Building aches!

[desler]

After being considered by my wife and some astro friends as being one of the best procrastinators around. I have finally started work on my roll off roof observertory.

I will post some images and text in another thread. The purpose of this post was just to get some feed back to my thoughts!

I'm mid 40's, reasonably healthy for a smoker. I work 10 hour shifts in a reasonably physically demanding job and get through ok.

Why then, after 3 days working on my observerory, basically framing the inside of a garden shed and getting the rails up and I can barely move without some involuntary grunt. It even hurts just sitting here typing.

I find it fascinating that just doing something a little out of the ordinary can have a big effect on you. In this case phyically, but mind you I woke at 4.30 this morning, with a new idea on how to make my adjustable rail post supports.... So may be just not the body being over worked!

As I sit here, having a refreshing cold one and thinking, is this really all worth it? I come to the conclusion "yes" cause I've pained over the plans and idea's for 18 months or so and to sit here and look at what I've acheived, I'm quite happy and very sore.

Thus, there's not really a question, just me venting and getting some thoughts out of my head. Tomorrow is the big test of getting the roof frame made and making sure it all fits in the rails. Hopefully all goes well!

Darren

[lepton3]

It's amazing, isn't it?

I'm a reasonably serious cyclist, in good physical shape. I easily do an 80km ride, and have done 100 miles (although that was tough).

Anyhow, one lunch time some of my friends were talking about how tough a marathon is, how "you only have a certain number in you", and I was thinking to myself "yeah, sure, but really, 42km, how tough can that be".

So, that evening I needed to go to the post box, I thought "we'll see, I'll run instead". It's 2km each way, so 4 km total. Should be able to do that in 15 minutes at the most. Certainly could do it in about 6 minutes on the bike.

Running there, it was reasonably hard to maintain the pace. Running back it started to get progressively more painful, and finally when I got back, I was totally shattered. Next day, I was sore ALL OVER. I could hardly believe how hard it was.

It's just different muscle groups. Without training, you are soft. I think it's the same for any manual activity. Taught me some respect.

-Ivan

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Never put off 'til tomorrow, that which can wait for the day after.

I know the feeling. After a lifetime of office work (with some 'gentlemanly' exercises of course), I bought a farm in my mid forties.
I don't think I've had an ache-free day since!
I have compiled an awesome list of excuses for not doing stuff, that will allow you to maintain a semblence of manhood, while avoiding any serious work. :D
POA.

[PCH]

:lol: You crack me up Peter. Pssst, - how about some of those genuine solidly founded reasons for postponing non-essential items of work being put into print - for us all to benefit from. :thumbsup:

[desler]

Yes Peter, got it in one!



I agree! I think I need a new list!


Although, back to work on Monday, so not much more of this pain left to do! I hope.

Darren

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Lesson 1

"They only have hardwood / softwood / pressure treated. An indoor / outdoor / delicate job like this, requires softwood/hardwood/pressure treated of at least an "A'/B'/C" grade hardness.
'They're getting some in late next week and I've already paid for it (avoiding buying elsewhere)."

Now of course late next week, 'they' will have delivered the wrong grade / type of wood and it'll be another 'few days'.

Next week, we'll cover tools, hand and power. :)

[Ric]

As another farm owner, I can fully sympathise with you Peter.

[renormalised]

You guys don't know what ache is:):P

I have arthritis in all my joints and in the muscles as well. I can't take anti-inflammatory drugs because I get ulcers from them (not even asprin) and apart from panadol (which can be virtually useless at times) I have to put up with the constant pain.

I used to be someone who could run 100m in 10.8secs or so, 5km in 18-20 minutes and ride a bike all day (I used to play RL and was an amateur road cyclist). Now, I'm flat out walking up the road for something at the shop, without having to sit down for half an hour afterwards.

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Yeesh!
Arthritis sucks. I'm sure its next on my list!

So far, I got:
A fractured pelvis, broken legs, broken arm, 2 cracked shoulder blades, a broken nose, fractured jaw, 4 broken and 2 fractured rbs. All sustained in Olympic level motorcycle hig-side some 30 Years ago.

A back that got ****** when a missile hit my ship in the Falklands and ruptured eardrum from same.

Plus I break at least one toe a year, the doctor says I have sciatica, no cartilage left in my knees and bursitis in my left arm.

Every one of these lets me know where it is at some point during the day.
My advice:
Oxy Contin!
It doesn't actually stop the pain, but ya just don't care.
Don't leave home without it!!! :lol:

[DavidU]

That's a tough gig. My wife is the same.

[Paul Haese]

Construction, Darren is tough work. I love the feeling of being a little sore at the end of a 10 hour day after picking up 16mm x 3m x 1200mm fire rated plasterboard sheets all day and screwing them on to hardened steel studs. Being able to do one thing all day is not necessarily going to mean you can do something diametrically opposed to that for another 8 hours without suffering in some small way. Ya just soft mate, all those years sitting on a bike and having to talk to naughty people.:P

[desler]

Carl, I meant no offence to anyone (including you) who suffers from such a debilitating medical condition.

I was simply tired and sore after a couple of days construction and expressing my feelings. I think all the comments are valid, differing muscle groups and getting soft because I only do the same type of thing day in day out!

