Just a little venting.....

[JCEMTB]

Well, its starting to look like my DDD and mild L5-S1 herniation are going to knock me out of EMS..and I only just started a year ago! Its become apparent that working as a EMT is just making it worse and exacerbating it, regardless of physical therapy/weight loss/anti-inflammatories. Worst part..I'm a little over halfway done with my medic course! Now its looking like I might have to drop it..no sense in continuing if the jobs just going to hurt me more. Man this sucks. I really loved working in EMS too, and was very happy doing it :sad:

Sorry just a little rant, I'm rather frustrated by it all. Back to finishing my bachelors full time I guess.

 

[Too Old To Work]

Sorry to hear it, but the truth is if you are prone to an injury it's better that you get out now. You'll only have more serious injuries later on if you stay in the field.

 

[Voodoo1]

Have you considered teaching? Just a thought. It would be a shame to see somebody so passionate about being in EMS having to walk away completly.

 

[BEorP]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to finish the EMT-P and then the BS and head into an EMS research job as another option to consider. Good luck! It isn't fun to need to leave front-line EMS, but there are other ways of still getting your EMS fix even if you aren't working on an ambulance.

 

[usafmedic45]

Honestly, if you knew you had a back injury why did you get into EMS in the first place?

 

[Handsome Rob]

that sucks, sorry for ya. You may want to consider working as a tech in an ER, less lifting but you still get to use your skills (at least some of them, anyway)...just a thought

 

[JCEMTB]

Honestly, if you knew you had a back injury why did you get into EMS in the first place?

I didn't know I had a back injury. It was supposedly just a muscle strain. I didn't find out about the disc involvement until last December when my doc finally decided to give me an MRI. Its extremely mild but its there.

ER tech is a good idea rob. They hire a lot of medics in the ER's around here to work triage/resuscitation rooms/trauma rooms. Would be a bit more of a controlled environment as far as lifting goes. So i'll probably just finish the EMT-P class since i've already put so much work into it... And in the meantime...I'll just work on finishing my biology degree.

Thanks for the input so far! I was just feeling kinda crappy about this last night and needed to vent. Maybe its a silly post.

 

[MasterIntubator]

If you don't mind me asking... how old are you?

I'm over 40, and have been in the field doing heavy work both fire and rescue, heavy lifting, etc... at a very busy station.. for over 25 years. I too, have disc bulging, degeneration and all the other MRI signs of getting worn out.

I had the "thought it was a muscle pull" a couple years ago after a poor body mechanic lift ( which is when I found out ), it scared the hell out of me, because I am not ready to ride a desk or crud like that. And it hurt to walk, it was crazy. Never suspected my back.
Sports/physical therapy helped me get back, and so far... stay back. I am doing all that I have before, but with more education of body mechanics.

In a nut shell, this is what I have learned.... chiropractic did not work for me, made me stay hurting. Phys therapists worked miracles in the 2-3 months I was out. Do the regular stretches, keep limber, Do not sit long in one place ( sitting long term makes me sore until I stretch the soreness out ). Lying down for long times will make me sore. The only maintenance I do on my body, is the stretching 3x a week. And I still lift cots without issue.

So don't give up hope ( and I know each person is different ), but it sure sounds similar to my issue.

 

[flyfisher151]

Maybe some martial arts or yoga. I was a massage therapist before I started trying this route. Stretching and improving core strength could keep you in the game..... Keep the mental attitude positive and the body will follow. Best Wishes!Eastern med and philosophy are becoming more accepted here in western medicine. It's no BS. Give it a shot before you punch out. Vent away!

 

[usafmedic45]

I didn't know I had a back injury. It was supposedly just a muscle strain. I didn't find out about the disc involvement until last December when my doc finally decided to give me an MRI. Its extremely mild but its there.

Hmmm....I didn't realize that a chronic muscle strain was not a form of back injury.

 

[Pittma]

Hmmm....I didn't realize that a chronic muscle strain was not a form of back injury.

I see no mention by the OP of it being chronic.

The ER tech might be good, but I think you might get sick of it pretty quick, at least I've been told by some people I know that do it. It's about 50/50, either love it or hate it, it seems. Maybe you could get into nursing. I don't know how you feel about that, but it pays very well, and you could find a nursing specialty that wouldn't require a *ton* of back strain. Stay out of bariatrics. I think teaching would be great as well, you could find that it allows you to feel like you're still out in the field, and just because you can't be out in the field doesn't mean you can't be a good clinician, necessarily, though I recognize some limitations of this thought process.

Have you tried everything pertaining to the injury itself? As you know, medicine isn't cut and dry, even some of the "alternative" medicines might work well for you. Don't knock it until you try it!

TL;DR , sorry to hear about your injury- that really sucks, but one diagnosis from one doctor does not a sick patient always make.

 

[Breakers1]

back inj

i got hurt to where I had to quit field work but now excel in teaching...I feel more rewarded that instead of a save, I get past students coming up to me saying, you taught me and I saved "this" many.