Fly Fisherman in Big Trouble, Gets Rescued!

I really was in trouble, no I hadn't fallen in the Snoqualmie and was about to go over the 270 foot high falls, I was in agony because my back had given out on me.  Even simple moves like getting out of bed and walking resulted in painful spasms.  I had tried hot and cold showers and dosing myself with Ibuprofen to no affect and when I laid on my back I could not get up.  I was daft enough to put up with this for a week hoping to cure myself.  Then I called the travel insurance company (Saga) and they said it was an emergency so I could seek medical advice.  I wish I had called them a week ago!

My son Dan (who is 6' 10") recommended his chiropractic to me and I got an appointment for early the next morning with Dr Michael Weir.  His charming receptionist talked me through the paperwork whilst Dr Weir read up on the history I provided.  Then he interviewed me and I answered lots of questions, stressing that I needed help right now.  He was brilliant and did a full assessment of me using all sorts of techniques.  Now I haven't been to a chiro' in decades and things have obviously moved on.  I  will list some of the procedures just in case it helps anyone decide to seek help themselves. 

He weighed me on two scales, one foot on each to see how I distributed my weight.  Then he photographed me standing from the front and the side using an iPad with an ap that put the vertical in so I could see how I leaned.  He took two X-rays of my back and we looked at them together, with him explaining what was shown.  My back was warmed up with heat pads and then with me leaning forward on a couch he used a device to gently vibrate each of my vertebra.  The instrumentation told him how much freedom of movement each joint had.  When he found a tight joint he could increase the vibration force and rate to loosen it up.  Then we moved to a couch with me horizontal, face down, and Dr Weir gave me a jolt treatment that hurt me a bit.  That pain was nothing compared to what I had been feeling.

Already I was starting to feel more mobile, but a bit tired and delicate.  He then gave me instruction on what I had to do for the next 24 hours involving ice packs and Ibuprofen.  He told me to sleep on my side with a pillow between my legs!  The net result is that I am already feeling a big improvement and at my second session today we both noticed a significant change.

 

I can come off the ice now and start to do my usual back exercises supplemented by some new ones Dr Weir has given me.

Dr Michael Weir

Regular readers of my blog will note that I don't advertise anything but when I come across excellence I feel duty bound to mention it.  So thank you Dr Michael Weir for your expertise at www.backinactionchiropractic.com in Bellevue, WA, USA  (If your in agony like I was you might want the phone number 425 635 0495).

Challenges on the fly fishing front

We all get challenges, usually when we least expect them.  Well I got mine!  Being tall (6' 5")over the years I have been susceptible to lower back pains so I have been in the habit of doing a regime of simple back exercises every other day to ward off any problems. Since being on holiday here I haven't stuck to that as I figured all the yard work, sawing and axing etc. would keep me in good trim.  Well I was wrong! Everything was fine till I changed from using the family's Toyota Sienna to my son's Ford Focus when I drove the 20 miles to the Avid Angler Fly Shop. When I got there I noticed my back was a bit painful, but I didn't change the seat settings as I didn't want to mess it up for my son.  The next morning around 6 am I drove the same car to Sultan to meet up with Lonnie to fish the Sky and I stumbled out of the car with a painful back.  It improved as we got in the water and started fishing. Everything improves when you start fishing.  Anyway to cut a long story short since getting back from that trip I have been in a lot of pain and sometimes have found it really hard to get up from the horizontal.  I have tried to keep moving and have been taking Ibuprofen  to reduce the pain, but it has resulted in me cancelling two fishing trips one with Ryan fishing the Salt and another with Mark fishing Rattlesnake from my float tube.   I am desperately trying to get better so I have tried to keep active, being careful not to stress my back.  Well so much for the sob story.  Meanwhile I have managed to fit two new LCD lights in the garage, jet wash a large patio (it was either jet wash it or grow potatoes in the moss) and have a water color painting session with a 4 year old and a 6 year old!  I even helped a family friend with his heat pump installation for an hour or so.  My efforts have been completely eclipsed by my wife Rosalind who hasn't stopped working: what with clearing brambles; cooking; vacuuming; cleaning all the windows and fly screens; emptying a large refrigerator and washing all the shelves; washing floors etc. I don't know where she gets her energy from! And then there is dealing with a parrot who is addicted to Kellogg's Crunchy Nut!

 

Highlight of the day was having "Facetime" with my daughter Naomi and her family.

 

As soon as I get back on the water I hope to post some fishy news.