Too much groundfeel?

[scedastic]

Thanks, Nick. Sorry I stole this one. Just always trying to inspire others what I wish for myself, if that makes any sense.

And you do. You give this forum the perspective it needs to stay a positive influence. All the time. And you are awfully candid about your experience, which is brave and helpful to many of us.

 

[scedastic]

Every time I start to feel sorry for myself, I am always reminded of my friend who is fighting cancer or the other one who just died of complications due to a tumor surgery. I don't have it as bad as others. I realize that. But instead of just sitting around doing nothing, I have decided to fight it.

I don't ask "Why me?" and I never will. Instead, I ask "Why not me?" I mean "Why not?" It has to be someone, right? And I'm probably the right one too. I am a determined person who is very detailed-oriented but can see the larger picture at the same time. Because of my trials, I (we) have established this club and this forum, and it's quite successful considering we are "just" a bunch of barefooters and minimalists. The BRS and its members are helping others. We are affecting change. And I have created the MN Talk forum discussion board, which is still very small but growing. MN Talk is the first board dedicated to only Morton's Neuroma. Through MN Talk, I am helping others to avoid the mistakes I have made over the past four years with doctors and procedures, so I hope as it grows, I (we) will be able to help more and more people. So, "Why not me?"

Wow. Yes. Exactly. I just hope when my "why not me" moment comes (and it does eventually for us all, right?), I'll be brave enough to remind myself.

 

[Longboard]

For example, I lost function of my right arm a few years ago due to a compressed nerve in my neck. Had surgery and have slowly gained strength back. I swim all the time and am not one of the slowest ones in the triathlons. I also do extensive gardening. The arm in question still seems a bit weaker and has occasional aching pain, but using it seems to help more than hurt. Take heart, TJ.

Willie also had his cervical nerve root to his arm surgically decompressed this year, and is running and everything.
I waited out the pain and weakness for six months and avoided surgery, and despite weakness and atrophy of the arm I am pain free and running as well as cycling. My right shoulder and upper arm is now half the size of my left, but who cares! I am pain free, and thrilled that I escaped surgery.
We all will have setbacks, but most will recover.

 

[Bare Lee]

Wow. Yes. Exactly. I just hope when my "why not me" moment comes (and it does eventually for us all, right?), I'll be brave enough to remind myself.

When they kick out your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun
- The Clash

That's one of the great things about exercise, it trains your spirit as well as your body (he said procrastinating reading mathematical proofs).

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Get out there, Lee. Don't waste it. Even if it's just for 10 minutes. Make time for yourself.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

I've been swimming as part of my water therapy for PT. Swam 64 laps last night. I am a good swimmer, but I am not in love with swimming. Biking, I could probably do in another 3 to 6 months, hopefully. But running? sigh.

 

[NickW]

Hoping you get there TJ, but at least (I know it's not ideal) you can still be physically active outdoors, which really does do wonders for the mind, body and spirit.

 

[Bare Lee]

Get out there, Lee. Don't waste it. Even if it's just for 10 minutes. Make time for yourself.

Actually, I meant I was procrastinating by hanging out at this forum. I just did my back strength-training workout. Now time for read a primer on MTC (mathematical theory of communication), which is itself a form or procrastination.

 

[NickW]

I'm really procrastinating today too Lee. Our new bed is killing me, I think... I also just started a new workout routine at the same time so I don't know if it's the workout routine or the bed killing me, but every morning the last little while I have been waking up with a slight low back and hip pain. Maybe it's because I turned another year older last week... Oldmanitits or something.

 

[Bare Lee]

I'm really procrastinating today too Lee. Our new bed is killing me, I think... I also just started a new workout routine at the same time so I don't know if it's the workout routine or the bed killing me, but every morning the last little while I have been waking up with a slight low back and hip pain. Maybe it's because I turned another year older last week... Oldmanitits or something.

Sounds like your mattress is too soft, and dipping in the middle. Or maybe you're not a bozo.

 

[NickW]

Sounds like your mattress is too soft, and dipping in the middle. Or maybe you're not a bozo.

Actually, the bed we tested was soft, the one we received was hard as a dang rock (hasn't had a million people laying on it to make it soft). It has gotten a little softer but is still pretty hard too me. My wife is finally sleeping well, but I on the other hand am now sleeping like crap, or waking up in pain in the mornings.

