Role call as we are missing a few of our friends [Archive]

Kathi49

03-29-2008, 08:45 AM

Mark,

I bet it looks beautiful! :) And I am glad your son is helping...wouldn't want you to make yourself worse. And you have to know...I have a "thing" about floors LOL! If they aren't clean I feel like everything in the house is dirty. You know what I mean. But there is nothing like looking at a brand new floor; hardwood, carpeted, etc. :) I think your wife will be very pleased.
I am sorry your pain has been up...so go easy.

As for me, I am doing okay. The switch from Nexium to Zegerid and staying there, lol, has helped a great deal. I had pains in my upper legs yesterday kind of referring from the hips. So, I did some easy stretches and slapped on some Biofreeze...better this morning. And have another script for aqua therapy. Maybe this time around I can finish it without getting sick. But I have to get that all set up first.

My husband was in a great deal of pain last night. But his appointment is not for another two weeks. He seems a bit better this morning though since he did take a med and relaxed.

Other than that...we are having a kid from across the street come over on a nice day to clean up the leaves and sticks around our yard. He is a nice, nice kid and told me he would love to do it! :) After that my sister will be over to put down the first step of fertilizer of whatever it is LOL! She is the expert...not me. But she volunteered to help out. :)

slipnslide

03-29-2008, 10:47 AM

Mark & Kathi,

Sounds like you both are getting lots of stuff done around your homes:D. It's status quo here. I go back to the PM on Wed. to follow-up on the latest RF, unfortunately last night and this morning were reminders of how the RF didn't work again:(. Spring has sprung here, and the apple and cherry trees are in full bloom...absolutely gorgeous!!!:), however, the pollen is kicking my butt:eek:;).

Hoping for pain-free days for you both!:) (and everyone else too!:D)

Kim

Kathi49

03-29-2008, 11:02 AM

Kim,

NOT! LOL! I am getting nothing done. Only because my husband has conference materials and just STUFF stacked everywhere. I am waiting for him to leave and then I will start dusting and such. And I don't mean to speak ill of him at all; it is just when no one is around I can get some things done...a day at a time though.

I am soooooo sorry you are still in pain with all of this! :( Isn't the Keppra helping at all? I guess I wouldn't know since I don't take it. But is there something/anything that would help you get some sleep or at least take the edge off? I asked my PM for some Lidoderm patches the other day. They don't obliterate pain totally, not in my opinion, but they do help ease it quite a bit. I am just hoping you can find the right med or combo to relieve it all!

Mark N

03-29-2008, 12:36 PM

Kathi, glad to hear the med change is working for you right now. It is good you were able to control the thigh pain although it would be better to have no pain.

Kim, it is too bad the RF didn't work again this time. What is the plan since the RF didn't work? I am getting other people to get things done around the house. I really miss the days of doing all the work myself instead of hiring it done. It does look nice and will give my wife [at least she is staying connected with us this way] a clean pallet for the rooms. She dopes a great job decorating so I know the rooms will look great when she finishes with them.

Nana4&cntn

03-29-2008, 01:47 PM

Mark, glad to hear the floors look great, and you are taking care of yourself. It is good you have the help of a strong young man to help. I do love beautifully done wood floors, how have you been able to handle the fumes?

Kathi, I am sorry you are having the thigh pain and hope the water therapy helps. I remember how I loved to spend quiet days alone and got so much done.

Kim, I am so sorry the RF failed again. How frustrating it must be for you. I sure hope the Doc has a good plan to relieve the pain. I am not sure I would go thru it again.

The weather here has been up and down so the pain was also. Yesterday was beautiful, and I was able to play a bit outside. I pulled weeds to and from the mail box. Opened windows and I have been going thru things to be rid of. Today I am feeling everything I did yesterday. Oh well, I sure enjoyed doing what I did. I am going to sign off now as it has taken me the last hour or so to type this.

Hope everyone is feeling much better soon.
Kathy

Mark N

03-29-2008, 03:10 PM

Kathy, The guy doing the floors is using water based polyurethane so the odors are low and only last a few hours. Even with the cool weather we have had the windows open and being in the basement keeps us away from most of the fumes. Today was the last coat so we will just give it a few days to fully cure and we will have the house back to ourselves again.

Kathi, enjoy your work time alone when you get it:).

Everyone else is out having a good day I hope.

Boxerlover

03-29-2008, 07:14 PM

Mark, I hope your floors turn out. I want to replace our carpet areas with hard wood, but the thought of all the work moving things to get ready for the workers is daunting so I haven't done anything yet. I'm going to need to as our carpet is on it's last leg.

Overall, I'm hanging in, I've been in a flaire so I've been down for awhile. Today I'm feeling left out as my husband has been out and about having fun, I just wish I was with him. Our weather here in Florida is just gorgeous and I want to be outside. This time of year I love smelling the orange blossoms. When I was a kid for spring break,I used to visit my grandparents down here and they lived across from an orange orchird. Goodness it smelled good, I think that's got to be my favorite smell.

I hope everyone else is doing OK.
Melissa

CoolAngel28

03-29-2008, 10:18 PM

Here,accounted for..:D;):cool:

It was a fun,relaxing vacation with my family..Of course you guys know what too much of a good thing can do to a person..:eek::eek:I think I'll stick to salads for awhile.

Give me a few days to catch up on the boards..take care,Kristin

Peter B

03-29-2008, 11:01 PM

Hello All,
As always, I hope everyone is feeling as well as can be expected. The only thing new for me is that last week at the doc's office he gave me Lyrica in hopes that it will do something for my phantom pain. I know nobody here(as far as I know), has any experience with this. This phantom stuff is strange. I used to think people were a bit nutty to think that you're going to have feelings in a part of your body that isn't there. So much for my judgment.

Phantom pain is the worst pain that I suffer from. It will come without any warning and at times it's so bad that I'll say "****" or the "F" word just as a reflex. So far I haven't embarrassed myself yet though I have had to apologize a few times. The different types of pain I have are varied. I'll go from little pin pricks sometimes to having a spike driven through my foot. There are probably 8 or 10 varieties of pain and I can describe them all. I think the worst for me (probably because its the most frequent), is when a pizza cutter is being rolled over the top of my foot. I won't bore you with the other kinds. The only fortunate thing about my phantom pain is that it will last for no more than 10 minutes at a shot. I don't think I'd be here if it lasted longer than that. So far the Lyrica is helping. I think...........I hope...........fingers crossed.

Thats enough about the negative aspects of phantom pain. Now for the interesting stuff; sometimes I feel like my leg is still there. In fact, if I change the shoe on my good leg, I feel like I'm wearing the same shoe on my absent one. I'll take my sneaker off and put a slipper on and, sure enough, I'm wearing a slipper on my left foot. If I so much as brush against my "hip area" it feels like my big toe is vibrating. Weird. After being "intimate" it feels like all ten fingernails going down the chalkboard and 10,000 pins are being pushed into my leg, simultaneously I regret it every time but that doesn't stop me. Sometimes my foot feels like its coming directly out of my sump.

I need to give a special shout out to itching. Try to imagine how literally maddening it is to have an itch that you can't scratch. It doesn't happen often but if its a bad itch it's horrible. That sounds a bit dramatic but I honestly believe I would go insane if I had a bad itch and it lasted for 5 minutes or whatever. The next time you have a bad itch try not to scratch it.

Well I'm finished with my story. I hope I didn't bore too many of you. I usually don't respond to the roll calls. The reason I did today is because lately this board has been the slowest I've ever seen it. It's even slower than it was right after that 3 month break down. Makes me sorry.

I hope you all feel better.

Pete

Mark N

03-29-2008, 11:02 PM

Melissa, it is good to see you are around. The floors are gorgeous as they are 80 year old long leaf pine and the guy did a great job with them. They had been covered by carpeting for most of their life so they were in good shape. My son moved most of the things with some help for me. You may have to ask a couple of big guys and buy some pizza with some cold drinks to move things for you:). I hope you get them done the way you want to and they turn out as well as ours has. The image of orange blossoms and their smell is a good one and I am sorry you are missing out on the season.

