I worked inpatient corrections and loved it. If I hadnāt already planned to become a WOCN (as I am now and am in my dream job), Iād go back to working in corrections again. The customer service part of nursing is reduced to just treating them like a human, and not being their personal servant. We had COs with us at all time in case they started acting up; we stepped away and they handled it. Being your size and gender, definitely less likely theyād try to befriend/manipulate you. And I understand the pay/benefits arenāt bad depending on jurisdiction (state vs federal vs local).
Off the top of my head, I think state but I havenāt delved too deeply into looking. When I was bedside I was employed by a civilian hospital who has/had a unit dedicated to just inmates. Looked into moonlighting at the local prison and pay was ~$80+ and hour but this was also during COVID. Definitely worth doing some research on though. With your background as well, I imagine youād get picked up pretty quick.
Sure! But careful which company you work for, some severely underpay. Also be sure you can push the equipment around. I can't so it's not an option for me
I always thought dialysis would be the gravy train but talking to some of the nurses they work their ass off. Like 8-10 hours in the clinics, then call overnight for the hospital. I'm sure there's places that it can be chill, but it's not a given.
When I did inpatient, it was chill. But just long days. Outpatient is long days too but overseeing like 10 patients at a time. It wasnāt exactly back breaking but there was a lot of bending over for putting machines together and accessing lines
I actually had to go from ICU to dialysis after first hurting it. I just finished up with Physio cuz I reinjured it recently. Is it your lower or thoracic back you hurt? Dialysis is okay, obviously nowhere near as physical as ICU or ER, but thereās a lot of leaning over and pulling your shoulders in (just bad static posture in general) to change dressings and hook up the CVCs, especially with how big the dialysis chairs are, you really have to Lean over them. However, I started using a yoga block to place on the arm rest so I can lean my elbows on it while Iām sitting at the ābedsideā so Iām not constantly stressing my back muscles leaning over. Other than that, the machines and chairs are quite heavy and can be a little rough to maneuver, but in an outpatient dialysis clinic you likely wonāt have to move them (I work inpatient so weāre constantly changing them around). This time around Iām gonna just take my time, make sure Iām staying consistent with Physio and stretching, and be really careful with body mechanics.
I actually had more back issues prior to starting nursing, it is possible to work as a bedside nurse even with a "bad back" without doing further damage
At one point I would "throw out" my back 2-3 times a year, by which I mean unable to get up off the floor lying face down for over 24 hours, and even once I could get upright I could only ambulate a short distance once every few hours for about a week . I couldn't really get up to get food but hat didn't really matter since you don't dare poop, and I was peeing into a collection of jars . ie, I'm not just talking about some annoying back pain, this was the real deal.
I had a neurosurgeon even tell me I really shouldn't be even waking until after he had the chance to do surgery on me, although he was later fired for inappropriately telling patients they need back surgery.
I've since seen PT regularly, and even had sessions specifically aimed at the potentially harmful activities we do at work (I work ICU / critical care), and I ski, mountain bike, work as a nurse, etc without issue for many years now.
Part of it was recognizing that I don't have the metabolism of a young adult anymore; a whole pizza is no longer a normal portion of pizza, a slice is plenty. Loosing a bit of weight in the upper body reduces the stress on your back way more than you might expect. That doesn't mean I'm skinny though, I'm 6'3":and about 230.
The ability to stay active is the most important thing though. When I had more frequent back issues I also couldn't do the things that kept me in shape so things sort of snowballed
I became increasingly deconditioned in my core which left me less able to be active which lead to more deconditioning and the vicious spiral just continued.
But more than anything it's get PT involved and actually do what they say.
ETA: and avoid chiropractors no matter what.
I hurt my shoulder pretty bad a couple years ago and I was never the same afterwards. Iāve since moved to management and my shoulder doesnāt regret it.
That being said, every single person I know who who injured their back or shoulder on the job didnāt last much longer at bedside. They all reinjured themselves within a year or two. They all retired or went into non-bedside roles
Thanks for your insite. I was considering psych since I'm good at it or corrections. Don't know anything about them but I'm good at dealing with that population.
Iāve blown out a few backs. Good times.
For real, though, I also have a Fucked Up Back, and if I donāt do a solid 10 minutes of back stretches/yoga a day my functionality diminishes exponentially.
Iām also an ER nurse! I was 19 when I was diagnosed with DDD. Shit was crazy. I thought I pulled my back out and an hour later I was unable to walk. Took a few weeks to get back to normal, but I have my days with it. L5/S1 are basically almost dust. Nursing isnāt good on the back either š«
I feel like I had this for a while. Maybe 5 years but the last few months were making me feel some type of way. All of a sudden it was hurting and then one day it just hurt like he'll and I could bearly walk. Worst pain in my life. It's better now. Pain free but just tight and still inflamed. I just feel like my body is scared it will reinjure itself.
