I Get It Now...(Your Pain)
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- Опубликовано: 16 мар 2024
- Something that just happened in my life gave me new insight into what many of you have been asking me for. This is my story, and an invite for you to tell me yours.
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Thanks for watching, and Live Smart.
Brian 
Наука
I'm 75 years old now and I have realized for quite some time that aging is a process of diminishing options, particularly in the physical realm. That's admittedly an outlook that's not all apple pie and ice cream, but it's true. You face that, accept it as part of your life and move on. Automation could do great things to mitigate that process and make it easier to live with, but it falls woefully short. Consider someone in their eighties who has become dependent on a walker and could use either a single button or a voice command to turn off all lights at bedtime. All's well and good when it works, but there are still too many foibles lying in wait for such a system to be relied upon by someone at that stage in their life.
Innovations in tech seem to focus solely on what's new and cool. No emphasis is placed on making things more stable and reliable. That's how we got Matter and isn't that going well?
What are you talking about? Matter IS going well ;)
But seriously, I still remember our conversations and your focus on reliability. That's stuck with me, alongside my fancy speaker. :)
Sorry to hear you are having these current difficulties. All my best my Smart Home friend.
Thanks Bud!
Had similar issue arise out of the blue. Arms would twitch around on their own and the headaches induced were so painful I would actually throw up. Turned out a cervical disc in my neck had basically exploded and a piece of the disc was touching my spinal cord. Truly unpleasant - a whole new kind of hurt. Was in bed for about two months until I could get corrective surgery. That was 14 years ago now and all is well. Hang in there buddy. The medical community can do some amazing things!
Myelomalacia is what is called
Holy Greg. That's a crazy story.... I hope you never experience anything like that again!
Thanks for sharing and I hope everything works out well for you in the health issues regard. Play it safe. ❤
It'll be great, thanks!
Smart Blinds/Curtains are more beneficial than you would think. That's especially true for mobility challenged people. I put smart Blinds in about 5 years ago and it improved my whole outlook. Since it was so easy, I found myself letting natural light in every room every day. Now 5 years later I've developed arthritis and sometimes walking is painful. I still smile at sunrise when my blinds open up throughout the house and it didn't involve any pain
What a story. That's a big deal for you, and I'm just starting to get it myself.
@@dreamcatcher3748 I got Bali shades from Home Depot. They were a little more expensive than I expected at the time, but they've held up just fine. I didn't have wiring so I got battery motors that connect to SmartThings and they've worked really well and were easy to pair.
Brian, we appreciate you sharing and the community you've built is here to support you. We all wish you well.
Thank you so much! I have felt overwhelmed by the support from this community!
Thanks for sharing this Brian, really. It took courage to share this. I have a close family member who went through something similar, and it can be tough, but stay strong. I hope you take all the time you need to get better soon. I love your content but it's so much more important that you look after your health.
And I've had to take a bit of a step back from a few videos that I wanted to make...that's the reality of it. I won't stop and it won't change what I do in life, but I've had to give myself some space to be late on a few videos.
Sorry to hear that you have joined the club. It's nice to know that you have a great support system and doctor. Hopefully, pain management and healing will be effective.
I think it'll go great! I have a great team to work with already
Thank you Brian for opening up on this. And this is a great video. As a person that have some neck and shoulder damage losing that freedom is hard. Only thing i know is just not give up. If it takes your mental health on a dark road.
You gotta watch that mental side of it...that's the worst part. Worrying, dreading, etc..
Be strong and careful, but as a person living for over 20 years with welded vertebras in the neck and despite about 58 parachute jumps in the army and destroyed knees, you will learn how to cope with it and your life will improve even for lifting over 15 pounds (Thats a very low measure doctors take to scare you, but in fact the limit is way higher, still not under estimating it though). Be confident !
Thanks Phillipe! That's good insight!
Hi Brian...I feel for you. It's something that happened to me 10 years ago. I have several spinal issues. Like yourself started with a niggle. I did message you some time ago talking about how smart home could help disabled people. I believe it should have ways to help.
It's important to get the right diagnosis quickly. Unfortunately I was too late and it progressed to far. In a wheelchair now, but have great independent life.
Hopefully you spondylitis will not progress and any issues or damage can be resolved. Your right to think about the things you do. Embarrassment about asking or your lad helping will go away. I am sure he will find it great helping out dad doing things. And not omg got to help the old man cause he is weak. People don't think like that. Hope things go well, do as your doctor says and your wife. He if you want a chat about things as I gone through spinal stenosis and surgery.
I remember your email. I have to get back to some of those things you and a few others like you mentioned. It's important stuff. Thanks for the note here and I'll heed your advice as much as I can!