Kristin, glad to hear you had such a fun vacation with your family. Welcome back and I hope it doesn't take you too long to catch up with us.

slipnslide

03-30-2008, 06:22 AM

Kathi,
The Keppra seems to help with the "burning" and it definitely helps me sleep, but when this hip is firing up a storm:(, it's constantly waking me, and I'm so tired and fighting to get back to sleep, but the stabbing pain won't allow it. I have researched & read everything I could find regarding Nerve Entrapment Syndrome, and Keppra & Neurontin have been mentioned as treatments. The Neurontin's side effects made me stop it, so I'm taking the Keppra (my PM said it's known to have less side effects), however it's not touching these stabbing, shooting, intense pains. I use two boxes of Lidoderm patches each month on my thigh, groin area, and shoulder/neck area, they help take the edge off the "burning". The only thing that has helped with alleviating the intense pains was the RF's, but after two repeat RF procedures failing, I'm losing hope:(. Everything I've read says the same thing my PM mentioned, neurotomy or neurectomy:eek:, and quite honestly, I'm too scared of another surgery and the chance that I might wind up worse.:o....but yet, the thought of dealing with what I have now isn't very attractive either:rolleyes:.

Mark,
I'm jealous, I want real wood floors!;) I was alot like you, always doing home improvements and loved doing it actually. I never use to pay anyone to do a job I could do, but now I have to hire out those jobs, so I know how disappointing it is to know you can't do those things any more and resort to paying someone:(. Hopefully you'll be back up stairs in a flash and it will look like a brad new home!;)

slipnslide

03-30-2008, 06:35 AM

Kim, I am so sorry the RF failed again. How frustrating it must be for you. I sure hope the Doc has a good plan to relieve the pain. I am not sure I would go thru it again.

Hope everyone is feeling much better soon.
Kathy

Kathy,
I'm hoping my PM has thought of something else that he perhaps overlooked as a treatment during my last visit:)...I've got my fingers crossed;). I'd try another RF if I thought it would work, the procedure is minimally painful and short lived compared to what I deal with otherwise, but I've lost hope on the RF's after the past two having failed.:( What my PM mentioned about the alternative treatment being a surgical procedure he could send me for, but that I could wind up worse afterward, I just feel helpless and hopeless.

Nana4&cntn

03-30-2008, 10:55 AM

GardeniaGirl

03-30-2008, 04:34 PM

I haven't been posting much lately - I guess I miss Mark's thought-provoking questions - the ones where we could really reflect and develop insight into our experiences with CP. I enjoy stuff like that.

Day to day I don't have much worthy of posting about.

I feel like crud to varying degrees every day- and I get bored of thinking about it myself!

My disease is progressing and I can't tolerate enough drugs to keep it controlled.

I am also struggling b/c my boyfriend is in love with me and wants a future with me, but I don't think he realizes how crippled I am quite yet - or how much more crippled I will become -- so, we need to have those unpleasant conversations and I am not looking forward to it.

Also I feel my rheumatologist of 10 years doesnt' really want to acknowledge how bad off I am getting and that there isn't much left for me. So I leave his appointments feeling depressed.

Anyway - Mark if you feel like starting some of those posts like you used to make, I will happily join in.

I hope everyone is doing as well as is possible---

GG

Mark N

03-30-2008, 04:59 PM

GG, I will try to think up one of those questions but my mind has been mush today so it may be a day or two before you see one. It is good to see you coming around and I understand feeling like you are contributing much. I just respond to post for a while when I feel that way. It keeps me from focusing on myself and it feels good to try and help others.

You maybe be fortunate enough to have a love that doesn't care about your disability. I hope your bf is one that knows how bad you can get as the years go by but doesn't care because his love for you will overcome whatever disability does to you. I know that is the way I feel about my wife and I wouldn't see it as a burden or anything that took from me but something I could give to her.

Pete, your post brings up several interesting issues. Phantom pain is odd and hard to understand what pain really is. Clearly your pain is in your brain [the pain is real not imagined but since your leg literally can't be in pain] yet it is real pain and makes me wonder about the true nature of our pain. Your reaction to being intimate doesn't surprise me because the feeling I get is as if all the nerves in my body are energized and I can see how it could cause pain in you missing leg. Pete, thanks for telling us about this because it is an interesting topic to me and brings up some real issues about pain for all of us.

slinslide, the floor are beautiful and even though we have a small inexpensive home we have floors expensive ones put in. It is 80 year old long leaf pine and it is gorgeous.
Sorry about your hip pain but as you say the procedure could be a big improvement over the pain you are in now.

Mary Diane

03-30-2008, 10:59 PM

is very real to me, because my aunt lost her leg when she hit by a car, and badly injured. She was 13 years old. That was over 75 years ago. Anyway, she said that her toes itched sometimes, and unless she gently scratched her stump, it would only get worse. She did say the trick was to find the just right spot.

Good luck, and I hope you keep your pain controlled,

one-armed hugs,

Mary Diane *cg06

slipnslide

03-31-2008, 01:45 AM

Kim,

I have had the neurectomy. I hated being awake, but it worked for about 3 months. The nerve regenerated and is back. It sure was nice to have relief for the 3 months though. I have been told by the NS and pm I could have it done again, I just I really don't know, I wish there was a way they would take more than the 3 inches they took. Mine was done over my donor site so I am not sure if that has anything to do with anything. You have a shot prior to identify if you would be a candidate, if the shot causes major pain, you pass. I also had to do movement studies before and after. Now, that was interesting. Recovery is minimal, maybe I should try it again!!:D

I have read about the RF, It says the pain will increase for up to a month, but usually not longer. I take it that is not the case?:(

Take care,
Kathy

Kathy,

My PM said that one of the complications of the surgery is that a Neuroma could develop on the nerve and then I'd have extreme/severe pain 24/7 from even the slightest touch:eek:.....that was enough to scare me:o.! The nerve regenerating, the nerve becoming hypersensitive, having the same pain or more pain are other possibilities too. Before your surgery to remove the nerve, what were you told, may i ask?:confused:

Kim

Mark N

03-31-2008, 05:22 AM

Mary Diane, it is good to see that Pete has another person that can understand phantom pain. It is an interesting subject that I hope is being researched to understand pain better.

Kim, that warning would be enough to scare you from pursuing the procedure. It shows how desperate our CP can make us that some of us take these chances to gain some relief from our pain.

Nana4&cntn

03-31-2008, 10:40 AM

Kim,

No, I was never told that was a possible risk, I had mine done several years ago. So now, yes I have the pain to touch and it is severe, but it is the same pain I had before. Kim, Thank you for the info, I am having Facet Injections on Wed. and will talk to the PM about this. We haven't talked about this for quite awhile, I hope he would have told me had he known.

I probably won't be on line for the next several days, I am having a major bout of spasms/pain and have been unable to sit for long. I will post as soon as I am able.

Kathy

slipnslide

03-31-2008, 11:04 AM

Kathy,

I hope you get to feeling better soon.

I forgot to answer about the RF's before....

The RF's do tick off the nerves a bit, but for me, it's nothing like the severe stabbing pains, so it's well worth it (when it's successful). The RF procedure itself isn't bad at all. The only thing that is painful about it is when they stimulate the already ticked off nerve to make sure they are hitting the right one with the RF. That's when the sweat starts pouring from me!:o;)

Kim

jimac

03-31-2008, 03:32 PM

Hi Mark and everyone

I am here, reading but only posting occasionally.
Nothing has changed with me. Same ol' stuff.... life and pain. Day in day out.

Take care all,
Jim :cool:

Mark N

03-31-2008, 03:41 PM

Jim, even if it is the same old stuff for us it is good to see you are still around. I really don't have much different going on with my CP life but that is good news for me. I am glad I have stopped the decline, at least for now.

It is good to see you once again.

