# The Plumbers Health



## That One Guy (Sep 14, 2008)

Im sure most of us at least see a chiropractor or have a sore back, or bad knees. I dont think I have ever met an older plumber who doesnt have a kink somewhere. 

I just turned 30 in April and already have issues with my body that I never considered when I was a teenager plumbing after school. I see a chiropractor now and then to get me straightend out and loosened up and I had knee surgery last March. I had a soft spot in the knee cap so they took it out and I am just now able to kneel down without any major pain. 

I also have a hard time bouncing back after a ruff day where before I could bust my butt, drink all night and return to work the next day like a fire ball lol. I never thought that at the young age of thirty I would be kinda tore up even though I did start at a young age. 

So I guess the question is......Do you take precautions when working such as knee pads, gloves, eye protection, etc? Are you all messed up? 

I think plumbing will tear you up over time but using the proper saftey gear (like I never did) can help slow it down. I find myself telling the younger guys to use the knee pads they have or do things a certain way so they wont hurt themselves but they dont listen, just like I didnt


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2008)

Knees , Dbl hernias , broken bones , lacerations , metal in the eyes , hearing loss , OH ,,, AND BALD !!!

Go to the gym ,,, 5 days a week . Stay strong , the aches and pains will diminish .

Goggles ,Knee pads , keep your abdominals strong ,,, this supports your back ! DON'T just "flop " down or " Jerk " up !! Train and work smarter !!

NOT that I'm a huge Sly Stallone fan but in the last Rocky movie ( # 23,,I believe  )

He says something to his kid like , " It's not how hard you hit BUT how hard you can GET HIT AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD " 

I respect that and think ALL us Plumbers and tradesman are destined to just that kind of life .

I for one still ,,,,, LOVE THIS TRADE !!!

my .02 

Cal


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## tnoisaw (Jun 16, 2009)

I've been using a gardening knee pad to knell on for years because I don't have knee problems and I don't want them. It also good for lying on under a cabinet. 

I have six screws in my left ankle. It was fused a few years ago. Besides the scars from burns and lacerations, thing are pretty good. I'll be fifty in a couple months.


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## leak1 (Mar 25, 2009)

rotor-cuffs wore out, bad knees, achey back- 33yrs of to much cast iron, 4 advil in morn & 4 at quiting time, hot whirlpoolbath and off we go! i can keep up with the best of the youngans-most of the time-if you want to run with the big dogs you have to deal with aches & pains!
REMEMBER-PAIN IS JUST WEEKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!
PS-lift with the legs not the back! LEAK-bustin balls-1


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## Proud Plumber (Sep 15, 2008)

I throw my back out occasionally and I always remember the knee pads after work. I ordered prescription safety glasses last week. They are not chick magnets (big screens) but I hate crap in my eyes. 

I am finding the diet helps a bit as well. I gave up my life quest of eating everything for every meal deep fat fried. 

My daughter says the Marlboros are next.

I like Cal's suggestion and I am considering the same thing, joining a Gym. I am 39 and I feel good physically. I do not always like some of the positions we are in during the day but after a hard days I like to go home tired knowing I worked brain and body together.


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## That One Guy (Sep 14, 2008)

Cal said:


> Knees , Dbl hernias , broken bones , lacerations , metal in the eyes , hearing loss , OH ,,, AND BALD !!!
> 
> Go to the gym ,,, 5 days a week . Stay strong , the aches and pains will diminish .
> 
> ...


I actually bought an entire home gym but by the time I get to it I dont feel like working out. Finding the time is another issue. I worked for a long time with minor pains and just shrugged them off but since knee surgery I pay more attention to my body. 

I have a new motto that I stole from a commercial lol, "Work Smarter, Not Harder" 



tnoisaw said:


> I've been using a gardening knee pad to knell on for years because I don't have knee problems and I don't want them. It also good for lying on under a cabinet.
> 
> I have six screws in my left ankle. It was fused a few years ago. Besides the scars from burns and lacerations, thing are pretty good. I'll be fifty in a couple months.


