Update on my ES Journey

The past half year or so has been hard, with alot off stuff going on both physically and mentally.

It has been a ride for sure, and i’ve become stronger than ever both mentally and physically.

I’ve been struggeling alot after the surgery with nerve pain and severe lower and mid back pain aswell as shoulder and neck pain, this has now resolved.

The solution has been going to therapy for mental illness aswell as going trough a program at a chiropractic center.

With lots off running, workout and the like it has been a major impact for the aftermath after surgery.

Im fully back at work, working three jobs and also travelling alot.

The past half year i’ve been training for half marathon wich i took part in the last weekend in may, i finished in 2 hours and 40 minutes. Not the best time, i was hoping for 2 hours and 25 minutes but it was my first half marathon ever.

Next up i will compete in 10k run in late september.

I must say, getting back to running has made a huge difference in my life both for ES and my mental health.

Take care everyone!

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Hi where did you have your operation?

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My surgery was at St.Olavs Hospital in Trondheim Norway :saluting_face:

@Henrik Well done!

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Wow, you have been busy! I’m glad that your pain has improved, you’ve been able to get back to running, & that it’s improved your mental health as well as your physical health…
Thank you for your update and hope that you keep getting stronger :folded_hands:

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@Henrik - So good to hear from you! You look GREAT!!

What an accomplishment to have trained for & run a half marathon!! I know from experience how much time training takes & the joy of completing the event regardless of the finish time. You also got a great bib number!! Mine were always some series of numbers I couldn’t remember. :joy: CONGRATULATIONS!! :partying_face: :clap: :confetti_ball:

Working 3 jobs! That’s a huge accomplishment & amazing progress. I hope you don’t wear yourself out between work & training for your runs. :man_running:

I’m so glad your pain is gone & you’re feeling so much better. You worked hard to recover and now you’re reaping the benefits. I’m really happy for you! :hugs:

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Thank you !

I was in tears off joy and relief when i crossed the finish line. The interesting part off running long distances is how much you have to work with yourself, talk to yourself alot and just push trough regardless off how sore your legs and muscles are. The real heavy work is not the running itself, it is the mental part and also the planning off preserving power and energy before and during the race.

You kind off learn the way off being your own “boss”.

And i noticed how much the cheering from the crowd helped in certain segments off the run, i have never thought about how much that really means.

The bib number yeah hahaha, the secretariat told me i got a good number :rofl:

And the post-marathon hunger, oh my days how much i could eat the hours after. Good thing that my family had a barbeque at the camp site near the race :rofl:

I mostly work rotation now, almost like offshore-rotation. So that will be 14 days on job and 21 days off the jobb(free) so if i have to or feel it is necessary to take some days offf in between jobs it is kind off no problem.

The only thing is when im travelling in between jobs, i notice that sometimes the stress from travelling can trigger some pain, but it rearly become seriouse enough and it lasts for a couple off hours, and i mostly stay at hotels that is well equiped with good beds and pillows.

Offcorse regarding ES symptoms, there is still some days i have pain and it gets triggered somehow, but it lasts just for a day or two. Im still seeing a chiropractor, the program im going trough is every 4th week. With lightly adjusting the spine and the neck, and also lightly manipulations off shoulder and neck muscles.

We have worked alot with different muscles around the neck, jaw and shoulder mostly.

There is one muscle we always try to work alot with and that helps with jaw and ear pressure, i guess it is the media pterygoid and lateral pterygoid. Wich my chiropractor have to go from the inside off my mouth with his thumb or little finger and make some sort off pressure to “realese” the tension off these muscles, it is quite painfull but after 5 minutes the tension starts to go away aswell as the ear pressure. I guess the tension off these muscles can also be a factor for headaches and migrenes aswell as tension in the eyes.

We do also some kind off breathing excercises to realese tension from the mid and lower back muscles, i can’t exactly explain how this is going on practically, im going to ask him next time if i can get a hold on one off his reports wich can tell you what he is actually doing. He is very good and highly trained.

We do also work alot wit the temporalis and masseter muscles, he uses a pressure gun and that will decrease the tension.

Every time we also chek for rotational problems off the neck before we start.

Thank you! I guess i can recomend that you have to chek your mental state, because i think alot off my problems got better after dealing with the mess and state i was in. Mental stress creates alot off cortisol, and high levels off cortisol is not a good combination with imflamation everywhere else in your body, it just keeps it worse.

And i have learned the hard way, sometimes you have to let something go to be able to grow and make space for new things and new people to come into your life, you’ll be suprised i tell you!

That is just life in a nutshell! :saluting_face:

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Hi, congratulations on your achievements! Both mentally and physically. I am having a lot of the same pains post surgery - the pain travels with a few days or weeks in my mid and lower spine, then it moves to my cervical spine and base of skull, then my shoulder etc etc. I have a week or so with little pain and then it all starts back up again. I’m wondering if this is part of recovery…?
Are you able to tell me when you had your surgeries? I’m 6 months post op.
Thank you

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I totally agree w/ this. I found that after I’d done a few races (I was slow but could go the distance), my mind knew I could do it so the mental part became easier. I think challenging ourselves physically does help build our mental & physical endurance not just for athletic events but also for hard things that happen in our lives (like ES). It can help us have physical & mental perseverance to some extent.

