My name is XYZ and I need help. My story is a long one and so, I will make it flow. I am suffering from what you my friends will help me define. It is not headache, not malaria, and no, it is not HIV/AIDS. But it does kill me.

By the late 2016, my body ganged up against me. I heard them conspiring I swear. They said “let’s teach him a big lesson. Let us plant a blow on his back and gag him by his throat. When we are done with him, he would neither be able to sit nor type or cry even. I was just 24 and finishing NYSC months earlier, I delved into freelancing, offering proofreading and content writing and press releases. I took to a small room. It was not very comfortable, but I was not complaining either. I left home. Gave my parents some space and decided to hustle the way I knew best how to.

Cut the crap of the genesis. I was just trying. You would see that from the above, and from the kind of work I took to, there was frequent sitting and typing and tilted neck. I don’t know, was this the genesis of my ailment?

I have not particularly got a good standing posture. I stand with my waist projected forwards and my legs curved backwards. I have grown to always stand like that. It doesn’t bother me nor affect me. But maybe it has given to my spine some form of curvature – I wouldn’t know.

Also, I frequently had to go long distance to fetch water in a 25liters keg and took my not-too-heavy laptop power bank on my hand, shuttling between “work” and home. I was straining my shoulders – true, but it was not something that I hadn’t done before. In my school days, I would hoist two of such gallons onto my hands and climb up the stairs. It didn’t affect me. Not even one atom of pain.

So as I kept up with my job, I soon discovered that my back was aching me and my shoulders were always sore. You know as they would say “Na from clap them take dey enter dance.” My shoulders and back and neck started to clap. Brothers I was just 24, I had a long life ahead – God willing. How the fvck am I to cope with my little programming, do my essays and write my scripts?

It was just a clap, nothing much to worry about. Before then, I was using a student kind of armless chair so my first thought was to change it and get a chair with arm rests. I wouldn’t say it worked. If it did, I won’t be typing this now. Even, I augmented the back with a kind of pillow, but no, the pain wouldn’t budge. Did my chewing-gum-bed worsen the situation? Maybe, I wouldn’t know.

And so the pain worsened – upper back, neck, behind the neck and shoulders. All were painful. Really painful and uncomfortable. If I did take a cold shower, I would be relieved but after some minutes of sitting, the whole muscles would once again be agitated. I was in a dilemma. I didn’t know what to do. Was it an injury to my muscles and tendons? I don’t know still.

It was no surprise that when an offer for work came along, I left my online biz that was dotted with a lot of sitting down and reluctantly clung on to the offer. Let me mention too that then, I when I felt the pains, I would lie on my back, still operating my laptop with my hands as support. Next, my hand too joined the bad gang. Poor me! What would I have done? I took the job. I reasoned that the job will give me a break from my long hours of sitting. Now that I have the job, it turns out that my assumptions all along were all wrong. I mostly sit.

It is now 3 and half years of constant worrying. This day I seem fine. The nest day I am sore and pained all over. I can hardly sit and type for long even in the office. I would feel my neck and shoulder muscles groaning and the front and back of my head would feel so hot and in need of some cold shower. Something is definitely wrong with me and I can’t lay a finger on it. If I ever fill my knapsack with some not-so-light goods, the days that follow would not be so kind to me. If I do carry gallons, whether one or two, filled with water, ill regret the coming weeks. If I ever decide to use my PC for long, I will be forced to snap out of it. If I do any funny exercise (whether or not it is in a bid to ameliorate my condition), I would eventually be worsening the whole stuff. If I don’t even sleep fine – I am gone. If my BP flares, I’m gone still.

I have been prescribed some medications, but they do not work. Instead, their side effects thrills me. Ranging from diclofenac to (I can’t even remember them), all from reputable hospitals. The doctors seem to always think that it is just a postural stuff. Is it? It might contribute to it but I am thinking that the story does not end there. It is more than postural stuff. At one time I had an x ray. They diagnosed cervical spondylitis. Well if they are correct, what do I do…? This pain threatens me that at times, I think of resigning. But is resigning an option? Who or what then will I cleave to?

Is my story alien? Can anyone relate with this? My neck always feels stiff and my shoulders and surrounding muscles, tensed. Somehow, it is as if my tissues or tendons or muscles – whatever, have been programmed to fire and cry whenever I assume even certain neutral positions/postures. I can go on and on and in fact, this is only a part of my health story.

Some exercise would seem to help at first but in time would conspire and fight against me. Prone cobra and similar yoga styles. They don’t really help or seem to help for a short while and then the clap again turns to dance yet again. My muscles are dancing. They are no longer clapping. Worse still, I don’t like their dance steps.

For reference, see illustration of the pain areas (the dotted parts) and a line diagram of my “currently being corrected” standing posture (worst case scenario).

This is a new account but I have been here for 10 years with a different silent moniker. I am XYZ and I need help. Forget the smiles. I NEED HELP!

Go for X- ray

Okada drop me here!

Timbers

Booked �

25tolife:
Okada drop me here!