I have a few knee and back pads and love them. 



leak1 said:


> rotor-cuffs wore out, bad knees, achey back- 33yrs of to much cast iron, 4 advil in morn & 4 at quiting time, hot whirlpoolbath and off we go! i can keep up with the best of the youngans-most of the time-if you want to run with the big dogs you have to deal with aches & pains!
> REMEMBER-PAIN IS JUST WEEKNESS LEAVING THE BODY!
> PS-lift with the legs not the back! LEAK-bustin balls-1


Ah the hot tub :thumbup: My pops uses one every night! He's in his late 50's and still plumbing away. Advil, your chemically enhanced lol. 



Proud Plumber said:


> I throw my back out occasionally and I always remember the knee pads after work. I ordered prescription safety glasses last week. They are not chick magnets (big screens) but I hate crap in my eyes.
> 
> I am finding the diet helps a bit as well. I gave up my life quest of eating everything for every meal deep fat fried.
> 
> ...


I got hot solder in my eye a few years back from being stupid and laying on my back under a house while soldering. I wear saftey glasses now :whistling2: 

I smoke a pack of Marlboro's a day and I need to quit too! I have quit cold turkey 3 times but it only lasted about a month each time.


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## ESPinc (Jul 18, 2009)

I am within a few months of turning 50 and have had back and neck issues for the last 22 years. See my chiropractor at least once a week. I don't think its from work as I try to take every precaution to avoid strain on my back. Now running offshore in a fishing tournament in 6 to 8 footers is probably the cause, but I'll blame it on work any day. Just another note, I had lower back pain for years and it would go out at least once a month but it has not been any problem at all since I went skydiving last February, go figure!!


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

36 Banged up beat up, fat and still going :thumbsup:

Left knee Acl surgery tripped off deck. Can't lift left foot due to surgery, shoulder surgery slipped trying to keep from falling in dirty water, Right knee surgery football H. S. Broken pinkie missed chisel with hammer. Back 100%.
only time back hurt is when I lifted that old guy off the floor during a job.
My wallet has been a little sore due to the economy.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

I'm in my late 30's and have been plumbing forever with no problems from work. I do wear nitrile gloves now and saftey glasses somtimes. I wear a mask occasionally. I keep in shape and have no joint problems other than a sore back every now and then if I dig with a shovel for a few days straight. Being over-weight is 90% of peoples joint problems or injury from trama like a car wreck or sports injury. A proper diet,exercise and sleep do wonders for your body. No fried food or sugar.


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## UnclogNH (Mar 28, 2009)

Have not touched junk food in 3 weeks dropped 11 lbs :thumbsup:

Only trouble I'm having is the cravings for snacks I feel like a drug addict trying to kick the habit or a smoker trying to quit.
God I'm glad I never smoked trying to eat right and quit smoking might have been to much.


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## user823 (Feb 3, 2009)

Good job unclogNH, I wish I could do it. I'm going to do it!!!!!
No more corn dogs and fries, A&W, steak and potato with butter and sour cream, midnight snacks, home made blue berry muffins. ***** I'm getting hungry!!!!!!


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## Optimus Primer (May 20, 2009)

so does that mean at 11 33 pm I souldnt eat a bag of microwave popcorn?


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

my back bugs me every now and then but not too bad. my knees are doomed due to years of bmx, snowboarding and skateboarding catching up with me. i'm only 35 but some days i'll admit, i feel like 60.

_pain is your body telling you that you're not dead yet_





paul


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## dws2112 (Apr 21, 2009)

Back, knees, shoulders, and neck. I'm a mess... However, I lost a bunch of weight last year and it has helped. I also notice that my neck and shoulders hurt after I have done alot of overhead drilling though joist. I did not where knee pads the first 1/2 of my career, now they are a habit, as well as my mechanics gloves. I love them because the flux washes out of them quite well and I love the way they grip copper. I hurt my back the first tiime lifting a pipe vise onto my shoulders, crazy when I think about all the 4'' cast iron I have carried and never a problem. Now my back gets thrown once a month, almost always when I just bend over or lift something light. Never when I lift something heavy. Strange..


