Chronic Pain

Greetings All,
Hope you had a good day, we had a nice afternoon/evening. Nice and warm sunny
even.
Adrian, thanks for remembering me. I hope the
upcoming months go in your foavor and you get your move without a lot of strife,
Betty & Mark, I didn't go through the procedures
that you guys have. I'd already done the mri's and xrays by the time I went to the neuro, he like at the films and had a talk with me the gist was that my working days were over and I's have good days and bad. There was a couple things i cd do to try and lessen the pain(which I'm doing), he wrote my primary doc a letter outling treatment(S). There wasn't much, I guess the diabetes doesn't help much either.
So, I hope that the tests will provide enough info to make a decision that can lead to a less painful way of life.
Anyway--Heidi's hit the sack so I'm headed that
way.
nite all
Chuck

Good Morning All,

I really appreciate all of your good thoughts and advice re: what I’m going through (with my back surgeon). I’m trying not to dwell on any of it and take it step by step instead of thinking about the big picture at this point. I’ve heard too many horror stories about surgery plus I’ve also heard good stuff about the results of back surgery, since there’s been advancements made in the last 10 years as far as the operations … they are less invasive with quicker recovery times (with less chance of re-rupturing the discs).

I’ll be sure to keep in touch as I go through each new test to see if the surgeon still thinks that I’m a good candidate for surgery. Right, now, I’m still waiting for pre-authorization from United (UN) Healthcare for the MRI’s of my neck.

Betty, thanks again for your input re: the “pain machine” testing. Plus, I’m almost sure that Audrey would take whatever time is necessary off from work to help me with post-op when/if the time comes down the road. Despite our marital issues, I don’t believe that she would just say something like you’re on your own now as you recover … BUT that’s neither here nor there right now.

Adrian, I pray for you to find a better source of pain relief. I hope that your scheduled visit to the university hospital turns into a pivotal changing point for you with great results. Just a reminder: please bring print-outs about the benefits of “Marinol” and “Sativex” to your visit … OR has your moving plans to Florida changed that appointment? … [sorry if that’s a stupid question]

Chuck, I also hope that you get a stronger BT medication, since you realize that the strength of your BT med might be on the low side.

I need to go to the market and buy groceries. Tonight I’m cooking New Orleans style Shrimp boil … it’s shrimp with baby red potatoes, corn on the cob (small ones), sliced onions (or “un-yuns”, as they say down in the “big easy”), sliced lemons, and Zatarain’s seafood seasoning … I also make a mean Jambalaya … I learned to cook lots of stuff when I lived down in New Orleans (Nu Orlunz) for 3 years while I worked as a grain inspector for the USDA. [Note to Betty: Melissa can only eat shell fish since she gets sick from catfish, flounder, and every other sort of fish].

Maybe Betty and I can run a test to see if she can hear us besides see us BUT based on what I read about Adrian’s experience with webcaming Betty, Betty is still waiting to hear Adrian’s leftover New Jersey accent … isn’t that why Betty requested a video from Adrian?

I hope that you all have a great day AND I’ll be checking in later.

Mark

Good Morning Friends,
Another soggy one in Southern ky and it looks
like thats gonna be the plan of the day.
We've got some running to do bank,pharm etc.
So I'll check back later.
Chuck

Hi everyone - I will be on today , I am feeling better , about an 8 , which is excellent for me .. giggle ... I did make the video webcam , but am having a difficult time as to how to get it on windows .. or should I link it here ?

Anyway, I am having fun today and nothing or no one is going to stop me .. Betty I appreciated your cute comment today .. giggle .. you are sweet ..