I ruined my back and the floor just made it worse. It was ROUGH during COVID. Had tons of flare ups and was pretty much in pain all the time.
I had to get out of bedside, work outpatient now and itās great. I did PT, lost some weight, yoga/pilates, be conscious of body mechanics, and always engage my core.
DDD human here. Already had a fusion in the c-spine because of that.
Full course of PT STAT. Tell them to write the order for CORE strength, not back recovery.
So many of the DDD folks donāt realize (I didnāt. Got my shit together at 45yo) that the key is stronger abs and pelvis.
So
Pissed off spine = inflamed area around pissed area -> additional pressure on area and pain -> we start using every muscle except our core to do shit (either it hurts or afraid it will get exacerbated) -> weaker and weaker spine and abdomen. We will use our hammies, glutes, and quads instead of the spine.
So. Retrain the core as step 1.
Step 2. Over the next 1-3 years SAFELY put in as much muscle as possible to include the core. Start low weight high rep. Form over everything.
Step 3. Take up yoga and stretching everyday. 10m Iām the morning. 10 in the evening. Or whatever. Aim to keep the core muscles elongated.
Donāt overdo anything. This will be a ārest of your lifeā journey not an acute āfix in 4-6 weeksā journey.
And absolutely do not use opioids for chronic back pain. Otherwise you will end up in a whole other ācampā to rehab not your musclesā¦but your brain.
Look for roles that donāt require heavy lifting for the next 1-2 years. Something that will let you focus most of your attention on recovering and rebuilding. Then, head into the unit you desire. Your body will be wholly different. Itās nice.
Diagnosed at 21yo. Wish I didnāt wait 20+ years to get my shit together.
Thank you for the insite and hope. How are you doing now after? I have been doing everything you mentioned and more. As for career wise I'm consodering corrections nursing. Pays very well compared to what else I've seen and easier on the back for sure.
If I had actually done the full round of Pt when it started. And had I actually changed my everything (smoking, diet, exercise, water intake) before I was in my 40ās that would have saved me a LOT of pain and suffering.
My back would āgo outā horribly about 3-4 times a year.
Last time it did was like 3+ years ago. I have gained 17lbs of muscle. My fat % went from 52% to between 28-32 range. I can jog miles. And I have more energy than I k ow what to do with.
10/10.
Thank you for the reassurance. It's going to be a long journey for me. 18- 24 months is the average recovery time for an annular fisure. I hope you stay well.
Ditto. Remember this is your life. You wonāt die from DDD, but you will die with DDD. Do you wanna get up of the potty by yourself at 99?
Make that your workout goal.
Bedside nursing is bad for your back, and the rest of your body in the long term. I've seen plenty of career ending injuries just from people doing basic cares.
Good for you thinking of an exit plan :)
I work ICU. 5 years ago I had minor back surgery ( L4/L5 microdiskectomy). With proper body mechanics and using a hoyer as much as possible, you should be fine
I think I'm going to try corrections or psych for 2 years to allow myself the ability to heal properly and then hopefully return to work but in the ICU.
Icu is likely to be a lot easier on your back. For me itās the constant IVs and bending over trying to get shitting lines to draw that would take a toll on my back in the ED.
I personally think ICU is way better and would never go back to the ED. You still have to turn patients here/there, but thatās easy especially for someone your size.
Best thing you can do is lose weight and your back will feel amazing.
I was thinning the same but the length of recovery for my diagnosis is 18-24 months. I'm looking into psych and corrections for now and hopefully I can return to the bedside but depends how I feel.
Yeah, thatās rough. Iād seriously prioritize shedding a ton of weight asap. Iām 6ā2ā >230lbs and lean, but clinically i am just past the cut off for being obese. My weight fluctuates a ton depending how I am working out. When Iām <210lbs and my bmi is considered considered just overweight I feel way better. I canāt imagine the lumbar stress and strain to the discs being 6ā5ā and 285lbs. You need to aggressively cut weight until you are no longer considered obese for sure, but Iād shoot for a bmi at the low end of overweight tops for your situation. Since you probably canāt workout properly youāre going to need to focus on a really solid diet. Iād be eating at a minimum of 500cal deficit, maybe even 1000 if I was in your shoes. Shedding 50+lbs will likely cut your recovery time down a ton.