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2008)

dws2112 said:


> Back, knees, shoulders, and neck. I'm a mess... However, I lost a bunch of weight last year and it has helped. I also notice that my neck and shoulders hurt after I have done alot of overhead drilling though joist. I did not where knee pads the first 1/2 of my career, now they are a habit, as well as my mechanics gloves. I love them because the flux washes out of them quite well and I love the way they grip copper. I hurt my back the first tiime lifting a pipe vise onto my shoulders, crazy when I think about all the 4'' cast iron I have carried and never a problem. Now my back gets thrown once a month, almost always when I just bend over or lift something light. Never when I lift something heavy. Strange..


 Tell me more about these " Mechanics Gloves " please


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Cal said:


> Tell me more about these " Mechanics Gloves " please


http://workingperson.com/brands/1/Mechanix+Gloves.html


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

I am 52 and still in good shape, just the normal bumbs and bruises. Good knees, back, brain is a little foggy. After 35 yrs of this stuff I have learned to work as smart as possible. If I need help I get it. If I need equipment I get it. This is a tough sport. I have been very blessed with good health..:thumbup:


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## Pipedoc (Jun 14, 2009)

http://www.magidglove.com/Coated-Gloves.aspx?gclid=CL_LyP2O-pwCFeNB5gody213bQ


A freind of mine who works for Cat gets these from work He gave me a couple of dozen a couple of months ago. I am still on my first dozen. They machine wash really well and they are very duraple. The rubber coating on the palms and fingers grip really well and the fabric on the top of the handsbreathes well and doesn't lose its elasticity.

$25 a dozen. You can't go wrong. :thumbsup: 


I like them better than the Mechanix.


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## Regulator (Aug 20, 2009)

I'm 51 now and had an arthroscope operation to both knees :wheelchair: in my early 40's. Used knee pads always from then on. I went off the tools full time four years ago. My knees are the only problem I've had other than welder's flash (knock on wood):bangin: , job related wise.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*you are just getting older + sniffing too much glue*



That One Guy said:


> I just turned 30 in April and already have issues with my body that I never considered when I was a teenager plumbing after school. I see a chiropractor now and then to get me straightend out and loosened up and I had knee surgery last March. I had a soft spot in the knee cap so they took it out and I am just now able to kneel down without any major pain.
> 
> I also have a hard time bouncing back after a ruff day where before I could bust my butt, drink all night and return to work the next day like a fire ball lol. I never thought that at the young age of thirty I would be kinda tore up even though I did start at a young age.
> 
> ...


 
this could also be to genetics, or too much drinking, or
bad diet no vitamins in your system ect.....

or a combination of all of them...

the plumibing probably dont help either...
-----------------------------------------------------------

as far as hazards on the job goes.....

the meanest things you can get into are the PVC solvents.... 
Most Plumbers dont realize it but we are all 
*legal glue sniffers*....I have been down in a crawl space with an open can of OATY glue all day long before ...... you build up a tolerance for it but it does build up in your liver over time...

I have home owners literally recoil when they walk into the basement or bathrom when I have a can of glue open.,, they state how noxious the fumes are....

alos soldering with OATY soldering flux is a nasty thing
that is not as noxious as glue but probably is about as bad....

now days the glue does bother me quicker and i keep a FAN in my truck to keep air moveing for jobs where i am going to be fooling around all day...

wearing a breathing mask is a sign of a sissy, but sometimes it makes me wonder if it would be better
on me 


another thing that can kick your ass is 
mold in homes, you can taste it for days if you stay 
in the house too long...
that is the only time I wear my breathign masks,,,



but all in all , considering some of my past idiot employees.....