Jess

03-31-2008, 05:18 PM

Hi

I recognize some of the names here from the other forums i post on. I am new to this forum, because i have had a lot of surgeries in the past year. I am afraid that despite the surgeries, i am going to have to live with chronic pain to some degree or another forever. I just wanted to say hello.

Mark N

03-31-2008, 05:25 PM

Jess, welcome to the forum. Like you, I have CP due to several spinal surgeries and continuing spinal deterioration. This a great place for support and info.

houghchrst

04-01-2008, 07:01 PM

Hi all, I am still around though I don't post on this particular forum much. Nothing to contribute except still hurt, still hate it, like a mantra and is just depressing.

Still doing testing, nothing really new. Sleep study for Thursday night for migraines but since starting the Topomax I have only had 2 so I don't know what the point is now, not sure how that works. Finally get my ESIs for lower back on the 15th, which is my birthday, and then am a month closer to seeing PM so nothing really has changed. Everything else I blab about on Emotional Support, the rest of my life seems to be in chaos but the pain is the same.

Hope someone somewhere is getting some sunshine.

Mark N

04-01-2008, 09:24 PM

Christina, It is good to see you still come around to check in now and then. I hope the ESI and PM appointment gives you some better pain control.

Nana4&cntn

04-09-2008, 07:37 PM

Bumping this up as we are missing BrokenBladder(lisa) Kandra, Slipnslide (kim), and several others. I hope folks look and see they are missed.

Kathy

Kathi49

04-09-2008, 08:18 PM

Yes! Where is Lisa, Kandra and Kim??!!

Kim, if you are out there, I have those cervical spine pics ready for you. But I need your email address. :)

Mark N

04-10-2008, 01:11 AM

Kathy, thanks for bumping this up as I have been wondering about them too.

Nana4&cntn

04-10-2008, 12:18 PM

I was happy to see Kim here, but not under the circumstances she is dealing with! Maybe the others will check in soon!!

Kathy

Ellie Burnswaithe

04-11-2008, 05:21 PM

Ellie here...

Been dealing with some crazy issues making posting a difficult thing to do.

I found out my thyroid is in the process of dying on me. Funny how you don't even notice that little gland until it stops working.

Several blood tests later...I find I have Hashimotos disease. Anyone remember way back around Christmas time I said thought I was going through medication withdrawal? Couldn't figure out WHY I was constantly in withdrawl...but I sure felt like hell.

Well, it wasn't. My thyroid went hyperactive and that was causing all the pacing, anxiety, sweating, shaking and so on. (It sure does mimic withdrawal symptoms though). The only thing is that I never got sick to my stomach or had stomach cramps. Anyway, I paced for almost 2 months before I figured out it wasn't my meds messing up on me. (I know....how dumb to wait that long.) I started reading on the Internet about anxiety attacks and it said they could be caused by high thyroid levels...Well let's see, my daughter has thyroid disease, mom does, mom's sister, and her daughter....sheesh, maybe its my thyroid acting up?

Sure enough...it's my thyroid gone bad. Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease that causes low thyroid, but sometimes in the process of killing it off, it releases the stored hormone into your body. Which is what it did. Which is why i've been a freak for going on 4 months now.

Nothing like camping out in hell for a few months...I can't even begin to explain what my body has gone through. Or my emotions. I've just been a crazy woman with really wild mood swings. My husband is a saint.

Things are beginning to level off now though...they tell me to give it another month and the hyper should go away. lol...then the hypo (low) thyroid levels set in, but at least I can take a supplement for that. The high levels just have to burn themselves out.

Other than that...I'm doing well...

Mark N

04-12-2008, 04:19 AM

Ellie it is good to see you here again. Sorry to hear your hell is still going on but at least you know what it is now. Too bad they can't do much for the hypo but at least it is just one more month.

911

04-12-2008, 05:26 AM

howdt folks , i am still lurking about , things are going ok with my hip i am now just using a cane to walk with m its a li tough in the am when i get up but it seems as the day goes on it gets better , it is still paining me quite a bit but that said i am back to just my regular pain meds as before the surgury , well i just wanted to chime in and say hi and i hope others are doing well ,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Dave ,,,,,,,,,,,, aka 911

Ellie Burnswaithe

04-12-2008, 06:20 AM

*waves at everyone...*
Ellie is awake and it 6 am on a SATURDAY :eek: Who am I kidding? I was awake at 3am too...

Cute, this pretty much describes my sleep patterns the last few months.
*kitty
Can't get the kitty emote to work...he runs, snoozes, jumps up and runs again...lol I thought it described me so well :D

(Now that you all know WHY I'm a fruitcake, I can post more often without offending anyone...heh..)

Good morning 911, I see you're awake also :D

Mark N

04-12-2008, 07:34 AM

Ellie, hi back at you as I have been awake all night this night. I have been sleeping most of the night the past three nights but this last night I couldn't find any sleep.

Nana4&cntn

04-12-2008, 09:42 AM

Morning All,

Ellie, good to see you, I am sorry you have been in hell!! I have Hypo, not Hyper, so I just put on weight.

Dave, glad to hear you are doing well, I keep you and Sandra in my prayer always.

Mark, sorry about the sleep problems, I am familiar with them myself. I have been able to sleep since I have been listening to my body and sleep when I can.

So What is up with all of you being up in the wee hours of the morning, OH<
thats right PAIN.

Happy to see all of you!

Kathy

slipnslide

04-12-2008, 10:28 AM

Hi all,

I'm back home and back to BT. I didn't mean to worry anyone earlier in the week by not logging in for days, I was just so pre-occupied with everything else that was going on. Just 5 hours after my g/f finding her hubby had passed in his sleep, she had a Grand Mal seizure and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. It wasn't until later that night that she was released and I was able to take her to her BIL's to be with her children. The following days were spend making arrangements for the service.

Nothing new with me, just hanging in there!:)

Best wishes,

Kim

Mark N

04-12-2008, 10:34 AM

Kim your gf is lucky to have a friend like you. I am glad she is back with her kids and family and you are now back her with our family of friends, you were missed.

Ellie Burnswaithe

04-12-2008, 11:40 AM

G'mornin Mark, wish your sleep had been better..must be last night was the night for insomnia. I fell back asleep on the couch about 7:00 or so for a couple hours, but when it's broken up like that it doesn't really help much.

Hope your day is better.

Nana4&cntn

04-12-2008, 01:17 PM

Kim,

Good to see you back!! I am so sorry for you g/f and her family. As Mark said she is lucky to have a friend like you, I am sure you were a comfort for her. A couple of years ago, my g/f's husband was very ill and not expected to live. I spent the entire month of January and a week in Feb to be with her and him. I was with her when he died and it was terribly sad. We were all such good friends and she and I still are.

I am glad you are home and with your BT family,
Take care,
Kathy

houghchrst

04-12-2008, 01:34 PM

Kim I am so sorry about your gf and her family. I can't imagine.

big hug for her and her family

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}}}}}}

Leeaelle

04-12-2008, 04:01 PM

Hi MarK ~ Remember me? I used to post as "Lee." Anyway I haven't posted much cause my computer died and I had to use my daughters, which wasn't convenient. This month I got a new laptop, so now I can check in! :D

Anyway it was a great idea of yours to start this thread. I don't recognize anyone, but I guess all the "oldtimers" have flown the coop! :confused: I hope you're doing better than you were the last time we talked. Thats been awhile!

As for me, I start radiation therapy (cancer) on Monday, but I'm assured they got it all and this is just to make sure! Trouble is, I go every weekday for 6 weeks! YOIKS! With the price of gas around here, I'll have to mortgage the house! :rolleyes:

Good to see you Mark, and EVERYONE else! Hope I can keep coming back often. Take care all! Hugs, Lee

Ellie Burnswaithe

04-12-2008, 04:46 PM

Leeaelle,

Glad to hear they got all the cancer. I'm just wondering...where are you going for the radiation therapy?

I'm from Michigan also.

I'm also an old timer. I used to go by the name tazzyslady. Please do come back often and post often. I would love to see this board take off and become active like before. Please keep us posted on how youre doing. God Bless you.

