"Pain Management" in America

[sparky]

Same here.
I try not to complain too but get frustrated at being unable to do so many of the things that used to be easy.

yeah that's the thing Grau , thinking you can do something that age (maybe mileage would be a better term?) and really shouldn't is indeed a frustration

Since the jobs I already listed were not the worst, I can wholeheartedly agree; you're right about manual labor being rough on your body.

lotta mileage there Grau......

Anyway, I still feel that I've got far more blessings than misfortunes and since I go to the V.A. hospital for medical care, I frequently see how lucky I really am.

I worked one ambulance crew that took vets to VA , about a 45 min ride. Most of it was little more than a taxi ride, and so we had a lot of time to talk to the vets (EMT's are suppose to keep one talking)

Some rather interesting tales , inevitabaly we always slipped in a 'how's VA doing for you'? just to keep 'em talking

So if you'll endure the same inquisitive nature , can i ask you the same?

~S~

 

[Grau]

I was in pain management for some time due to two conditions. It sucked. I was never out of pain and hated the meds. But a wonderful new dr put some pieces together and I had a surgery that changed my life. I pray you have a good resolution.

I am sincerely glad that you had life changing surgery that changed your life for the better and just as grateful for your prayer.
I'm sure that things will work out well but I'm probably not going to find a Dr. as good as my recently retired one.

The are six old injuries / orthopedic maladies that are getting progressively more painful and none of them are considered operable.
I don't expect total pain relief, just enough so that I can still stay active and do some blacksmithing.
I'm very lucky to have several loyal, supportive and generous friends as well as an extremely patient, "attentive" and caring wife of 30 years along with 3 sisters in law who spoil me.

Briefly put, my life could be much, much worse

I genuinely hope that your surgery brings you an active and pain free lifetime.

Many thanks,

 

[Grau]

That's called "getting older."

You're right !

Everyone keeps telling me the same thing but there's still more stuff that I want to do and places to see.
Among the many things I need to do is to work in my blacksmith shop and finish a wrought iron elephant I'm working on.

Then, there's my old, 1911, 3 ton mechanical hammer for large pieces of hot steel that needs adjustment.

Next, my firewood supply is pitiful while my chainsaw gathers dust. Then there's target shooting to be done....

Meanwhile, it hurts so much just to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I have to do it in 4 stages.

Yes, you are, indeed, right. I'm just getting older.

Thanks for the reminder,

 

[Unkotare]

You're right !

Everyone keeps telling me the same thing but there's still more stuff that I want to do and places to see.
Among the many things I need to do is to work in my blacksmith shop and finish a wrought iron elephant I'm working on.

Then, there's my old, 1911, 3 ton mechanical hammer for large pieces of hot steel that needs adjustment.

Next, my firewood supply is pitiful while my chainsaw gathers dust. Then there's target shooting to be done....

Meanwhile, it hurts so much just to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I have to do it in 4 stages.

Yes, you are, indeed, right. I'm just getting older.

Thanks for the reminder,

Keep doing stuff, just accept that it's gonna hurt more and take you longer. Remember, speed goes first and strength goes last.

 

[Grau]

Keep doing stuff, just accept that it's gonna hurt more and take you longer. Remember, speed goes first and strength goes last.

Don't worry, I'm too mule-headed to just give up and I usually figure out easier ways to do stuff even if it takes longer.

For example, right after one of my 2 total hip replacements, we had about 8" of snow.
Everyone had gone somewhere and I decided to build a fire in the fireplace.
Unfortunately, the woodpile was about 50 yards away and I was still on crutches.

Anyway, I found my hand truck, used one of the dog collars to hook the hand-truck to my belt and was able to haul small loads of firewood into the house while still on crutches.

Yes, it hurt, and, yes, it took a long time but the dogs and I thoroughly enjoyed that fire.

Thanks again,

 

[Grau]

yeah that's the thing Grau , thinking you can do something that age (maybe mileage would be a better term?) and really shouldn't is indeed a frustration

lotta mileage there Grau......