I think that the PVC glue is slowly makeing us all into total morons:laughing:


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## Down N Dirty (Mar 12, 2009)

I guess when it comes to me, I am a great example to my employees on what NOT to do. At 23 I had major back surgery from 3 blown out discs that left me paralyzed from the waist down for 9 months. Absolutely sucked. I thought back then I was invincable and could bear hug hot water tanks into the closets, cast iron sinks into the holes and ranges into place. Now I command the plumbers to get help or have the appropriate tools to do the job. Oh and watch out for other drivers, had a 17 year old, cell phone talking girl clip the back end of my truck that sent me rolling 5 times and flipping twice. A neck surgery later I am the 6 million dollar man, que the music" We can rebuild him"


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

*Swine Flu*

Has anyone had swine yet ?Its my weekend for grandaughter and I have never turned her away in 6 years ,but yesterday her mother said she had swine but is not sick or showing symptoms she had a fever so her mother took her to doc. Doc tested her said it was swine she got it in school .I am going to call daughter in law today and tell her I dont want to take chance my wife and son catch every thing that comes along and I never get sick,(on job immune system lol)I had my flu and puneuemoa shots last week but I hear kids her age can slide right thru it ,but not us folks over 50 I know my imune system is strong but this would be crazy to ask for a sickness am I right or wrong??


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

retired rooter said:


> Has anyone had swine yet ?Its my weekend for grandaughter and I have never turned her away in 6 years ,but yesterday her mother said she had swine but is not sick or showing symptoms she had a fever so her mother took her to doc. Doc tested her said it was swine she got it in school .I am going to call daughter in law today and tell her I dont want to take chance my wife and son catch every thing that comes along and I never get sick,(on job immune system lol)I had my flu and puneuemoa shots last week but I hear kids her age can slide right thru it ,but not us folks over 50 I know my imune system is strong but this would be crazy to ask for a sickness am I right or wrong??


 this post was thurs its sat nite now and her parents are at the auburn west va game in auburn alabama its raining like hell and game is on hold my grandaughter is at her other granparents calling me and putting me on a guilt trip saying pa paw please come get me I gotta stick to my guns but it hurts still raining in auburn its 711 now


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## Ashleymc (Nov 14, 2009)

Definetely keep up or start going to a gym..Doesnt have to be a body building workout,just light train upper body 2x a week and lower body 2x a week..Or go for it all 3x aweek..Always take every other day off..I am 52 look 42 or less been wieght training and running 5k 3x week since the Military 74-80..I also dont smoke/drink or have sex with animals..haha..
No red meats and no fats or processed foods.Lots of sex and oops there goes the mind again..lol
Sometimes I gotta tap the glass to get the hamster wheel in my head going again!
Fitness pays trust me ..


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## JK949 (Mar 18, 2009)

Have you tried Pilates? Joe Pilates was a cigar smoking boxer who designed his program around injury rehab. Strengthens the core, improves flexibility, and features hot women in the dvds. :thumbup:


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## gear junkie (Jun 20, 2008)

since i hurt my shoulder in aug i've gained 15 lbs and it's killing me. just had rotator cuff surgery on it and it's healing slowly but healing. can't wait to get back to normal. i used to lift heavy all the time with nothing to show for it but bad joints. right before the injury, i changed my routine and aimed for overall conditioning. the single best hands down home gym i've found is trx. you could probably rig something up with rope if you didn't want to spend the money. 

http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/

if you really want to see the best conditioned athletes, watch a japanese show called ninja warrior. those guys put any mma fighter or weightlifter to shame.


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

A good set of dumbells and a bench is all a person needs for weights unless they are trying to add alot of mass.. Make you a pull-up bar out of galvy pipe and a couple 6x6's. Run bleachers for a good leg and cardio workout. Swim if you have bad joints.......if you really want a workout Run,swim and then ride a bike IN THAT ORDER. I use to train with a guy from a special forces unit stationed here...he's out of the military and is a security contractor in D.C now.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

My life insurance medical guy met me today at 11:30am to go through the physical. 

He weighed me like a 18 wheeler, 2 scales, one for each foot. :blink:


Took blood and then took urine. Went through the ritual of disclosure, blood pressure was 130 over 80. 


Didn't eat for almost 12 hours and my urine pouch almost exploded waiting for the okay to release.


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

I have torn cartlidge in the bottom two disks in my spine. They will eventually need to be fused and the surgeon doesn't know what functionality I will have after that. My knees hurt after kneeling on tile floors for a few days. Thats about it. Kinda scary though considering i'm 26 and in good shape. 