Ellie

Leeaelle

04-12-2008, 04:56 PM

Hi Ellie ~ I remember your OLD name!! Nice to see you! :D It's also nice to have a fellow Michigander around too!

I'm going to the cancer center that's "hooked onto" Foote Hospital in Jackson. It's called the Paul Tejeda (sp) Cancer Center. It's quite a place! It's also quite a drive ~ about 35 miles one way from my home, and with the gas prices the way that they are it's gonna be a pain!

I'm going to TRY to keep posting, but like alot of you, sitting it very painful and I can't do it for too long. But I'll give it a good ole try!

Good to see you again Ellie. Take care! Hugs, Lee

Mark N

04-12-2008, 07:22 PM

Lee, it is good to hear from you and I am glad you have a computer of your own again. Your next six weeks are likely to be unpleasant but I hope that they have gotten all the cancer this time.

I have had a lot happen the past 3 months. My wife left me [she is back now thank goodness], my BIL was killed in a snowmobile accident, and my brother has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. In spite of all that I am hanging in there and enjoying each day I wake up again. Your life reminds me that my grieving is a small thing compared to what others face. It is so good to hear that you have beaten cancer and are following radiation treatment to knock out any stray cells. I hope you come around often to share your knowledge and spirit with the people here. Dealing with daily pain isn't easy.

Pamster

04-12-2008, 08:50 PM

Boy I have been in a lot of pain these days, I almost think I need a stronger medication in place of what I am taking. But I really don't want to do that. I know it's worse these days because we're walking almost daily now, well Jackie and his father walk, I roll along in my chair struggling behind them, though I noticed my arms are looking toner, too bad my middle isn't. :p

It's been since last year probably since I posted in this forum, been around a couple other forums, but not here. Came back tonight and saw this thread and deceided to post. I hope everyone has a painfree night tonight and painfree day tomorrow, like most of you I am experiencing good days and bad days painwise. :p

Vikingned

04-12-2008, 09:11 PM

I"m relatively new here, but still here...LOL Im sure I will post more often as I get to know some others around the forums here.

thanks,

ned

PS: Still in pain as always also....:(

Nana4&cntn

04-12-2008, 09:15 PM

Pam,

I love your turtle, I have heard you talk about him in other forums. I also loved your last avatar, it reminded me of me. Welcome back, I am sorry you are having so much pain. Have you talked to your doctor about it? Do you have a Pain doc? Sometimes people need changes in their meds. How is Jackie? Toned arms sound good to me, I have the same problem with the middle. I am not sure I would want toned arms due to being in a chair. It is one of my fears for the future. Please don't take that wrong, I meant no harm when I said it.

Take care,
Kathy

Mark N

04-12-2008, 09:48 PM

Pam, it is good to see you back again. It is good to hear you are out getting more exercise. I hope that you are having a good time on the 'walks' with Jackie and her dad.

Ned, sorry your are still in pain but it is a common condition for us. It is good to see you responding to the check in post as it helps me keep up with members that aren't always around a lot. It will be good to see you posting more often.

I hope everyone has had a good Saturday even if it is just relatively good;).

Nana4&cntn

04-12-2008, 11:32 PM

Vikingned

04-13-2008, 11:15 AM

Hi Ned,

Sorry I missed you, we must have been posting at the same time. I am sorry you are still in so much pain. It seems this time of year is bad for a lot of folks, mainly due to the weather changes. I don't know where you are from, but the mid west and south are being hit hard with weather changes=barometric pressure changes.

I hope you feel better soon,
Kathy

Funny you mention that Kathy, I actually have friends who will call me for weather info so they can make buisness plans or even outting plans, like going fishing...LOL

They all believe my body is the best darn weather man around... :D

Mark N

04-13-2008, 03:45 PM

Ned, you need to open up a pay site for weather forecasting:).

Vikingned

04-13-2008, 05:22 PM

Ned, you need to open up a pay site for weather forecasting:).

That might not be such a bad Idea Mark...LOL

But for real, sometimes my body alone can tell me it's going to rain or snow, up to like 2 days ahead of time.

I'm sure I'm not saying anything new but, weather really does have a very big impact on how I feel and what I do. Yes, I can even tell whats on the way sometimes...I'm extra good at predicting rain or snow ( winter time ).....

:rolleyes:

Pamster

04-13-2008, 06:24 PM

Hi Kathy,

Great to see you and so many other familar faces here. I'm glad you liked my previous avatar, this one I took recently photo of our turtle we got a few months back and he's really helping me with my moods, it's so uplifting to see him swimming or eating and basking in the light of his heat lamp. It's helped so much with giving me something to smile about when I feel like screaming because it's so painful lately to be me. :p

I do have a pain doc and I mentioned it and he said I might try ibuprofen two hours before my next dose of lorcet since I take 10/325 Lorcet (kinda like lortab just less tylenol) I doubt he'll want to change anything, I definitely want to feel better but the brain fog is so hard to cope with at times, like morning and evenings. I just may have to get on something else stronger though if it doesn't get better, I admit though I haven't been religiously taking the ibuprofen. Maybe I should. I don't know.

Hi Mark,

It's good to be back, I definitely like seeing some results on the exercise we're doing, I just wish I could get back on the total gym we bought two years ago. It's really a hard machine to set up though, so we leave it set up in the third bedroom. Even so it's still hard to use at times. It's just a matter of making myself use it and deal with the straining I feel for like the first week, then it gets easier, I know I can do it still. It's not impossible for me yet, but it's just that obstacle of getting started on using it. :p

Jackie is doing okay, we had some issue with his risperdal, the insurance wouldn't refill it for a dose increase, I was so upset, thought we'd have to go without it but I talked to the pharmacist and he gave us 9 emergency pills since that was what we needed to get through this couple days we were completely out of the medicine. The insurance better pay for it tomorrow like they said they would or heads will roll! :(

He isn't doing so well in school, but next year he'll do well I am sure, they are going to switch from acedemics to life skills which he'll enjoy so much more. I am kinda sad he's got issues with school right now but there's nothing we can do that we're not already doing. :( Glad to have friends I can talk to about things, it helps so much. :)

Leeaelle

04-13-2008, 06:25 PM

Mark ~ Bless your heart, You've been thru the absolute wringer! I'm so sorry for the loss of your BIL and especially your brother's illness! I cannot imagine what you must be going thru. I'm so happy to hear tho' that your wife came home. :D She obviously found out what a gem she has!

In reading your signature, I'd forgotten all that you'd had done to your poor body! You put me to shame! I don't know how you even get around ~ you must be bionic by now. ;) Is your pain controlled to a reasonable level or is that a ridiculous question? Most of us are lucky to get an aspirin around here. lol

Anyway, I want you to know that you're an inspiration to me and I'm sure alot of others here, dearheart. Regardless of what's going on in your life, you're always here helping others as best you can, trying to raise THEIR spirits even if yours are in the dump. God bless you Mark ~ you will be rewarded. Hugs, Lee

Nana4&cntn

04-14-2008, 04:15 AM

Pam,

I was surprised just how difficult it is to get the Total Gym out. Currently it is put away. My basement is starting to resemble a gym rather than a family room. I think it is time to have my son pull the thing out, and get rid of the love seat. I have a recumbent bike, a glider and my core ball with the therapy bands. Now all I need is a hot tub and I will be totally ready.

When I went to physical therapy they had one and taught me many really useful exercises. I don't remember the last time I used mine, but the stretches are great!!

Take care, good to see you,
Kathy

Pamster

04-14-2008, 08:47 AM

Kathy,

Boy do I remember the days we used to pull it out and set it up because our apartment was only a two bedroom and it was in the living room. That is why we leave it set up on level three, I wish I could change it down to two but DH is set on leaving it at three so it stays pretty much unused except for DH.

