Derek
Hello everybody.
My name is Toni, Derek's wife. I had to pick him up early this afternoon from Armidale, when I got there he had both his arms strapped to his chest and a most miserable look on his face.
It seems he had to come down from a tree today, he coulden't finish it. His arms just gave up, more so the right. The miserable look was mostly pain, but he was very dissapointed to "give up"
and have to come down.
I need to clarify a few things in Dereks first letter here.
His "Golf elbow" (Medial Epicondylits), should of said the inside or underside of his elbow, and im sure he ment the top or outerside for his "tennis elbow" (Lateral Epicondylitis).
I get the impression, from his letter, this has happened in the last month, granted it has gotten much worse in the last month, but he has had it on and off for a couple of years now.
I am studing to be a RN at the moment, and have been pressing my points of veiw and research at him for ages.
I tell him not to do the Cortisone injections AT ALL.
Pain is the bodys way of saying STOP.
The "tiny tendon tears" have formed an "adhesion" to your elbow, I can feel them when I massage it. We have to break down the scar tissue and release the adhesion. Stopping the ACTIVITIES that aggravate the problem, would rarley lead to resolving it because the underlying tissue changes are still present. Catch twenty two. Weather he stops climbing or not, he will still have the symptoms.
I read all the great advise here, I will do my best to answer every one, First thing he wanted to do was check in and read it all.
I sent Derek to bed, he took some pretty strong pain killers at the motel they stay at, I must say he was not his "chipper" self on the way home, even the kids were quite. He is very worried about it. Insisting to try the Cortisone. "got to do somthing" was all id get. I can see his point, and you have know idea how happy he is climbing trees, in 8 years of Marrage ( and many before that) He is "alive" in this job and i dont want to see him have to change.
As he was never into computers EVER I am amazed how much surfing he does on this site, allways telling me to "come and look at this" I try, but since he has all but wrecked my computer, I offer my "yes dear very nice" and leave it at that. I must intergect here and thank all the wonderfull people that helped "us" through the recent loss of MY car and all his tools, his mood changed conciderably once he told you all what happened.
I have written by hand all my responces to your advice (threads I think?) I also now realise the "threads" are underneath this.
Hello RAHTREELIMBS, That sounds painfull to.
Silverblue. Hi Rob, Yes I am still getting my schoolwork done, despite you "poping" in while im tring to download info. Derek thought it was funny as hell when I told him we were chatting.
(expect a "stop tring to pick up my wife note' soon.lol)
Cod liver oil, tablets or liquid what strength and how much. Can't give him the "runs" seen where he works?
Hello STUMPER I have heard that Glucosamine is made from sharks (cartilage?) I think the two , Chondroitin and it, are good natural prouducts and we will give them ago. Gelatin Tastes discusting, how do you administer it, just drink it?
Hi CHE, Ice treatments we do and Derek does when hes away, he puts ice packs on and puts a leg rope velcro around it for twenty minutes on twenty off. I'll pass on you agree with Stumper and defenatly no injections (I'm with you).
Greetings NEWFIE, Cortisone NO, it will only mask the problem.
Hi DATATWINS (both of you), I'm glad to hear NO again. Whats the "mineral" ice? Do you mean like sparkaling mineral water, then freeze it? He/I do/dose get a hot towel after an ice treatment, it seems to help the most, more so than the ice, he says.
RICH hi again, Tylenol for 6 weeks, your DR told you that! Did he offer anything eles?
MPAPUGA, Hi can I call you Mike? I can't pronounce that. I have KNOW IDEA what "jump cutting" a log is and not sure I want to.
He takes Ibuprofin, and others I will get to. You have good news on the Cortisone bad results on the Glucosemene.
Had you heard any horror stories before you went?
Thankyou ARBORIST1, Vioxx? We have a "footspa" nothing to write home about, it works to keep the water at a variable heat, I try to do some deep massage but can't usealy even touch his elbow, the streching he does all the time.
Hi CROFTER More horror stories please.
Hello WILEY P I AGREE, But what is a Vascular Flush all about?
Hi TREEMACHINE Where do I find him one of thoses, TOMMORROW would be good?
Hello XANDER 9727 I have your photo on the wall here? I coulden't come to his frantic "HAVE A LOOK AT THIS" cry one day,
so he printed it, full A4 color print, he bought it over to me. "yes dear very nice" Thank you for the exelent advice. Although Metric is eaiser, i get the point. We use the footspa to help increase circluation. I feel it's very important.
STUMPER, Derek will be annoyed he dident get to say that first.
TREEMAN FJR, hello there. I heard the same thing about "Celebrex" Derek took it for two years after the Golf elbow, now he takes "Voltarin" or "voltarin rapid" now. Even the children take vitamins here (yogi bears), EVERYDAY.
Hi again CHE, Why was "Vioxx" recalled? I think its what Derek's "elbow buddy" takes.
Thank you all so much, I hope I dident take up to much space.
I know it will mean a lot to Derek, I will keep him at home tommorow, he was comming home early anyway.
We will try to get to the bottom of it somehow. It seems strange that no one mentioned "wringing exersizes" several doctors and websites have suggested it. He is allways tring it but says all it does is give him another calous on his hands.
He also got the price wrong on the "tennis elbow" brace he wares. I bought it for him, it was only $20 (not $40) he says that if he wears it for to long the pain "moves" from his elbow to his forarm and is worse then. So he swaps arms all the time.
Whats a wife of a climber do, He has been poping Codine forts like M and Ms, and that is so unlike Derek, He hates them normaly, with the other pils aswell, I do get vary concerened he is going to fall out of a tree!
With the children, dinner, baths, Derek woke up once, got some chicken soup into him, its awfully late. Good night and God bless you all, Love Toni.