Well, I just to say that I will be shown as busy , as I am, it is getting closer & closer to that time of day .. my Penny never let's me forget , walk me, walk me .. pant pant pant .. and if that doesn't work she scratches her ears, and then lastly she will choke or gack , as I call it ..

gack gack gack .. the final resort is waking her brother , Maxx, and when he strats that's it .. we do this like everyday for the last 9 years ? lol .... then it is lunchtime , pill time and definately rest time ..

omg .. you guys should know this act by now .. lol .. I will be back ..

quote:

It would be entirly different, if pain meds were difficult to come by, but when our country has all the best pain medicine can buy (except marinol/sativex)

Betty,

I'm a bit confused by your statement ... let me try to re-explain the availability and legality of Marinol again. Marinol (which I take) is legally prescribed in the USA ... it's a schedule III med. which allow doctors to phone it into the pharmacy in many states ... Marinol is easier for doctors to prescribe than opioids (which are Schedule II meds) ... Sativex is a legal Rx in Canada, used mostly for MS pain at this point ... so, I'm getting confused from your statement which i quoted.

Sure, Sativex is not available YET in the USA but Marinol is available NOW ... I can email you a JPEG of my Rx for it, if you still don't believe that doctors can prescribe it .

I just get to the point where I start to think that my on-line family thinks that I'm making this all up ... I have no reason to lie about the fact that my primary med for pain is Marinol and no laws are being broken by my doctor prescribing it ... no laws are being broken by my pharmacy by filling the Rx and finally no laws are being broken by my taking it for pain. Sorry if I sound testy, but I get the feeling that sometimes you guys think that I'm making up some sort of story.

Hey guys .. be patient .. Betty just misreads the posts .. I can tell her mind is in a bit of a whirl with coping with us, herself, her friend and Rod .. and like me, things get jumbled ..

I understand that the Marinol is available to me , I am going demand a script , and I have been weening myself off my Lexapro ...

I think the effect was causing my thoughts and emotions to run away with me .. I have it posted on my frdge that too much , too many who take even 1 of these anti-meds runs the risk of suicide, and other frantic thoughts ... so I made that decision, when I get to see this big-wig , I will be only on the ultram and Alleve .. no anti this or that .. they don't help at all, but rather hinder me from being me ..

I am sure bBetty is just up set because we lay alot on her and she tries desparately to play catch up .. so I would like to see the conversation go in an other direction , if you don't mind ... and Mark, HELP !

giggle .. I want to get that video on one of the sites .. I tried copying it to here as an attchment, didn't work .. to the ms messenger , said it was too big .. so maybe you can give me some pointers ..

I have it saved in my documents , and was able to get it over to windows media , but that is as far as I have gotten ..

Anywayy , Betty , Marinol is allowed and prescribed here in the States , the Sativex is not , not yet anyway .. Marinol may help ease my pain, and Sativex is definately used in MS patients for all sorts of reasons ..

I spoke with a few canucks , and they say they swear by it .. so it is only a matter of time .. but until then , I will ask for the marinol, if not for the MS , then for the other pain issues , such as my neck pain and back pain .. one way or another I am not leaving that clinic w/o it .. giggle ..

You all may see me on TV as I plan to chain myself to the door with my Pop's old handcuffs until they give it to me .. giggle ..

Hey Chuck, how ya doin .. hope you were having a good day .. and Betty , thank you again for being so concerned for me, I have been dealing with my high pain levels for almost three of the 7 years .. I am the one that has to get 'er done .. so do not worry about me, my sharepost was just a vent .. but I am happy you took the time to read it ... adrian

In response to popular demand, I've attached a link to my latest YouTube ... Enjoy my Newscaster style [LOL]

One Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Mark:
In response to popular demand, I've attached a link to my latest YouTube ... Enjoy my Newscaster style [LOL]

One Picture is Worth a Thousand Words


Okay, now I am jealous .. not only do you have the meds I need .. giggle .. but you linked up a video at the same time .. did you even read my post begging you to help me get a video downloaded so y'all can see me and hear my accent ?

I know you have , but I promised Betty a video, which you were so kind to remind me of .. I made one saved it , added it to my docs, sent it to windows media , but still can't get it downloaded here .. what am I doing wrong ?

One other question ... how ya' doin' ? giggle .. sent you a pm, hope you get it .. and since it is my birthday, I have my vision of me out on the town in a brand new dress , I picked up for my cruise a few years ago (4) and never got the chance to wear it ... now it is getting my head to follow my heart and go out and enjoy .. but I am fadin' fast .. not used to being out alone , all the times I say I am gonna go play pool , I never do ..

