@artscaping, I'm glad that MM gives you some relief. I will have to keep that in the back of my mind in case I am ever in need of stronger pain relief than tylenol.

You have a cavalier? We used to have a beautiful blenheim Cavalier named Keller, gaelic for "little companion" which certainly fit him. He was a wonderful little dog. He lived to 14!

Here he was with our son at our rustic camp in Maine. He was not quite a year old there. I miss him.

JK

I saw my primary care yesterday about pain management. She was shocked that my dentist of 25 years wouldn't give me a referral to a pain-management specialist.

There are a few pain-management specialists in Tallahassee. One, who's at the top of everyone's list, has waiting lists so long that you could die of pain before you got in to see him. Forget that! So, she's going to see who has the shortest waiting lists--she likes quite a few of the other docs--and refer me. I am so grateful! She takes me seriously and listens to me--and she KNOWS I'm not an opioid addict. Heck, I wait forever, telling myself, "Oh, it'll go away," before I ever go to see her, and she knows it.

I continue not to have any TMJ pain--or, rather, the few flareups I've had have been of very short duration and have never risen above a 5. So I haven't had to take any pain meds. (The only serious ones I can tolerate are Tylenol plus codeine and Vicodin; all the others that've been given to me after surgeries make me really sick to my stomach. But both Tylenol + and Vicodin put me to sleep. That's great at night, but NOT when I'm trying to work or drive during the day!)

I asked her about medical marijuana. We didn't discuss it much; there are so many hoops to jump through here in Florida. But I suppose that's something I could bring up with a pain-management specialist.

Hazel (@hazelblumberg)

Dogs are just wonderful! I don't know what I'd do without mine: Sidney, a rescue lab/hound mix, about 60 pounds, who, by my vets' guesstimates, must be between 16 and 18 by now. We've had her for 5 years. Our other dog is Butch, a Yorkie rescue, who weighs 5 pounds. He's 12, and we've had him since he was 8. He's hilarious, opinionated, and a barky little thing. He makes me laugh a lot. We also have 10 rescue cats, 9 of whom are seniors. The 10th is Panther, who's FIV+; he's about 5. Most of our critters have special needs. Our dear little rescue Persian, Red, had to be put to sleep about 10 days ago, and we miss him terribly. He was 18, and we'd had him since he was 14. He was the most affectionate little guy. As soon as anyone walked into a room or anyone came to visit, Red rolled over to have his belly rubbed. He purred louder than any of the others, and he snored just as loudly. I keep thinking that I see him out of the corner of my eye--and maybe I do.

I did yoga for years. It was great exercise, and I'd feel relaxed while I was doing it, but the relaxation disappeared almost as soon as the class was up. I've tried meditation repeatedly, but I simply can't do it. I sort of wish I gardened; we've got 2.75 acres of land. But every time I've planted something, be it veggies or the hottest of hot peppers or butterfly-attracting bushes, deer devour them. So, our land is pretty much a wilderness. At least we get to see a lot of wild critters, such as opossums with babies clinging to their mamas' backs. We get a lot of hummingbirds at our feeders but never the vast number that you see in photos or on the hummer feeder boxes. They dive bomb each other and want to be the only ones at the feeder.

For relaxation, I mainly knit and read. While I'm knitting, I listen to books on my Kindle. When I'm working on a complicated pattern, I have to turn off the book; I get so engrossed, and my knitting goes to pot.

Hazel

HI @artscaping, how dumb of me. You are so lucky that u live somewhere where it s legal. I guess you would not know of any good sites to go to to get some good hemp oil. I have read that a lot of those sites are not any good. Charletes Webb being one of them.
Or does anybody out there know of any good sites where they get Good HEMP OIL? Thanks for all of your information. By, the where do u live? I told my bofriend, if I ever get off of this useless pain meds. We are going to Denver to ride to pot bus.i saw that on tv and thought it was hilirous. God Bless at your age you sound like you have things pretty under control. Have a wonderful day!