It's chilly out today, probably our last cold snap of the year. It's funny we were just out in the pool (120 x 120 x 22 inflatable one) Saturday and here it's sweater weather once again for a couple of days. It's so good to be able to open the windows and turn off the air, I know it won't last but it's still awesome while it lasts. :D

I will be posting more now until school is out in June. It's great to see you too. :D

Pam :)

Nana4&cntn

04-14-2008, 09:46 AM

Pam,

It is a whopping 31 here, it was 21 when I woke up, but we are supposed to get to 60 so I won't complain much.

I am glad you will be posting till school gets out. Will you have help with Jackie this summer, activities or camp?

Take care,
Kathy

Pamster

04-14-2008, 10:10 AM

We will have him in summer school but no camp since there aren't any near us able to handle autistic kids. The closest one is like two hours away, not close enough to even consider going with it because of the cost of gas. While he's in summer school I will be posting too, but for the month he'll be out totally it will be hit or miss because I will probably not get on the computer much. He's back to using mine and I am glad because it makes him happy and he's getting pretty good at some of the games on NickJr.com. :D

zax44

04-15-2008, 11:56 PM

Mark N

04-16-2008, 01:58 AM

Zax, good luck with the doc. I hope he can accept you not wanting to try this med. It is good to see you are still around and kicking.

simby

04-16-2008, 05:34 PM

hi all,
just a quick note. I am heading to New Hampshire for a few days to visit friends and family.
Haven't driven that far since i hurt my back 5 yrs. ago so this will be a test.

will check back when i get home,
hugs,
sims

Mark N

04-16-2008, 06:17 PM

Sims, have a safe trip and a good time while you are there.

The Sand

04-16-2008, 11:46 PM

I posted a thread here today because of a recent experience but I don't post much. The Aneurym forum was where I joined (have chronic pain from fibro and endo - also had brain surgery for aneurysm.) The moderators really helped over there but afer that experience I find I don't want to say much anymore...

But I am here and do read and learn from you all...

Sandy

The Sand

04-16-2008, 11:52 PM

hi all I'm still kickin. domestic situation remains so-so, new Va doc. could be trouble waiting he suggeested sublaxon(Sp) No way in H--- Really good doc - will hate to fire him but no way will I stand for changes I do not believe in - i already looked up this med - talked to cheif pharm guy who is on my side and can overide - wish me luck
zax44

If you mean "Suboxone" then it's a very powerful drug. So powerful I wasn't able to deal with it. It comes in 2mg and 8mg pills that disolve under your tongue. I broke the 2mg pill into 8 pieces (basically just dust) and still couldnt' deal with it. I also only took 1 dose every 24 hours - and STILL couldn't deal with it. What I did like is that it doesn't make you all tired like narcotics can. It's not bad drug to try if you are looking for something really stong...

Of course to each his own... every person is different, just wanted to pass along my experience with the drug.

Sandy

Mark N

04-17-2008, 03:32 AM

Sandy, good to see you checking in and letting us know you are around. I hope you stay around if you find the support here you need.

The Sand

04-17-2008, 08:26 PM

Thanks Mark… I have followed your story and you certainly have been though a lot lately. My step father was manic depressive so I get how hard it can be to have any kind of peace or control over your environment when living with someone who is acting out mentally. At least when I was there I was well. I can’t imagine dealing with that on top of pain. You do a good job…

Sandy

Lea

04-17-2008, 09:26 PM

I'm hanging around. Trying to work my way through a divorce, but holding my own. My brother and his wife are flying me to Baltimore this weekend for some R & R.

I'm in the middle of receiving the synvisc injections for my both of my knees, so that's been alot of fun.

Anyway, still here. Still plugging away.:p

The Sand

04-17-2008, 09:52 PM

Hi Lea,

I did the synvisc in my left hip and it was kind of a drag. It didn't work at all, which was more of a drag... but they said that might be the case. It is primarily used on knees which I've heard has a good outcome. I was one of the first cases for hip. Let us know if it works for you... it's a nice alternative to surgery - or prolonging surgical intervention.

Are ya going ****-a-doodle-do yet? hee hee...

Sandy

hoops2u

04-17-2008, 10:26 PM

Hi ya Pals,

Yes, tis I. I have not been around for a bit. Kinda busy doing taxes for AARP. I
love to volunteer. It is so fullfillling. Meet lots of great folks. And it helps me deal
the pain when I am doing something for someone else. I realize so many others
have much greater challenges than mine.

The stimulus package was kinda nice for many low income, especially the elderly.
Now as I understand it, we are supposed to spend that money straight away in
order to "stimulate" our economy. So here's the thing, if you buy a car, you
stimulate the Japan economy, What nots, China, clothing, Brazil, beef, Australia,
and on and on. You get the drift. It really is hard to find stuff " made in the USA".
Now as I understand it, the only way we can spend that money straight up and
quickly to stim our Am economy is to buy Ky. Burbon and Prostitution. Yep
That's the only thing that will keep it here, ahem. I'm no expert, I'm just sayin.

Good to read you all,
hoops

Mark N

04-18-2008, 12:17 AM

Lea, I am sorry to hear you are going through a divorce. No matter why it happens it is tough to deal with especially when you have to deal with pain every day. I hope you have some fun with your Bro and SIL.

Hoops, good to see you are back to add to our ramblings. It is nice that you get to volunteer for AARP. Spend the stimulus on anything here in the U.S. and at least the retailer will be stimulated. Of course finding products from the USA to buy will increase it more and your list is a good place to start:D.

The Sand

04-18-2008, 04:02 PM

The stimulus package was kinda nice for many low income, especially the elderly. Now as I understand it, we are supposed to spend that money straight away in order to "stimulate" our economy. So here's the thing, if you buy a car, you stimulate the Japan economy, What nots, China, clothing, Brazil, beef, Australia, and on and on. You get the drift. It really is hard to find stuff " made in the USA". Now as I understand it, the only way we can spend that money straight up and quickly to stim our Am economy is to buy Ky. Burbon and Prostitution. Yep That's the only thing that will keep it here, ahem. I'm no expert, I'm just sayin.

Good to read you all,
hoops

Thanks for the laugh here... totally riotous!

Sandy

ErinENj

04-21-2008, 01:14 AM

Hi everyone.....

I'm here and accounted for. Things have been pretty crazy and rough lately.

My trip to Montana, to the Marlboro Ranch, was beyond AWESOME!!! It was a million times better than my wildest expectations. First, I managed to get first class seats on the second of our two flights out there and on both of the flights home, so it made it a lot easier on my back. Oh, a tip - when looking at seats, never sit in the row in front of the emergency exit row, in the window seat. Turns out it doesn't recline, at all. It wasn't too much of an issue, as my friend and I had the seat between us open, so I was able to stretch across, but still, it would have been that much more 'comfortable.' The flights were smooth, and surprisingly fast, with the exception of the second flight home. We had some major turbulence issues and were delayed more than 2 hours, and nearly spent another two hours sitting on the tarmack in Minnesota. But, we got here in one piece, just at about 2am. It was one of only two flights where even I was scared, and I'm a great flyer and pretty comfortable in the air.

The people from the ranch met us at the airport, and we even met some people (and turned out it was the people we'd hang out with the entire time there and ended up doing all of our activities together on the first day) at the airport while waiting for the flight into Bozeman. It's a small airport, Bozeman - it wasn't hard to find the gate, as there were only four. BTW - Minneapolis/St. Paul airport is gorgeous! I guess they just updated it and I think they did a great job. All we had to do was sign-in, get our nametags (and the first of the free food buffets) and identify our luggage (that's right, they got our luggage for us. We didn't touch it between the time we left here and the time it was delivered to our rooms at the ranch.) and get on the bus. It was about a 2 hour drive into the middle of nowhere to get to the ranch, which sits on something like 1800 acres! The scenery was phenomenal! The mountains, the wide open spaces - there was nothing even close to what we have here in NJ. The "mountain" I live on here looks like a pimple compared to what they have there.