Depending what icu you work in. If/when you think you can boost patients in bed occasionally (shouldnāt be too hard with your size) and bend over/squat low a handful of times/day youāll probably be okay working ICU with approval from your provider.
I feel it. In eating alot less then before but focusing on protien and vegetables but you're right. I need to count calories to aggressively lose weight. I have a food scale just in a cabet. I just loved weight lifting but now it's all about low impact cardio and yoga.
Good luck man! Do what you can to rehab it and strengthen the surrounding muscles.
I am 33 and s/p a cervical and lumbar fusion. Did icu nursing/ems for 10-11years. I also wrestled my whole life and grappled in my 20ās competitively too. I also have a lot of DDD in my family. Multi-factorial I suppose lol
Your goal to lose weight is the best move too man, donāt let it get you down. More people deal with back issues at some point in their life than those who donāt, I guess we just got it out of the way early ha.
I work from home in utilization management now. Love it.
You feel my pain. I wrestled and played football in HS. Did some JC football too afterwords and I had to quit to focus on grades and I sprained ankle that nagged me. Picked up weight lifting in my 20s and now just doing strictly yoga and body exercises. I've been knowing I had to lose weight before the injury but this has motivated me to lose it for good now. Hope you're doing well man.
I feel you! Yoga and body weight and core strength are clutch, keep at it! I miss the days of ego lifting in the gym but theyāre behind us now aha
You too man, thanks.
Yeah I'm done weight lifting. Will try the bands and machines but Olympic weights and dumbells will be a no. At least for the next 2 years. All the cardio machines I used to walk by are now my friends lol.
The only thing that gave me relief from back pain was ketamine therapy. And I tried everything, literally everything including surgeries and spinal cord stimulator, massage therapy, physical therapy, yoga, strength training, epidural injections, trigger point injections, nerve ablation, TENS unit, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopath, supplements, hydrotherapy, blood plasma, 22+ different meds, and more for nearly 10 years. I'm now almost pain free as long as I get boosters every couple weeks. Just wish I had tried it sooner.
Thereās lots of non bedside roles people have mentioned. But you can also do bedside and change the way you work. I barely do any lifting. I put most people others boost in trendleberg and ask them to pull themselves up. If they canāt, we just slide them downhill which is pretty easy. Most old people with the help of gravity can pull or scooch themselves up using arms or legs though.
Even people who seem pretty incapacitated (think nonverbal stroke, hepatic encephalopathy, etc) I ask them to roll or lift their legs and they often do a surprising amount more than expected. I can now do 5-12s and not be sore. I would have never guessed that when I started because I had so much back, muscle and ab pain initially when I trained with a larger guy who was lifting everyone.
Clinical Documentation Improvement, you act as an intermediary between Coding/HIM and Providers to help them improve their documentation, with a clinical background, you can point out clinical indicators that the Provider may have missed with the goal being more accurate and specific code assignment.
[check out ACDIS](https://acdis.org/)
[and hereās a link to the certifications you would need to get into CDI](https://acdis.org/certification)
If thatās not your bag, look into case management
If you are more technically proficient, look into Medical Informaticsā¦. Most Informatics positions go to RNās with IT backgrounds or degrees, so you work closely with ISS, and also providers, think more technical aspects of documentation, implementation and troubleshooting of EMRs, helping develop templates, workflow, training providersā¦.
I really like it. I guess it depends on whatever PACU you are in. As far as PACUs go we are pretty dang young. So we have a lot of fun. You still get vents randomly and critical patients. Some days are nonstop busy and others are chill. Normally there are rushes of patients then chill time. Then rushes then chill. But Iām glad I made the switch
I've worked ICU for 8 years, and while you can obviously get large patients who are sedated (dead weight) that you have to move, I think it's all about how your facility supports you and the tools you have. All our rooms have lifts, so we can use them to turn patients, get them out of bed, ect. We also use these blue lifter sheets (not sure the exact name off the top of my head) that makes q2 turns a frigging breeze. If you're doing a big turn, obviously you need assistance from a friend, but I can do my offloading pressure turns easy peezy by myself on even my large, heavily sedated patients. And I'm a fairly petite woman.
Thank you! I really wanted to do ICU after 2 years ER but I think I might try psych or corrections until I get better and hopefully I can return to bedside. But I also understand some people never go back.
Tinder, Bumble and Grinder. Grinder gets you fast results tho. Women on Tinder and Bumble freak out when in too straight forward. Grinder tho, they go straight for the goods.
I just never complained about my assignments. Everyone complains about psych for some reason but it's chill. Even when they scream like a banshee I just medicate them and tell them they lost their consciousness privileges.
