Everyone sits. But what happens when even that simple action is enough to cause severe back pain? Despite the simplistic name, getting diagnosed with a sitting disability means your life is about to get much, much more complicated. When every bend and turn means suffering, even the most ordinary of events ends up a challenge. Long car, train, and plane rides are excruciating. Even sitting a table … sitting a table for the length of a meal is unthinkable. Forget about going to the movies unless you plan to stand in the back. And at the office, while everyone else relaxes at their desks, you’re forced to remain upright in your cubicle for eight long hours.
In Can’t Sit: Living with a Sitting Disability , author Rick Lunkenheimer chronicles his journey with a sitting disability and all the inconveniences and pains it presents. Starting from his initial spikes of minor back pain to a life living with what has only recently been labeled a disability, Lunkenheimer takes us through the myriad of doctors’ visits, misdiagnoses, rehabilitations, and even one major back surgery that follow.
Can’t Sit reveals just how awkward such a condition can make any social situation, not to mention the quizzical stares, amateur diagnoses, and accusations of insurance fraud that follow wherever you go. A heartwarming and educational story from start to finish, Lunkenheimer’s Can’t Sit paints a sympathetic picture of a life without the ability to sit—something we all take for granted.
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As one who has suffered through the years with occasional bouts of the searing pain of sciatica, I can relate to how hard it is to sit while experiencing it. I’m also well aware, that when I’m experiencing it, it is very difficult to think of anything else until the pain finally goes away. Luckily for me, standing, stretching and moving can make it disappear completely for weeks, months or years at a time. In fact, the invention of the adjustable sit-to-stand desk, which is prominently mentioned in several chapters of “Can’t Sit”, has been a life-saver for me. After reading this book, I am grateful that I am one of the lucky ones who does not have terminal pain.
Sadly, author Rick Lunkenheimer has made it apparent that an over-whelming amount of people do and that many of them have severe sitting disabilities. His story is an excruciatingly detailed accounting of how torturous life can become for one whose pain is never-ending. He meticulously chronicles the multitude of hopeful attempts he has made to find relief from his constant agony. . .from not only sciatica but an ever growing list of pains, as well. This book may be titled “Can’t Sit” because of his sitting disability but his writing covers numerous instances of his troubles with standing and lying, too. It’s obvious that discomfort reigns in every aspect of his existence.
Rick Lunkenheimer’s situation proves that although hope may prove to be elusive, there are just enough tidbits of it grasp onto in order to continue to research and attempt the next possible cure. I give this book 5 stars because it is very well written with occasional bouts of gallows humor. It offers a lot of useful information for others who might be going through similar circumstances. The existence of a Sitting Disability Facebook group might be something that some readers might be very happy to hear about . . . especially those who have been wondering if they are all alone in their ordeal.
In this book the author describes a disability you can’t see. It hurts when he sits or stands or rides in a car, bus or train. This book is written with humor.
I have a new appreciation for unseen disabilities!
The author tells his story without self-pity or a defeatist attitude. He’s been living in and with pain for some time and yet, somehow, he manages to tell the story of his journey with courage, clarity and most importantly, humor.
He has given me a genuine appreciation for those who suffer in silence every day and don’t look ill or disable. Like the author, these brave souls continue when many of us don’t know. We’ll never know the constant medical visits shown by the author and the eternal hopes of relief- dashed when new treatments do not work.
I liked the bravery shown in this work. It’s difficult to talk and write about something so very personal. However, it’s done in such a way that for the reader it’s informative and relatable.
This book is the story of Rick Lunkenheimer’s battle with chronic pain and the impact it has had on his life. He tells his story in a straightforward and knowledgeable way, explaining the conditions he suffers and the consequences they carry in a way that informs and educated the reader without asking for sympathy. As a reader who also suffers chronic pain conditions, this is really important to me: the goal of speaking about invisible illnesses must always be increased awareness among the audience, rather than making excuses or seeking pity.
The points made about social acceptance and understanding are relevant to all “invisible illnesses”. It’s great to have a book like this for people to read so that they gain a better understanding of other people’s lives and situations. This, in turn, will result in greater acceptance and less judgement of those who are so often misunderstood as a result of ignorance.
The book is well written and the author’s story is both personal and highly informative. The personal vulnerability that comes with recounting one’s own experiences so honestly is enormous, so I genuinely appreciate the honesty and bravery required to write this book.
Before reading this, I didn’t know there was such a thing as a sitting disorder. The more I read, the more terrible I felt for the author. We all suffer from aches and pains. I’ve had a bad back for as long as I can remember, but Mr. Lunkenheimer definitely has it worse than most. I definitely sympathize, and this story will definitely help to raise awareness for sitting disorders and the pain they cause.
Compelling, Courageous True Story
After suffering for years with an inability to remain seated for more than ten minutes or so without experiencing serious pain, the author finally was diagnosed with a rare and often undiagnosed condition labeled a “Sitting Disability.” With this disability, so many things that most people take for granted became difficult or unmanageable for him – relaxing comfortably in a chair to read, watch TV, or use a computer; going to movies; having lunches or dinners with friends. Driving became an excruciating experience, and travel by other means – bus, train, plane, or as a passenger in someone else’s car – was incredibly challenging. Since his work with computers required sitting for extended periods of time, he also was forced to leave his job and go on disability.
Additional health complications, including OAB (overactive bladder) which required the use of catheters, further curtailed his mobility and he found himself stuck home alone most of the time. The constant isolation, chronic pain, and financial problems resulting from loss of work and cascading medical bills led to a downward spiral of anxiety, depression, and hospitalization. But over time he breaks free and enters a more positive, hopeful cycle.
This no-holds-barred account of what it means to have a sitting disability and suffer from chronic pain is harrowing to read. The author shows great courage not only in learning to live with his decades-long disability and the physical and emotional pain it engenders, but also in writing about his experiences with such soul-baring honesty. This makes for compelling reading, and I was swept along as breathlessly as if I were reading a fictional page turner, although this story, sadly, is all too real.
This book should be of benefit to others living with a sitting disability, and anyone who interacts with them. It’s also illuminating reading on the subject of coping with any type of chronic illness or pain for people with health issues, health care practitioners, physical therapists, and caregivers.
Kudos to the author for his candor and courage, and I hope he finds great success with his books and his health!
Can’t Sit: Living with a Sitting Disability
by Rick Lunkenheimer
For anyone with an ‘invisible illness or disability’, you know it is there, but other’s do not always see it or understand it.
For anyone and everyone who suffers in silence.
The journey of one man. A man just like any other.
What can happen to anyone who is situated in one position constantly for far too long.
When ergonomic furniture is not available.
Different factors and yet, it might not be just one at all, but a mixture of many.
Maybe the failure of any one of the different doctors and specialists, who knows? But, this – this pain or the multitude of different pain, in today’s society; far too many people suffer every day and are being misdiagnosed and treated.
I can sympathise with Rick, having to battle with my own pain since being a child. Then to complicate matters, a car accident year’s later – the increase of pain throughout my body and after far too many tests, medication and specialists finally having a name to say what is wrong with me and knowing it is not just in my head after all.
For anyone who has suffered in silence, I would recommend this book. You are not alone, there are far too many people just like you, who know what you are going through, what you have had to do and live with just to be here today.
Read this book and follow the journey, you will not be disappointed.