
Embarrassing Story. Moral: Take Care of Your Health - healthfirst
For obvious reasons I created a new account for this post.<p>I just had a miserable 8 days where I suffered from an embarrassing and painful ailment called hemorrhoids which were the byproduct of a two day hack-a-thon. As embarrassing as this is to write, I wanted to provide a word of warning to hopefully prevent someone from having to endure the same annoyance.<p>Because I have a full-time job and only have weekends to work on our startup, last Saturday-Sunday we coded for 12 hours, slept 5, then coded for another 12. During that time, I sat at my desk for virtually every minute. I was certainly uncomfortable at times, but was getting so much done that I kept telling myself to grin and bear it. This was a catastrophic mistake! You should move around and shift positions a lot. Also, get a good chair. My wood chair with a cushion is not built for long term comfort.<p>My second error was diet. My diet constituted chips, cookies, soda, and candy. As peculiar as that sounds, I have always found a diet rich in junk food to be advantageous for coding. Turns out, it may help you accomplish more in a few hours, but it could cost you days of lost productivity if your system doesn't handle it well.<p>Finally on Monday I developed the problem which stemmed from the weekend. Twas a grind of a week and had to miss work nearly all of last week.<p>Until last week, I thought Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, poor eyesight, and bad posture were the only occupational hazards of hacking. Not so!<p>I hope by sharing this someone will avoid a repeat situation.<p>Please list any other warnings or health tips for hackers. And Merry Christmas!
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jmtame
I did a spree of hacking last week, but came away very healthy. It was about
72 hours, and I only took breaks to eat and sleep. I follow a few basic rules,
I would encourage you to do the same:

1) Find a comfortable chair with a comfortable desk. I refuse to work on a
wooden chair, it's just distracting and like you pointed out, it isn't
healthy.

2) Take breaks and eat decent food every once in a while. I went and got
Subway and drank lots of green tea (has tons of antioxidants and some
caffeine, which keeps you awake and helps your immune system deal with the
lack of sleep). You cannot overdo caffeine because your body will quickly
build tolerance. You have to sleep at some point. If you're tired while
drinking caffeine, go to sleep.

3) I slept in two 4.5 hour chunks throughout 24 hours (biphasic sleep cycle)
and it worked really well. Some people do polymorphic sleep cycles, and some
do really weird uberman cycles. I suppose it depends on how much control you
have over your schedule. I don't like monophasic because 8-10 hours at a time
seems to have a recovery curve from waking up to being fully ready to go back
to coding.

4) Work with friends. Preferably on the same project.

5) Play classical music (I recommend sky.fm solo piano station). Caffeine
makes it difficult to learn new material because you're too energized (or at
least it has that effect on me), but classical helps me focus.

EDIT: because of the shorter sleep cycles, I remembered more of my dreams. I
had some really weird dreams during this time (robots assembling themselves
and teaching each other how to subclass).

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coolestuk
I don't think anyone stresses just how much damage can be done by sitting
immobile for long periods of time can be.

Whilst I have no problem with 'piles' and was not hacking as the OP was. I was
slim and athletic - used to walk 5 miles a day, do weight-training and
cycling, etc. Then 6 years ago I moved in my chair in the office and had a
feeling like an electric current travel up my spine. It was months before I
could turn my head without pain, and in the following years I've suffered
terrible back, pelvis, and hip pains, and it's getting worse. I cannot really
sit upright, and now even have trouble walking. No doctor can explain how all
this began or even if the various problems are connected - and even when they
have some 'treatment' the odds are even as to whether it makes matters better
or worse.

So please, if you value a normal life, take care of yourself and don't sit too
long without breaks. It won't matter how much money you make if you can't
enjoy an evening at the cinema or can't go for a walk when on holiday.

~~~
Derrek
FYI, you might want to check into acupuncture for that neck and back pain. It
worked great for my shoulder pain. Good luck

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kranner
I had something far worse a few years ago as a result of a bad diet. A bout of
gastrointestinal bleeding which combined with mild hemophilia almost did me in
- seriously. I went running 5 miles every evening, so lack of exercise wasn't
the problem.

I've switched to fruits and unprocessed grains since then but it took me
another few years to realize the other serious dietary problem I had - not
chewing food enough.

Now it's a lot, lot better and I can focus on work instead of my stupid
digestion.

