Well, as some of you may have read in my other thread ( https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=383080 ) I have some back problems.

I am almost 24 and have been working with my dad doing tree stuff since I was 11 (after school, weekends, holidays, summers). I have been doing it full-time for at least 5 years.

I am his NUMBER ONE man. I am basically the only tree climber he has. My friend works for us but he does small trees (mostly trimming). My dad can do small trees to a degree. He has 2 bad shoulders from doing tree stuff his whole life and can't do too much. So, that leaves me to do all the climbing (the big stuff at least).

About 3 weeks ago I hurt my back. How? I don't know. I just woke up one morning and it hurt. You can read more about it in the other thread. Anyways, so now I don't know what to do. I can't climb so that leaves my dad and friend to do it. So, now my dad is upset because he is basically screwed. Unless it is a small tree or he can get a bucket truck to it then he has no one to do the tree. And I am kind of screwed because I can't do any hard, physical work for at least 3 weeks (that's when I go back to the doctor).

I have told my dad (ever since I have been working full-time) that we need to get another climber. The reason is because it takes some of the load off of me, plus, if I ever got hurt (like now) then he still has someone to do the work. But, he didn't get a climber and now he is screwed.

Now, him and I sat down yesterday and he wanted to know what the doctor said. I told him and he seemed pretty upset. He is the type of guy that will guilt-trip you into doing something even if you don't want to (he will make you feel bad if you don't do it). So, we talked backed and forth and I basically came to the conclusion that I am useless to him. I told him I WILL NOT CLIMB until I KNOW what is going on with my back. It is not worth it to me to have back problems for the rest of my life because he didn't plan ahead. He didn't like that! The only job I can really do is quote the jobs, but it is not worth it for him to pay me what he is to do that.

So, we went back and forth and he was upset and I told him he was and he said he wasn't (trust me he WAS!). He was trying to guilt trip me into working anyways and I said I wasn't. Finally I got tired of hearing him and left. I grabbed my stuff out of his truck and started to walk home. He came after me and I said "I don't want to talk to you, I have had enough".

Now, is another problem that comes in that makes it even worse. I JUST sold my truck because I was going to be getting a company truck. But, guess what? If I don't work for him I am not going to drive his trucks! So, now I am screwed in the transportation area.

Now what are my options?

A) Suck it up and climb for him? NOT GOING TO HAPPEN What happens if this back problem comes back?
B) Go work for a landscaping company cutting grass. That shouldn't be too bad on my back. Plus they drive all Fords and my brother works there so I could get a job there.
C) Go on Unemployment until I figure something out. My unemployment claim is still active from the winter when I didn't do much work.
D) Jump off a bridge.

Anyone have any ideas? Or experiences? Or a car or truck I could have?

-Matt

 

Well I would like to lock in option B thanks Matt.

You could do option C, but I would attempt to do something while you are on unemployment - find a short course or something that you like doing.
A very intelligent person I know told me to always invest in myself, do courses etc, and make sure I am employable in as many different industries as possible.
So now could be a good oppurtunity to try something new.
You don't have to stick at it, but they are skills that you will learn, and not forget, and it is something good to have stuck on the resume should a similar situation arise again.

Best of luck with whatever you chose to do.

 

See my response in the other thread.

 

I vote for E. Spend an hour a day or more stretching your muscles and ice pack your back a couple times a day - then go back to work in a couple weeks.

I hit the same problem you've got in my late twenties. Got to the point where I could hardly turn my head. Like me, you're getting older and the older you get and the better shape you get in - the more you need to stretch out and watch nutrition. Most back problems start in your hips, because your leg muscles are too tight, it's almost like rigimortis. This is really common in the climbing industry where you always are working at weird angles and muscles are always tight.

I'm in my mid forties and still do 800 foot verticles, but I have to stretch and eat lots of potasium rich foods, like bananas.

What kind of harness do you use? DBIs Xofit and Elk Rivers saddle harnesses are kind of heavy, but once you're rigged in you can relax.

You have too many rigging skills to be cutting lawns. Get healthy, go back to work and make your Dad hire a helper you can train.

 

800' verticles ?

The Calgary Tower is 623' high.

You climb 800' . Matt,
I think we found your climber


I think you need to concentrate on making sure you don't injure your back anymore.

To have chronic back pain all your life will put you in my predicament.

Lifting ,twisting & turning from mowing lawn and lifting the equipment will get real tiresome quickly.

Keep thinking

 

The chance that you injured your back while climbing trees are great and stands to reason that if you go back doing what you were it will only happen again. I was in a car accident and injured my back and didnt wait for a doctor to clear me and went back to work. Well, I now wish I hadnt done that, cause now I am in pain the majority of the day, everyday. So, dont go back to work till a doctor clears you to and demand that your dad get another tree climber. If he dosent and you keep working for him, you will be in the same boat in a few years of less. If he dont want to get another tree climber than I would find another job.