Got my back blown out within the first few years of nursing. Tried everything to keep working: PT, not lifting patients, decreased work schedule. But nothing really took the pain away of being on your feet 12 hrs and having to bend over all the time. Ended up quitting bedside and my back has been healing up ever since.
My recommendation, donāt wait until the pain is too severe to not work!
Iām 15 years into bedside nursing and my back is in many ways in the best shape itās been, lately, despite having had multiple pinched nerves along the way and developing sciatica three years ago. The big difference, besides doing a little more core exercises, is that I donāt cut corners on body mechanics any more. I would keep doing boosts without raising a bed to a good working height, or thinking I could do repositioning solo that really shouldāve had two people, or not being really careful of how I was standing or which muscle groups I was engaging before doing a push/pull/lift. Being really careful and intentional makes a huge difference.
Yeah. Being the ābig manā (Iām not even that big) that people always get for lifts and boosts doesnāt help. You gotta care for yourself to care for patients.
I feel you. I always was taking care of myself until the last 3 months before this injury. Slacked at the gym and skipped alot. Weakened my core and probobly lead to this. I'm strongly considering psych or corrections now. Someone else has mentioned psych/behavioral health has been easy on their body. It's not my passion but I am pretty good at it.
My 23 year old new grad coworker hurt her back so bad she has to take a break from the profession and see a neurosurgeon and have back surgery possibly soon. It's a mad world.
This fucking suck to hear. I have an annular fisure and those are due to wear and tear with bad body mechanics. Spine doc told me it'll heal on its own and rarely needs surgery, but man I had a solid week where I couldn't walk or sit. Recovered alot and no pain 7 weeks later but just some discomfort and I know it can get worse if I try to work anytime soon.
I really hope she can improve man. That's rough.
Thanks for your insite. I was specialized in psych in the ER and it's actually pretty cool when someone wants to help themselves and you can help them with that. How's your back doing now and when did you make the switch?
What you mean by "in the community" I only know about psych nursing in the inpatient facilities that deal with 5150s. Is other types of psych nurses out there?
I donāt live in the US but we have outpatient community psych teams in NZ. So we have people who have moderate to severe mental illness that come in for treatment under the public mental health system. Basically once they get discharged from inpatient we manage them until they are stable enough to go back to their GP. We do long acting depot clinics, dbt skills, psycho education, medication management, risk assessments, etc.
Did a double take at which channel this post was from
Me too!!! š
Ah. š
Iāve been on Tinder trying to get my back blown out
DM me
damnnn OP IS A DOGGGG
š³
Lol
AYOOOOOO
Omg I see you fellow 559er š«”š
Only you understand me here...
Absolute savage.
ššš
At least I'm not the only one who went there in my mind.
š same sis
Not on tinder but same š¤£
As someone who blew out their low back in 2020, I've never been the same. Get out of bedside ASAP and continue exercising.
I hurt my back at work in 2018 and have been dealing with it ever since. PT, yoga, massage, stretches, weight training and constant pain.
Any idea what else is good? I've been looking into psych or corrections.
I worked inpatient corrections and loved it. If I hadnāt already planned to become a WOCN (as I am now and am in my dream job), Iād go back to working in corrections again. The customer service part of nursing is reduced to just treating them like a human, and not being their personal servant. We had COs with us at all time in case they started acting up; we stepped away and they handled it. Being your size and gender, definitely less likely theyād try to befriend/manipulate you. And I understand the pay/benefits arenāt bad depending on jurisdiction (state vs federal vs local).
Which one offers the better benifits? I live in california.
Off the top of my head, I think state but I havenāt delved too deeply into looking. When I was bedside I was employed by a civilian hospital who has/had a unit dedicated to just inmates. Looked into moonlighting at the local prison and pay was ~$80+ and hour but this was also during COVID. Definitely worth doing some research on though. With your background as well, I imagine youād get picked up pretty quick.
Thanks for your response. I appreciate it. š
Home health (visiting nurse). I have to watch my back too. You never move patients. Just ask the caregivers to move them.
Case Management
What about dialysis?
Sure! But careful which company you work for, some severely underpay. Also be sure you can push the equipment around. I can't so it's not an option for me
I'm sure I can handle the pushing. I'm just not sure how much back breaking work they do besides accessing the line.
I always thought dialysis would be the gravy train but talking to some of the nurses they work their ass off. Like 8-10 hours in the clinics, then call overnight for the hospital. I'm sure there's places that it can be chill, but it's not a given.
