What's the Weather Have to Do With it?

Weather & Your Health

Human Barometers

For as long as people have been aware of weather, they've pondered its impact on their health. The Greeks noted the effect of "hot and cold winds" on pain and illness 2,400 years ago. During the Civil War, physicians wrote about amputee soldiers sensing pain in their "phantom" limbs when the weather changed. And folk wisdom tells of people who "feel the weather in their bones."

In modern times, doctors continue to explore the connection between weather and pain, especially in relation to chronic conditions such as migraine headaches and arthritis.

For those people who are sensitive to weather, changes in weather are generally more likely to affect them than specific weather conditions.

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Fusion of the Thoracic Spine

Fused spine using pedicle screws

Special screws called "pedicle screws" are placed through the pedicle bone on the back of the spinal column. The screw inserts through the pedicle and into the vertebral body, one on each side. The screws grab into the bone of the vertebral body, giving them a good solid hold on the vertebra. Once the screws are placed they are attached to metal rods that connect all the screws together. When everything is bolted together and tightened, this creates a stiff metal frame that holds the vertebrae still so that healing can occur. The bone graft is then placed around the back of the vertebrae.. . .The early pedicle screw fixation systems utilized rather thick rods to support the screws. Not only were the rods difficult to bend at surgery but they tended to exert significant adverse stress on the screws and adjacent spinal segments. Complications involving nerve compression or injury associated with the placement of pedicle screws still occur in approximately 8-15% of cases. In addition to this Zdeblick also described "post-fusion disease referring to the extensive paravertebral muscle damage often documented on post surgical MRI scans) in addition to the other potential problems.

Nerves in the cervical spine, extend to the upper chest and arms. The nerves also carry electrical signals back to the brain, creating sensations. Damage to the nerves, nerve roots or spinal cord may result in symptoms such as pain, tingling, numbness and weakness, both in and around the damaged area and in the extremities.

Many muscle groups that move the trunk and the limbs also attach to the spinal column.

Your spine is one of the most important parts of your body. It gives your body structure and support. Without it you could not stand up or keep yourself upright. It allows you to move about freely and to bend with flexibility. The spine is also designed to protect your spinal cord. The spinal cord is a column of nerves that connects your brain to the rest of your body, allowing you to control your movements. Without a spinal cord you could not move any part of your body, and your organs could not function. Keeping your spine healthy is vital if you want to live an active life. Learn about the spine



Thoughts about my pain - Major pain radiates from about my bra line and radiates around as spasms to my sternum. . . radiculopathy across my shoulders and down my arms. The barometric pressure really affects people with ortho injuries.

A Marvelous Ergonomic Chair and Computer Set-up

ErgoQuest Workstation -
WOW, yes please . . .

ErgoQuest designs and manufactures the highest quality Sit/Stand/Recline computer workstations allowing computer users to work in standing, seated, or reclined positions. If you, your client, or employee needs to work in a reclined position, or switch frequently from standing to sitting to reclined positions, we can help. You will not find a more adjustable, adaptable, ergonomic workstations anywhere.



I'd be quite pleased with this set-up

Beyond the Pain Barrier

Beyond the Pain Barrier

Introduction

Pain, particularly chronic pain, is much more than a neurological response, a simple cause-and-effect. It is a complex physical, emotional, intellectual, environmental and social response to damage, disease or distress. While most pain becomes evident with nerve or tissue damage, the origins of some pain may be emotional, intellectual or even spiritual.

Pain is a common human experience and yet we don't really know what someone else's pain is like. Pain is personal; we all feel and respond to it differently and our tolerance levels vary. What is painful for one might be dismissed as insignificant by another. Long-term pain, or chronic pain, can be a lonely experience and sufferers can feel isolated and powerless.

Perhaps the most destructive aspect of chronic pain is the way it steadily erodes and fragments the life force of the person in pain. The pain sufferer can lose a sense of being in charge of their life, becoming reactive and increasingly powerless, devitalised and demoralised. By its very nature pain can affect all aspects of the sufferer's life - their relationship with themselves and with others, their finances and, if they are able to work, their work performance.

In the range of help available to the chronic pain sufferer, there is a vast resource that is potentially and consistently the most powerful of all. This is the mind. In combination with appropriate therapies, the healing power of the mind gives us access to enduring, effective pain management.

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The body-mind network

Pain after Spinal Cord Injury - Chronic Pain

There were 4 of us gathered by chance - all 4 of us, we were surprised to learn, had suffered an extreme injury of our backs.

A guy in his 30's said, "I don't mind the pain. It reminds me that I'm alive."

