Slendertone - does it work

[iloveshopping]

I am thinking of buying a slendertone ABS7 machine as I cannot be bothered to exercise my core and I need to strengthened it to support my back. Loosing inches would be nice too. Slendertone has been around for a long time and the reviews on Argos and Amazon are on the whole good. Anyone got one and recommend it?

 

[alter ego]

Hi ILS,

Yes, it does work, but it's long and slow - don't expect results for a couple of months.

I haven't used a Slendertone, but was lent a similar machine by my neuro-physio to help with my core. I can't do much exercise physically and my back spasms were getting ridiculously frequent. (I'm actually in the throes of one now - only because I haven't been doing the exercises! I'll be back doing them ASAP.)

I haven't lost any weight on it, but haven't tried either.

If it's to help your back, consider it one of those things that you HAVE to keep using, but it is an easier way of getting results without effort.

Good luck - and keep in mind the hideous pain that can accompany a bad back, not to mention other things that can develop with poor core strength. It'll be well worth it.

 

[iloveshopping]

Thanks. Yes my back is playing up at the moment and I don't want it to get so bad that I have to lie down all the time.
What make of machine did your physio person lend you?
If it is too expensive I will probably buy a slendertone as the company has been around a long time and still selling them. Thinking of buying the ABS7 one as it seems to be one of the latest ones and costs £109 at Argos. Mind you the ABS5 is around £48 as it uses normal batteries.

 

[alter ego]

I just checked and the label has worn off. It was a medical type brand that I'd never heard of, though. It feels exactly like the Slendertone I'd used years ago in an effort to get a 6 pack (I was obviously going through some kind of delusional period as there was no way I'd have ever found a 6 pack under the fat layer I had at the time :mysmilie_15.

It was supplied with Duracell Industrial batteries - I had no idea they made industrial batteries! She told me not to bother with re-chargeables as they wear down to quick, but the Lidl ones I bought really cheaply have been great with it.

Sorry that 's not much help.

 

[iloveshopping]

Think I'll buy the cheaper Slendertone ABS3 tomorrow. OH is complaining because I am out of action and we are on holiday. I know from experience that if I ignore it and just take painkillers that I will end up with even more pain and be totally laid up. I do have a new exercise to do to relieve it so perhaps that with a core strengthening exercise will beat it.

 

[alter ego]

I'm given diazepam for back spasms. It helps, especially if I catch it early like I have this time. Can you get to a doctor and maybe try it?

Not good if you're on holiday and like a drink, though.

I feel your pain and hope you get better soon. Good luck with the Slendertone, too.

 

[iloveshopping]

Thanks. I still have some diazepam but at home. Must have been given it for the back as well. Also Amytripyline but that gives me nightmares. Also at home. I am surviving doing the back exercises and paracetamol.

 

[alter ego]

How's your back? Mine's been worse since I saw the osteo on Friday.

Amitriptyline makes me eat. Constantly. Good for sleep, though (I get bad nightmares anyway).

 

[iloveshopping]

How's your back? Mine's been worse since I saw the osteo on Friday.

Amitriptyline makes me eat. Constantly. Good for sleep, though (I get bad nightmares anyway).

Thanks. I was lucky doing the exercises has done the trick and my back pain held off with the help of a few paracetamol a day. I had to drive 6 hours yesterday and even though we stopped off for a 3 hour visit to Forde Abbey in Somerset my legs were restless all night.
I think I can manage without the Slendertone and will be diligent about doing the exercises. I am retired now so I should be able to fit 3 x 6 minutes worth of exercises into my day.

 

[alter ego]

Six hours! :whew: I had to drive for 30 minutes in an automatic last week and it nearly killed me.

I see where you're coming from with the exercises. I was told to do the bridge and and clam exercises to help mine, and they DID work. So well I began to think I was invincible! And then I picked up a bucket half full of water OH had left in the way...

What exercises are you doing?

Do you get restless legs a lot? I find paracetamol actually helps if I catch it early enough, but I can sort of prevent it if I take magnesium supplements. I also posted on a thread on the QVC board in reply to someone using Epsom salts in the bath. I can't get in the bath any more so I soak my feet in a bucket of Epson salts or magnesium flakes with whatever oil I fancy (mainly lavender or tea tree if my feet have been hot) regularly and it does help with aches and restlessness.

If you decide to try them in the bath, dissolve them completely in a jug of hot water first or you may end up with a scratched bath (like me!). If you suffer with bladder infections, my old GP insisted I try bicarb in the bath water and pee in it while I was in there - I was very :mysmilie_506: about this, but did try it and it actually worked. Stopped the pain completely. If Demi Moore can wash her face in it and Madonna drink it, I thought what the hell. I didn't smell like an old lady getting out but maybe it was because I kept re-filling the bath (with water, not pee :grin.

ETA Sorry if I'm erratic with my replies. I put the computer down to do stuff then completely forget to come back.

 

[iloveshopping]

Six hours! :whew: I had to drive for 30 minutes in an automatic last week and it nearly killed me.

