
The greatest enemy of the programmer: hemorrhoids - maxklein
http://blog.cubeofm.com/the-greatest-enemy-of-the-programmer-hemorrho
======
dood
The greatest ally of the programmer: getting off your ass.

After a little back pain, I made a few changes which make me feel a whole lot
better generally, and make it much easier to get and stay in 'the zone':

\- take breaks regularly

\- stand up when not operating the computer

\- stretch whenever you remember

\- walk about

\- exercise daily (as much or as little as you feel like)

These simple measures quickly become more of a joy than a chore, and will
protect from back pain, RSI, hemorrhoids, fatigue, and probably a bunch of
other nasty things that creep up on you.

~~~
pmiller2
Another really simple thing you can do is walk around while you're thinking. I
know you probably incorporate this into "stand up when not operating the
computer," but it bears repeating and emphasizing. Not only does it get you
away from your keyboard and chair, it also helps stimulate the thought
process.

~~~
josefresco
When I'm on the phone with clients, I will stand/walk around my basement for
two reasons; it gives me a break from sitting and I can talk loud without
interrupting others who are working or kids who may be napping. I have a
computer in the basement where I can browse whilst on the phone, with no chair
so I don't get sucked into anything. (P.S. I'm typing this standing up)

A few years back I had forearm/wrist issues on my mouse hand. Some simply
adjustments in my posture (Hint: don't waste money on an expensive chair) was
enough to stop the pain. The icing on the cake was working for myself. Instead
of 8 solid hours in front of the PC clicking around, I now have 100 things to
do in the day, only 25 of which may be actual development. The end result is
more time away from the machine and less pain which means a potentially longer
career.

------
msisk6
Right now I'm sitting in an Aeron chair I bought myself 11 years ago. It's
been through 3 startups, 4 moves, 2 wives and a half-dozen laptops. I don't
want to even think about how many hours my keister has been in this chair.
Amortized for use over time I don't think I ever spent money so wisely.

Get a good chair now -- even if you have to spend your own money on it. You
won't regret it.

~~~
SwellJoe
Same story here, though I've recently given up my Aeron. I bought my Aeron at
the Arthur Andersen bankruptcy auction in Houston in response to back, elbow,
and wrist pain caused by a half dozen crappy chairs bought from Office Max or
Office Depot for about $100 each over the span of several years. I kept the
Aeron for 8 years, and then sold it when I was moving out of my house and into
an RV...and it looked as good as the day I bought it. The guy who bought it
from me couldn't believe I'd had it for nearly a decade and that it was used
when I got it. Best $385 I ever spent, and when I can make room for another
one, I won't mind spending a few hundred bucks to buy another one. I can say
with absolute sincerity that it's just stupid to buy a cheap office chair. You
pay for it with your back, your ass, your wrists, your elbows, _and_ with your
wallet, because the cheap chairs only last a year or two if you are a heavy
user, as programmers always are.

I had started to regret selling it a month or so into my travels, but I've now
figured out how to avoid trouble with the new lifestyle. Moving regularly
between all of the several sitting locations I have in the RV (dinette, desk,
sofa, and also sitting outside in a cloth folding chair or a wooden folding
chair when weather is nice (which is most of the time, since I follow good
weather), and exercising a lot more (easy since I have to walk my dog
regularly, anyway, and I'm always in some place new that is way more
interesting than what's on TV). I also still have my tall table from Ikea that
I used for a while as a standing desk, but I haven't parked anywhere long
enough to make it worth setting up.

As I type, I'm sitting outside under the awning overlooking the desert in a
place called "Slab City" about 150 miles west of San Diego, and just south of
Joshua Tree. I think I am going to do some customization of my next RV to get
an Aeron back into the picture, though. There's just no good reason not to
have a really good chair.

