M.B. has helped me occupy my mind during my recovery.

 

In Oct 2007 I was on an emergency run, I was a Paramedic by trade, it was a heavy patient (400 lbs.). There were only 2 people on the medic, me and my partner and we worked for a private ambulance service. She needed help and I took a chance instead of waiting for help, she never would have survived the wait, We got her in the truck and proceeded to the hospital where we had help meet us to unload. Long story short, 3 disc bulges and bilateral pinched sciatica. My feet are numb and I cannot lift over 25 pounds. Doc never even offered pain pills so I don't take them. I use an engine hoist for most of my lifting and finally traded an old van for a forklift to do the rest of the lifting. I also lost both my parents, 4 months apart. I get my motivation from trying to prove my injury is not permanent as the doctor says it is. I am currently in college training for work within my restrictions but hoping to work my way up from those restrictions.

 

i had my hardware removed last thursday from my 2 level fusion in lower back i havent got to do much sinc e i was hurt 2 years ago i been collecting parts an plannin for when i can get back out

 

Guess I'll play too. Bad back here. I guess too much fighting all those years i have spent as a police officer have finally caught up to me. Have to be real careful with it now.

 

So true!

I started taking Glucosamine last November and noticed within a week I was feeling better, sleeping better, and waking up easier, my old injuries were not as bad as they once were. As an experiment i went off of it for a week, and I just got back on again, I was starting to really hurt again.