Having a neurological condition is what got me into home automation. I hate that you're going through this, but I'm glad you can see our point of view. For a lot of us, the coolest gadgets are the ones that take something off our plate and make our lives easier. (And work well with all our other stuff!)
💯 getting some of it now
Thank You, this is the perfect example of being authentic and vulnerable, and exactly what people want to see. I’m so sorry for what you’re going through. I teach family caregivers how to use technology to help their older loved ones age in place. I get my knowledge from you and I’m so grateful. Take care and keep up the great work. You’re awesome
Sounds like you do a lot of important things for a lot of people doing great things! Thank you!
This Doctor is in Roseville, MN, near St. Paul, MN. You may be able to find someone near you that does the same thing. They have a whole regenerative medicine department at "The Mayo Clinic" in Rochester, MN.
Mayo is the best (along with Cleveland), but very pricey.
Thank you for sharing brian. I have ankylosing spondylitis which is arthritis of the spine. So some of the things that you talked about were very relatable. One thing having this has inspired me to do is become a cardio runner to always make sure I'm active. So the fact that you stated you're doing things to keep yourself strong and to help stay healthier is the right mentality and the support system is great.
A runner as a result hey? I was wondering about that too. My (right) knee has been terrible for years, but maybe it's the lesser of all the evils. I used to rollerblade quite a bit, so again...maybe it's time! Thanks for the ideas
@@AutomateYourLife the key was to stay active and for me that was it but anything you can love that does that is the right thing
Really sorry to hear this news, and hoping you'll get a good treatment outcome. As someone who recently had some unexpected health news, I understand. Best of luck!!! And thanks for the openness.
Thank you Clay! This unexpected stuff is tough...so take care of yourself.
Take care of yourself, man! Wishing you all the best.
We do appreciate your videos so (no pressure here 😊) get well soon.
Thank you! Will do!
Sorry to hear about your issues, Brian. I won't go through my similar "issues" but listening to your body, adapting to moving in ways that doesn't hurt and avoiding what could hurt you just happens over time. I've had my stuff for 30 years but I'm very active, still play hockey and other sports at over 60. Your doctor and your body will show you the way. Don't despair. Take care!
@@dreamcatcher3748 lol. Not brave. Smart. I workout 5 times a week and play hockey, etc. Feel better today than 20 years ago.
Thanks so much Leo! Sounds like you have a lot of this figured out. I gotta find some things I love to do and that I can do. Maybe this will spur some new found loves in life hey?
@@AutomateYourLife Exactly or do the same things you love but adapt to avoid pain or injuries. You'll be ok. Time and patience
Thanks for the transparency. Please always listen to your body and what Mother Nature is trying to tell you. Become your best health advocate and don't stop until you get the results you want/need. Asking for help isn't weakness.
Having said that, I personally deal with chronic migraines, chronic fatigue, chronic whole body pain and related issues. I wish there was a system you could setup that would check on you with voice prompting and be able to respond to family members for help, emergency services, etc. Sadly nothing out there that is reliable enough as of now.
When these headaches I get turn into migraines...it's just the worst. Chronic ones must be so tough to deal with...
The measure of how these things are affecting you, is how much they’re affecting your baseline, not against anyone else’s condition
You don’t owe anyone an apology
Thanks Gareth! I'm just trying not to be a big whiner...while being honest and transparent as a creator :)
@@AutomateYourLife Everyone’s fighting their own battles, talking about them means other people feel able to as well
I'm seeing that :)
I hope you're able to get the issues sorted, Brian. Quite a different video, yes, but an honest and brave one. You have our support.
Thanks soooo much Sam
I feel your pain, years of contact sports from early on through college, I'm 63 and pay the price daily. So glad to have resources like you for my smart home automations with button backups. Using HAOS on an old laptop and I enjoy it as a hobby and it helps when it hurts to move. Thank you for all the great content!
Contact sports are a likely cause of lots of people's issues. It's amazing how little of that we think about! I think that's part of my issues, but who knows exactly anymore!
Brian, so sorry to hear this. I founded a company that provides housing to people with disabilities, all types of disabilities. While I LOVE my smart home automations, they are just not consistent enough to be used for true health and safety issues in my humble opinion. But I relish the thought that some day smart homes will allow people with all abilities to live their best lives! I will look forward to your ideas and your journey along the way. Just know we are here to cheer you on!
You're right Kara. It needs to be more reliable...might be time to teach this industry how to do that.
@@AutomateYourLife Let me know how I can help!
Hey man. I feel you 100%. After YEARS of pain and not knowing what’s up. I was just diagnosed with fibromyalgia and it’s nice to have answers but it can be mentally draining to think about the fact that I’m unable to do certain things like I used to. :( ❤I hope you get things figured out sooner than later. Thanks for sharing your story :)
Fibromyalgia is a scary one...That's tough. You take care of yourself!