As okada iyaf dropped you, wetin you get to yarn

osizi06:
Go for X- ray

Ok. I'll go for another one. Another thing is to get the doctor care.

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XYZ0XYZ:

As okada iyaf dropped you, wetin you get to yarn

go and learn takwoando.

XYZ0XYZ:
Ok. I'll go for another one. Another thing is to get the doctor care.

I don't believe you need an x-ray and I don't believe you need some weird tests. From the diagrams you drew of the pain areas, you will be shocked to know that what you may need is to get some serious rest of your mind and muscles. But in this day and age, where many of us eat stress for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I know that it is hard to do. But imagine how much all that anxiety and tension can cause our muscles -- muscle tension can be a bitch. Tell me if any of that sounds about right?

[img]https://www.atlasprofilax.ch/fileadmin/media/Website_New_2019/Symptoms/Muscles_and_fascia/Muscle_knots_1_FEN.jpg[/img]

Seems you haven't seen the right doctor. If you have cervical spondolytis, you need to see a neurologist/ neurosurgeon and then physiotherapist for correction immediately before it gets worse.

The pain will continue as you are beginning to have nerve damage from what you are describing. Nerve damage is not easily reversible.

Please go to a doctor and ensure you are referred to a neurologist or neurosurgeon quickly. You will need to do an MRI as well as full blood works to rule out other possible issues.

I'm aware of this because my mother had similar pains for years and was misdiagnosed. By the time my brother flew her out, she had irreversible nerve damage which could have been avoided.

Good luck

25tolife:
go and learn takwoando.

I would not mind, seriously. It could be difficult to see a center though. I'm not in Japan

Kobojunkie:

I don't believe you need an x-ray and I don't believe you need some weird tests. From the diagrams you drew of the pain areas, you will be shocked to know that what you may need is to get some serious rest of your mind and muscles. But in this day and age, where many of us eat stress for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I know that it is hard to do. But imagine how much all that anxiety and tension can cause our muscles -- muscle tension can be a bitch. Tell me if any of that sounds about right?

[img]https://www.atlasprofilax.ch/fileadmin/media/Website_New_2019/Symptoms/Muscles_and_fascia/Muscle_knots_1_FEN.jpg[/img]

Yeah, I know rest is vital, but rest alone wouldn't be all. I'm trying to rest, increase my sleep duration and all that. But the plus is not concrete. I am still missing something I think.

XYZ0XYZ:


I would not mind, seriously. It could be difficult to see a center though. I'm not in Japan

just kidding........but try to engage in exercise.

hectoro:
Seems you haven't seen the right doctor. If you have cervical spondolytis, you need to see a neurologist/ neurosurgeon and then physiotherapist for correction immediately before it gets worse.

The pain will continue as you are beginning to have nerve damage from what you are describing. Nerve damage is not easily reversible.

Please go to a doctor and ensure you are referred to a neurologist or neurosurgeon quickly. You will need to do an MRI as well as full blood works to rule out other possible issues.

I'm aware of this because my mother had similar pains for years and was misdiagnosed. By the time my brother flew her out, she had irreversible nerve damage which could have been avoided.

Good luck

Thanks. Seems more like it. I'll message my hmo to see how they can assist or which hospital I might visit.

Worst case, I'll take the bull by the horns.

Thanks again

XYZ0XYZ:
Yeah, I know rest is vital, but rest alone wouldn't be all. I'm trying to rest, increase my sleep duration and all that. But the plus is not concrete. I am still missing something I think.

Rest is not simply about increasing sleep. As far as muscle tension is concerned, it has more to do with the mind than the body.

But since you are able to see a doctor about it, I say go for that, and your doctor ought to have a better idea of what ails you.

Kobojunkie:

I don't believe you need an x-ray and I don't believe you need some weird tests. From the diagrams you drew of the pain areas, you will be shocked to know that what you may need is to get some serious rest of your mind and muscles. But in this day and age, where many of us eat stress for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I know that it is hard to do. But imagine how much all that anxiety and tension can cause our muscles -- muscle tension can be a bitch. Tell me if any of that sounds about right?

[img]https://www.atlasprofilax.ch/fileadmin/media/Website_New_2019/Symptoms/Muscles_and_fascia/Muscle_knots_1_FEN.jpg[/img]

Alot of ppl die in Japan yearly from work related stress..... So b careful.. Might just b. A life and death matter

Kobojunkie:

Rest is not simply about increasing sleep. As far as muscle tension is concerned, it has more to do with the mind than the body.

But since you are able to see a doctor about it, I say go for that, and your doctor ought to have a better idea of what ails you.

Yes. This I'm planning to do. Thanks

Blackmann001:


Alot of ppl die in Japan yearly from work related stress..... So b careful.. Might just b. A life and death matter

I'm trying. Seriously, I am.

Blackmann001:
Alot of ppl die in Japan yearly from work related stress..... So b careful.. Might just b. A life and death matter

Are you currently in Japan or something?

Visit a better hospital (preferably big private) and insist on thorough investigations.