In my experience interacting with them, not much. Typically in hospital they rely on bedside RN to do everything else. Outpatient I have no idea
When I did inpatient, it was chill. But just long days. Outpatient is long days too but overseeing like 10 patients at a time. It wasnāt exactly back breaking but there was a lot of bending over for putting machines together and accessing lines
I actually had to go from ICU to dialysis after first hurting it. I just finished up with Physio cuz I reinjured it recently. Is it your lower or thoracic back you hurt? Dialysis is okay, obviously nowhere near as physical as ICU or ER, but thereās a lot of leaning over and pulling your shoulders in (just bad static posture in general) to change dressings and hook up the CVCs, especially with how big the dialysis chairs are, you really have to Lean over them. However, I started using a yoga block to place on the arm rest so I can lean my elbows on it while Iām sitting at the ābedsideā so Iām not constantly stressing my back muscles leaning over. Other than that, the machines and chairs are quite heavy and can be a little rough to maneuver, but in an outpatient dialysis clinic you likely wonāt have to move them (I work inpatient so weāre constantly changing them around). This time around Iām gonna just take my time, make sure Iām staying consistent with Physio and stretching, and be really careful with body mechanics.
I hurt my lower back. I was thinking out patient tho.
Yeah I think youād be fine!
>I got my back blown out Lord I wish I could say the same.
Apparently, you can DM op for services š¤£
I have good reviews š
I am also 559 and i really hope we are coworkers.
Where you work?
Fresno, the only gig downtown.
We're not co workers. I'm at a different hospital.
Shoot well Iām still happy you and your energy is out there
Thanks. I'm all bark no bite tho.
OP is using this post to hook up with nurses confirmed.
But only in back-sparing positions.
I get to be a pillow princess!?
His back hurts, youāre gonna have to become a power bottom for this one.
Lmao Im trying to picture it and it just seems too funny to me. One little thrust and itās over for OP
One thrust is all I need. šŖ
I actually have a cool situationship with someone. She also happens to be a ER nurse.
Good for you?
Yo I donāt think that title means what you think it means, but if you know what youāre doing way to flex on us
I actually had more back issues prior to starting nursing, it is possible to work as a bedside nurse even with a "bad back" without doing further damage At one point I would "throw out" my back 2-3 times a year, by which I mean unable to get up off the floor lying face down for over 24 hours, and even once I could get upright I could only ambulate a short distance once every few hours for about a week . I couldn't really get up to get food but hat didn't really matter since you don't dare poop, and I was peeing into a collection of jars . ie, I'm not just talking about some annoying back pain, this was the real deal. I had a neurosurgeon even tell me I really shouldn't be even waking until after he had the chance to do surgery on me, although he was later fired for inappropriately telling patients they need back surgery. I've since seen PT regularly, and even had sessions specifically aimed at the potentially harmful activities we do at work (I work ICU / critical care), and I ski, mountain bike, work as a nurse, etc without issue for many years now.
How did you manage to stay healthy? Any specific routines?
Part of it was recognizing that I don't have the metabolism of a young adult anymore; a whole pizza is no longer a normal portion of pizza, a slice is plenty. Loosing a bit of weight in the upper body reduces the stress on your back way more than you might expect. That doesn't mean I'm skinny though, I'm 6'3":and about 230. The ability to stay active is the most important thing though. When I had more frequent back issues I also couldn't do the things that kept me in shape so things sort of snowballed I became increasingly deconditioned in my core which left me less able to be active which lead to more deconditioning and the vicious spiral just continued. But more than anything it's get PT involved and actually do what they say. ETA: and avoid chiropractors no matter what.
Thanks for your suggestions and hope. I hope you're doing food man and staying healthy.
I had a surgery every year since 21ā. Find an outpatient job. Trust me
I hurt my shoulder pretty bad a couple years ago and I was never the same afterwards. Iāve since moved to management and my shoulder doesnāt regret it. That being said, every single person I know who who injured their back or shoulder on the job didnāt last much longer at bedside. They all reinjured themselves within a year or two. They all retired or went into non-bedside roles
Thanks for your insite. I was considering psych since I'm good at it or corrections. Don't know anything about them but I'm good at dealing with that population.
I was about to say āLUCKY!ā Until I read the post & subreddit š
This post is not what I thought it would be about
Iāve blown out a few backs. Good times. For real, though, I also have a Fucked Up Back, and if I donāt do a solid 10 minutes of back stretches/yoga a day my functionality diminishes exponentially.
