My PhD Journey: A journey of new body responses.

Since embarking on my doctoral journey, my body has been subjected to varying conditions, giving me different signs and symptoms back-to-back.

This post is all about all the new conditions I developed in the course of getting the title “Dr”. I’ll focus on nine of these all-new body reactions with the back-story for some of them. Their triggers range from stress, workout or just because my body is being dramatic and needs TLC.

Let’s get into it.

1. Lower back pain

It was only six months into my PhD, and I’d already completed the first set of my research extraction project. I was so excited. Samples ready to be analysed, instrument user training in the bag. What could go wrong? Well, everything that possibly can.

It so happened that just when now Dr Sassy was ready to analyse all her samples, the analytical instrument, a UV-Vis spectrophotometer, that she will need for her study will break down. It will remain broken for 3 months with no hope for repair.

This will give her just under 3 months to finish whatever aspect of her preliminary investigations was left and write up her findings and research plans for the remaining two years. Oh! Add two review manuscripts to that list.

She began to entertain some thoughts, not the kind you are thinking. E no serious like that. She welcomed the idea of taking her samples for analysis at a different department. Still, as God will have it, the instrument finally got fixed.

Three variables, three controls, three replication of each experimental data point and controls. Altogether 189 samples to be analysed for five different properties using the microplate technique in a bustling lab – meaning no proper workstation, and with less than 3 months left and lab times only from 8 am to 5 pm (No after-hours allowed).

Seen the picture? I worked like a bull.

For one and half months, I spent ~90% of my time either fast walking with samples and/or standards, running to GTA duties, or in one fixed position. The position: sitting or standing; neck, hinged forward; back, hunched; hands moving left-right with thumb steady clicking the pipette to draw and release samples, standards or control and then to release pipette tips; legs slightly wider than hip-width.

The waist is hurting, check! Neck hurting, check! Oopsy, Error! Start work all over again. Time was ticking, tick-tock.

Suffice to say, my body took a hike. Shoo!! My waist gave up on me after the first month. Do you blame it?

I went to the Uni clinic to get checked out. The GP referred me to a Physiotherapist, who then told me that my spine had misaligned. I’m sure some of you may have diagnosed so by now, the cause of misalignment and pain was poor posture from all my work.

He also said that my muscles (my guess is either iliacus or sartorius) were so tight that they pulled my lower back forward, causing my back to arch more than normal. Consequently, I stood like someone who is being pushed by the bum. A few sessions with the physio plus some stretching exercise fixed this problem for me.

The funny thing is, with all that was going on, I still managed to have a social life, exercise, attend parties, travel, lol. I was balancing work, hustle and life. How I didn’t break down, it’s only God!

 2. Red hot ears

Red hot ear, or red ear syndrome, is a rare, uncomfortable condition where one or both ears becomes warm to touch, accompanied by a burning sensation and reddening on the outside. It may sometimes be painful to touch too. It can occur more than once a day, lasting between minutes to hours and even reappear after several days.

The first time I experienced hot ears was in my first year PhD, towards provisional year review (PYR). My left ear suddenly started burning up. It felt like my ears developed fever, turning red at the same time. You had to look closely to see that it is red cos #melaninpopping.

I paid yet another visit to the Uni clinic. By this time, the Dr was already used to seeing my face.
Dr: What’s wrong this time?
Me: My ears are burning. They become very hot.
Dr: Do they turn red?
Me: I would not know. I can’t tell, but I assume they do.
Dr: It’s stress. Get some rest.
Me: What stress? I thought. I have been in a worse stress situation. I have never experienced this before.
Dr: Our body goes through changes……..

In summary, she recommended I rest. Rest ke, when I have PYR coming up soon. Even when my body rest, my brain is steady working overtime.

The red hot ears began with my left ears then switched to my right ears. Now both ears can experience it at the same time. The discomfort doesn’t last up to one hour, but it can occur multiple times in a day and still reappear the next day or after several days.

Till today, I have no idea what activated this condition. But how can I? The experts have not reached a consensus on the triggers since hot ears are still rare, still being studied, and vary from person to person.

Red hot ears can be caused by several factors, so it ain’t a standalone condition. Flushing is one common cause. Others factors are sunburn, ear infection, change in temperature, hormonal changes, emotions, and something about temporomandibular joint dysfunction.

I get red hot ears when I’m anxious about something (change in emotional state), when there is a rapid temperature change (thermal shock), and because of alcohol use (if and only if in tandem with either change in emotional state or thermal shock).

My remedy is to cover my ear with the cold stuff. Gently wrapping the poor, fragile thing with a cold, damp cloth or towel or tissue paper. You can also use ice packs.

3. Infrequent to no blinking

I used to be a blinker. I got it from my mama.

One of those days, while discussing with a friend of mine, he pointed out that I wasn’t blinking. Just starring into the screen like I was hypnotised or something. That was when I started noticing that I could stare at the screen for long periods. Only blinking when I am distracted by a question from somebody or need to move or just when the eyes are like “e don do!!”.