I worked one ambulance crew that took vets to VA , about a 45 min ride. Most of it was little more than a taxi ride, and so we had a lot of time to talk to the vets (EMT's are suppose to keep one talking)

Some rather interesting tales , inevitabaly we always slipped in a 'how's VA doing for you'? just to keep 'em talking

So if you'll endure the same inquisitive nature , can i ask you the same?

~S~

Mileage certainly makes as much sense as the word "age" especially at times when you consider that many of those "miles" were Demolition Derby mileage.

Anyway, I am grateful to anyone who works as an EMT and, now that you mention it, the last time I was in the back of an ambulance a pair of EMTs seemed like they were trying to wake me but it's all a little fuzzy.

As it was, I was doing a blacksmithing demonstration on a hot, sunny day at a wine festival and a little after noon, my blacksmithing demonstration rapidly turned into a heat stroke demonstration.

You can probably imagine how delighted the E.R. staff were to get a 250 lb, 6' 2", vomit and coal dust covered dirty old blacksmith.

Your question, however, wasn't about vomit covered blacksmiths but had to do with the quality of care at the V.A. Hospitals.

I go to McGuire's V.A. Hospital (It's been renamed to "Central Virginia VA Health Care System") in Richmond, VA and am very happy with the hard work they do.
With very, very few exceptions, I'd say that the care is as good as any hospital I've been in; more than a few.

It's busy but not overcrowded and I always pack a lunch because you never know how long you'll have to wait.
The over mood is very good and the staff couldn't be friendlier.

Finally, I feel that the quality of care has improved over time and am grateful for your interest and service as an EMT.

Please feel free to ask me anything and keep that inquisitive nature going; the world needs more of it.

Thanks,

 

[sparky]

You can probably imagine how delighted the E.R. staff were to get a 250 lb, 6' 2", vomit and coal dust covered dirty old blacksmith.

With very, very few exceptions, I'd say that the care is as good as any hospital I've been in; more than a few.

I'm glad, you vets deserve it. My pop is in VA now, 99 yrs old, survived the battle of the bulge , lot of stories.

I always felt privileged listing to vet stories in the back of the rig , some of you should really consider writing it on down....

Finally, I feel that the quality of care has improved over time and am grateful for your interest and service as an EMT.

retired after 3 decades Grau , but i served because the first time i saw the star of life was circling the drain as a lad.

I owed, because i would not be here if not for them

but i digress, my mentors were all ex-corpsmen and i was their 'wingman' starting out

Nothing, at least in the civilian contingent rattled these folks

It was lucky to have served with them

Happy Vets day!


~S

 

[initforme]

Real men understand that part of life is dealing with pain. The pussies of today who pretend to be men because they talk nonsense about women are too weak to deal with it. Women have always been better at dealing with pain anyway.

Chronic pain should be automatically dealt with by medial pot. Unless one is anti american that is.

 

[sparky]

Chronic pain should be automatically dealt with by medial pot. Unless one is anti american that is.

I'll pass IIFM, i'd rather be in pain and focused, than be doped up working with lethal voltages ~S~

 

[Zincwarrior]

My older friends turned to cannabis.

Cannibalism.

 

[initforme]

I'll pass IIFM, i'd rather be in pain and focused, than be doped up working with lethal voltages ~S~

I've swing pain pills destroy the digestive tract. I told a couple of widows to sue. They didn't. Awful awful terrible mistake. One doesn't owe the nation a thing if sick.

 

[initforme]

Suing is patriotic and protects others. Lawsuits are pir american.

 

[airplanemechanic]

I have been blessed to have a pain free life. Even after being shot 6 times in an armed robbery, I only took two narcotic pain pills in the hospital, just so I could sleep. After doing that and sleeping SO WELL those two nights, I told them I'm done. No more pain meds. The nurses were shocked, they were like you're shot in both arms, one leg twice, through and through in your chest and you don't want pain meds? I said I want them, but I don't want to get hooked.

I didn't even take Tylenol after that.

 

[PeterPilot]

I've never been clear as to how medical cannabis is different from simple, good quality refer.

I'm over 70 and am intimately familiar with the number of narcophobic sadists out here who pretend to treat chronic pain but just want to shove needles in your back.

Good luck,

The only difference between the two is that the medical model regulated under state laws taxes the product.

Black market reefer obviously includes no taxes.