Take care of yourself man. Hope you get it straightened out soon.
Thanks sir :) I'm sure it'll go well
Thanks for Sharing Brian. It is the reality of getting older and our bodies telling us to slow down. I Managed to rip off my Biceps tendon three years ago and they managed to screw it back on. No warning, it just happened whilst lifting something, so it leaves a fear it could happen again. You just adapt and find new ways to do things and is just part of getting older. Once you start talking to others you get lots of replies telling of things others have been through making you realise it is normal. Sadly we cannot just upload a new Firmware and carry on. One thing I did notice is that if you do not use muscles and joints they will rust up, so do not let fear make the situation worse, but make sure you know your own limits.
OH man Gary! What a story that is. I would be scared too...that must've been so terrible and painful!
Rust up...that's a great description too. Thanks Gary
First comment:
Before agreeing to any surgery or major therapy get at least 2 or 3 second opinions. That in a lot of cases can be a real eye opener (it was for me). My Cervical C1 and C2 disk degenerated and I had a lot of pain. The good news, I guess, is that after many years, the C1 and C2 disks fused themselves together as part of natures natural process. I now do not have any neck pain what so ever, whereas I was on a lot of pain pills. My T4 and T5 are now starting to fuse and I have a plate installed for my L4 and L5. The issue was that, like you, I did not pay much attention to the pain and waited too long before addressing the problems. Do not wait! I also have peripheral nephropathy in parts of both my feet and lower legs, because of the above issues. Probably by the end of the year I will have to give up one or both of my most favorite things, driving and walking the trails. As for what caused my problems, the VA believes that it MAY have been caused by a helicopter incident while in Viet Nam. I am still kicking at 75, well maybe not kicking.
Product Suggestion (Well worth every penny):
My daughter (nurse and can be worse than a doctor at times) recommended the Donama (contour memory foam pillow). Amazon, search "DONAMA cervical pillow for neck pain" and get the one with the small hole in the middle that relieves pressure on the back of the head/neck. This was by far my best investment to get through the nights without pain and wake up without pain. It took a couple days, but it is so well worth it. Do not waste your money on a "Universal Foam Cervical collar" that wraps around your neck. Did nothing at all for me. There is hope, stay POSITIVE! Do not waste to much time just thinking about it. Do what ever exercises you can. I have an Exercycle in my home office and ride 6 miles a day watching RUclips biking videos. Best of luck to you!!!!
I just bought the Donama. I had one that was too low and that one looks GREAT. Great reviews too.
Also, thanks for the advice here. I'm glad I'm starting to catch on and I'm definitely going to be pushing down the path of getting myself into activities and treatments that are going to delay any continuation and also help with the pain. I've found a few things already!
Thanks to you for giving us such great content. The support from us is well earned!
Thanks so much Brad!
I'm 28 years old and've been sickly and now disabled all my life and even before that it took me 9 years to be conceved and then I was a few week early and was born over 24 hours... Now I take almost 2 donzen medicnes and have almost a dozen conditions... Though I never thought how different my experience is to yours and those who get hurt and were never sickly... Thanks for sharing really opened my eyes to something I perceive as normal but to you is horrifing.
Yeah, see...how could I get this? I can't.
I told a friend the other day..."I thought I was invincible." Just not so anymore. It's scary to feel it progress too.
All the best for your condition and hope the Doctors can help. Take it easy and be patient with yourself.
Thank you!
Thanks for Sharing Brian. Take care of yourself.
Thank you, I will
A key health suggestion:
*Listen to the cues given by your body. After all, your body's biggest job is to carry your brain.*
Best wishes and kind thoughts for improved health.
T.
Phoenix, AZ USA
Totally right. At least I think so!
That can definitely be helpful, but it can also get complicated. Those of us whose bodies are broken may find that we don’t get the right signals. For example, like many wheelchair users, I have to be super careful not to get burns on my feet because I won’t necessarily feel it if the bathwater is too hot or even if I’m touching a radiator.
That’s why building a good relationship with your medical support staff is so critical. They can give you advice about how to best promote your own long-term health, even when your body signals aren’t giving you enough information. For example, Brian might physically feel like he would be perfectly capable of lifting something over his head, but he needs to follow the doctor’s advice to avoid certain situations right now. We can use our brains to fill in the gaps between what our body should be telling us, and the information we’re actually receiving.
That’s a lot of what Home Automation provides for those of us who need assistive technology as well: filling in the gaps between what we need done, and what we can physically do.
Thanks for sharing Brian. You take care of yourself.
Thanks Steven!
@AutomateYourLife Your video made me reflect. I'm 62 and health issues are creeping up. Been an engineer and doing home automation since X10 days. Retiring in near future and would like to devote my interests into helping compromised individuals with automations to enhance their freedoms. Your thoughts?