I think this “irregular to no blinking” behaviour began in my comprehensive literature review phase. So much to read that blinking will delay my assimilation. Unbeknownst to me, the effect of not blinking regularly was much worse than those few microseconds of darkness.

This leads me to the next condition I developed during my PhD.

4. Dry eyes (especially the left eye)

You have to understand that I don’t joke with my eyes nor any of my sensory organs. I go for eye tests each year; perfect score each time. I even have a snapshot of the back of my eye from the last eyes exams.

I began to notice that my eyes hurt really bad whenever I starred at the PC for too long in my 2nd year. But when I went for an eye test, the results came back as good. So ns’ikpi do? As usual, I asked google; however, that one was talking in the rubbish.

Well, I continued life and study. Fast forward to thesis writing phase, PC to write, phone to laugh at memes and talk to family, TV to relax, constant exposure to screens. Accordingly, the issue got worse.

I still tried to practice short breaks, looking at objects afar and reading tiny and large letters. It didn’t get better. I was beginning to think that I’ll need iko enyin (eye glasses). So, I decided to revisit the eye clinic and cry to them.

At the clinic, the optometrist who examined my eyes said the lipid glands (Meibomian glands) were perhaps occluded. Thus, cannot secrete enough oil that should coat my eye and prevent water from drying out.

The oil and water make up the tear film. A reduction in or lack of oil secretion will alter the tear film composition, causing rapid ocular surface water evaporation, leading to several discomforts like dry eyes.

Phew!!! She suggested using a heat eye mask but, if symptoms persisted, then they may have to stimulate the glands by poking the oil glands. This baby girl chose option A ‘cos anything surgery is the last option for me.

Tips to relieve dry eyes from experience. Practising the habits below will help.

1. Blink regularly. Yes ooo, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s not a competition, so blink. Dear you, regular varies person-to-person. Find your regular.
2. Take breaks during screentime. It’s recommended to take breaks every 20 mins. Use the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 mins, look away from your computer and rest your eyes on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Difficult?! I know. I installed an app on my pc that popped up every 20 min with exercises, e.g. Blink 3-5 times, close eyes for 20 secs, look at a distant object. It literally darkens my screen, forcing me to do the exercises.
3. Adjust the screen brightness, so the eyes are not strained. Adjust the lighting or screen position to reduce glare.
4. Use eye drops. There are over-the-counter eye lubricants or ultra-purified water that can be used.
5. Hot compress. Using a heat eye mask helps relieve the pain and melts waxy blockages, keeps those glands open. I often say it melts the oil, just like you’ll melt hard fat with heat. Ehen!! Same thing. Remember to practice together with the one and two above to get a faster impact.
6. Limit screentime.

Got more tips, comment below.

5. Strain on the left hand after drinking coffee

Drinking coffee is a strong kiwi culture. Now there is a famous quote, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. I said, let me try myself. Egungun enter express for this one sha.

When I drink anything coffee (hot, cold, shakes), I get a straining feeling in my elbow muscles which spreads to my shoulder and hand muscles.

So, from my trapezius muscles through the bicipital aponeurosis to the brachioradialis muscle then, mildly across the flexor, and finally to my abductors (at this point, the strain is less, very less). For the flexor, I’m not sure if it’s the carpi radialis or policis longus but, it’s usually along the long part of the flexor. The intensity is highest at the brachioradialis muscle.

I told my physio at the time; he said he hadn’t heard of it before and couldn’t provide any assistance. Even our favourite Dr Google had no answers. Toor!!

How I relieve the pain

1. Stop drinking coffee.
2. Massage the trapezius muscles, flex the elbow muscles by twisting arms around the elbow in a left-right movement, squeeze arms, and twist it back and forth until the caffeine effect wears off. Or till I’m too busy to take notice of it.
3. Exercise – cardio and/or weights to use up the caffeine.

If you have experienced the same, let me know in the comment section. If you’re a medical expert and have a solution, please contact me.

6. Strain in the same left hand when I’m pressed to pee

I know I shouldn’t be holding urine for so long. When nature calls, you got to answer o. But in some cases, you can be so engrossed that you delay answering that call.

The result for me is a strain in my left hand. Similar feeling to after I drink coffee and, it takes as long to get relief. I observed this one in 2020.

Nowadays, when I’m engrossed in work and feel the onset of the pain, it’s time to go. Usually, if I delay any further, my tummy joins in the pain. Holding in pee is not good. Periodt. Even some health experts agree.

Don’t wait till your left hand signals you to go. Just do it when it comes.

7. Dead butt (especially my right butt cheek)

We will all remember 2020 as the year of lockdown. Some of us even have hero stories to tell our kids about the pandemic. For some others like me, the account will be about how our gluteal muscles developed amnesia.

1 in 4 people sit for more than 11 hours per day, increasing their risk of early death by 40%.

Looks scientific so I added.