~~~
Sam_Odio
I'm very interested in your experience moving to an RV (and what life has been
like since the move). Do you have any links to articles you've written about
it?

~~~
SwellJoe
I've been blogging periodically at <http://nerdnomad.com>. The most
interesting posts are probably these two:

<http://nerdnomad.com/the-rv-loophole/>

<http://nerdnomad.com/whats-something-like-that-set-you-back/>

I'm revisiting the budget in the next post, as it's been more expensive than I
expected in some ways, and less expensive in others. Overall, it evens out and
I'm saving a ton over living in Mountain View (though, admittedly, I was
living pretty luxe in Mountain View with a 1000 sq ft house a few blocks from
downtown). More importantly, every day is a comfort-zone smashing experience,
which I'm convinced is good for mind, body and soul.

I've also been twatting at <http://twitter.com/nerdnomad> and flicking at
<http://flickr.com/photos/nerdnomad>

As I mentioned, I'm at Slab City, which is a truly unique American experience.
Salvation Mountain is here, along with hundreds of RVers and campers, all
squatting on government land and living wholly off the grid and seemingly
getting along just fine. I don't think I've ever seen more solar panels in one
place; and I've visited the Google campus. I do worry about where some of
these folks are putting their wastewater...many of the RVs here have not moved
in years, and there are no public restrooms for miles around, nor are there
septic hookups. Anyway, obviously Slab City is worth blogging about, so I'll
be posting about that soon, as well, along with millions of pictures.

~~~
imajes
very interesting story- loved the blog, but please refrain from using
'twatting' and 'flicking'. If you must, use 'tweeting'. 'twat' has negative
connotations in many places, and flicking is just lame. :)

------
huhtenberg

      (me)      - The greatest enemy of the programmer is...
      (my wife) - Users ?!
    

I guess she _was_ listening to me all these years... Who would've thought :)

~~~
josefresco
At least she didn't say "his wife?!"

------
bjelkeman-again
If you suffer from it I can strongly recommend: "Rubber band ligation,
sometimes called Baron ligation. Elastic bands are applied onto an internal
hemorrhoid to cut off its blood supply. Within several days, the withered
hemorrhoid, is sloughed off during normal bowel movement."

Only somewhat uncomfortable for a day or three. No side effects. Fixed.

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemorrhoid#Surgical_and_non-
med...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemorrhoid#Surgical_and_non-
medicinal_treatments)

~~~
mrtron
Two very different lessons here.

First the value of NOT having url shorteners. Wikipedia is much different than
youtube in this situation.

Second...the value of a long term partner. Preferably with a steady hand.

~~~
bjelkeman-again
This treatment is generally applied by a medical doctor with special
equipment.

------
jxcole
Does anyone know if getting hemorrhoids would classify as a work-related
injury? Furthermore, since my job is required to provide me with a safe
working environment, shouldn't they also be required to provide me with a
fancy chair?

~~~
joe_the_user
There's a lot of talk of fancy chairs, fancy keyboards or fancy mice a way
around these kinds of problems.

But really, they don't not get at the root problem.

Getting exercise and a good diet is much closer to dealing with this root
problem.

But even more to the point, one needs to reduce the unconscious, habitual
tension which is what misaligns and thus tears people up when they sit "doing
nothing" for years.

I would recommend the Alexander Technique a key method for dealing with the
problem of habitual muscle tension and the many problems that it will cause
you over the years.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_technique>

But there are number of similar methods: the Feldenkrais Method, Tai Chi Chua,
Qigong and Yoga all work to give you new body habits, not just "work" your
body. Indeed, the gym-style "push yourself" exercise approach can risk injury
to the person due to their taking their poor align into a more stressful
environment (though I don't doubt that hard exercise works _for some_ )

------
awolf
Getting daily exercise is really one of the most important things I have done
to become a better coder.

Aside from keeping my digestion burning at full power, exercise encourages me
to eat a healthier diet. If I eat crappy/greasy food I feel the results pretty
quickly when I try to do something active later that day.

More important is the extra energy it gives me. Since when I started my daily
exercise regimen I've been able to get in about 3 hours more coding per day
while feeling less worn out.

------
nanexcool
I had surgery because of this last year. You can read some of what happened on
my mostly abandoned blog. There's 10 or more posts about that. Read on, then
try to do something about it if you've got them.

<http://fateff.com/blog/2009/04/20/im-in-the-hospital/>

~~~
maxklein
After reading this: <http://fateff.com/blog/2009/04/22/bad-afternoon/> I think
I'll be ordering a banana tree or something.

------
mrshoe
I'll be forwarding this to my boss along with my request for permission to
work from a hammock on the beach.

~~~
josefresco
Direct sunlight is a bitch. I had that fantasy as well when I started my own
biz, but even working on my deck with an umbrella overhead and shady trees
above is difficult.

Solve the battery and direct sunlight issues for laptops and my techno-world
would be complete.

------
pmiller2
Just an odd little style nit I picked up reading this: it was interesting how
the author used the clinical term "anus" but didn't hesitate to use the word
"shitting" to describe defecation. I'm not offended by the vulgar word, but
I'd advise the author to choose one or the other and stick with it.

