Playing with pain

So for the past month or so, I have been working on a huge project for balcony rails and stair rails for an apartment complex in Santa Clara. I will be adding pictures of the project upon its completion, but this post will cover another topic related to this project. Pain.

Pain sucks. It is something that many people deal with on a daily basis, especially in certain professions. One example of an occupation where injuries go hand in hand is professional sports. Athletes are at great risk every time they get on the court, field, track, etc. A very common term used in sports is the ability to play through the pain. But besides sports, there are other professions where injuries are part of the landscape. I am a BIG fan of Deadliest Catch on the Discovery channel. The deckhands that work on these boats in the Bearing Sea have a injury rate of 100%. That means no matter what, each deckhand will suffer an injury of some type, from minor dings to major medical issues. But beyond being an athlete or a deckhand on a crabbing boat, other occupations have risks of injury and pain. And fabrication is definitely one of them.

There are obvious risks for injury and pain in fabrication work. Using tools that spin at high RPMs with cutting bits that saw through anything in its way, there is a risk that we could lose a finger or two if we are not careful. Beyond that there are risks of electrocution due to the high amount of amperage used in arc welding, or respiratory issues from the fumes that we breath. But like I said earlier, these are the obvious risks... welders have a lot more to contend with as far as injuries go. Back, neck, leg and arm injuries are all relevant in this field. Things that I have never had issues with before like my wrists and my ankles are constantly aching. My knee is swollen to all hell (why it's swollen I have no idea) and my back hurts so much some mornings, it feels as rigid as an ironing board. But what can I do other than bite my lower lip and fight through it. I need to ignore the pain and push forward so that I don't miss my deadline.

Those of us who work in fabrication need to learn how to play through the pain too.

Thanks for taking the time to read this -SB