 

[Barefooting Bob]

Crap, I missed a bunch on this thread. Lee to answer your question about my crappy knees. I was born with my ligaments (or whatever holds the knee caps in place, I definitely am not a doctor) extended over my knee caps instead of behind like most normal people (well that is relatively speaking). Over the years as you can imagine they have stretched beyond their ability to hold anything, so needless to say my kneecaps started floating around and causing all types of problems (great for party tricks though, because I could push my knee cap to the side of my leg and then back again). After 8 surgeries over the years to fix and mediate the damage and many years of being told I could not run and should not run, I started to run anyways. Now here I am, running and running some more. My story in a nut shell.

 

[scedastic]

Now time for read a primer on MTC (mathematical theory of communication), which is itself a form or procrastination.

Whoa that sounds really cool. At least as cool as boooooouldering.
Do explain.
Math is a great way to avoid life.

 

[scedastic]

Crap, I missed a bunch on this thread. Lee to answer your question about my crappy knees. I was born with my ligaments (or whatever holds the knee caps in place, I definitely am not a doctor) extended over my knee caps instead of behind like most normal people (well that is relatively speaking). Over the years as you can imagine they have stretched beyond their ability to hold anything, so needless to say my kneecaps started floating around and causing all types of problems (great for party tricks though, because I could push my knee cap to the side of my leg and then back again). After 8 surgeries over the years to fix and mediate the damage and many years of being told I could not run and should not run, I started to run anyways. Now here I am, running and running some more. My story in a nut shell.

An amazing story, in a nutshell. And you are running some more all the time.

 

[Bare Lee]

Whoa that sounds really cool. At least as cool as boooooouldering.
Do explain.
Math is a great way to avoid life.

Well, I started out life as a math and science geek, then switched my junior year in college to humanities. So my math is pretty limited these days. I'm officially a linguistic anthropologist, but what that really translates into is semiotics, mainly the Peircian variety. But I use a little cybernetics and other stuff too, so I was curious about the foundational concepts of information or communications theory, which I've never gotten around to looking into. I couldn't really follow the proofs that well today, but I like how the thermodynamic concept of entropy is employed. It helps make sense of my work on regionalism and spirit possession. I find reading outside my disciplines can often generate new ideas, even when the foreign concepts are only half-understood. That is what happened today. I got a good page full of notes. Basically, social order, or information, requires social energy or practice, to maintain, otherwise entropy ensues, for various reasons. Shannon's basic formulas provide a formal way of modeling this, which may be useful. On the other hand, it may just be an obscure way to describe something that is already well-understood in a different, already established vocabulary. I dunno. Will have to work through it a bit more before I know if it's worth pursuing. But mostly I just want my knee to be better so I can run well again . . .

 

[Bare Lee]

Crap, I missed a bunch on this thread. Lee to answer your question about my crappy knees. I was born with my ligaments (or whatever holds the knee caps in place, I definitely am not a doctor) extended over my knee caps instead of behind like most normal people (well that is relatively speaking). Over the years as you can imagine they have stretched beyond their ability to hold anything, so needless to say my kneecaps started floating around and causing all types of problems (great for party tricks though, because I could push my knee cap to the side of my leg and then back again). After 8 surgeries over the years to fix and mediate the damage and many years of being told I could not run and should not run, I started to run anyways. Now here I am, running and running some more. My story in a nut shell.

Man, that's pretty intense Bob. Glad to hear you made it to the other side. Barefoot runners are awesome. I feel privileged to belong to your clan.

 

[Bare Lee]

Actually, the bed we tested was soft, the one we received was hard as a dang rock (hasn't had a million people laying on it to make it soft). It has gotten a little softer but is still pretty hard too me. My wife is finally sleeping well, but I on the other hand am now sleeping like crap, or waking up in pain in the mornings.

Good luck. When my wife and I were shopping around for a mattress in 2010, it was hard to find a good compromise between my taste for a hard mattress and hers for a medium soft one. We finally found one that works for us, but it took some looking. You might consider one of the half-half beds, that has two different firmnesses. Good sleep is so important, says the guy who just woke up after 30 minutes of sleep.