@@stevenshircliff393 if it’s ok, I’ll toss my thoughts in here. I was a field tech before becoming sick and ending up in a wheelchair so I’ve seen both sides of this issue over the last 10 years.
My first thought is if you want to make this a business, do like the home theater folks do, and specialize in a specific set of very popular devices from companies that also provide great customer service. Otherwise you’ll end up getting way too many support calls.
A good mix right now is Alexa devices including the Fire TV Cube (best totally hands-free option right now) plus Philips Hue Bridge with all its various accessory devices (Innr is a good budget brand that works in this ecosystem) plus Aqara for sensors and budget cameras. Aqara‘s customer service isn’t as good as Alexa and Philips, but their devices are usually rocksolid when connected with their own hubs, and the Matter bridge feature makes them very current. You can also add SwitchBot via its Hub 2 (also a matter bridge) for those with limited hand function who need a physical button pusher, automated curtains, or who want to retrofit existing dumb devices via automated button pushes.
This mix covers most device classes, works well with both iOS and android phones, gives you good voice assistant options, and is easy for your customers to demonstrate to their friends and family with a nice wow factor. Plus, this mix is really easy to scale up over time, which is what most people want.
Then before jumping in to set up a business, volunteer for either your local “Center for Independent Living” or Easter Seals, working with this same mix of devices. You’ll get experience with the kind of real issues that people face and the kind of real budget limitations they have. Again, without taking on too much of a customer service burden after installation.
CIL clients are most typically people looking for solutions for themselves. Easter Seal clients are typically parents looking for solutions for their young children. They often have larger budgets, but also typically have ever changing needs as their child grows.
If you choose Easter seals, do a lot of reading first to get up to speed about childproofing safety issues. Just as one example, you want to keep anything with magnets or batteries out of the child’s reach. Also expect to get a lot of questions about both baby monitors and adapted cars. It’s fine if you want to pass the questions back to the local organization, who probably has other experts, but just know that the questions will come.
CIL will present you with a much wider variety of problems to be solved and types of clients, but the very tight budgets that some people have present their own challenges, especially if you have to depend on donated equipment in some cases. But the work can be very rewarding because you can make a huge difference in the lives of people whose goal is personal independence in the face of some significant challenges.
Anyway, limiting the specific devices you have in your solution sets, and starting out by volunteering with an organization, will give you an easy way to figure out what you’d like to do in this space, and how and if you’d like to specialize. Plus the organization will give you a structure for finding and supporting clients while you’re still figuring all of the other stuff out.
Good luck! We always need more people to help with delivering these solutions.
@@stevenshircliff393 I hope it’s OK if I toss in a quick thought. I was a field tech before I got sick and started using a wheelchair, so I’ve seen this issue from both sides.
I recommend following the lead of the home theater folks and picking a few specific popular devices from companies with very good customer support. Otherwise you can end up spending all of your time after installation on support calls.
I would recommend a combination of the fire TV cube, echo devices, The Phillips Hue Bridge with various accessories including Innr, and an aqara hub that can act as a matter bridge to bring in sensors and inexpensive cameras. Plus a SwitchBot hub 2 for people who need to automate physical button pushes and curtains.
This combination covers most device classes, keeps cost down, and is easy to expand in phases. And it works well with both android and iPhones. It’s also cool enough to impress friends and family with some nice features. Aqara’s customer service isn’t quite as good as the other two, but the devices are typically rocksolid when paired with their own hub.
Once you’ve selected the devices for your solutions pack, then I would suggest volunteering for either your local center for independent living or Easter seals. This will give you experience with different kinds of clients and the organization will be able to provide lots of additional support. They may also have ideas about funding.
CIL clients will usually be adults looking to give themselves more independence. Someone have very very low budgets. There will be a wide variety of assistive challenges.
Easter seal clients will usually be parents looking for help with their young child. They often have bigger budgets, but also have to account for the fact that the child’s needs will change over time. And you’ll get a lot of the same questions over and over.
If you decide to volunteer with Easter seals, make sure you do research first to bring yourself up to speed on childproofing issues. For example, you will want to keep anything with batteries or magnets out of reach of the child. Also be prepared for lots of questions about baby monitors and adapted cars, although you may be able to just refer those back to other people working with the charity.
Good luck! It’s always great to have more people helping provide solutions in this area.
This is a great video, Brian. Thanks for sharing. As a Parkinson's/Essential Tremors victim, I can begin to understand your frustrations. All the very best to you in your pursuit of some real solutions!
Together!
Thanks for sharing your personal story. May God heal you completely
Thank you so much!
Brian, these are really stressful times you're going through. It is important that you keep your mind open and above all that you bathe in positivity. You have helped so many people over the years that I am convinced that in return we will support you in turn. I'm sending you lots of positive energy and I can't wait to hear from you. I am paralyzed in 99% of my body and the technology is truly magical in maintaining autonomy. Tiens bon mon ami.