I was one of the many people who were sitting for extended hours during the pandemic. It was the last few months of my Doctoral study and the modelling phase of my research. Indeed, I was writing my thesis while trying to validate the models in my simulations.

There were days that I only got up for a cumulative of 3 hours. And this was to shower, cook, or do the dishes. I was moving from bed to work desk, basically living a sedentary lifestyle, when I developed the dead butt syndrome.

It’s hard to describe the pain but, I’ll try. It started out with mild aches, then I’ll massage my butt cheeks, squat on the chair, or sit with one leg folded under the distressed cheek. I did all that but did not stand up and walk. 

Then, the feeling of pressure and numbness. My bum felt dry even though I ensured both cheeks were kept moisturised. I sat long hours (>6 hours at a time) for more than two weeks. My butt hurt so much that I could not sit any longer. I was literally squatting on chairs cos the work had to be completed. The chair wasn’t entirely comfortable either.

While this went on for weeks, I also suffered from dry eyes and occasional red hot ears. Thankfully, I started exercising, which curbed the problem. However, it was temporary because some months later, the pain returned when my sitting hours increased again, though not as long as more than 2 hours.

You may ask, why did you allow yourself to get to that level? Well, you see, PhD hits different. Add perfectionism to the list, and you have a perfect mix for disaster and/or success, depending on your perspective.

I was modelling materials that were absent in the database and had limited information available in the literature. My PhD novel die!!! #unique. Anyway, I hadn’t done modelling of that kind before, and one of my supervisors is a modelling guru!! If I can’t convince him, I’m not moving onto the next stage.

Besides, the time to do the work was limited, and I’d decided that Uni will not see one kobo from me for the following year.

For that reason, baby girl had to work work work work work work. No time to waste on any other thing; that was my belief then. I was, sitting, squatting, rolling my hand into a fist and tucking them under my butt just to be comfortable. Even friends’ calling for more than 3 mins felt like a disturbance (PS: I love y’all).

If you ask me now, I don’t recommend such stress. Always take care of yourself. You only have you.

Tips to remedy dead butt, from my experience:

I found that doing squats, glute bridges, clamp, crab work, fire hydrant, squat with side leg lifts, and donkey kicks helped strengthen my glute muscles. I’ll suggest using the resistant band for more targeted effects.

Glute bridge

Donkey kicks

Fire hydrant

Practise getting up periodically and walking, even to refill your water bottle, pee, or just stretch on the spot. Try to get up every one hour.

8. Snoring

This one doesn’t need an introduction, we all know what snoring is, and we all hate it. I’ve never known myself as one who snores just because. However, there’s a high chance of me snoring when I have one too many drinks and when I am fagged out. Don’t be judging now *rolls eyes*.

Recent events have shown there may be more triggers. I will like to attribute those events to my supine position and my pillow (head position). That’s because I get a stiff neck, back pain upon waking on some occasions. And I’ve proven it. When I sleep on my side and/or use good pillows or no pillow at all, I don’t snore. I know because I recorded myself.

PS: sleeping on the side, particularly the left side, aids digestion and may even reduce heartburn, they say.

9. Tennis elbow

I was actively going to the gym at the time and getting into weight classes. On one occasion, I realised I couldn’t perform my favourite routine, clean and press, because of pain near my left elbow joint. “That’s not really nice. It feels like something I should take seriously”, I thought to myself.

It’s a well-known fact to not push your body when you have such muscular pains. Moreover, I love clean and press, so I have to fix the problem and get back to my love.

For this reason, I booked an appointment with the physio, who then diagnosed the pain to be tennis elbow. “Hmm, but I don’t play tennis”, I thought and said. That is how I learnt something new. The physio explained what tennis elbow was and we got into treating it. I had to stop my weight classes.

Tennis elbow, also called lateral epicondylitis, epic is a painful condition commonly triggered by overuse of the tendons and muscles of the forearm near the elbow, usually by repetitive motions. In other words, overloading your elbow causing some inflammation of the tendons.

It made sense because I was taking body pump and grit classes, lifting weights via deadlifts, cling and press, weighted squats, push-ups, doing up to 800 reps of weight workout per class sometimes. On some occasions, I handled weights that were heavier for my level. My thinking is that a combination of all these caused the inflamed tendons.

In addition, maybe my form wasn’t proper while doing the workouts, or probably my muscles weren’t strong enough to withstand such pressure, so they got overworked. Whatever the reason, the tendons were obviously strained and wasn’t going away.

After several visits, the physio tried out the needle thing (acupuncture), and it worked. I didn’t feel that pain again when I tried push-up et al. But, a new condition developed: strain in my left arm.

That is the end of my journey of new body conditions. Some changes have persisted, such as dry eyes, the strain on the left hand, and dead butt (it comes and goes). I’m also getting consistent with getting up and walking plus doing glute exercises.🤞🏾

Have you experienced any of these conditions? Perhaps you have developed new and probably weirder ones. Share this in the comment section. Let’s have a discussion.

The next time you see a PhD student, give them a bear hug. E no easy.

Sassy Engineer