------
carbocation
To my knowledge, the connection between extended periods sitting and/or
straining is anecdotal. Not saying it's not true - it probably is - but it
isn't proven.

On the other hand, there are proven, more ominous, but fortunately less-common
causes of hemorrhoids, such as tumors and cirrhosis.

------
unignorant
Yet another (albeit unforeseen) reason I prefer to work standing. A "standing
desk" is easier to improvise than one might think.

~~~
wyclif
Where does one obtain a standing desk these days?

~~~
froo
>Where does one obtain a standing desk these days?

Lifehacker had a recent article on this, let me dig it up for you.

<http://lifehacker.com/5503957/the-file-cabinet-standing-desk>

------
kpanghmc
An enemy? Sure. The greatest enemy? I don't know about that.

I'd say carpal tunnel and other hand/wrist related injuries would be the
greatest enemy. After all, you can always program standing up or sitting on
one of those donut devices if you have hemorrhoids.

~~~
pavel_lishin
I think that as far as quality of life goes, I'd rather have my hands hurt
than my ass hurt.

~~~
abstractbill
Yeah, but I don't make money with my ass, I make it with my hands.

~~~
bjelkeman-again
Yeah, but with a bad back or hemorrhoid problem, it is really hard to be
productive with your hands.

~~~
pyre
It's really hard to be productive with a good back and good ass, but bad hands
too. If you were told tomorrow that you could never use a keyboard again,
would you be thanking the gods that it wasn't a back or ass problem because
now you quality of life won't even skip a beat?

------
anthonyb
Worried about hemmorrhoids? You pansies - try a Pilondial Sinus
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilonidal_cyst> instead!

Caution: you may want to visit that page with Lynx, rather than a browser
which can display images ;)

~~~
JacobAldridge
Yup, I had a couple of friends go through this. Saw the post-op photos one of
the guys took - at least from the external viewpoint, they literally 'tore him
a new one'.

At least they didn't have movements through the wound though, I suppose.

------
petercooper
_The asian squat toilet seems to be pretty good for hemorrhoid according to
wikipedia, so you may want to try that._

That's a curiously casual suggestion for something difficult to try. Being in
low gravity would help, so you may want to try that too.

~~~
ahoyhere
It's really easy to try, Peter:

1\. Go to the woods. 2\. Drop trou. 3\. Shit.

Ta-da.

Not like you have to go to China to try it out.

~~~
petercooper
You've given me the perfect euphemism! If ever I have to take a shit in the
woods, I'm going to say I'm off to "try the Asian squat toilet."

------
gregwebs
Sitting in a chair should be considered harmful. This is a very recent
practice that we have not evolved to handle well. I know few adults that can
still sit comfortably in a squatted position. Almost everyone has sore hip
flexors and poor hip mobility. Try pressing in on yourself in areas around
your hips- it is not supposed to hurt.

Alternatives: Standing. Standing still in one place for a long time can have
its own problems. But when standing it is much easier to have some amount of
movement- the minimum is just shifting your weight from one leg to the other.
The treadmill desks are an interesting concept to keep you moving.

Lying down. These positions are usually difficult to work in.

Sitting (not on a chair). Sitting on your bed or on the floor. There are a few
possible positions here.

Squatting. This has to be done with assistance (raised heel and butt) until
you gain the strength and flexibility required to do this.

Sitting and squatting tend to put you in a hunched over position though.

Ultimately the best thing is going to be to move around between different
positions as much as possible, along with taking as many breaks as you can and
making them as physical as you can.

I am trying to combine these concepts with some amount of working outside
also. I would love to hear from anyone else working at this.

------
watmough
The only way I've found to address this issue is a healthy diet, rich in
fiber.

For me that means:

    
    
      - homemade brown bread
      - lots of vegetables
      - drinks lots of non-sugary fluids
      - cut out the candy and sweet baked goods

------
jseifer
I sit on a swiss (or exercise) ball most of the day. I'm not sure how the ball
intersects with hemorrhoids but it's great for staying active while sitting
down and also for posture.

When not on the swiss ball I use one of these:
<http://www.thehumansolution.com/ergohumanmeshhi.html>. It's less expensive
than an Aeron and it has a head rest. I've had it for a couple of years now.
It's been a great chair. I'm not sure why the head rest thing was so important
to me but it's very comfortable for coding.

------
jokull
Awesome excuse to get a good chair

EDIT: One of these
<http://www.sedus.de/se/en/products/officeseating/index.php>

~~~
maxklein
I bought an aeron recently and I have to justify the cost!

~~~
trafficlight
I'm sitting in an Aeron right now and I'm just not that impressed. I'm just
glad I didn't pay for it.

