ups and downs of symptoms/pain

[fortitudine]

Hi Rob,
My symptoms don't seem to be as bad as yours but they do fluctuate. You know about caffeine - and by the way, you said you drink tea, did you know it is full of caffeine if it's not herbal? Maybe you should try cutting it out for a while. Then there's cold, which probably isn't an issue with you, and here's the one I can't figure out - sitting on a wooden bench for a while, as in lunch or watching sports! I think it must be that it doesn't allow enough movement in the lower spine and things stiffen up. I still think you might give aquacize a try. I swear it helps. Stress is also hard on the spinal cord - if the theory is to be believed, stress causes the production excess cortisol which can affect the nerves like caffeine.

I think keeping track is a great idea. That way you can determine if there really is progression or if it's simply a fluctuation with a possibly explainable cause.