That wasn't my attitude about the pain - mine was, "This is not acceptable."

All of us make it through another day the best we can. Smiling on the outside, while inside we might be screaming in pain. We deal with it in our own ways. Grin and Bear it comes to mind.

Research on Pain

Anatomy of the Spine

The spinal column is the center for control of our posture and provides our stability when we stand. It also allows for flexibility, so that we can do different things such as stand or sit, stretch backward or bend forward. We can even twist our backs or necks one way or another.

Because of its many functions, the spine is very vulnerable to injury – injuries can occur to the bones themselves, the ligaments that connect the bones, discs that separate each vertebral bone from one another, or muscles that give movement to our spinal skeleton.

Medline Plus - Spinal Cord Injuries

Great Site ~



many Resource Links

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries usually begin with a blow that fractures or dislocates your vertebrae, the bone disks that make up your spine. Most injuries don't sever your spinal cord.

Instead, they cause damage when pieces of vertebrae tear into cord tissue or press down on the nerve parts that carry signals.

In a complete spinal cord injury, the cord can't relay messages below the level of the injury. As a result, you are paralyzed below the level of injury.

In an incomplete injury, you have some movement and sensation below the injury.

A spinal cord injury is a medical emergency. Immediate treatment can reduce long-term effects. Later treatment usually includes medicine and rehabilitation therapy.

Spinal Cord Injury Secondary Condition: Spasticity

By J. Glen House, MD

Spasticity is a condition that commonly occurs after a spinal cord injury that occurs at T12 and above. It is associated with an upper motor neuron injury and can occur in individuals with a complete or an incomplete spinal cord injury. Spasticity is best described by an increase in muscle tone (difficulty moving an arm or leg through its range of motion), increase in reflexes (when a physician taps on a tendon), involuntary movements and the presence of clonus (i.e., foot placed on the ground continues to beat up and down).

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Spinal Cord Injury Secondary Condition: Autonomic Dysreflexia

By J. Glen House, MD



What is it?
Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is a very serious medical emergency that can be life threatening. It is a sudden increase in blood pressure, which if left untreated can lead to stroke or death.

Who gets it?
This condition can occur in individuals injured at the T6 (sixth thoracic) level and above. For example, it can occur in anyone who has a spinal cord injury from C1 to T6. There are cases that have been described at the level of T8, but it is questionable whether these cases were related to another cause of increased blood pressure.

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What's Are LaForte I, II, III Fractures?

I sustained LaForte I, II, II Fractures when I was ejected from the passenger seat in a highspeed-rollover on the freeway in Palm Springs, CA.

A LaForte fracture is a fracture of all facial bones.

My doctor told me my skin was the only thing holding my face together.

LaForte I.
Upper face fracture where the bones such as the forehead are disconnected.
LaForte II.
Upper face and middle face (nose area) fractures where they are completely disconnected
LaForte III.
Lower 2/3 of the face, such as the jaw are completely snapped off.

The only thing holding this injury in is your skin. it is very severe.

Spinal Fusion, Spinal Nerves

Spinal Nerves

Spinal Fusion

Learn about Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord trauma is damage to the spinal cord. It may result from direct injury to the cord itself or indirectly from damage to surrounding bones, tissues, or blood vessels.Spinal cord trauma can be caused by any number of injuries to the spine.

Fracture of the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine

Fracture of one or more bones of the spinal column (vertebrae) of the middle (thoracic) or lower (lumbar) back is a serious injury.

It is usually caused by high-energy trauma such as a car crash, fall, sports accident, or violent act (for example, a gunshot wound). People with osteoporosis, tumors, or other underlying conditions that weaken bone can get a spinal fracture with minimal trauma or normal activities of daily living.

Doctors classify fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine based upon pattern of injury.

• Compression fracture. While the front (anterior) of the vertebra breaks and loses height, the back (posterior) part of it does not. This type of fracture is usually stable and is rarely associated with neurologic problems.
• Axial burst fracture. The vertebra loses height on both the front and back sides. It is often caused by a fall from a height when a person lands on their feet.
• Flexion/distraction (Chance) fracture. The vertebra is literally pulled apart (distraction). This can happen in accidents such as a head-on car crash, in which the upper body is thrown forward while the pelvis is stabilized by a lap seat belt.
• Transverse process fracture. This fracture results from rotation or extreme sideways (lateral) bending and usually does not affect stability.
• Fracture-dislocation. This is an unstable injury involving bone and/or soft tissue, in which one vertebra may move off the adjacent one (displaced).