And it's folks like you that can lead me to a great place Alain. Thanks for all the support over the years :)
Thank you for sharing what you are going though. It means so much to share
Thank you! It's felt good to share and hear back from all of you
Thanks for an interesting and insightful video, Brian. The "adaptive" part of the smart home world can be really important to those with physical, vision, hearing, cognitive, and other issues and holds great promise for making life better for those of us who will live long enough to benefit from them. I look forward to more from you.
I know you help some people Hugh, and I still have your list from a bit ago. I'll be trying to draw on that
Thanks for sharing, keep smiling.
Always! Thanks!
Perspective is a beautiful thing. Look at this as an opportunity to expand your content world beyond “cool” stuff and add a dimension of “useful/helpful” stuff. Many people have some form of physical limitations where a smart home can make their lives so much easier on a day to day basis. I’m sure we’ll see you explore this new aspect of smart tech and we’ll all be better for it. Be well!
100% how I want to take this. There's always the mental aspect of what's scary about it...but you're totally right!
Brian, look into Moringa Powder. I know the spine is no joke, especially near the neck but for those of us with arthritic like symptoms it really helped reduce the inflammation/pain. Obviously not a cure but it can provide some daily relief.
I talked to someone today about this, and anything that brings down inflammation is great in my books! I'll be checking in on this tomorrow with the doc ;)
Hope they are able to help you get relief. You will find what works for you going forward and adapt to limitations.
100% Keith! Thanks!
Mobility related tech isn't necessarily smart tech. Adding smart features to mobility tech is an additional feature.
I just installed a motorized lift for my garage storage. It comes with a remote that allows you to raise and lower the storage rack. Adding a smart relay or IR blaster adds a small convenience of having it activate before I enter the garage, and getting rid of the need to keep track of the remote
That's a great point. They are disparate most of the time, so maybe just assistive vs smart. And I like your application of smart on top of assistive. :)
My rule is that for resale value any permanent smart fixture also has to be dumb. Some people just want to poke a button and have something happen.
I am 57 and I began feeling the same pain at the same side, alsomim neck, upper and lower back, shoulders, Waist and knees. I stopped doing excercises to avoid any complication, now I received 10 professional physical therapy sessiones with heat, ultrasonic and electric pulses that helped me get better, but never at 100 percent. Have you ever check the possibilities of fybromialgya? Sorry I do not how to say it in english. I was finally diagnosed fybro and I am having some medications. I hope you get better.
The fact that doctors recommend we stop doing exercises as one of the first things...that seems off to me. Hopefully you're on a great track now!
Assistive Technology consultant here. I sort of stopped doing stuff with home automation after Lowe's stopped Iris and saw lack of follow through from Google. I want to start back up for assistive technology purposes. What's a solid PC based platform to start with that takes into consideration the financial contraints that many of these families have? What I'd like to start with is a system for someone with limited mobility who can operate a laptop and wants to be able to to turn on lights, adjust the thermostat, etc? Does not need to be voice at this time, but can expand into it later.
There's a suite of systems that can be used, but it depends on your wants for reliability, features, etc.. I do consultations for people that need deeper discussions, and honestly...you probably need a deeper discussion or to do more research than I can provide you in a response in a comment. There's not a one-size fits all solution and I imagine you'll have to customize it per family/need type.
I'll say that Aqara is pretty good for being inexpensive and providing good features and reliability. But it depends on the home.
An analogous areas of life challenges that few talk about with automation in getting old or caring for elder parents or just the life restriction of getting old. Lots of companies want to sell you are in home monitoring service for elder care, for a hefty monthly fee, Good old substitution services!! See like home automation can be a "life saver" for many folks with challenges in life, - disabilities, mobility, loneliness, physical restrictions or just getting old. May be a niche, but could be a creative drive that no one else appears to be addressing (publicly on RUclips).
Wish you well in your recovery and next steps.
It's a niche, but I think you're right. It's a big problem that many people are facing. Just getting it
Get well soon, I completely understand what life is like to live in chronic pain
Just gotta try to make it a little better every week!
Feel better Brian. 💕🙏
Will do! Thank you!
I'm glad to see someone human automation is great when it helps someone . I'm only 60 years old and I'm down on my back and my neck sounds like what you're going through and when you say aggravated OMG fastest Wheeling out of garbage can to the curb are making three sunny side up eggs with bacon flare up is bad I'm going through a tough time and thank you for being real
Sometimes when I'm cooking I get that flare up too...it's zero fun, so good luck!
