Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself
Welcome to the new Chronic Pain group.
I’m Kelsey and I’m the moderator of the group. I look forwarding to welcoming you and introducing you to other members. Feel free to browse the topics or start a new one.
Why not take a minute and introduce yourself.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.
@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 know, really! When I was in high school, I was in a summer program at Colgate, and a bus took us to Colgate Mondays through Fridays. I took a history class. I was so impressed by the school that it was my top choice when I was applying to college. My first year, there were 1800 guys and 132 women. I was often the only female in many classes. Some of the guys, profs, and alumni didn't like us being there, but tough. I think it made all of us much stronger women.
I used to take Nexium for acid reflux. Well, after I'd been on it way too long, my primary care persuaded me to get off it. She tried various alternatives on me, but nothing worked. Then she suggested NESS (Nutritional Enzyme Support System) Digest Chewables. You chew one or two before you eat anything.
NESS has been an absolute miracle for me, and my acid reflux is pretty much gone. And it actually tastes nice! Well, when I was taking a ton of ibuprofen every day for my TMJ pain, the acid reflux came back, but not so badly. I would suggest giving NESS a try--if your doctor says that it won't cause any problems with any of your other meds, of course. Just Google it, and you'll find various places that sell it.
If I don't take NESS before I eat, I find that I have difficulty swallowing. I can feel food going down, and it doesn't feel nice at all. I was supposed to get an endoscopy once a few years back, but the doctor was just "too busy" to get to me. So, I got off my gurney, got dressed, and left.
Hazel (@hazelblumberg)
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
@hazelblumberg, first class of women, that is a pretty awesome accomplishment to be part of!
@kdubois We probably should just change officially change our name to Med City! Or, I suppose you could change yours to Not Mayo Clinic Rochester?
I blush to admit that, all these many years later, I am still proud of being in the first class of women at Colgate. 😉
And proud you should be! That is a great accomplishment.
@jimhd,
After I had my left ankle fused, I was on pretty high doses of dilaudid. I am basically the opposite of @kdubois, I process pain medications extremely fast and their effectiveness is short lived. Dilaudid was the only one that took the edge off of my intense pain for the first few months. Even though I have chronic pain, I only take opioids after surgeries. I worry about with how fast I metabolize pain medications how easy it would be to get addicted and the constant need to elevate my doses. Slippery slope right? It is a constant juggling act between pain relief, addiction risks, and quality of life. I just wanted to jump in and say that even though I am a moderator, I face the struggles of chronic pain as well.