I see where you're coming from with the exercises. I was told to do the bridge and and clam exercises to help mine, and they DID work. So well I began to think I was invincible! And then I picked up a bucket half full of water OH had left in the way...

What exercises are you doing?

Do you get restless legs a lot? I find paracetamol actually helps if I catch it early enough, but I can sort of prevent it if I take magnesium supplements. I also posted on a thread on the QVC board in reply to someone using Epsom salts in the bath. I can't get in the bath any more so I soak my feet in a bucket of Epson salts or magnesium flakes with whatever oil I fancy (mainly lavender or tea tree if my feet have been hot) regularly and it does help with aches and restlessness.

If you decide to try them in the bath, dissolve them completely in a jug of hot water first or you may end up with a scratched bath (like me!). If you suffer with bladder infections, my old GP insisted I try bicarb in the bath water and pee in it while I was in there - I was very :mysmilie_506: about this, but did try it and it actually worked. Stopped the pain completely. If Demi Moore can wash her face in it and Madonna drink it, I thought what the hell. I didn't smell like an old lady getting out but maybe it was because I kept re-filling the bath (with water, not pee :grin.

ETA Sorry if I'm erratic with my replies. I put the computer down to do stuff then completely forget to come back.

The main exercise I do is to lie on my back and then raise one leg after another to my stomach. Then I move around so that the small of my back is massaged. It flattens the lower back. My leg/back hurt most nights.
I have been better with the restless legs and night leg cramps strangely since I started taking iron tablets. When I get into bed and lie down flex my feet so that the toes are pointing upwards a few times. I rarely have any leg cramps now.

 

[iloveshopping]

BTW Only showers for me otherwise I get bacterial infections

 

[maymorganlondon]

Have you tried doing exercises for the Multifidus muscles?

I was struggling with back spasms and pain, and found a book on Amazon about the Multifidus muscles. If you strip back all the layers of muscles on the back (on a diagram, not in RL!) the last set remaining are the strips of tiny stabilising muscles up the whole length of the spine. Essentially the Physical Therapist who wrote the book explained one exercise which helps to strengthen these muscles. You start on all-fours, with your knees under your hips, your wrists and elbows directly under your shoulders, and your back straight. You then straighten each leg alternately, lifting it to no higher than your hip, and keeping your hips level. You alternate for up to 20 times each side. You can build up to that, and you are recommended to do it 3-4 times a week on alternate days. It's more difficult than it sounds if you have a lot of pain and other problems with your back when you start, but it's a useful extra exercise option to have. I found it a very helpful exercise.

 

[alter ego]

Have you tried doing exercises for the Multifidus muscles?

I was struggling with back spasms and pain, and found a book on Amazon about the Multifidus muscles. If you strip back all the layers of muscles on the back (on a diagram, not in RL!) the last set remaining are the strips of tiny stabilising muscles up the whole length of the spine. Essentially the Physical Therapist who wrote the book explained one exercise which helps to strengthen these muscles. You start on all-fours, with your knees under your hips, your wrists and elbows directly under your shoulders, and your back straight. You then straighten each leg alternately, lifting it to no higher than your hip, and keeping your hips level. You alternate for up to 20 times each side. You can build up to that, and you are recommended to do it 3-4 times a week on alternate days. It's more difficult than it sounds if you have a lot of pain and other problems with your back when you start, but it's a useful extra exercise option to have. I found it a very helpful exercise.

Thank you for this. I smashed my knee caps a few years ago and now can't kneel, but I've got OH on floor doing it for his back. The only other exercise he's tried is the cat/camel, which has kind of worked.

Anyone tried the Back Magic Q sell?

Oh, when I read your post I immediately flashed back to my all-time fave video - Robbie Williams' Rock DJ. I have an absolute fascination with what goes on under our skin. That video and the exhibition I went to at the O2 with those plasticised human bodies (can't remember his name, but his work amazes me - I've been called gruesome many times :blush.

 

[maymorganlondon]

Plastination: Gunther Von Hagens was the guy.

Glad if your hubby benefits from doing that exercise. Sorry you can't do it. I had a spin-off benefit of a bit of a butt-lift just by persisting... And after a while I could add in the bridge and a few other exercises too...

I'm also relieved my explanation was followable. Its a bit hard to demo from the other side of the screen!

 

[alter ego]

BTW Only showers for me otherwise I get bacterial infections

I feel your pain. Literally. I have had so many infections in my life and dread that feeling I get when I know one's on the way.

For years I was given an emergency pack of trimethoprim to keep at home and take at first sign (after doing a sample to take to the dr first), then one day I asked for a new one as I'd used the pack and was told no (even though my sample had shown it was the correct one for that strain). I was told bicarb in water or Cystemme etc.

I know from bitter experience that they do NOT work for me and I KNOW the signs (bit like my OH when he gets a tingle pre a shingles infection - he's had 4 this year so far and they always come on his head/around eye, but the GP has now withdrawn his emergency pack of anti-virals, too). WHY??!!