Sorry to hear about your health issues. I know about back pain. I have thrown my back out 3 times. You don’t understand how debilitating that can be until you experience it. One reason I have been making my home a smart home is because I had cancer 5 years ago. Thankfully, the tumor was removed and the cancer was confined to that. I didn’t have to go through chemo or radiation. I had a sister who did have to go through both. She had 2 types of cancer and passed 2 years ago. I am just trying to be prepared if I get cancer again or other ways I may need help as ai age. I’ll be 59 in 2 weeks and you just never know. I don’t want to be too dependent on my family if I do get sick. The home automation can help with that. I’ve always been an early adopter to tech, so it has been fun automating my house as well. I hope you get the answers you need and get some relief from your pain.
Thanks Barb! What have you been using with home automation to help or prepare???
@@AutomateYourLife Hey Brian. Just getting back to this. I have lights, switches, fans, blinds, curtains, thermostat, remotes, door/window sensors, leak sensors, cameras, IR blasters, air purifiers and humidifiers through my homey Pro. I don't have any motion or presence sensors yet. I use Alexa as my voice assistant. I have a few routines, like bedtime when my dogs and I go back to the bedroom and goodnight for when I finally go to sleep, but not many other larger automations set yet. I currently prefer to trigger automations through Alexa app or voice. I'm currently working on dashboards so my family could access any device in a more friendly way. I recently also got the Amazon Hub 8". I hope they offer it in 10" or 15", because that is another dashboard option.
Thanks for sharing Brian. Hope your doctor helps. I'm 63 and don't really have anything that bothers me.....yet.
Thank you Ron! And I hope it stays that way forever for ya!
I'm 72 and agree with @tralexan. I am slowly automating my home, but I want to keep it simple (as much as I can in HA). For example, I have an important device I keep in a drawer that runs on an internal electric clock. Whenever there is a power outage, the clock is reset to midnight and I have to get it out of the drawer and reset it back to the correct time (a real pain). I put a smart plug on it and every night HA turns off the power to it a bit before midnight and restores power to it a midnight and the clock is reset (whether it needs it or not). Solves the problem and it's one less clock to reset when daylight saving time arrives. I plan on doing one or two others.
That's a really nice and useful automation!
Mucho animo Brian, saldras adelante. Es una dolencia bastante comun. Ese es uno de los objetivos de la abutomatizac ion, alivianar las ocupaciones. Saludos
Thanks for the well wishes! I will get ahead of all this :)
I feel for ya buddy I just was recently diagnosed with aortic stenosis wich means one of my heart valves is slowly failing and I'll need it replaced sometime in the next couple years not super excited about it but it is what it is I guess joys of getting older
Yikes! Man...that's a tough one. You take care of yourself...
Well, luckily I am (hopefully) only temporarily in a severely limited situation. Took a nasty crash, broke my collar bone, bruised ribs, some micro-tears in my shoulder ligaments and something is definitely not 100 in my elbow/upper arm either - no diagnosis of that yet...
Went from sports 7 days a week (riding, lifting, running, hiking) to where I cannot lift my arm for 4 weeks now. Cannot drive and pretty much 24/7 pain :) ...
I know it is not a contest of how much our lives suck .... I am just writing this to acknowledge, that yes. We take our health granted and it is devastating when something happens......
You don't really realise how much you need your body to function properly to do ANYTHING. To tie your shoes, eat with 2 hands and utensils, and if your dominant hand is out of order, then you pretty much have to re-learn and practice basic things ...
That cannot lift thing is getting on my nerves.
I am at least lucky as I have trails right next to my house, so I can do hikes. It is pain beginning to end, but at least it's not a total confinement to a bed/chair.
For me that's not the first though, I grew up riding BMX, then went into mountain biking, then moto enduro, then back to MTB, with 2 dive accidents in-between (blowing my eardrum up in a spectacular way) ...
And some RSI fun when I was pushing 20 hours work days when I worked at 3 places + a private project. (split, non-staggered ergo keyboards only ever since) ....
So hopefully it is temporary ....
I am not a doctor and don't want to give stupid advice, but I had some issues with cartilage in my back and knees. That one - for me - was fixed completely by following a very strict KETOgenic (sub 20g carb) diet for the last almost 4 years.
I know that it can help with stopping the decay and to even rebuild lost cartilage and to reduce inflammation. (or a carnivore diet - as milk (lactose) can also cause issues for some people)...
Just my 2c on this ....
Get better !
Oof! That's a rough sounding crash. Man...
Back issues are never fun... If they suggest gentle walking to help in the future, do it, you could always use a smart watch to track your progress. Keep as mobile as you can.
Will do, thanks!
I’m sorry to hear about this. I hope you get better soon! Out of curiosity why are they waiting until June for the MRI?