The way the ranch treated us was beyond first class. Every time you passed a member of the staff, they asked you if there was anything you needed, anything that would make your stay better. If there wasn't anything you liked at any of the meals, all you had to do was say something and they'd make you whatever you wanted. The last night, they had filet mignon and lobster tails, as much as you want - someone at our table had two steaks and four tails. All of the meals were great. We ended up meeting some like-minded people there, and hung out with them pretty much exclusively. Oddly enough, I found the other person there my age who also suffers from chronic back pain. Go figure! He was a nice guy and we spent a lot of the time there talking. The only dissappointment I had was that I was unable to participate in many of the activities. The first day, they pulled me aside and suggested that they might not be in my best interest. But I did get to go watch the dog sledding (and while the others were sledding, I played with the doggies) and while my friend went snowmobiling (the other benefit to having friends was that she had people with her she knew on that activity), I got to get a massage, put my feet up in front of the fire, and just relax. And take a nice long bath in the antique claw foot tub in our room, which again was gorgeous. My friend and I agreed that it was cleaner than any hotel we'd ever been to. So it worked out for the best.

We did get to Yellowstone, but unfortunately, didn't get to see very much. It was blizzarding that day, and the 6+ inches of snow weren't condusive to our bus going very far into the park. We did get to see the Mammoth hot springs, and the gift shop, and on the way back, the snow stopped and we were able to see tons of animals. Lots of elk, some rams/mountain sheep. The two biggies were the bald eagle, soaring majestically (I didn't get a picture unfortunately!!), which was beyond amazing to see and awe-inspiring. And a single buffalo. Shockingly, it was sitting in a backyard. A very small backyard. It was huge!! I have to post the pictures to give the scale.

We just had such a great time. And thankfully, my back reacted so well. It exceeded my expectations. I was preparing for the worst, but didn't have any problems, besides getting my meds on time, with the time changes and being so active. It was a lot of fun and I'd go back in an instant. I really want to go back to Montana and Wyoming in the spring/summer to see more of Yellowstone. My best friend also had a great time too, and I was so happy I was able to share it with her. She's stood by me through so much and helped me with some of the more major things that have happened in my life, so I was honored to be able to give her this treat.

Unfortunately, my back didn't react so well to me coming back. While out there, I lost like 10lbs with my increased activity levels, and I put it back on pretty quickly when I got back here somehow. And I guess my back didn't agree - I ended up laid up three Sundays ago. I bent over to wash my hands and something just popped in the wrong way. I couldn't stand up straight and couldn't function. But I had to go back to work Monday, and had to work through the pain. My pain doc put me on Amrix, a long-acting version of Flexeril, and it worked wonders. I'm still having some issues with pain down my right leg, but I'm able to stand up straight again, and it is substantially better. Hopefully, it'll just continue to get better.

Also, I'm having an issue with my hand. For some reason, I suddenly can't feel the top of my pinky. My entire finger doesn't feel right, but the top can't feel much of anything. It's spread down the outside of my hand today. I can't link it to anything. I fell asleep last night in the chair in my bedroom, and when I woke up, it appeared that I had not crushed it, but had pressure on my pinky for an extended time. I'm worried, to put it mildly. My neck doesn't hurt, so I don't think it's linked to that, but I can't figure out what else might have caused it. And it's scary. I'm going to call my PCP Monday to see what I should do.

Thats it for now - I know, this was a short little post - I have to get some stuff done for work and get to bed at a decent hour. So I'm okay - sorry if I worried anyone. I'm sorry, but I couldn't read through all 8 pages of this thread tonight(eight pages?? this is a busy thread!!), so if I'm not responding directly to anyone, it's just because I have to get to bed, not anything else. Hopefully, I'll be back soon! There's not too much on my schedule for this week yet, besides two meetings Tuesday night, so I should be back to post more soon.

I hope you all are doing okay and that things in your lives are going well, if not great!! :)

Mark N

04-21-2008, 02:03 AM

Erin, good to see your post and to hear about the fun trip out west.

Peter B

04-22-2008, 05:14 AM

Hoops,
You are too funny. Just keep in mind that whatever foreign products you buy, there's an American middle man rubbing his hands together.

That actually got me thinking. Remember, back in the day, if a piece of merchandise was stamped "Made in Japan" it was considered a piece of junk? I think most people would be alarmed at how much stuff is made elsewhere and we have no one to blame but ourselves. Sure, you can ***** and moan about NAFTA or whatever the politicians do to encourage imports but in actuality it's our own greed for low prices that created this mess.

It's just my opinion but it may not be such a bad thing, in the long run. I think wars are less likely to break out if the countries in dispute have too much to lose by going to war. Our respective economies are heavily interwoven. This has been the case for some time and given double digit growth of the Asian countries; namely India and China, going to war with them would be like going to war with ourselves. Now, if we could just stop consuming crude oil as if its water............................................. ..................Well, I can dream, can't I?

Pain free days,
Pete

JAVISI

04-22-2008, 11:13 AM

Dear Friends,
I have been off line for a long time. I developed pain in my fingers and all of my joints. The Arthritis Dr thinks that I have an auto immmune disorder, Just what I need. I realized that I am unable to lift my right leg. I went to the pain clinic and got a steroid and anesthetic injection. I can now lift my leg.

They want me to go to physical therapy but it is so hard for me to get out. I am going to schedule my appointments next week. I just wanted 1 full week without having to go to a Dr.

I am taking Oxycodone 2 times a day along with Percocet,& Flexeril as needed. I need them most days. I just don't want to get addicted. I know that I am to my Klonopin because with out it I feel sick and get the cold sweats. I found this out while hospitalized, and unable to take any meds orally. If I don't take the Klonopin I get extremely bad tremors, So bad that I can not get a spoon to my mouth!

I see the arthritis Dr and a nephrologist on the 5th of next month . The nephrologist because of the constantly low potassium levels even though I am taking 40mEq 5 times a day. I am curious as to what he will say!

Just a bit about what is going on with me!
Dreaming Big and Reaching for the Stars, Javi

Nana4&cntn

04-23-2008, 07:06 PM

Hi all,

Has anyone heard from Kandra, Lisa (Broken Bladder) Kira? I know there are others also, I am getting worried:(

Thanks,
Kathy

Mark N

04-23-2008, 09:12 PM

The only one I haven't seen something from is Lisa Brokenbladder and I don't get emails or PMs any more. I am concerned about her but don't know what else to do other than keep her in my prayers.

Nana4&cntn

04-24-2008, 08:35 AM

I haven't heard from Kanda since the 6th and we usually pm several times a week. I tried to call several times and just got her voice mail. I am very concerned, so if you hear from her could you let her know I am thinking of her?

I too an concernd about Lisa, I haven't seen or head from her in ages. I know she wasn't doing well the last time she was online.

Thanks Mark

ErinENj

04-26-2008, 12:15 AM

I just did a little searching around the site (If you go into the "Members List" link at the top of the page, you can search by the screenname and find out the last time they signed in. It's an easy way to try and locate missing friends) - the last time Lisa checked in was March 19. I really, really hope she's okay and is hopefully doing better than last time she was here....

Kandra was last here the 6th. If you are reading this, happy one year anniversary! It's been a year since you signed up!

And Kira was here the 15 or 16th (somehow I've forgotten in the second since I was at that other page...).

Hope this helps. I feel oddly like a stalker, but I do have good intentions...

Kira

05-01-2008, 01:27 PM

Hey, I'm back. :)

I have been back and forth to my mom's house over the past few weeks, because she had surgery on the 18th. She has had multiple abdominal surgeries over the past year or so, and had a hernia at the site of one of the incisions from her surgery in December. The hernia was getting bigger and bigger, and so she had it repaired on April 18. She has been really sore, so I stayed with her for a while to help out.

I'm still trying to sort out a lot of financial issues related to having to quit work several months ago (due to my health). I have disability insurance, but the claim process is taking forever and I have no income in the meantime. My parents have been helping when they can, and I have had to rely on help from various state and federal programs (food stamps, energy assistance, etc). I did just find out that they approved the medical part of my claim, but am still fighting it out about the disability start date.