Yes Paul, right now, I feel soft. As others' have said teaches you some respect for what others do!

I have family friends who were all concreters, doing house slabs etc for nearly 30 years, the 3 of them retired, after 3 months got bored and started the business again and they still cant find labourers of any age who can keep up with them (me included). Just goes to show hey!

All I can say is I finally got the roof on yesterday, didn't roll as well as I hope so will spend a fair bit of time today, fiddling and trying to sort it out.

Back to the easy life at work tomorrow!

Darren

[Cloudyagain]

Best keep at it Darren and finish it in your mid 40's. It will only be worse in your mid 50's believe me.

Neale.

[renormalised]

No offence taken, Darren:):P

[mill]

Man Dazza, i have my obs here on the verandah for more than a year now :P
Still have to start it but i have a crook right shoulder and will have a operation on the 26th this month (impingement and bursitis).
I always say good things can wait :)
Another good one would be "why delay something to tomorrow that someone else can do for you today" :rofl:
Just take it easy and slow, have a load of cold ones and hope the obs is not build upside down in the end :lol:.

[Exfso]

Aint getting old a barrel of laughs, we just start to rot and rust, it is definitely the pits! But we have to keep the physical stuff up so we dont sieze up totally, and it hurts like hell, non stop....

[Hagar]

I feel your pain Darren, I have just finished repairs on my mothers house after termites had eaten some floor bearers and joists causing the end of the house to hang in space. I was fortunate enough to have a retired builder up the road to give me a helping hand, well I think I gave him a helping hand. At 76 years old he worked like a trojan. By the end of each day I just collapsed into a hot shower in extreme pain and suffered the pain for a week or so.
It's a matter of what muscles are used and which ones you normally use.
In my case 12 to 14 hours a day in an office doesn't prepare me well for manual labour of any kind.

Now that you';ve started don't stop. Get it finished Mate.

[Octane]

Darren,

That's awesome that you've started/built your own little manhouse. :-)

H

[danielsun]

Great suff Daz, getting your construction underway and I'm with all you guys when it come to feeling the pain from some hard work. My job can at times be demanding on the body and I often come home sore but last year I decided to take on a huge project of totally redoing the backyard which was digging everything up for 100 mtrs of concrete and a pergola. A machine did the most of it but there was still a lot of manual digging to relocate storm pipes and setting up all the concrete timbers , levels and lots of wheel barrowing and screeding and I remember halfway thinking what the hell have I started here but always thinking of the end result drove me harder to get it finished and now I can sit out the back and enjoy it especially now that my back is well and truly stuffed.:lol: :)

[Exfso]

Only problem with this is that it makes you crap concrete and you end up with "metric miles"

[renormalised]

Better yet, 10mm of Pethidine, fixes all the pain:)

[casstony]

If you haven't tried Lyprinol search the 'net for studies on it's effectiveness as an anti-inflammatory with arthritis.

I've been using it for 8 years with significant relief and no side effects provided I stay with 2 capsules per day taken with a breakfast containing some fat. Higher doses result in excessive tiredness for me.

[renormalised]

I can't take any anti-inflammatory drugs, Tony. I have a high sensitivity to them. I have to be very careful about what I take.

[Waxing_Gibbous]

Without going into detail, lets just say I have an 'active' constitution and Opiates have never presented this problem to me!:lol:

Oh yeah....
For Arthritis - hot mud baths!
Good heavy mud that heats and compresses all one's achy bits.
I tried this in Russia a few years back and it sorts you out for a few days.
One old kommisar I saw had to be wheeled up in a chair and lifted into the bath. The poor old guy was obviously in a LOT of pain.
After about two or three hours (the treatments lasted up to eight), he actually got out himself, walked to the showers then got back in!!
The "mud" is mostly just smelly clay, maybe doped with Sulphur.

Its quite a common treatment apparently and very popular.

One of "our" problems is, I think, that all the exercises we were taught, paid money, bought the video to do, may buff you up, and help with stamina, but do nothing to prepare your body for hard physical labour like construction.
Here, you're using all kinds of different musculo-skeletal groups in new and 'interesting' ways. Being able to cycle 50k or bench 220 will do little to help you when hanging upside-down, twisting in the wind and trying to manouver a 2x9 sheet of colourbond onto a shed frame! :)

Possibly foregoing that sexy filter wheel or 5th guidescope and budgeting for a builder is a good idea. You can say: "I could do it myself, but I feel it's right to spread some or our money around the local community"! (Excuse 3 for not DIYing).
Of course your partner can then turn around and use the same rationale for buying shoes, so there is a downside.

[renormalised]

Peter, are you sure it was the mud, or the three or so bottle of vodka the old boy consumed whilst he was in the mud that did the trick:):P

[desler]

I'll go a mud bath and vodka special! Roof is on, door is on, but currently unlockable. Rail guides adjusted, a bit of grease and hooray! it works!!!!!!!

Fine tuning with an angle grinder and nibbler to get rid of all those pesky pieces that catch on enverything and it's looking good.

Started this morning at 8.30am (respectable) thought I'd stop for lunch now, only to find it's 1/4 past 3. Where did the day go? Might as well wait for dinner!

Darren

[Waxing_Gibbous]

There MIGHT have been Vodka involved.....
I don't know.
I was too drunk.