On 27/1/08 20:40, in article ,
"David in Normandy" wrote:

Nick Maclaren says...

In article ,
David in Normandy writes:
|
| I've got a heavy axe to split over-wide logs. Some split
| easily as you say, but it is still hard work. I wouldn't
| want to do more than a few at a time. Not good for
| arthritic joints :-(
| Definitely a job for muscular young men.

Hmm. I am past 60, and DEFINITELY not muscular in the arms!
But I don't have arthritis (only tennis elbow).


I'm only in my 40's but have little bits of bone growing in
various places where they shouldn't. Some unfortunately
into major nerves in my neck and also into my spinal cord.
Thankfully it went into remission before my date for
surgery came up so operation on hold. The surgery itself
carries a risk of paralysis or death, so I'm hoping it
stays permanently in remission. I just have to take care
not to jar or inflame the vertebrae. Swinging an axe is
something I do with care and moderation!

David, this sounds horribly familiar. I have bony spurs growing on my neck
vertebrae and without gentle chiropractic intervention can't walk straight
after a week or so. Yesterday, I did some gentle gardening but it involved
quite a lot of bending and then standing up etc. just to tidy things up and
carry the debris to the wheelbarrow. Later that evening I had a sudden loss
of balance which usually indicates my entire spine is right 'out'. A couple
of weeks ago, I suddenly had a brief period of double vision and feeling
very weak, almost faint. My previous doc wouldn't even arrange for an X-ray
on the grounds that I wouldn't want an operation such as you describe,
whatever happened to show up on the X-ray. The chiropractor *did*
commission an X-ray and while it's not awful, it's not terrifically good,
either.
I wonder if you'd be kind enough to email me about this? (remove weeds from
address) I'd be very glad to hear from someone with similar symptoms,
though yours sound worse than mine are at present.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'