~~~
wallflower
I tend to wolf my food down without thinking. How did you consciously solve
your issue?

~~~
kranner
Well, I'd moved to Singapore for about six months and I returned (to India) a
few months ago. Like the dog that didn't bark in the night, the time in
Singapore was perfect - speaking of my digestion - without any special effort.
But after I returned, the same old bloating and hard stools (sometimes quite
painful) recurred. Obviously, these conditions became sufficiently irritating
that I was forced to analyse.

After a bit of thought, I realized that the Chinese-ish diet in Singers was
mostly soup-like with lots of hot water, whereas back here at home it's stiff
grains like wheat and corn with lots of husk, with much less liquid ingested.
So I figured I should try to make what's going in be of similar consistency to
what I knew worked. I decided I would try it for a week, strictly, and it
worked wonderfully. And so I've stuck to it.

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Tangurena
One tip is to avoid putting your wallet in your back pocket and sitting on it.
This tilts your pelvis a tiny bit that adds up over time, and can lead to
lower back pain.

Another thing that is helping is that our employer signed us all up for virgin
health miles. Just having a simple pedometer and the ability to track how much
you walk in a day is getting more and more people out of their chairs (at
least at our office). <http://www.virginhealthmiles.com/>

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pmarsh
Hurt my lower back coding years ago on a wooden chair so here are my tips.

\- Eat healthy, plenty of greens and veggies and as little sugar as possible.
If you're young get in this habit and you won't need to break it when you're
old (late 20's being old)

\- Switch up coffee and caffeinated beverages for green tea.

\- Get up and move around often during the day. Might hurt the end LOC numbers
but being away from a problem can help you come up with a solution. Plus it
gets you away from your desk and be social for a bit.

\- Exercise. Seriously. I don't care what your deadline is, you can put aside
60 minutes to run/walk/shower. If you can't, then go for a longer walk and
find a more realistic goal/job. You'll gain health and be able to stay awake
longer without aides.

Nothing is more important than your body. Take care of it you only get one.

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ratsbane
Sometimes I forget to drink anything but coffee and I end up dehydrated and
with a headache. This impairs my productivity, to say nothing of quality of
life. I try to avoid this by keeping one of those disposable water bottles (I
like the Glaceau SmartWater ones best) close at hand. I'll use the same bottle
for weeks or months, just refilling it from the tap. I try to drink at least
three per day. Eating fruits and vegetables and exercising helps me feel
better and stay focused too but I don't do those enough.

~~~
johnyzee
Be careful when reusing water bottles. A recent study found that re-using a
disposable plastic water bottle a few times raises bacteria and fungus
contamination beyond the threshold for acceptable drinking water.

~~~
ratsbane
I used to use a Nalgene bottle. I wonder why a Nalgene (or other) reusable
bottle would be safe but a disposable bottle would not? Possibly: wider mouth
facilitates washing? It's a good point but I'm a little skeptical - if the
study was sponsored by bottled-water sellers then...? In any case I'd like to
look into it more. How to test easily for bacterial/fungal contamination?

~~~
ratsbane
A little googling turns up a lot of discussion about reusing water bottles.
The fear of bacterial and fungal seems to come largely from a single study of
Canadian elementary-school students and the contamination may have come from
their hands. There seems to be a consensus that if you occasionally wash the
bottles with soap or let them sit with water containing a spoonful of bleach
then reuse is okay.

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

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healthfirst2
The same thing happened to me. I had a nice Aeron and desk, but had moved to
the couch with the laptop for several day hacking sessions. I wasn't as
afflicted as you, but it was extremely unpleasant. My diet wasn't bad, but my
posture was.

Invest in (and take advantage of) a proper work environment!

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wallflower
For your eyesight: The 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away from the
monitor to a spot at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Special
computer prescription: You can get a special prescription for computer work
based on your current Rx that will help with eye strain issues.

RSI: Swimming (the TotalImmersion way). Beware that any pain in the lower arm
extremities may be a symptom of problems upstream (e.g. shoulder/back - try
rolling your shoulders)

Roids: Splash cold water on affected area, ideally right after you-know-what

Favorite healthy snack: Formula = Carbs + Protein (e.g. whole wheat no-
preservative bread with natural Trader Joe's peanut butter or apple slices
with peanut butter)

~~~
lackbeard
I usually think of peanut butter as fat, not protein. Does it really have a
sufficient amount of protein?

~~~
DaniFong
It's a protein staple for many vegetarians (who aren't allergic to peanuts,
like me :-/)

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Tichy
I am guessing junk food played the largest part in bringing forth the problem.