~~~
losvedir
Ditto. (Well, at work, not right now). I was lucky enough to snag one from a
different room in my office. I was excited because of the magical stories I've
heard about Aerons. There's lots of little knobs and levers to fiddle with,
but even after extensive personalization, it's not all THAT comfortable.

~~~
ahoyhere
It might not fit you.

It's not really made for women's hips for example, so I've never sat in an
Aeron I liked. It digs in.

Most very good chairs come in different widths/depths for people of different
heights/weights.

------
zavulon
When you drive into Brooklyn from pretty much any major entrance point, you
are greeted with this billboard:

[http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/fort-
greene/posts/...](http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/blogs/fort-
greene/posts/peach3-480.jpg)

I especially like how they spelled "proctology"

------
Splines
I used to keep my wallet in my back pocket, but recently transferred to
keeping in my jacket pocket. Not as convenient, and now possible to misplace,
but my butt feels better not having half of it sitting on a rock all day.

~~~
_Lemon_
It's also remarkably easy for your wallet to get stolen out of your back
pocket.

I learnt this lesson the hard way. Thankfully all they were interested in was
the five pound note and some kind soul handed it in.

------
3dFlatLander
Working a job years ago, I worked at a standing desk which was surprisingly
awesome. It allowed me to keep my legs active, and pace around whenever I
needed to mull something over. I may invest in one for home use.

------
pkghost
let us not overlook those who stand while at the keyboard. you don't have to
do it all the time, either -- get an adjustable keyboard thingermajig and push
your chair out of the way for a few hours a day.

~~~
pbz
Adjustable keyboard or desk? Any tips as far some affordable adjustable desks?
Thanks.

~~~
maxklein
Use a podium. Very cheap.

~~~
pbz
I have dual monitors; a regular podium may not have enough room for two
monitors, keyboard, and mouse...

~~~
lsc
eh, buy some adjustable VESA mounts and nail your monitors to the wall. use
the podium for the keyboard.

~~~
mahmud
Have you ever programmed with a new monitor, or even at someone else's
machine? It's hard. I would waste a lot of time adjusting everything to the
exact settings and configuration as my laptop, down to the dead pixel and
finger-print smudges.

~~~
lsc
yup. though, for me, my desktop (well, wallside) is the perfect setup; using a
laptop is a real pain.

------
wesley
Standing Desk + Sitting Ball + Time Out for Mac (5 minutes per hour) + daily
exercises + mini stepper at desk and I don't have these issues.

------
nearestneighbor
<http://www.dqd.com/~mayoff/images/alfa.jpg>

~~~
liamk
Great setup! What did you use as your laptop stand?

~~~
nearestneighbor
That's not me.

------
malkia
Finally something to the point.

------
stcredzero
Reminds me of "Dr. Duncan's Video Symptom Show" from the Max Headroom program.

------
arvinjoar
I think I have Hemorrhoids... Shit, I thought it would go away on its own...

------
kingkongreveng_
The solution to all of eye strain, hand strain, and ass strain is simply to
take five minutes to leisurely walk around the block once every hour and half.
You don't need an expensive chair or to work standing up or anything silly
like that. You don't even need a daily exercise regimen.

I find the claims that people sitting all day is a new problem somewhat
dubious. People have worked sitting down all day for centuries. I'm pretty
sure what's new is fat people who never walk anywhere.

~~~
torial
To that end, a great _free_ tool that I've been using is called Workrave:
<http://www.workrave.org/welcome/>

Otherwise, I don't get off my butt much -- but this reminds me. And it is
highly configurable.

~~~
kungfooey
I second the recommendation of Workrave. It's easily configurable and it works
quite well to remind one to get p every now and then (or at least to look away
from the monitor for a few seconds).

------
sabat
Blogga, please. Just get up once an hour, walk around, maybe check out that
big room with the blue ceiling that's sometimes black with white specks (the
one the Others call "outside").

------
pw0ncakes
Slightly off-topic, but I can't believe that people are falling for the anti-
Steve Sailer flame (peanut butter).