I live in Florida.Yes, you have to get a dr who then sends a prescription to the state. It you go to https://mmuregistry.flhealth.gov you can find out exactly how it works. The Dr. that I use is at bernardcannabiscenter.com. I was just taking various pain meds. They did not help much. So far I am not getting that much help from weed but I am increasing the dose very slowly. Hope this helps.

To answer your question, I have a home on the Mississippi in Minnesota and one in the mountains in California. Both states have MM dispensaries. The MN ones are managed by Bachman and appear to be well done with good product and helpful pharmaceutical advisors. However they limit the product options to 3 types and do not sell edibles. My day starts with a butterscotch jelly stoner in my coffee. I try to stay ahead of the pain from the get go!

Hazel, a lot of doctors won't have anything to do with MM, or the clinic they work with has a policy of not prescribing it. My pcp said if he knew I was taking it, he'd stop prescribing my ms contin and Clonazepam. No doctor in central Oregon will prescribe. If I were to want to start it, the local dispensary brings in a prescriber once a month. Everything about mm is outrageously expensive, even though it's legal here in Oregon.

Jim

MM is legal here in Florida, and there are, I think, three dispensaries in Tallahassee. My primary care just said that there were a lot of hoops to jump through. She's scouting out a pain-management specialist who can see me soon, and then she'll write me a referral to him or her. I'm guessing that the pain-management person would prescribe the MM, but I have no idea.

I get my prescription for clonazepam from my psychiatrist, for panic/anxiety disorder. I've been on clonazepam for at least 20 years! It's hilarious: I always have to hand over my driver license when I pick it up at the pharmacy, and then it costs me less than $2 for a month's supply; I take 0.5 mg two or three times a day. I doubt my psychiatrist would stop prescribing it if I went on MM.

The last person who wrote me a prescription for Tylenol + codeine was my (now former) dentist. I have quite a few of them, so with any luck, I won't need any refills for a while, anyway. Fingers crossed.

Continuing to have pain-free days. I think I'm up to ten! Zowie! I have had some brief breakthrough pain, but it's only gone up to, at most, a 5, and not to the agonizing 8-10 that I've normally had.

Hazel

Hi Jim,
Just an FYI...my pcp and my neurologist know about the MM use and are encouraging. I am more than encouraged because I can function most of the day with greatly reduced pain and absolutely no side effects, no addiction worries. I always maintain clarity of mind and have not had to deal with the depression that chronic pain can cause. MM can be pricey but doesn't have to be outrageous. I just cut back on eating out, put my TV/Internet service on senior programming and seasonal hold, let go of Sirius in the car. (Now I just sing badly!) I play the senior card with all of my household services. It is amazing how the price gets cut. Many companies have senior rates but don't announce them. You have to ask. And by the way....you can receive discounts from the MM dispensary depending on volume and loyalty. Only no-no is alcohol...doesn't mix at all well with MM unless you wait 4 hours from medicating to pour your first glass of wine. I have been on this regime for 3 years so if you have additional questions, I may be able to relay my own MM experiences with some sense of validity.

@hazelblumberg

My service dog took over the job after her predecessor died suddenly and unexpectedly of a stroke in 2/16. He was a wonderful dog, an Aussie/Border Collie mix, who was going to be put down the day we found him - he was the runt of the litter and no one wanted him. We had him for 9 years. After he died, I found Sadie in the local HS shelter. She had a lot to overcome, but she's certainly stolen my heart. She was around 2,and the online photo of McNabb looks like her identical twin.

My therapist told me to spend lots of time with her this week. That's not hard, since she follows me everywhere I go, inside and out. If I go out, so does she, and often she lies in the grass watching what I'm doing. If she goes away from me, she always comes back to check on me. Sometimes she sits down right in front of me, on top of the weeds I'm pulling.

Aside from the regular services she provides, her loyal presence provides great therapy.

We did have a cat, but she died a year ago. I found what was left of her out in the pasture, and I buried her where she lay. We really miss her rodent control services, though the dogs seem to do pretty well at that. It's fun to watch them stalking - just like a cat. We have mixed feelings about getting another cat because he/she would be left home alone any time we went on a trip. Our neighbors have a few cats, and I imagine they work our field as well as their own.

Jim