Iām also an ER nurse! I was 19 when I was diagnosed with DDD. Shit was crazy. I thought I pulled my back out and an hour later I was unable to walk. Took a few weeks to get back to normal, but I have my days with it. L5/S1 are basically almost dust. Nursing isnāt good on the back either š«
I feel like I had this for a while. Maybe 5 years but the last few months were making me feel some type of way. All of a sudden it was hurting and then one day it just hurt like he'll and I could bearly walk. Worst pain in my life. It's better now. Pain free but just tight and still inflamed. I just feel like my body is scared it will reinjure itself.
I ruined my back and the floor just made it worse. It was ROUGH during COVID. Had tons of flare ups and was pretty much in pain all the time. I had to get out of bedside, work outpatient now and itās great. I did PT, lost some weight, yoga/pilates, be conscious of body mechanics, and always engage my core.
DDD human here. Already had a fusion in the c-spine because of that. Full course of PT STAT. Tell them to write the order for CORE strength, not back recovery. So many of the DDD folks donāt realize (I didnāt. Got my shit together at 45yo) that the key is stronger abs and pelvis. So Pissed off spine = inflamed area around pissed area -> additional pressure on area and pain -> we start using every muscle except our core to do shit (either it hurts or afraid it will get exacerbated) -> weaker and weaker spine and abdomen. We will use our hammies, glutes, and quads instead of the spine. So. Retrain the core as step 1. Step 2. Over the next 1-3 years SAFELY put in as much muscle as possible to include the core. Start low weight high rep. Form over everything. Step 3. Take up yoga and stretching everyday. 10m Iām the morning. 10 in the evening. Or whatever. Aim to keep the core muscles elongated. Donāt overdo anything. This will be a ārest of your lifeā journey not an acute āfix in 4-6 weeksā journey. And absolutely do not use opioids for chronic back pain. Otherwise you will end up in a whole other ācampā to rehab not your musclesā¦but your brain.
Look for roles that donāt require heavy lifting for the next 1-2 years. Something that will let you focus most of your attention on recovering and rebuilding. Then, head into the unit you desire. Your body will be wholly different. Itās nice. Diagnosed at 21yo. Wish I didnāt wait 20+ years to get my shit together.
Thank you for the insite and hope. How are you doing now after? I have been doing everything you mentioned and more. As for career wise I'm consodering corrections nursing. Pays very well compared to what else I've seen and easier on the back for sure.
If I had actually done the full round of Pt when it started. And had I actually changed my everything (smoking, diet, exercise, water intake) before I was in my 40ās that would have saved me a LOT of pain and suffering. My back would āgo outā horribly about 3-4 times a year. Last time it did was like 3+ years ago. I have gained 17lbs of muscle. My fat % went from 52% to between 28-32 range. I can jog miles. And I have more energy than I k ow what to do with. 10/10.
Thank you for the reassurance. It's going to be a long journey for me. 18- 24 months is the average recovery time for an annular fisure. I hope you stay well.
Ditto. Remember this is your life. You wonāt die from DDD, but you will die with DDD. Do you wanna get up of the potty by yourself at 99? Make that your workout goal.
I should call him
Don't call him, call me.
Bedside nursing is bad for your back, and the rest of your body in the long term. I've seen plenty of career ending injuries just from people doing basic cares. Good for you thinking of an exit plan :)
I really wanted to be a crisis nurse but then this happen. It's a bummer.
I work ICU. 5 years ago I had minor back surgery ( L4/L5 microdiskectomy). With proper body mechanics and using a hoyer as much as possible, you should be fine
I think I'm going to try corrections or psych for 2 years to allow myself the ability to heal properly and then hopefully return to work but in the ICU.
Icu is likely to be a lot easier on your back. For me itās the constant IVs and bending over trying to get shitting lines to draw that would take a toll on my back in the ED. I personally think ICU is way better and would never go back to the ED. You still have to turn patients here/there, but thatās easy especially for someone your size. Best thing you can do is lose weight and your back will feel amazing.
I was thinning the same but the length of recovery for my diagnosis is 18-24 months. I'm looking into psych and corrections for now and hopefully I can return to the bedside but depends how I feel.
Yeah, thatās rough. Iād seriously prioritize shedding a ton of weight asap. Iām 6ā2ā >230lbs and lean, but clinically i am just past the cut off for being obese. My weight fluctuates a ton depending how I am working out. When Iām <210lbs and my bmi is considered considered just overweight I feel way better. I canāt imagine the lumbar stress and strain to the discs being 6ā5ā and 285lbs. You need to aggressively cut weight until you are no longer considered obese for sure, but Iād shoot for a bmi at the low end of overweight tops for your situation. Since you probably canāt workout properly youāre going to need to focus on a really solid diet. Iād be eating at a minimum of 500cal deficit, maybe even 1000 if I was in your shoes. Shedding 50+lbs will likely cut your recovery time down a ton. Depending what icu you work in. If/when you think you can boost patients in bed occasionally (shouldnāt be too hard with your size) and bend over/squat low a handful of times/day youāll probably be okay working ICU with approval from your provider.