I consider the Florida Medical Model to have shortcomings, but it appears Colorado got it right, with the legalization effort including both recreational and medicinal.

 

[Grumblenuts]

Same here.
I try not to complain too but get frustrated at being unable to do so many of the things that used to be easy.

However, what did I expect after 4 motorcycle wrecks, boxing, wresting, football, bicycle racing (and wrecks), paratrooper training and about 15 combat jumps, carrying cast iron bathtubs upstairs, carrying creosote soaked telephone poles to a home made pile driver where I stood in stinging nettle infested holding the telephone pole upright for the pile driver. The parts of me standing in the water that weren't burned by the stinging nettles were burned from the splattered creosote spray.........and the list goes on.

I'm pretty much retired now after 30 years of being a blacksmith (some people say"artist") where I designed and made wrought iron gates, furniture, African animals, fireplace tools and andirons, wine racks with wrought iron grape vines, garden sculpture and pretty much everything from cannons to napkin rings.

While swinging a hammer next to a 3,000 degree fire may not be everyone's "dream job", I had a great time giving demonstrations at festivals, researching and making reproductions of museum artifacts.

Since the jobs I already listed were not the worst, I can wholeheartedly agree; you're right about manual labor being rough on your body.
In addition to having both hips replaced 25 years ago, bad back, bad knees, broken right foot, cancer, congestive heart failure, Charcot joint syndrome.....and, again, the list goes on.

Anyway, I still feel that I've got far more blessings than misfortunes and since I go to the V.A. hospital for medical care, I frequently see how lucky I really am.


Enjoy your weekend,

 

[Andrew_Jackson_FTW]

I take a low-level pain medicine called tramadol for prostatitis. Prostatitis is a brutal thing. At the same time, I had a bad spinal injury about four years ago, which left me in a wheelchair for a while. Combining the two makes for a challenge. I have long-term effects from the spine injury. I got into a car accident causing a spine injury four years ago. And the prostatitis came about a year after the car accident.

It wasn’t easy getting a prescription for the tramadol. Had to keep on making request to the doctor and finally got it. Interestingly enough in Cambodia you can get whatever pain medicine you want. Just walk into a pharmacy in any mall you can even get hydrocodone or Percocets without a script.

with God’s assistance positive thinking, exercise and this low level pain medicine I can prevail.

Before the pain pill, I tried everything, physical therapy, gabapentin, numerous types of approaches none really worked. If the prostatitis can one day disappear, then I can get off the tramadol. We will see.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I take a low-level pain medicine called tramadol for prostatitis. Prostatitis is a brutal thing. At the same time, I had a bad spinal injury about four years ago, which left me in a wheelchair for a while. Combining the two makes for a challenge. I have long-term effects from the spine injury. I got into a car accident causing a spine injury four years ago. And the prostatitis came about a year after the car accident.

It wasn’t easy getting a prescription for the tramadol. Had to keep on making request to the doctor and finally got it. Interestingly enough in Cambodia you can get whatever pain medicine you want. Just walk into a pharmacy in any mall you can even get hydrocodone or Percocets without a script.

with God’s assistance positive thinking, exercise and this low level pain medicine I can prevail.

Before the pain pill, I tried everything, physical therapy, gabapentin, numerous types of approaches none really worked. If the prostatitis can one day disappear, then I can get off the tramadol. We will see.

For me, bad back and bad knees, I just take cod liver oil tablets, and turmeric with black pepper tablets. Once in a blue moon, paracetamol.

I found pain killers are of no use for bad backs, so I take it easy when lifting, coughing etc.. I keep a little pot of Tiger Balm to rub on my knees now and them.

 

[sparky]

Another friend (a conservative, by the way) swears their acupuncturist worked miracles.

It does, did it for years.....

. Even after being shot 6 times in an armed robbery,

good lord , ive taken a number of GSW victims in my time for a ride ,but you take the cake .

you musta been leakin' all over!

~S~

 

[initforme]

If a person is in chronic pain they should be given any drug, legal or not, to deal with it. It's not others business. Anti human.

 

[sparky]

If a person is in chronic pain they should be given any drug, legal or not, to deal with it. It's not others business. Anti human.

Especially those that are terminal IIFM ~S~