My Construction Career Is Over, A bit more involved than it sounds. Options

[Righteous]

I mentioned this in the Petty Complaints thread last night, but I'll go into it more deeply. I was at work yesterday (I lay pipe for a gas company) and was using a pickaxe to get through some hard ground. At one point, I lifted the pickaxe and felt my back go out. It hurt bad. The only reason I stayed on the job was because we had two new guys and needed supervision. I came home, took some ibuprophen and took it easy thinking I'd be all right today (I've been hurt before and figured it would follow suit). I woke up in more pain than I was the night before.

I'm going to the doctor tomorrow, but I already know what he's going to tell me: I can't work construction anymore. THis is the worst time I hurt my back by far. I know that if I keep going, I'll just hurt my back again and again and again and again. Now, this may not seem like much to y'all, but I've been working construction since I was thirteen. It's pretty much all I know. I'm a skilled laborer who can stand working outside or inside in the heat and the cold and I'm good at what I do. Not only this, but I had my job through my family's business, which means a lot to our household (especially since it's the only time I get to spend with my father).

Another thing that's been getting me is my family's whole "stiff upper lip" mentality. My old man tells me to "tough it out," my brother ridicules me for wanting crutches, and apparently my mother thinks ibuprophen cures everything and it's okay for me to skip school so I can lounge about and wait until tomorrow (something I wouldn't expect from her). I figure that if I'm in severe pain my most loved ones might have some sympathy. I guess I was wrong.

I know I need something new until I finish university and start a "real" career. That's not my primary concern, though; my health is. Please pray for my mobility, the pain I'm in and the hope that I won't need surgery. I hope all things work out for the best.

Thanks, you guys.

[Mata]

That sounds like it's pretty positive. They wouldn't be giving you that advice if it wasn't a condition that they thought woudl improve over two weeks. Take it very easy and you'll give yourself the best chance of recovery.

It sounds like you've got a more severe version of something I've had a couple of times. A disk in my spine had been squashed, forcing out of the normal shape and putting pressure on the spinal nerve. It hurt like hell a lot of the time and I eventually convinced the doctor to stop giving me painkillers and to send me to a physio. They gave me a series of exercises designed to push the disk back into position and it was all better in about a month! It was incredible really; those people really know what they're doing!

Anyway, all the best for recovering over the next couple of weeks. Take it easy, and try not to let your brothers bug you too much! *hugs*