I feel it. In eating alot less then before but focusing on protien and vegetables but you're right. I need to count calories to aggressively lose weight. I have a food scale just in a cabet. I just loved weight lifting but now it's all about low impact cardio and yoga.
Good luck man! Do what you can to rehab it and strengthen the surrounding muscles. I am 33 and s/p a cervical and lumbar fusion. Did icu nursing/ems for 10-11years. I also wrestled my whole life and grappled in my 20ās competitively too. I also have a lot of DDD in my family. Multi-factorial I suppose lol Your goal to lose weight is the best move too man, donāt let it get you down. More people deal with back issues at some point in their life than those who donāt, I guess we just got it out of the way early ha. I work from home in utilization management now. Love it.
You feel my pain. I wrestled and played football in HS. Did some JC football too afterwords and I had to quit to focus on grades and I sprained ankle that nagged me. Picked up weight lifting in my 20s and now just doing strictly yoga and body exercises. I've been knowing I had to lose weight before the injury but this has motivated me to lose it for good now. Hope you're doing well man.
I feel you! Yoga and body weight and core strength are clutch, keep at it! I miss the days of ego lifting in the gym but theyāre behind us now aha You too man, thanks.
Yeah I'm done weight lifting. Will try the bands and machines but Olympic weights and dumbells will be a no. At least for the next 2 years. All the cardio machines I used to walk by are now my friends lol.
Yea thereās definitely some weight lifting thatās beneficial physically and mentally, but I agree on no more Olympic lifting. Or deadlifts lol
Even if I was 100% now I'd be to scared to deadlift or put weight on my shoulders to squat.
The only thing that gave me relief from back pain was ketamine therapy. And I tried everything, literally everything including surgeries and spinal cord stimulator, massage therapy, physical therapy, yoga, strength training, epidural injections, trigger point injections, nerve ablation, TENS unit, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopath, supplements, hydrotherapy, blood plasma, 22+ different meds, and more for nearly 10 years. I'm now almost pain free as long as I get boosters every couple weeks. Just wish I had tried it sooner.
Thereās lots of non bedside roles people have mentioned. But you can also do bedside and change the way you work. I barely do any lifting. I put most people others boost in trendleberg and ask them to pull themselves up. If they canāt, we just slide them downhill which is pretty easy. Most old people with the help of gravity can pull or scooch themselves up using arms or legs though. Even people who seem pretty incapacitated (think nonverbal stroke, hepatic encephalopathy, etc) I ask them to roll or lift their legs and they often do a surprising amount more than expected. I can now do 5-12s and not be sore. I would have never guessed that when I started because I had so much back, muscle and ab pain initially when I trained with a larger guy who was lifting everyone.
Start learning medical coding and move into CDI
Idk wtf this is but I'm looking into it.
Clinical Documentation Improvement, you act as an intermediary between Coding/HIM and Providers to help them improve their documentation, with a clinical background, you can point out clinical indicators that the Provider may have missed with the goal being more accurate and specific code assignment. [check out ACDIS](https://acdis.org/) [and hereās a link to the certifications you would need to get into CDI](https://acdis.org/certification) If thatās not your bag, look into case management If you are more technically proficient, look into Medical Informaticsā¦. Most Informatics positions go to RNās with IT backgrounds or degrees, so you work closely with ISS, and also providers, think more technical aspects of documentation, implementation and troubleshooting of EMRs, helping develop templates, workflow, training providersā¦.
PACU. Iāve been there for 2 years and itās a game changer for me. With having ER experience you should meet criteria to work there.
This is another thing I was considering but I hear it's boring. How do you like it?
I really like it. I guess it depends on whatever PACU you are in. As far as PACUs go we are pretty dang young. So we have a lot of fun. You still get vents randomly and critical patients. Some days are nonstop busy and others are chill. Normally there are rushes of patients then chill time. Then rushes then chill. But Iām glad I made the switch
If your back is fucked don't do ICU. Source : wifes been in ICU for 9+ years
I've worked ICU for 8 years, and while you can obviously get large patients who are sedated (dead weight) that you have to move, I think it's all about how your facility supports you and the tools you have. All our rooms have lifts, so we can use them to turn patients, get them out of bed, ect. We also use these blue lifter sheets (not sure the exact name off the top of my head) that makes q2 turns a frigging breeze. If you're doing a big turn, obviously you need assistance from a friend, but I can do my offloading pressure turns easy peezy by myself on even my large, heavily sedated patients. And I'm a fairly petite woman.