 

don't rish the back problems. they WILL plauge you for life. my dad has THE worst problems. i wouldn't do option D, that will just make it worse. try stretching it out good, ice it, baby it for a few weeks and see if your dad cools down a bit. maybe by then he wil realize that he is gonna need another climber and will rmedy that problem and ya'll could make the buisiness a little bigger. get your own crew and work with him. just whatever you do, don't jeopardize yoru back. i'm 21 and have some little problems once in a while. mostly from bending over continually in my previous job i think (terrable job....). good luck man, we're all wishin well for ya.

 

Thanks for all the kind words and suggestions guys. Howdy, are you looking for a job? Highest we go is around 100 feet.

I have been telling him to get me another climber and he didn't. So, I think I am at the point where I need to find another job and let him do it without me.

The thing that really bothers me is that he doesn't really seem to care. He does probably but isn't showing it. He is probably mad at himself that he didn't get another climber sooner. Frustrating...

-Matt

 

If you go for "D", we have the worlds number 1 bridge to jump off of (Golden Gate Bridge). Over 2000+ and counting. LOL

But on a serious note, try stretching your back and icing it down to get it back into somewhat decent shape.

Take it easy for awhile.

Pushing a lawn mower and other landscaping work is going to put stress on your already injured back.

Maybe "C"-if you have the option of going back to work for your dad.

What ever you do, GOOD LUCK.

sierraben

 

Well, this landscaping company uses riding lawnmowers (Walker lawnmowers to be exact). They also need someone to do maintenance on their vehicles as well (which I could do), mostly oil changes, etc.

So, it would be something I could do. I am going to take the week off until I figure out what my back is doing.

-Matt

P.S. I got this figured out. I rented a Hyundai Elentra for the week. Only cost me $350!

 

I cannot offer any solutions to your predicament, because only you know what you will want to for a living. I will put forth this opinion though, and that is, not all bad things that happen to us are without reason . Think forward 10 -15 years from now as to where you would want to be. Yes, your father will most likely hand you over the business when he retires, then people will be climbing for you. But for now , unless he hires someone else, he expects you to do it. I agree with the others, I dont think this will be the last time your back goes out on you....

At 40 , I would say tree climbers are getting long in the tooth. After age 35, I think our bodies are in the "degenerative " mode, so we injure easier and heal slower. Now is the time for you to think about where you want to be 15 years from now, and what you REALLY would like to be doing for a living. Start preparing for it now, while you are still young enough to do something about it. good luck to you, all jmo

 

You're still in your prime at 40. If you just get up in the morning and go to work without stretching, you're asking for trouble.

Think about it. In high school every PE class and sport starts with stretching. Your body is young and it really didn't need it, because you do heal fast. Then you get out of school and in your early to mid 20's you can just get up and go full blast all day. You might get a kink, but it goes away quick. About the time 30 hits you start seeing the guys you went to school with get a little gut and if you don't do anything physical, a day chopping wood takes a week to get over. Happened to me and I didn't know what I was going to do.

I'm just saying that if you practice what you learned in school there's no reason you can't keep going. I've know guys to climb into their late 50's. Usually the downfall is getting a superviser job. Eventually, everyone slows down. If you can put your foot up on a table with your leg straight and work at leaning over and touching your toes, only takes a few weeks and the kinks go away. Helps to warm up first, which is usually opposite of what everyone seems to do. Warm up, ice and then stretch. Work on your legs and hips - that where the problems originate.

When I was young I'd freeclimb up the outside face of the tower, fast. Now I take the ladder. My downfall is every year I get to be more of a key person and I have to stay busy at what I'm more "valueable" as.

I've had good luck finding people at the universities. A lot of them have rock climbing clubs and with those guys half the training is done. You give them gear and up they go, (after complaining how heavy the gear is..) They jump at the chance to get paid to climb for more than they would make at Mickey Ds...

You can work those kinks out Matt, just take it slow and work on being limber.

 

Suck it up, and get to work. If your back is very painful, go slow but don't stop. You may have another 76 years to live, so you'll need to learn to cope with pain, after you're born it's all down hill from there. You probably aren't experiencing true misery yet.

I would take a look at your lifestyle and attitude also. People that sit at desks have bad backs too, but the real reason their back is out is usually because of stress, poor health/diet and lack of exercise.

I am a delivery driver, I unload trucks for a living, and carry substantial weight all day long. I have had two herniated discs, and there is arthritis on my spine. When I have pain in my back it is usually when I am completely exhausted and stressed out, my back problems do not happen because I lifted 150 lbs of flour on my shoulder.

Hope you make it to work, Good Luck

 

matt
take some time off and give it a chance to heal. best of luck with what ever you deside to do

 

Yep- Charlie's right. Take a little time off- maybe talk dad into going fishing with you one day. Maybe I'm reading a lot more between the lines here than I should be, but somehow I don't think this is all about back pain.