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clintavo
I too have had multiple problems since taking my web company full time about
three years ago. I've had the tingling, muscle knots and I've also had
prostate pain and frequent urination. I'm not sure if the prostate thing is
related but my doctors have not found any other underlying cause.

I've recently found a couple of things that help:

1\. A book called "Pain Free at Your PC" <http://www.amazon.com/Pain-Free-at-
Your-PC/dp/0553380524>

It has special stretches, some yoga inspired, to counteract the problems
developed from sitting for long-periods.

2\. A got a think called a "butt-cushion". I was skeptical when my friend
suggested it, but felt some relief almost immediately.

Hope these ideas help someone.

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yef
Not that I've tried it, but I want to:
<http://images.google.com/images?q=treadmill%20desk>

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thinkzig
A few other tips to add here beyond the other great ones already mentioned. I
had to learn about these the hard way.

1.) Massage.

You may not think it's the manliest thing ever, but if you can afford it you
should find a good local masseuse and get yourself an hour session. Even if
you go once and never go again, you'll get an education in just how kinked up
your back and shoulders probably are.

I tweaked my back lifting a lawn mower out of my car a couple years ago and
didn't think much of it at the time. Over the next few weeks I started to have
all kinds of shoulder problems and other various pain to the point where my
arms were getting tingly and I couldn't sit and code for more than 30 minutes
at a time.

Long story short, I went through a few doctors before I finally just decided
to see a masseuse and see if it helped. I was lucky to find someone that knew
what they were doing and helped get me straightened out. It took about 5
sessions over 5 weeks, but I've never had problems since.

2.) Trigger points.

Learn what they are and how you can fix them. This was my problem that the
masseuse turned me on to. Trigger points are essentially little micro-knots in
your muscle fibers that can add up to cause big problems for you. For me,
lifting that mower was really just the straw that broke the camel's back. It
just exacerbated all the trigger point problems I'd been creating over years
of coding and not stretching out my back and shoulders properly.

If you know where the common trigger points creep up and how to get rid of
them you can save yourself a lot of pain and downtime (not to mention massage
bills).

Buy these two things: The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook
([http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-
Tr...](http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-
Treatment/dp/1572243759/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230263929&sr=8-1))
and a TheraCane ([http://www.amazon.com/Thera-Cane-Theracane-
TheraCane/dp/B000...](http://www.amazon.com/Thera-Cane-Theracane-
TheraCane/dp/B0007YZ1BM/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1230263980&sr=8-1))

The book will show you how to identify and treat the trigger points all over
your body, and the TheraCane will help you reach the places on your back that
you can't reach yourself.

3.) Yoga.

Once you get all your issues straightened out, yoga and/or a good daily
stretching regimen can help keep you kink free.

Hopefully some of this advice is helpful. I was really messed up for a while
until I figured all this out. Again, echoing what others have said, please
take care of your body. It's the only one you have.

~~~
Todd
I second yoga. It is the only exercise that I know of that is built around the
back and posture. It does wonders for people who sit at desks all day. I have
only done it occasionally over the past several years, but it has helped every
time.

The other important exercise is walking. As imperfectly designed as our bodies
are for bipedal locomotion, walking turns out to be one of the best exercises
for them. For example, the disks in our backs don't have blood vessels bathing
them in oxygen. One of the only ways to oxygenate them well is to walk (due to
the back and forth motion).

A healthy spine, back muscles, etc. will go a long way to making your 8+ hour
stints in a chair bearable. Think of it as the penance that our body demands
for our hacking.

~~~
davo11
pilates is great for back strength - it focuses on your 'core' muscles that
keep your back straight.

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wesley
YC admins, please compare IP addresses to find out who this is. J/K.

Get an exercise ball to sit on, I can't recommend it enough. Had lots of
problems with my back, which vanished soon after using such a ball.

~~~
JMiao
"it strengthens your core."

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TS3xP-tOWM>

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Hates_
Drink plenty of water, eat plenty of healthy foods, exercise a lot. And don't
wait to make it a new years resolution.

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alnayyir
Uhhh...call me crazy but as someone who has been programming since the age of
8 and am prone to such excursions...I've never once had a bad chair.

Even before I had a job I would fight tooth-and-nail to get one of the better
seats in the house which I would then enhance with pillows and blankets.

These days I just sit in a nice chair that is nicely padded and older than I
am. No roids.

~~~
Tichy
How old are you now?