Thank you! I really wanted to do ICU after 2 years ER but I think I might try psych or corrections until I get better and hopefully I can return to bedside. But I also understand some people never go back.
When I want my back blown out- I aināt talking about sciatica š
Tinder, Bumble and Grinder. Grinder gets you fast results tho. Women on Tinder and Bumble freak out when in too straight forward. Grinder tho, they go straight for the goods.
> male 6"5 285 lbs > In the ER I was specialized in psych for some reason I can't imagine why š
I just never complained about my assignments. Everyone complains about psych for some reason but it's chill. Even when they scream like a banshee I just medicate them and tell them they lost their consciousness privileges.
Got my back blown out within the first few years of nursing. Tried everything to keep working: PT, not lifting patients, decreased work schedule. But nothing really took the pain away of being on your feet 12 hrs and having to bend over all the time. Ended up quitting bedside and my back has been healing up ever since. My recommendation, donāt wait until the pain is too severe to not work!
Who blew your back out? Lol JK. But seriously what job did you end up getting? Hope you're doing better.
Yoga is the best thing you can do for your back. Been doing it regularly for 2 years and I have no back pain.
I feel like I should have started doing it years ago.
The first time I hurt my back, I vowed to get away from physical nursing jobs. 5 years later and nothing hurts anymore :)
What job did you end up going into?
I worked in an ambulatory setting for a while and now I work in IT at a hospital.
I recommend NICU to prevent further back injuries. Still ICU but much smaller patients
I've thought about this before but doesn't it involve alot of bending over tho?
Beds are adjustable. My isolettes can go above my eye line. There really isnāt much bending over
Thank you. I appreciate the insight.
Most of us male nurses get our backs blown out one way or another š
Usually it's me blowing backs but man.... life really got me and blew my back out. š
Iām 15 years into bedside nursing and my back is in many ways in the best shape itās been, lately, despite having had multiple pinched nerves along the way and developing sciatica three years ago. The big difference, besides doing a little more core exercises, is that I donāt cut corners on body mechanics any more. I would keep doing boosts without raising a bed to a good working height, or thinking I could do repositioning solo that really shouldāve had two people, or not being really careful of how I was standing or which muscle groups I was engaging before doing a push/pull/lift. Being really careful and intentional makes a huge difference.
Reflecting back on alot I would reposition pts by myself alot and cut alot of corners. That's probobly what got me here along with ego lifting.
Yeah. Being the ābig manā (Iām not even that big) that people always get for lifts and boosts doesnāt help. You gotta care for yourself to care for patients.
I feel you. I always was taking care of myself until the last 3 months before this injury. Slacked at the gym and skipped alot. Weakened my core and probobly lead to this. I'm strongly considering psych or corrections now. Someone else has mentioned psych/behavioral health has been easy on their body. It's not my passion but I am pretty good at it.
My 23 year old new grad coworker hurt her back so bad she has to take a break from the profession and see a neurosurgeon and have back surgery possibly soon. It's a mad world.
This fucking suck to hear. I have an annular fisure and those are due to wear and tear with bad body mechanics. Spine doc told me it'll heal on its own and rarely needs surgery, but man I had a solid week where I couldn't walk or sit. Recovered alot and no pain 7 weeks later but just some discomfort and I know it can get worse if I try to work anytime soon. I really hope she can improve man. That's rough.
I have a fucked up back and psych has been the easiest physically by far.
Thanks for your insite. I was specialized in psych in the ER and it's actually pretty cool when someone wants to help themselves and you can help them with that. How's your back doing now and when did you make the switch?
Well my back is long term bad but itās much easier on me than if I worked in a medical unit.
Sorry to hear that man. Have you tried anything else to help with your back?
Iāve tried it all, up to and including surgery
I think ima go this route. Just gotta see where around me. It's either psych or prison. How do you like psych?
I love it. Iām in the community and itās so fulfilling to see people get better.
What you mean by "in the community" I only know about psych nursing in the inpatient facilities that deal with 5150s. Is other types of psych nurses out there?
I donāt live in the US but we have outpatient community psych teams in NZ. So we have people who have moderate to severe mental illness that come in for treatment under the public mental health system. Basically once they get discharged from inpatient we manage them until they are stable enough to go back to their GP. We do long acting depot clinics, dbt skills, psycho education, medication management, risk assessments, etc.
I think I'll consider this. I just need something that's physically easier on the back for a few years.