Always one excuse or another , the weather is perfect , the skies are clear and I just have to get my nerve (and confidence) up .. I hope you are feeling okay, and I am confident that the MRI's on your neck will get approval , gosh I hope so ..

Okay , Adrian out for now ....
Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Mark:

quote:

It would be entirly different, if pain meds were difficult to come by, but when our country has all the best pain medicine can buy (except marinol/sativex)

Betty,

I'm a bit confused by your statement ... let me try to re-explain the availability and legality of Marinol again. Marinol (which I take) is legally prescribed in the USA ... it's a schedule III med. which allow doctors to phone it into the pharmacy in many states ... Marinol is easier for doctors to prescribe than opioids (which are Schedule II meds) ... Sativex is a legal Rx in Canada, used mostly for MS pain at this point ... so, I'm getting confused from your statement which i quoted.

Sure, Sativex is not available YET in the USA but Marinol is available NOW ... I can email you a JPEG of my Rx for it, if you still don't believe that doctors can prescribe it .

I just get to the point where I start to think that my on-line family thinks that I'm making this all up ... I have no reason to lie about the fact that my primary med for pain is Marinol and no laws are being broken by my doctor prescribing it ... no laws are being broken by my pharmacy by filling the Rx and finally no laws are being broken by my taking it for pain. Sorry if I sound testy, but I get the feeling that sometimes you guys think that I'm making up some sort of story.

Mark
I apologize for the confusing, as Adrian said, I mis spoke and I also had thought in a past conversation that Marinol was only available to us in certain states. I must of mis understood when we've been talking about it before.

I would never think anything bad about these medications, I have not one problem with anyone who smokes it for relief from chronic pain & cancer, so I certainly would not have a problem with you using it with a valid Rx. I thought I've made it very clear before, how happy and proud I am of you for going through all the right channels to have a legal rx. Most people wouldn't do that.
So I don't have any idea why you would think I did not appove of it or something.
If necessary, I can go through all our pasts posts and show you where I've supported you and been really happy that you've had such wonderful results. If they truth be known, I'm a bit envious, that you've been able to get away from having to take so much medication and have done such a great job.

Very sorry
Betty

Hi Betty,

I know that you support me but I just wanted to clear up the fact that Marinol is legal medicine for pain in all 50 states, not just in Maryland ... I'm sorry for any misunderstandings.

Mark

Late Night Greetings All,
I really went and stormy day here in
Southern Ky. After going to the groc and
a trip to walmart, i was ready for a nap.
Came home and got reaquainted with thw
heating pad for a couple hours.
So I'm going to call it a day.
Chuck

Good Morning All,

Did everyone see my commercial for Marinol (on YouTube)? ... I failed to mention that it's "LEGAL" in all 50 states (which includes Hawaii and Alaska) ... do any of you remember all of the hoopla that went on back in '59 when Hawaii and Alaska were admitted to the the "Union"? (well, maybe you don't BUT it was quite an event back in the day!)

Well, I gotta roll into town for banking and stuff BUT first I need to take a Marinol, since my pain level is about a "6" right now ... should go down to a "0" or "1" within the hour.

Have a great day!

Mark

Well good afternoon folks

It's another wet, rainey, dreary day in WA state, but even with the drearyness, I'm in a very nice mood and feeling quite peaceful.

I spent my morning with a home visit from father, prepared myself for my Easter devotions and I'm feeling very good spiritually today. We had a very nice long visit and I'm looking forward to my participation, even though it will be here from home.

I am a bit tired as I had to be up very early (for me) this am and I'm now gonna eat something, take my afternoon meds and lay down. Pains a bit up today and I'd like to get it to come down some more.
So I'll be back later. Hope everyone finds some peace & joy in your day, take care and many hugs
Betty

The sun finally came out BUT it still doesn't feel like Spring has sprung yet over in my suburban Maryland town.