My health has been pretty much the same as it always is. Still needing a lot of rest... still having nausea/vomiting pretty often... and of course I still have my messed-up muscles.

Anyway, thanks for thinking of me. It's nice to know that people out there notice whether I'm here or not :)

Nana4&cntn

05-01-2008, 02:45 PM

I talked with Kandra last night, she hasn't been feeling well and can't sit at the computer desk because she can't get up. Kandra also said she has been trying to get ahold of Lisa (Broken Bladder) for sometime, no replies to voice mail or emails.

Nice to see you back Kira. We missed you!

Take care,
Kathy

Mark N

05-01-2008, 03:17 PM

Kira, it is good to see your post. I am sorry your mother is still suffering so much following surgery. I don't know about your disability insurance but it is typical for them not to kick in until you have been determined to be disabled for six months. If you were fortunate enough to have short term disability insurance then they should cover the six months of time it takes the long term disability to kick in.

Kathy, thanks for the news on Kandra. I haven't received any returns from Lisa on email or voice mail either. I hope that she isn't having serious problems. I know she has had internet problems in the past but not returning voice mails worries me as she still has the phone service but doesn't return the calls.

GardeniaGirl

05-02-2008, 01:43 AM

I just wanted to pop in and say hi to everyone.

I have been browsing a bit here in the past couple of weeks, but not posting too much. I have tried to keep up a bit on what is going on with everyone.

I have been quite busy lately -

one of my newer medications is relieving 70-80% of the pain in my spine and tailbone.....so that has been A HUGE relief.

That pain has been very severe for the past year or two - and just getting worse - so to have some actual real relief with minimal side effects - WOW is all I can say.

I even went on a short little hike in a park near my house recently - that was pretty amazing. (Erin- your trip to the ranch sounded really awesome btw!)

I also reunited with a boyfriend from many years ago and that has been wonderful. He is a very caring and supportive person and we are very happy together.

Anyway, I will be dropping by when I can....but wanted to say hi to everyone --- hope you are all having as much pain relief as you are able --

Bye for now - GardeniaGirl

Peter B

05-02-2008, 01:54 AM

I think you're right Mark. They want you to go through your short term disability first. The longer the Gov't can wait before it has to pay for anything, the better they like it. I'm still bewildered on why they make you wait before being eligible for Medicare. I ran up over $12,000. in pharmacy bills before I got medicare. I'll have that payed off in another 2 years.

Pete

Mark N

05-02-2008, 01:58 AM

GardeniaGirl, it is good to see your post and to hear you are getting such good pain relief. I remember that you were getting back together with your former bf and it is good to hear it is working out so well.

Sunshine2

05-02-2008, 02:01 AM

Im here, I just posted a vent in the emotional support section.

I reinjured my back last week doing housework....my pain levels are very high lately, plus we have been having much colder than normal temperatures and that always makes my arthritis and DDD much worse, too......

Please go read my vent .....I've just had it with people who want to judge me. If they want to come and live with me for a month and help me out, then, maybe they have the right.....Im tired of it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

911

05-02-2008, 04:34 AM

well its been a while since i have updated so ,,,, i am starting with a new pain doc closer to home , i required a visit at the local hospital and they recomended a new doc to me and changed one thing for me , took me off the hydro and put me back on the hsir i was on before so things are looking up , i see my new cronic pain doc a week from monday so wish me luck , the doc i saw at the hospital is a part of this pain practice but i didnt know this , so i started in telling the guy how i felt about what the other doc had done and said it was then he told me he worked with pain people and added back the msir , so i am happy to be more or less where i was when i got here with a new doc , it seems changes from our move have finally settled out for me , sandra still has a couple issues to get fixed but we are on track now ,,,,,,,,,,,,, thanks for listning ,Dave

houghchrst

05-02-2008, 07:32 AM

I received a message on MySpace from a friend of Lisa's that said that she is very sick but will check in when she is able. It has been a bit since I have heard from her so I will try to contact her again. She said that I could if I needed to.

Dave I am so happy that you got your med situation taken care of and that you guys are settled in. I hope Sandra gets her issues taken care of soon.

I hope everyone else here has a great sunshiny relatively pain free day.

Mark N

05-02-2008, 10:13 AM

Christina, thanks for the update. I was afraid she was too ill to respond to our efforts of contacting her. Know a couple of months she had bad news about her condition of her kidneys and it started her depression as it was really bad news to her.

Dave, it is good to hear you and Sandra are settling in from the move and getting your medical issues back on track. Good luck with the new PM.

Sunshine2, sorry to hear of the injury that has caused you so much pain again. I know it is easier to say than do but don't worry about what others say about your pain. We have all had ignorant people that have said or think the wrong thing about our pain. I hope the vent helped you unload your frustrations at those people.

Vikingned

05-02-2008, 11:10 AM

I"m still around, and I'm a little scared that my pain may even worse in the near future. Please read my Surgery thread....

Annie B.

05-03-2008, 09:52 PM

I don't recognize anyone, but I guess all the "oldtimers" have flown the coop! :confused: I hope you're doing better than you were the last time we talked. Thats been awhile!

As for me, I start radiation therapy (cancer) on Monday, but I'm assured they got it all and this is just to make sure! Trouble is, I go every weekday for 6 weeks! YOIKS! With the price of gas around here, I'll have to mortgage the house! :rolleyes:

Take care all! Hugs, Lee

Hi Lee,

So good to see you here! You and I used to hang out in another room. You may not remember, but I joined b/c I was having a baby (Elizabeth Grace) and needed a place to "go" when I couldn't get out of the house, with a newborn in the middle of Winter. Can you believe that that was 3 years ago! (More actually!)

It's so good to hear that the BC seems to be in check and that you came through it intact. Ever hear from anyone from the other room? I check in now and then, but I don't believe that anyone remembers me.

Shoot me back or send a PM if you remember me. Do you ever hear from SuperDAVE? He's one, along with you, who I really miss, along with Citiog and Pete.

Blessings,
Annie B.

MamaRider

05-06-2008, 06:32 AM

I am alive and still kicking- in my chair. LOL Sorry, but I have ben mostly lurking latley. When I do get the 'puter that is. I have to share these days, and so I get way less time. But, Paparider is back on his reg. schd. at work after his motorcycle crash in last year. (gosher that sucked to see him soooooo hurt. The Bike landed on top of him!!! But THANK God he wan't hurt very bad, really, alll things considered. But, I am so glad he is back to work full time! It is not natural havubg your hubby home 24/7.lol

Mark N

05-06-2008, 10:47 AM

MamaRider, I hope this has been a GREAT year so far. It is good to hear your DH is back to work after the awful bike wreck he had. It is really good to see you posting again and I hope you can get the computer more often now that DH is back to work.

Smiling Angel

05-06-2008, 12:52 PM

For some reason, I feel more at home here now than I do in the SD forum. More old friends here, I guess. Plus, we don't have to be 'cervies' or 'lumbies'...we're just all chronic pain sufferers!

I may stop by more often! Keep up the goodd atmosphere here! Like it!

Hugs to all, J.

Mark N

05-06-2008, 08:41 PM

Jacquie, this is a good place to be and I find that our focus is on pain something we all deal with. The spinal board seems to be more about specific spinal areas although I have many friends there too. It will be good to have you around more often lending your with and wisdom to this board.

houghchrst

05-09-2008, 11:07 AM

HI all been awhile I know. Things never changed with me so I spend most of my time in other forums bugging them lol.

Still hurt though I did finally see a PM that I waited six months for on Wednesday. Absolutely wonderful so far he seems. Well worth the drive. Spent about an hour with me. That has never happened. So we will see how things go. I will not get any real relief for a couple of weeks though I do have a new muscle relaxer and got the go ahead for the Percocet that I have left. Yes I still have about 20-30 of the original scrip from back in February lol. Though he did tell me to use it sparingly and was quite pleased that I had been using them so rarely.

I hope all is well with you guys. Happy mother's day all you mommas.

