Well actually @artscaping , we are positively disposed to the idea of medical marijuana. The drugs my wife will not do include all opioids, as well as things like duloxetine or steroids or pretty much anything that comes from a pharmaceutical company. We plan to definitely try marijuana as soon as it is legal in Tennessee. She has tried the illegal stuff enough to know it does effectively eliminate the pain for a few hours, so when the medical "no high" version becomes available it seems like that will be a useful tool for relief.

You asked about help with fatigue. One way that has helped my wife overcome fatigue is by taking a set of mitochondrial boosting supplements. As you may know, our energy is produced by the trillions of mitochondria that live in almost all cells of the body. They produce ATP, which is what we need to have energy. So anything we can do to make them healthier is a good thing. Here are the things she takes regularly: MitoQ, Niagen, Acetyl L Carnitine, L Carnosine, PQQ and NAC. The MitoQ is like a super Co Q10 because it crosses the blood-brain barrier and is much better absorbed. My wife is convinced it has helped as much as anything in fighting her ongoing energy issues and all of these combine to give her more energy to be able to endure pain and still function at a reasonable level. I would say of the 6 things I mentioned, the first 3 (MitoQ, Niagen and Acetyl L Carnitine) are the ones that she has noticed a benefit from the most and the last 3 (L Carnosine, PQQ and NAC) it's tough to tell. But in reading about them all, they all relate to boosting mitochondria. If anyone knows of any I did not mention I'd like to hear about them. I myself noticed a boost from taking Acetyl L Carnitine. When I was doing my regular hikes in the mornings I noticed a definite fall off in energy a couple years back when I was about 65. Very soon after starting the ALC I became more like my previous self who could march up and down hills with verve and joy! It was wonderful. So I really can attest to the benefits of that supplement. Niagen gives me the abilty to focus. My wife takes it every day but I do only on days when I have to do a lot of driving or when I will be doing a lot of socializing with people. It's great for focus in doing either of those things. And as I said, the MtoQ has been helping my wife tremendously she feels (I do not take that). The downside to taking all of these is, of course, they are not cheap. We spend a lot on all of this stuff (we probably take about 25 or 30 different supplements regularly) . But since we can't travel at all with her health situation being what it is, we figure it's a wash between traveling expenses and supplement expenses. So that is one way my wife deals with fatigue.

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