I had to get up really early to get to the bank to move some money around ... I needed to make sure that my checks for bills wouldn't bounce ... after that, I tried to get an update on whether or not United (UN)Healthcare pre-authorized my MRI's of my neck ... BUT I was told that I many have to wait a week or more to get an answer.

Today, I was thinking about all of the regrets in my life and realized that I have a very long list. On top of the list was the "mother of all mistakes" which was when I gave up a great job in Hawaii (working as an inspector for the USDA) ... I could have still been living in a beautiful place that has a low pain index ... PLUS, I would have avoided the car accident in downtown Washington, DC (in which my neck and back were injured).

I am now trying now to avoid making more decisions that my gut feelings tell me have the potential of being future regrets ... wish me luck, since I'll need some.

Have a great evening all!

Mark

Hey - It is 4 p.m. and I ran some errands and had a pretty full day .. the weather agin was sunny in the 60's , but winds at around 5-10 mph .. as the windy days dwindle downward, it sure would be nice ..

How about that, Mark, re-thinking your decisions, that shows a sign of growth , just don't dwell too long on the regrets , as you know we all have some .. they can reallly hold us back from moving forward ..

Had a nice surprise live chat last nite with Mark, finally met the infamous Mellissa .. she is a very pretty and polite young lady, as was Josh, not that he was pretty, giggle, but a good looking young man ..

So, how have you all been today ? I notice less and less Chuck around , hope you are doing okay there pal, since you have now been getting the cooler weather we have had .. I was jealous of the fact that while I was freezing you were having beautiful days .. I am sure spring will eventually arrive ..

Betty - thanks for getting so incensed over my docs not aiding me as far as the pain .. I am sorta used to it, although it is a huge prohibitor in my non-activites .. as the weather warms , I am hoping that level will go down a digit or two on it's own ..

I wrote a share post on the Chronic Pain Health site , if you want to go there and read it .. a wonderful gal COmtnmama repsonded thinking this was kinda new to me .. we both had a good giggle after I filled her in .. she is sweet and suggested the warm springs , natural kind, that are found in the mountains ..

I did notice my energy level drop as I came off the lexapro, but as my mind gets less foggy, I am thinking better and less emotional and i told Mark, I never let that low energy stop me before .. I just have to pump up the excersize again, as I slacked off on that too, nice that it is getting nicer out ... that was my worry, how much is self induced (natural) and how much was pill induced .. energey and worry ..

When I began taking the other meds , I found myself spiraling down in attitude and energy, even getting to almost a paranoid state of being about going out .. I am hoping by losing the lexapro and eventually the trazadone , I can get some of my natural high back for life .. and enjoy the music and dancing that comes with spring/summer here in Santa Fe ,, like the pics you saw ...

Unfortunately those were only last year and I was , in my words , over drugged .. I meant what I said about the Pain Clinic , I am not leaving until they give me the marinol .. I am tired of the pushme-pullme routine , y'know ?

I know y'all know what i mean, as we all go through it , and it's funny, well, just read my bio and posts and you will get a good picture .. no trying to fix what ain't broken, just relieve some of the pain, as I said , I can deal with a 5-6 level, as long as I am not taking a thousand mood stabilizers .. giggle ..

Hope to hear from you guys , Chuck & Betty , more and more , and Betty , I promise , I will never chastise you in a pm or here again .. if you overdo , it is your perogative (Huh?) ...

I will be online if any one wants to just chat, and I mean type, not live .. and hoping we 3 , Betty, Chuck and I can cooridinate our nappy time better so maybe we can have a typing chat session earlier in the day, and week ..

I tend to rest between Noon & 3 .. if I have something to do I change that , I can stretch the meds for an hour or take them earlier .. as mine are nada compared to what you and Chuck take .. and we stick to typing when all 4 of us are on line ...

If a day comes and you want a private live chat, just ask that person .. like me and Mark or Chuck and Mark , or Mark and Betty .. boy that Mark gets around for an old man .. giggle ..

Ahhh, just cracked my back and upper limbs , man does that feel awesome .. thank you Lord ...

So, okay .. see you all or talk with you soon, adrian