I was brought up with pre-war parents with a mum who nearly lost a finger to an infection that was only saved by my grandfather using hot bread poultice as soon as he saw her finger go red. There were no antibiotics then and a simple infection was a killer. Unlike my (really stupid IMO) sister, I don't bang the door down for antibiotics for every sniffle/cough/sore throat - AND she does it for her kids :headbang:. She also has "flu" every other month and insists on antibiotics for that, too. When I go to see her, she's up and about cooking and cleaning with just a frigging sniffle! I've been waiting for her to have the real flu like I had 30 years ago, that floored me for a week when I was in my prime. Maybe then she'll stop crying wolf because people who do what she does drive me absolutely MAD.

But after two kidney infections, one of which was hours from sepsis, I asked my neuro nurse make sure my GP (who is ALWAYS a locum these days) understands that I do NEED them for bladder infections as infections make my condition worse.

Now, I need to sort out OH's constant shingles - I'm praying it doesn't affect his eye nerve in the meantime as my nan had it in her eye and it blinded her.

Oh, and get my neuro nurse to once again intervene about my ****** HRT - I've seen 4 locums since May, asked for referrals, but have been refused each time. I saw one last week who promised to sort it, then gave me a script for the same stuff I'm already on! Grrrrr!

Anyway, thanks for getting this far. ****** hormones! Back to showers only. I only had a bath when my old GP gave me the bicarb/pee in the bath advice when I had cystitis and it did work for the pain, but I know what you mean. I'd kill for a wonderful, relaxing bath but it's showers all the way for me, too.

How fickle am I, though? When I only had a bath, all I wanted was a shower!

 

[alter ego]

Plastination: Gunther Von Hagens was the guy.

Glad if your hubby benefits from doing that exercise. Sorry you can't do it. I had a spin-off benefit of a bit of a butt-lift just by persisting... And after a while I could add in the bridge and a few other exercises too...

I'm also relieved my explanation was followable. Its a bit hard to demo from the other side of the screen!

That's the guy! I watched the program where he sliced a frozen body into slivers, and the ones where he explained how accidents can kill so easily. But those models - and to think they were living people/animals not long ago. I walked around with my mouth hanging open, which is odd as I always imagine gobsmacked people having their mouths shut!

I used to do that particular exercise years ago (back problems for decades). I had buns of steel and it also magically made my thigh cellulite disappear. Wish I could go back to those days and know what I know now. I'd definitely never have gotten lax with exercise.

 

[iloveshopping]

I've had to stop the HRT as I have just had 2 ops for a breast tumour and the breast surgeon said that I had to. He said I was lucky it wasn't cancer. It may return and be cancer next time as it is a very rare type (1 in every 100,000 tumours is this type). I seem to have managed to stop by originally taking 1mg every other day. Then I tried cutting the tablets in half and taking g that every day. I completely stopped about 2 weeks ago. I am getting hot flushes but probably about 8 in a 24 hour periodadvitbis bearable.

 

[alter ego]

I've had to stop the HRT as I have just had 2 ops for a breast tumour and the breast surgeon said that I had to. He said I was lucky it wasn't cancer. It may return and be cancer next time as it is a very rare type (1 in every 100,000 tumours is this type). I seem to have managed to stop by originally taking 1mg every other day. Then I tried cutting the tablets in half and taking g that every day. I completely stopped about 2 weeks ago. I am getting hot flushes but probably about 8 in a 24 hour periodadvitbis bearable.

Oh, ILS, so sorry you've been through this - the worry alone must have been horrible.

I'd read a lot about natural remedies, but am not fussed on taking them as some of them can trigger hormonal breast cancers, too.

I'm taking a bit of a risk as I've had lumps that react along with my cycle all my life and have been told they "could" become cancerous. But at least taking prescribed meds, they'll be more likely to keep an eye on me. Talking of, I have my mammogram next week (shudder). Dreading it. I was so shocked the first time I went and was told to take my top and bra off and walk from the cubicle to the x-ray room topless. I wouldn't have minded but there were two women sitting on a bench opposite the cubicle. I know we're all female, but I've never gone topless on a beach so this was a bit embarrassing for me. All very cattle-market-ish. And very painful :sad:. Can't imagine blokes being expected to wander around with their bits in the wind (I know they do, but this is a different situation).

Are you going to ask for one of the non-hormonal options for the flushes?

 

[iloveshopping]

No I'm going cold turkey now for the HRT. It is not worth increasing the risk and losing my life over this. My lump was originally found as the result of a mammogram and it was then biopsied and declared a common fibroidemoma. This was 5 years ago and I may have been offered an op to remove it but they would have said that it was harmless and did not matter. I have had at least one mammogram since with Nothing untoward being noted. It was only now because I had retired that I noticed it had grown and was uncomfortable that I went to the doctor. I was referred to hospital in 2 weeks for mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. Again biopsy said fibroidemoma but due to its size 5cm surgeon advised to have it out.
Only after it was excised and pathology done was it declared a Phyllodes tumour. So I have to have a second op to get clear margins.
The morale of the story is any lump in the breast should be removed if the surgeon offers. If mine returns I will be asking for a mastectomy.