Vikingned

06-08-2008, 10:49 PM

I hope everyone is doing well and feeling better than yesterday for you.

I'm sorry to say but I'm going to be leaving this site. I want to thank all those who have been a great support and have had an impact on my life in more ways than I can list right now.

Reason you ask? I'm not one to beat around the bush, but I've come to notice that some of us post and when we start a thread that deserves support and recognition, so few are stepping up to the plate. In many ways I'm one of these people myself, but I believe alot of that has to do wth the fact that many times there is no feed back or very little, and it's hard to keep things rolling. Espeicaly for me, because I just had my surgery and it's hard for me to post day in and day out.

When I see a post thats been viewed 80 or more times, and Zero responses, that hurts, and I have enough hurt in my life right now. Not only me but I've even seen some with 2,000 plus views and only recieving responses in the teens. Now that is very very sad to me.

Not trying to bash this site, and it may be the reason that some threads are just more noticed and powerfull than other.

But if you are like me and mostly dealing with SSD right now and need a helping hand, please feel free to PM or email me and I will be happy to quide you to a more productive site on the topic of SSD.

I'll end with, Take care all, and hope that everyone has a bright and self rewarding future ahead of them.

Sincerely,
Ned

PS: Email Vikingned@yahoo.com

Nana4&cntn

06-09-2008, 01:55 AM

Ned,

I am so sorry to see tou leave! I hope you are doing well after your surgery and pray you are recouping well! I wish you pain free days soon,

Kathy

Jo6

06-09-2008, 02:06 PM

Ned, I have been around BT since the late 90's. Well, nobody seems to know me although I have been very active in several Forums. Actually not lately. I was like you, I post and the post falls to the bottom like a rock! If I start a thread, if anybody at all responds, its always very few, then the bottom it goes.
I do feel for you, it is very discouraging to say the least. there are some good people here, they try to help others and you know these people have thier problems too.
I saw your post and had to look twice to make sure it wasn't me that had written it.
Ned, I keep coming, hoping I can help somebody. I wrote this to you because I know how this feels. It is hurtful, but I keep poking on. Why don't you stick around awhile longer, see if it gets better. We will probably bump into each other coming or going, ok? We both belong here, Chronic Pain is Chronic Pain!!It ain't no fun, eh? Tell you what, we can help others not feel what we are feeling. Maybe some of us will have more good days, but lets face it Ned, I don't think either of us will get well.
When you are down, yell at me or pull my pigtails. We'll encourage each other.

I do want to say, there are some very good and helpful people here that are very helpful and if I called any names I may miss someone. They are here, and I am thankful for that.

Take care Ned, Jo ((((for Ned))))

jimac

06-09-2008, 03:02 PM

debhun

06-09-2008, 03:46 PM

Well I am still around. I come in time to time to see if every one is ok. I have been busy with my garden and yard. This is the first year in 5 years I have been able to do so. I am slow at it but it get done. I also have been trying to Ebay LOL. But we know who get all the money. My phone is out. But I still have Internet Shhhhhhhhhhh.LOL
You know how you know some thing is going on but don't have the Prof yet? Will that is where I am with Greg. He he working all the wired hours coming home late you know the drill. Well any ways he is just digging himself a big whole. He has been good to me as far was yelling and hitting. Not since the fight with my son. My son moved back to Fl with his dad. seem to be happy. More than what I can do for him. I have sold a few things and he got all the moneys. I know it is my fault. But what can I do? nothing but give it to him.But I can't say any thing cause he does pay for my med. My cost of meds is about $150.00 a month.

He still hasn't touched me in a loving way for a very very long time. So can a male do with out? I looked at the pic from this week end and I can see why I guess. I look so old and he looks so young. Okay he is younger than I am. He tells me he loves me. But I feel he is playing a game.
I would love to see where he goes or what he does after work? I would have someone check for me but gas is so high. Oh well maybe later.

It is so sad that I really don't have any one to talk too. You all are the only people I have. And I feel bad for posting. Every one has troubles and I really don't need to load mine on every one here. So I will drop it.

My pain is doing good. I ham able to work though my pain. PM Dr up my BT and added 1 more a day so I can take up to 3 aday now. I still having that low back pain when I sleep but if I get up and go to the chair to sleep it eases up a lot. It was funny after the first night at the motel My aunt got up and Greg got up She asked Greg if things were okay with me? Greg said Oh sorry but I am use to it. She has pain at night and around 3-4 AM I will go to the chair. Told her I was fine. My aunt asked Greg it is that bad? she had Back surgery and she does good. She can lay on the floor and work her back. If I did that I wouldn't be be able to get off the floor. But I did really well at the NC BBQ sauces show. was there for 3 days. But I walked around and sat when I was selling. It was a so so week end. I lot went on but we get though it without any BIG troubles.
About my low back pain that I have been having. I wonder if it is my Kinney's? I really don't go to the bath room all that much like I should. My swelling is still bad. But I have been losing weight. Which I love that. I have gone from 238 to 214 in about 6 weeks. If I would cut out my cunfront food at night may be I would lose more. But I love my Ice cream. I don't eat much in the day time. I eat dinner that is about it.
I am still get sleepy everyday. But if I stay busy I can get passed it.
Now for the sweats hot faze to where I can be in the AC and my head would be wet as if I washed it.

But I fell like I still have done something so bad that God is mad at me.

The bath room and the roof have not been fixed yet.
Well I should stop whining here.

Thank you all1953Hugs
Deb
That is my flower in my yard I took

Mark N

06-09-2008, 04:06 PM

Ned, I hope your recovery isn't holding you back for too much longer. It makes it tough to keep up with different sites and although I think if you stick around you will come to see the responses that apply and not the views where there is no response are of value. I understand needing to be at a site that helps you the most.

Deb, It is good to hear you are working through your pain and are able to do somethings you want. I hope things get better in your life, you know you shouldn't accept the treatment you get but that is up to you.

Jo, your contributions are appreciated by me. I always read your comments as you have a very straight forward approach to life and are compassionate to others while suffering with pain yourself.

Jim, you are right about this forum and the discrepancy between views and responses. I hope you are having good days and pain isn't limiting you too much.

Christina, It is good to hear you have a good PM working with you. I hope the new relaxer continues to work for you.

hoops2u

06-09-2008, 04:27 PM

Hi All,
Ned, I hope you keep popping in from time to time. It often helps me just to see answers others have given to various subjects. And also to know that there are others out there with the same or similar challenges. I too feel bad sometimes if a person writes and doesn't get muc response. So, I respond, or try. I don't always have an answer, but I do always care. /so Ned, we need caring people like you, If everyone who cared quit coming here this would be a sad place indeed. I have made many lasting friendships here and have folks I pm on a regular basis as more intimate friendships have evolved. Ned, hang in here with us.

There are times I AM in too much pain to respond. I can only read a few threads and have to give it up. I may even go days and have gone weeks without checking in, usually due to my health. But I always come back. And I am always available through pm's.

I had a colonoscopy and endosopy due to my blood count being off. My Dr. thought I was losing blood internally somewhere. I felt it was too many NSAIDS. Turns out, I think I was right. My colon is healthy. My stomach is happy. I am no longer full of sh-t and I am a perfect as-hole. HA! Seems I am just a bit anemic. I added iron to my diet. I just do not eat well balanced during the days. Often I even totally forget to eat. I simply do not get hungry. Oh well.

I have been painting $1.00 wood flea martket type chairs for the garden and yard. Paint them all sorts of wild and crazy colors, put flowers or butterflies on some, mostly multicolored, bright colors. OOOOOO, it's soo much fun. And ya can't make a mistake 'cause there is no wrong way.

Also took up cartooning. Life is too funny. So I am having a blast with it. Still writing books and marrying people. My neighbor just gave me a hunk of land that ajoins my property. Gives me more water frontage. Wow, I been wanting that piece of ground for years and she just gave it. Nice, nice lady. Proves my theory once again, what you put out there, you get back, and ten fold!!!!

Bye now, Loves ya'll,
hoops
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