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The Spine

Source: SCI Information Network

Before the Accident / and / After the Accident

The Afternoon of February 16, 2002,
Roadtrip: LA to Phoenix

. . . . I rarely would let others drive because I had a feeling I'd be in a car accident as a result.

If only I'd LISTENED to my inner knowing this time!!! It always warned me - I mostly listened. Now I always listen.

February 16th, 2002, I let someone else drove because there were 2 kids with us, and my van didn't have a back seat for them to be belted into. So, with my inner-knowing screaming at me NOT to go, I got in the new Ford Expedition - a giant vehicle.

For now, the bare details:
I was the Passenger in a High-Speed Rollover on the I10, by the steel Windmills.
Face Smashed, Skull and Body Battered as the Ford Expedition flipped over going about 80 mph. It then came crashing down onto the pavement in the loudest B A N G I've ever heard. The giant, new Expedition rolled over a few times and then somehow I was thrown through the drivers window - past the driver? That's what I'm told. The back of my head hit the asphalt.

I floated above my body, watching with slightly detached interest, as the paramedics worked on my body, yelling at me to stay with them . . .

Result: LaPort I, II, III fractures, pulverized right side of my face.
Burst Fractures 3, 5 & 7 of the Thoracic part of my Spine.
Eyelid ripped almost completely off
Face ripped up
Complete bruising everywhere
Dead - but the EMT's and doctors kept bringing me back.

Before the Accident / and / After the Accident

Yes, I Survived,
BUT My World was Shattered,

in a Blink of an Eye
B A M !

DOWN and OUT!

Then
Consciousness . . .
Then
AGONY

A TRAUMATIC ACCIDENT alters ones entire life. Our 'normal life' has been taken from us in an INSTANT, we are Broken and life is now thought of as Before the Accident and After the Accident.

As of this writing, it's been almost 8 very difficult years. I miss my healthy body, my normal face. I do less, I'm never without sunglasses to hide behind. My many doctors did a great job considering what they had to work with. Sure looks easy in the movies - real life is QUITE another story!

When my body hurts too much to bare, I still get frustrated and sad, but I don't dwell on it any more, instead I sit in my recliner with my laptop, and accept that this is life as I must lead it now. The tears don't fall as often any more, I still avoid mirrors - yes, I'm pretty much a recluse, but I enjoy being alone, always have. Now it's just much more, the adventures much less.

Always Hoping, Always Searching for Help in Healing

Robert R. Barron, former Senior CIA Disguise Specialist,
committed to restoring identities through prosthetic devices.

Helping many people to become 'normal' again

Robert R. Barron brings sunshine back into peoples lives

---

20608 Gordon Park Square, Suite 150
Ashburn, Virginia 20147
703.723.4668 tel/703.723.7130 fax
cpdrbarron@prosthesis.com

Custom Prosthetic Designs, Inc.

My View on Medications

When you're body has been severely traumatized and shattered, your bodies reaction is to pass-out because the pain is too much to bear.

Once you're saved by trained EMT's and transported to a hospital and into ICU, doctors continue working to help you survive.

I was given morphine, and all I can say is thank heaven morphine exists! I feel patients should have the right to as much morphine as they need in the following days and weeks of severe bodily trauma.

I do NOT believe anyone can get addicted to morphine when the pain without morphine is absolutely intolerable.

I also know that getting off morphine and any pain killers as soon as possible is the best thing you can do in allowing your bodies own healing power to take over.

ALWAYS know the side-effects listed on the drugs you take - at least once you're out of the hospital . . . . and try to never take any pain meds again.

The best remedies I've found for my sometimes debilitating pain, is to lay down and distract myself by reading.

As a photographer, I get so focused on shooting, I can keep the pain at bay for awhile at least.

Spinal images

Titanium

I have Titanium in me and around me these days.

My face
My back
My Maui Jims sunglasses
My Laptop used to be, the new one is stainless steel I think

What is Titanium? Why is it so Valuable?

Almost 8 years since the Day of My Accident

February 16, 2002 - November of 2009

I'm ready to start two Blogs about it, and sharing what I find.

The sister Blog to this one is Shattered Body, Shattered Spirit, and it takes you through an unplanned detour in my life as a result of aa traumatic car accident.
It will be published in the future.

This Blog, Accident Recovery Collaborative (ARC) is an ongoing compilation of documents related to the Bodily Trauma I sustained in a car accident.

It also will cover the Emotional Trauma Accident Survivors must learn to live with, and all other connected issues of life's details that one must contend with when you've been in an accident.

It's taken me about 7 years to accept where I am physically with gratitude that I've come as far as I have.





I hope you will benefit from my searches.