I have been plumbing since 18 and working commerically is the main reason my back is messed up. Picking up hundreds of saw cut concrete blocks 12X12X12, carrying 6" cast up several flights of stairs, stuff like that. I own my own shop now and pretty much work residential service. I have a couple commercial accounts but hire a grunt for real heavy lifting. 

Make sure you take care of yourself. I wear a respirator now for nasty fumes. I also bought military surplus chem suits for doing sewers and nitrile gloves. It made me feel like a skirt for a little while using all that gear but hep C or HIV or hundereds of other diseases arn't fun. Most of us don't take seriously enough the dangers of human waste.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

One summer in Monmouth county New Jersey I worked for a mason as a laborer. The block masons were piece workers, so they just kept yelling for more block and mud. After they laid x number of course of block, then we needed to raise scaffolding. I'd have to unload 96 lbs. bags of porland from boss's truck. I have the greatest respect for masons and masons helpers. That is the most physically demanding job I ever did.


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## plumber666 (Sep 19, 2010)

Saddest part of the original post was the bald part. And the not being able to get pissed and give 'er the next day. Myself, a six-pack on a work night is the max, except Thirsty Thursdays, of course. And the odd wing night. But at 47, haven't got a grey hair on my head. Just gorgeous, lush moderately long strawberry blond locks. Almost but not quite a mullet. And no baldness. Shame about the face...


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

That One Guy said:


> Im sure most of us at least see a chiropractor or have a sore back, or bad knees. I dont think I have ever met an older plumber who doesnt have a kink somewhere. <SNIP>
> 
> I am proably one of the oldest working plumbers in the country.
> 
> ...


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## RW Plumbing (Aug 16, 2010)

PLUMBER_BILL said:


> That One Guy said:
> 
> 
> > Im sure most of us at least see a chiropractor or have a sore back, or bad knees. I dont think I have ever met an older plumber who doesnt have a kink somewhere. <SNIP>
> ...


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

I have worked the last 5 days at an old coal burner. Doing a lot of walking around to another set of stairs and a lot of up and down the stairs because the stairway right where I was working had scaffolding in the way. 2 days was spent leaning thru a hole I broke in a wall behind a carrier toilet to sawzall thru sched 80 4" galvo to remove a tee and the drain and vent risers. My sternum is killing me, my knees are killing me and my poor feet are really hurting bad.


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## plumber666 (Sep 19, 2010)

Doing a reno at a school that was the first one I ever worked on in construction as an apprentice, over 20 years ago. Loved the first job meeting cause I got to see the ship's ladder in the main mech room I fell off carrying a fan coil unit back then. I didn't want to hurt the equipment, so I cushioned the FCU's landing on the concrete with my elbows. And the bone chips floating around still give me grief.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

My knee is all swelled up from my first call. Kneeling down under a kitchen sink, then pulling a toilet to reset it due to a blown wax ring.


People are renting the house, I know the property owner for years that I worked there. I won't name the nationality but between the 3 of them I probably weigh as much as all of them put together. 


Heading out for a water heater replacement which will get that swelling even worse...gonna suck. 

Gotta work tomorrow as well...no rested for the wicked.


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

I'm 52, went into plumbing in 76, worked it a while, then to concrete work with my pop for 18 years. he retired, I didnt want the fam business, so went back into plumbing. I am used to hard work, doesnt bother me. I havent been as smart as I should, but I'm getting better at it. I do what I used to do, just not as fast or long without having to rest for a minute. I worry bout lifting water heaters off and on to stands, I know I need to make a change on that. And will. You younger guys at 20 to 40s, sheesh work smarter. We know more now than we used to even medically.
We have one body, yeah surgerys are available for most incidents but even then its seldom as good as before. Take care of yourself, nobody else will.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Gotta start buying particle masks when I cut cast iron. I hate the taste of iron in my mouth. I was cutting an old plaster wall in a house built in 1958 the other day. That created alot of dust. I didn't have a dust mask. The next day I was wondering if maybe asbestos was in the plaster. A drywall saw was useless, I used my sawzall. I really need to buy dust masks...