It's the Canadian healthcare system through and through. Honestly, that's a rush here. 2 years is an average wait time for an MRI
@@AutomateYourLife Yikes, I didn't know you were in Canada. I didn't realize the waits were that long. Our system has a lot of issues for sure, but in my experience, I haven't had to wait that long for things. I hope you get well soon!
@@TheExel2000 thanks! I'll be at full speed soon I'm sure
Hubby blew his knees out in his early 20s, followed by a back injury and broken arm over the years. Basketball player eating habits with the inability to exercise, he is now well last overweight. Breathing is a problem. Being able to control lights from his bed or chair, and turn the AC off in the middle of the night without bending over to unplug it has been life changing! I need more ways to automate inexpensively (moneys quite tight) to help him. I would love to do auto close curtains but can't afford it 😕 and everything has to work with Alexa because he refuses to use anything but a fire tablet. 😄
If it’s really curtains (not blinds), SwitchBot curtainbot is one of the more affordable options, and is likely to go on sale for Amazon‘s big spring sale later this week. So you might check those out then.
I’m a wheelchair user myself and budgeting is always tricky. I set my budget at $500 per room and $5000 total when I started out, with the expectation that I might have to replace everything (including the hub) every three years or so. That comes out to about $140 a month, which sounds like a lot, but which gives me a great deal of independence. If any of my devices end up lasting longer than 3 years, that just gives me more money to spend on other shiny new stuff. But by looking at my budgeting this way, I don’t have to worry about trying to future proof everything. it’s more like having a mobile phone. I know that features are changing and that I’m probably going to want something different in a few years. So I look at my budget differently from, say, home renovations. For me, Home Automation is a service that is providing me with features that give me more independence. Over time the features may change or my needs may change, so I plan my budget to give me flexibility to adapt when needed.
I do a lot of partial automating in order to stay within my budget. For example, I might automate only one switch in the living room even though there are four light switches at different entrances. That gives me voice control, which I need, schedules and other automations, which we might want, but also means that my more able-bodied housemates might need to walk over and flip a switch just like they always did.
In the case of curtains, we have a large family room,p which has five individual curtains along a 20 foot wall. So far I’ve only automated one of them, but that’s enough to let me have natural light during the day and have it close again at sunset. I’ll do more once I have more saved up, but for now, I’m glad to have what I do have.
I also only buy stuff I need for an immediate solution, even if it’s a really cool device on a really great sale. I never sign up for anything in advance of release- I want to know what the actual features are when the device is delivered. So until it’s available for two day delivery from Amazon, it’s not a candidate for me.
I also keep a private wishlist on Amazon so my friends and family know what Home Automation devices I might like as gifts. And I know what I’m saving up for.
It took me about three years to save up enough for a voice activated door opener (not a lock, something that actually physically opens the door), but I was really happy once it was done. And I stayed in budget.
I personally stay away from any of the supercheap stuff off Chinese websites that don’t have good safety features. I know a lot of people love that kind of bargain hunting, but again, as someone in a wheelchair, fire safety is super important to me. So I do look for UL/ETL/TUV safety certifications, even when I have to pay more for those. I know not everybody cares about that, of course. Choice is good.
I’m not saying it’s easy, and I know not everyone can afford even the level that I’m paying, but I do think if you start out with a dollar budget and think of it as an ongoing monthly expense, and then shop for quality that provides real solutions, it is manageable for many people. But you do have to be able to avoid temptation!
Hubby is a pain in your behind! 🤣🤣😜 But hopefully you can help him, and in the process get a bit of a change in mindset going. My knees have been bad, but I think it's time to try and rehab them a little better too.
Wishing to you all the best 🙏🙏 get well soon ❤
Thank you so much!
Get well soon! I do hardcore Muskie fishing and my shoulders and knees are in rough shape as well .
Shoulders and knees...always the first to go eh?
I been dealing with this for 6 years I was told I was to young for surgery so now I'm just walking around in pain until I get old... I guess good luck and get better and I been looking at screens my whole life too smh
ahhhh man...it's so strange to be put into these situations where the health care system tells you what you can and can't do. I'm not sure they always know...
About 3 years ago I woke up with a pain in my left groin area.
Never could figure out what caused it. The pain eventually subsided but if put all my weight on my left leg and tense it, the pain to returns and I have to adjust my stance.
I've injured a shoulder and hip just by sleeping too long on one side.
Getting old sucks but it's better than the alternative. Lol
Get physical therapy and they will help you with stretching, strengthening your core, and maybe even your shoulder and neck muscles.
Getting old sucks...but it IS better than the alternative Hans! I'm heavy into physical therapy though, and trying to work through the shoulder first. So far, some success...but a few setbacks already.
I wish my 84 year old father recognised his limitations like you have, but he still gets up on his roof.