Your job sounds exhausting but interesting. I’m glad you get a block of time off to recover. I can imagine the stress of traveling for work & having to sleep in different beds than your own could trigger some old ES pain. I have found that I’m still experiencing nerve recovery 10 years after my surgeries. It’s amazing how our bodies keep working to heal & help us thrive.

I have had chiropractic work in my mouth like you’re describing, but never even thought to ask what muscles were being worked on. I agree it’s quite painful but the end results are good. Mine was less for ES & more due to worn out TM joints which affect my bite. Getting the pterygoid muscles worked on always helped for a month or more.

I also have experienced this & completely agree with you, @Henrik! I’m glad you’re on a new & healthier path. :blush:

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So sorry for not updating the past half year/year. Been busy as always and living life and being active outside.

So to start with, i feel better than ever before both mentally, physicaly and spiritually. I can’t remember the last time i was feeling like a human being, not just living to excist and survive but to feel truly a human being with wants,needs,desires, dreams and hope.

The feeling of complete calmness amongst the chaos off life, im able to find peace and stillness even trough the roughest days. Just wow..

It has been as i am writing now 1,5 year since the surgery. My mind and my body has become strong. As i see it now i belive and have a hope that i will become completely symptom-free in about late spring to early summer next year.

I do still have symptoms off neck and shoulder pain and some subtile pain in my jaw and pain around styloid process area but my mid and lower back pain has completly gone away.

Tha pain is no way near the intensity it was after surgery and before surgery, infact it is so mild that if i keep myself busy i don’t even feel it. The most pain i feel is when i lay down on the sofa or bed and sit down in a chair. So it can be a little uncomfortable when i try to sleep or relax. I guess that symptoms become worse because off pressure from body weight and such, and i have a bad habit off sleeping on the side. But as i said the intensity off pain is not even close to how it was.

So im still working a full-time job but it is as i have said before a rotational work time, 14 days on and 21 days off much like offshore rotation. The days i have off i use to relax, rehabilitation, treatment off symptoms and the like and also workout and hobbies like fishing and hiking.

I have stoped going to chiropractic treatment, because it is not neccessary anymore and i belive there is a limit and it is not healthy to continue such treatment over and over, i would rather now use the remaining months off this year to see how my body responds to such treatment and let my body adjust itself for awhile.

But and there is a big but here.. what i have found for muscle issues is something that i never would have thought off before and i reccomend it strongly ! For muscle issues i have started massage treatment, i go to a Thai-massage centre once or twice in a week. I have been going there about 2-3 months now and the result is crazy. We work mostly on back,neck and shoulder muscles but also stomach and hip muscles.

What we have found out is that my shoulder muscles has been the elephant in the room. Specially on the left side, it creates alot off imbalance for the rest off my muscles. That is why i still feel some ES related pain. So i will continue with this kind off treatment until im symptom free.

So as i said i strongly recomend Thai-Massage as a treatment. They are very experienced and know what they are doing. Thai-Massage have a variety off techniques to soften and stretch muscle tissue and scar tissue, in the program im in for they use polished stones that is heated up and use them almost like a muscle-roler, it is so nice feeling after! It works alot !

Im still running, right now im preparing for a new marathon race in may next year. The same marathon as last year but a second time and im preparing for beating last year’s timing. I have a plan or a dream to finish in 2 hours or 2 hours and 20 minutes we will see.. I have also recently joined a running team here in my city and we workout once or twice a week, maybe i will start running professionally… who knows..

I do not have much more to say just hope that everyone is doing great and is okey! I will share a copy off a treatment-report from my chiropractor, im sorry that it is only in Norwegian but i guess you will get the idea off what has been done and if not google is your friend !

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Thanks for your update Henrik & so pleased for you that you are doing so well! Great to hear you have your life back especially being able to get so physically fit, & good luck with your marathon!
The massage sounds interesting; I’m having neck & shoulder massage/ myofascial release regularly now, I think it’s more from the whiplash injury rather than ES but have had some issues with nerve pain recently & that’s been resolved, I hope your massage keeps helping too!
And thank you again for all your help on the forum :hugs:

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It’s so good to hear from you, @Henrik! Even more so because of your good news! It’s really great that you’re able to work & be so active & especially that you feel so much better. I agree that with some more time & continued massage therapy, your symptoms will continue to diminish.

I hope you succeed in reaching your time goal for the half marathon. I had a goal to break 2 hrs but never succeeded. I recall my best time was from the first one I ran & it was around 2 hrs 10 min. My times just got longer from there. :joy: Oh well! Enjoy your events as well as competing in them. I had to learn to do that since I was never fast, just had good endurance.

Sending you a big :hugs: & :folded_hands: for continued healing & a healthy, happy life. :heart:

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