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## plumbpro (Mar 10, 2010)

Tommy plumber said:


> Gotta start buying particle masks when I cut cast iron. I hate the taste of iron in my mouth. I was cutting an old plaster wall in a house built in 1958 the other day. That created alot of dust. I didn't have a dust mask. The next day I was wondering if maybe *asbestos* was in the plaster. A drywall saw was useless, I used my sawzall. I really need to buy dust masks...


Not to mention lead.


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## Ishmael (Dec 9, 2009)

PLUMBER_BILL said:


> I am proably one of the oldest working plumbers in the country.


We've got a WWII vet here that's still plumbing. I think he's about 85 :blink:


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## plumbpro (Mar 10, 2010)

Ishmael said:


> We've got a WWII vet here that's still plumbing. I think he's about 85 :blink:


ouch, I won't last till 85. I already have back and knee problems at 33.


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## Txmasterplumber (Oct 2, 2010)

Well, at 48, I weigh too much (260), but have lost 13 lbs, used to weigh 273, gained the weight when the doc's put me on heart rythem pills..... 2 yrars ago mother's day, had a weird feeling in my chest, wife took me to emergency room, not a heart attack but atrial fibrilation... heart beating 166 beats per minute and irregular, put me on pills and blood thinner. Have been back in the hospital 2 more times with the same thing. 2nd time wouldn't go back in rythem with the meds, 180 bpm.... had to knock me out and....... CLEAR !!!!! That's right boys, had to shock me back to rythem, 3rd time, just got my heart to slow down and sent me home. It seems to go into A-Fib every 4 to 8 months or so. Last attack was a week ago last friday. Just take a pill and a couple of xanex and lay on the couch.... went back in the next day (Saturday) Saving up to get an Ablation, has a 85% sucess rate....... guess we'll see soon hopefully


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

Txmasterplumber said:


> Well, at 48, I weigh too much (260), but have lost 13 lbs, used to weigh 273, gained the weight when the doc's put me on heart rythem pills..... 2 yrars ago mother's day, had a weird feeling in my chest, wife took me to emergency room, not a heart attack but atrial fibrilation... heart beating 166 beats per minute and irregular, put me on pills and blood thinner. Have been back in the hospital 2 more times with the same thing. 2nd time wouldn't go back in rythem with the meds, 180 bpm.... had to knock me out and....... CLEAR !!!!! That's right boys, had to shock me back to rythem, 3rd time, just got my heart to slow down and sent me home. It seems to go into A-Fib every 4 to 8 months or so. Last attack was a week ago last friday. Just take a pill and a couple of xanex and lay on the couch.... went back in the next day (Saturday) Saving up to get an Ablation, has a 85% sucess rate....... guess we'll see soon hopefully


Well, brother I know the feeling. I am 47 and clock in at 255. How did I get this fat? I remember the skinny 32 year old in my wedding pictures! Where did he go? Take care of yourself and I hope that procedure works.


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## FluidDruid (Oct 22, 2010)

*i wanna blah too/ventilation etc*

My favorite is the molten solder drip on a sweaty arm. mint. just boils the skin right off. That will teach you not to go flicking solder around like a tough guy.

I hexed the strap knew pads for a single garden type like someone said. Works great for kneeling and sink laying, which sux hard already. 

I recently started using ventilation for jobs with lots of soldering, fumes, dust. I save the squirrel cage fans from old power-vent water heaters etc., attach 40 feet of cheap plastic dryer vent, strap it up overhead the work area with zip ties/perf metal tape, and run the vent out the window or whatever. You'd be amazed how much better it makes things down in the hole(s). 

Also gave up pvc glue and solvent for Gorilla Glue pvc glue. No primer/cleaning. Works great with virtually no fumes. A little more money, but a 1/2 pint goes a long way. Drying/curing is different, but you get used to it... 5-10 mins is good for water. No more holes in the brain, unless you like that. I just wipe the dust/dirt from pipe end and fitting best I can. Try not to get it on your clothes, because it looks a lot like the fluid you can't talk about openly.

Slow it down, and don't go so hard.. You'll last longer. This can be an unbelievably hard job, and sometimes the custy might have to be inconvenienced. 

Pain and suffering must be figured into the bill.


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