He still thinks he's young.
ahahahaha! Isn't that the truth of it? The old guys keep going. I think I get it a bit now though...I just want to keep going even if it's a bit painful
Call the Regenerative Medicine Department at the Mayo Department. ""Bone Marrow Concentrate" (BMC) or "Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate" promotes healing using autologous regenerative (stem) cells derived from a patient's own bone marrow, which facilitate healing. When injected into an injury site, these cells can help the body heal itself, accelerating the healing cascade by revitalizing and repairing the cells and tissue."
I tell ya...that sounds like a terrible treatment to go through, but it also sounds like it's a great chance to live a regular lifestyle. It's exactly the kind of thing I want to look into. Thank you Marlene.
Based on what you stated. Decompress the lower and upper spine with an inversion table. Only slight inversion. Headache can be caused with the muscles around neck tighting to pretect the cervical spine. Accupuncture can "reset" the muscles temporary. Get tested also for diabetes 2. It can cause myopathy. Look for Yoga that focuses on spinal alignment and fuctional movement. Do you have tinnitus?
The decompression/inversion table thing is something I have to ask the doc about! I've had that recommended a few times. Accupuncture...scares me though!
I don't talk about it much, but I've had tinnitus for a while. Why??? Is that somehow related?
@@AutomateYourLife Tinnitus basically has two causes. Damage to the ear or the tubes around the ear. If you have headaches, neck issues, and tinnitus, it likely to neck muscles that are tighening around the neck /bottom of the skull. If you can relax the muscles, all three will go away for awhile. When you get the MRI, you should look for any "white" areas on the spine itself. If you have it, it means that there is bruising on it. Myelomalacia. Myopathy can also be caused diabetes 2, get a blood test for that also. If your disc are "gone", they will do Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion . Americans might remember that Peyton Manning had it down and came back to the win a superbowl. Also neck issues is what Sidney Crosby out. He had a "Neck concussion". Canada is about 7 years behind the Major US and Europe hospitals on this.
Get well soon chief!
I'm on my way! Thanks!
Great Video! Keep clear the priority to bring attention to you FIRST!
Thanks so much Carlos! Gonna try for sure :)
Feel your serious concern Brian. It’s difficult to share something like this across the web but I hope it helps.
Not knowing what happens next I know is one of your biggest fears and hope everything goes well from here. 7:16
Thanks so much! It was difficult to share, and I even considered deleting the whole thing...but I do appreciate the support I've seen
🙏
Thank you!
Good luck keep clear of the Canadian MAID service...
🤣🤣😬😬😳😳 yeahhhhh I can't even laugh
Take care of your self. Get Better
Thank you!
Bone Marrow Concentrate (BMC) or Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate (BMAC) is an outpatient procedure, and you can even drive your car home yourself after the procedure. Caution, back surgeons and some uninformed or Doctors with their own agenda will tell you this does not work. It's all about the money when it comes to health care and big pharma. Talk to the regenerative Medicine specialist before you make a decision. Knowledge is power.
Knowledge is power! That's a lot of knowledge for a Canadian :)
Did you get tested for HLA-B27 gene?
I didn't...but just read about it and that's scary. See? Internet lookup thing!
MIC and Insight are local imaging centers (to you) that could do the MRI this upcoming week, if you don't want to wait until June.
Get healthy!
I was considering that. Have a couple of conversations this week that will drive that decision :)
@@AutomateYourLifeI used to work at one of them. You certainly have to balance your situation, wait time for public MRI, and cost of these private mris, but the one thing we can't get more of is time, so getting a scan sooner, and in the road to better health sooner as a result, is something strongly worth considering.
Hope you are doing well take care of yourself we need your videos which are great by the way anywho take care and no more racket ball 🏈🏀🏈🏀🏈🏀😅😅😅😅😅
Thanks! I'll do my best!
sorry to hear that, Brian. Spondylosis sucks!
It's a literal pain in the neck!
Good luck.
Thanks!
They took information about the "Bone Marrow Concentrate" off of here.
No I got it!
Might be time to partner back up with Frank. I remember you guys did a video together and he focuses on tech and smart home tech for seniors.
Good luck in moving thru these next steps in your diagnosis and health.
Frank is just the best. He actually sent me some great ideas a while back that I wanted to incorporate into a few videos.
Go see a chiropractor
Good advice! Got a good one I see already. 😃
Brian, I suggest you check your shoulder for Bankart lesion, what you narrate is very similar to what I had. Neck Pain, headaches, etc. In this lesion the shoulder is hanging from the muscles as it is not well socketed anymore and produces all the tension in the neck. Try wearing a sling in the affected arm for some hours. If you feel improvement, talk to your doctor about this. I had a surgery and all syptoms disapeared. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bankart_lesion#:~:text=A%20Bankart%20lesion%20is%20a,head%20to%20dislocate%20into%20it.
Oof! What an interesting piece of info here. Ok!