It all started Thanksgiving, 2016. It was the Sunday before the holiday and my parents had come to my house for holiday dinner. We have an average sized-family but we are all in the same part of the country, which means it’s impossible to figure schedules around holidays.
After a pleasant dinner with my family of five and my parents, I set to wash the dishes. As I worked on cleaning up at the sink, the room started to spin. I tried to shrug it off and walk my parents to the door, but the spinning made it too hard to remain upright. I did not know what was happening. As the room continued to spin, I made my way to the couch using the furniture as support. For about 2 hours, the room continued to spin and eventually I asked for a bowl to get sick in. I was able to make it upstairs to bed and tried hard to relax. This was the first and worst of my bouts with vertigo.
The Answer Was Hard to Fathom but Easy to Diagnose
As months passed, I had small vertigo bouts that went away quickly. It became difficult to go to work at my market research job. Any type of hard concentration or working at my computer (95% of my job) would cause nausea and headaches. After a few months I was not able to drive without getting dizzy. My wife picked up the slack and family helped where they could. I had been an independent person for my entire adult life. Having to rely on others for everything was a serious blow to my self-esteem.
Eventually I went to our chiropractor (after a few false starts because I was not feeling well), and she suggested getting an x-ray. The x-ray revealed a difficult diagnosis. I had degenerative joint disease (osteoarthritis) in my T-4 and T-5 thoracic vertebrae and a lack of curvature in my neck, commonly called “tech neck”. The doctor explained this was likely do my posture and amount of time I was in front of my computer with poor ergonomics. The DJD in my back affected the nerves in my neck, causing the vertigo.
It Had Been a Rough Couple Years
begun to get sick around the first of the year. We found out much later it was infectious mononucleosis giving him a stomach flu reaction. His body’s reaction to the virus was to attack his own peripheral verves called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) that progressed quickly and took away his ability to breathe on his own (even before Covid). He was in various ICU’s and a sub-acute rehab facility (he needed advanced care because he was on a ventilator). He was away from our family for 6 months and came home with an inability to walk. Thankfully, he was able to get himself off the ventilator; however, we needed to use a lift to get him into and out of bed for the first while.
Along the way, he has seen some very helpful trainers who helped him begin to re-learn how to walk, but his legs and lack of balance still require a lot of help, including use of walkers and a wheelchair. He’s recovering; it is just taking a long time.
The 6 months he was gone took a toll on all of us. His brothers paid a price for the lack of attention from their mom and I. His mom and I went back and forth to a facility every day while we continued to work. I am convinced this time in our lives contributed to the back issues I suffer from by working on my laptop from my son’s hospital or rehab room for 6 months. It was definitely a tough time for us all. If it wasn’t for the help of family and friends, I don’t know how we would have made it.
Job Changes Suck
About a year after being diagnosed with DJD my employer, whom I had worked with for 16 years at the time, decided to fend off financial issues and have all employees work from home. At the time this was a dream come true! I could continue to contribute as his longest tenured employee without having to call out when I was not feeling well. We were connected via Microsoft Teams and we used Zoom before it took over the world. My back and neck continued to cause problems, but the chiropractic visits and self-care started to work.
This arrangement worked for almost 2 years until my boss decided to contract the business even further. I was without a job for the first time after 18 years at the same place. I immediately filed for unemployment and taught myself how to become a market research freelancer. I had several nice customers who took a flyer on me early on, and I developed a reputation for being thorough and an expert on all things market research. My nearly two decades in the market research business had given me the knowledge and experience needed to create a new business out of necessity. Life in 2019, although quite different and stressful, was good.
COVID-19 and WFH
Then all hell broke loose in March 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic made working from home necessary for thousands in the US. People who had been working at an office suddenly had to rely on a home office, an environment that was not necessarily conducive to good work posture. This change in location, coupled with the added stress, have likely driven an increase in back and neck-related problems.
Make Your Changes Now Before It’s Too Late
The most important way to avoid the pain of osteoarthritis is to avoid developing it in the first place, otherwise you will have it for the rest of your life. Take care of your workspace. Practice good ergonomics before age-related issues become a problem. I was in my early 30’s when I started my job. It took a lot of poor choices and a feeling of invincibility to bring me where I am today. Limit cell phone use. Assess how your back and neck look when you are using your phone. It can be devastating.
My Key Takeaways for You
Here some key takeaways to keep in mind whether about your back or your life, no matter where you work:
- Check the ergonomics of your desk / workspace. If you start off correctly with good posture, this will help a lot.
- Take a break every 30 minutes or so. Get up, walk around, use the bathroom. Whatever, as long as you remove yourself from our desk.
- Use an actual desk and chair, not a laptop on the couch. That is not conducive for good posture.
- Consider using a stand-up desk. Changing your posture from sitting to standing part of the day makes for a positive impact.
- If someone you love has a serious medical issue, seek a second opinion. If we had sought a second opinion, they may have found the virus and avoided the whole GBS issue altogether.
- Start a side hustle or freelancing business now before it becomes a necessity. Take control of your income now.
- Exercise daily (have you ever tried chair yoga?).
- Drink plenty of water.
- Find a good chiropractor who can help you navigate changes now to avoid a tough future.
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Jeff Reynolds is the principal of Reynolds Consulting LLC.