Update on my Back/Wrist issues

Hey guys!  Before I post my next video, I just wanted to fill you all in on what's been happening the past few months with regards to the issues that I've been experiencing with my back and wrist.

For those unaware, It was shortly after the Sweet Child video that I started experiencing pain in my wrist.  I couldn't twist a doorknob or bend up on a string.  So I had to stop playing guitar.  Thereafter, I started experiencing really bad back pain and I've always had issues with my spine with there is reduced disk space.  And I just kind of lived with it.  But my back pain was never this bad.  So I seen a doctor who prescribed me Voltarin for my wrist and advised me to purchase a splint to mobilize my hand.  It wasn't determined if I had Carpal Tunnel or Tendonitis.  We just had to rule it out.  I was also advised to go to physiotherapy a few times a week for my back/wrist issues.

At physio, I was given a list of stretches to do which I stuck to every day for about a half hour.  My physiotherapist also advised me get an ergonomically friendly chair and desk because of my poor posture every day.  During my work hours, I was basically sitting on a stool staring down at my laptop.  This was not good for my back.  I invested in a new chair and desk.  Now I sit upright and stare straight ahead which makes a big difference.  The wrist stretches helped relieve me of my wrist pain somewhat.  I was also applying heat and ice.  When I did the In Bloom video, I thought that I was relieved enough to play.  The next day, my wrist issues came back and it was like starting over again.  It was very frustrating but I continued to work on it.  And I stopped playing guitar again for some time after that.  This was when Jason stepped in for NIB and Air.  Which bought me some time because view counts go down on the YouTube page when there is inactivity and this affects growth of the page.  I was very stressed out because my issues were slowing me down.  I'm very thankful that Jason was there to do his thing.

After a couple of weeks, I was still feeling pain in my wrist.  And no calls from the doctor because I was supposed to get an ultrasound.  So I decided that I was going to learn how to play through my wrist issues.  The wrist stretches before playing helped me with this and I was very surprised at what I could do.  Even though there was pain, especially with bending and vibrato.  At this point, I released the Brothers in Arms video (an easier song) and I was very pleased with the outcome.  I felt like the pain was actually starting to slowly go away after playing guitar again!  I was applying heat and ice every day and putting my hand in a splint at night because my fingers would sometimes be dead when I woke up.  And I would not miss a single day without the stretches.

While Jason was working on Dee, I made a risky choice by choosing the Paradise City remake video.  Because we all know how technically demanding the outro of the song is.  My wrist was about 95% healed during the recording sessions for this video and I was so paranoid that I would wake up the next day back to square one.  But thankfully not and my wrist continued to heal!

My back problems even went away and I no longer wake up with a bad back.  The ergonomically friendly chair, new desk, and exercises helped me so much and I have to thank my physiotherapist for this.

And I have to thank you guys for your support throughout.  While view counts and everything go down on the YouTube page when there is some inactivity, the Patreon page is here to keep things going for me financially and I honestly can't thank you enough for remaining subscribed.    

So as of today, I'm feeling like my wrist has completely healed and this is very relieving for me.  Because I was worried that I might have to get surgery and there would be more delays with my page.  But I can honestly say that through recording sessions of the upcoming Megadeth song, I had 0 issues.  

Again, thank you guys for your support.  I'm not sure how many of you out there will read this, but just know that I'm thankful for your contribution in helping to keep the Mr. Tabs YT page alive.  😊

And on to the next video!  👊