One of the things that's hard about getting older is the inevidability of failing health. But it is part of life. If the work you've done was labor intensive then the more likely you'll have problems related to all the heavy lifting and 16 hour days. I have chronic sciatica and arthritis in the lower spine. Degenerative spine disease the specialist calls it. Add to that hypothyroidism and high blood pressure and you can take a guess on how much medicine I have to take. I have blood labs once a month to keep tabs on things and last month the report indicated diminished kydney function'. So I have been taken off the meloxicam which was for the arthritis pain in my tailbone. With the exception of the thyroid pills and blood pressure pills the rest of the prescriptions are for pain. This is new for me. I've been relatively healthy all my life. There were times when I was down temporarily but always healed and got back at it. Now I get this feeling that all these new issues aren't temporary. The thing is, I know all this medicine is not good for a person. But you don't have much choice when the pain becomes unbearable which if you've had sciatica you know what I'm saying. The specialist has indicated he wants to start with injections after a thourough review of my mri. If this would help me get off the pain meds I'm all for it. But this also seems to be a temporary thing. People in severe pain need relief. Mostly that comes through medication. But with those medicines come side effects. Especially with your kydneys and liver. So what do you do ? Lay in bed agonizing to stay off the meds . No. You'll take the pills and be damn glad to have them. Prescription drug abuse is at epidemic proportions. Maybe partly because so many suffer pain. I think Prince was suffering severe pain and got hooked on percoset. Probably had to have to deal with the pain from a bad hip. Could be maybe the dosage became insufficient and he took more than prescribed who knows. But when the pain becomes unbearable, like with severe spinal disorders, there's not much a person won't do to find relief. There's really no right way to go. With pain medication, you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't. Sucks to not be healthy. If you are, I envy you.
Catch 22
- Thread starter Ludlow
- Start date
I'm having an MRI this Tuesday afternoon coming, to see if there is a chance of operating on my damaged lower spine. I get severe sciatica that shifts from leg go keg, comes and goes, which suggests that a loose bone chip is digging into the nerve bundle. I've been told that if it us intermittent, they can operate. If it never goes away, you are likely stuck with the condition.
sure is painful isn't it.? Sometimes I'll just lay awake in bed hoping the pain goes away. Good luck with yours I'm hoping they can do something with mine too. The meds make it somewhat tolerable.
I've had other operations for unrelated things over the last four years and Percocet and I are old friends.
Nothing seems to reach back pain, though.
If you have a lot of pain try grounding, bare feet on the bare earth. Improper grounding renders many modern humans electron deficient, you should also adjust your PH.
High Blood Pressure can be combated somewhat with changes to diet and exercise. This would allow one less drug which may make things less complicated. Most of the good painkillers and blood pressure meds are hard on the kidneys and/or liver. Anything you can do to reduce your intake will allow you to continue with the meds you need for the pain.
I keep my pH low to combat the chronic (inhereted) marble-sized kidney stones that I develop ... the source of two other operations in the last four years.
The blood pressure surprised me because I didn't feel anything to indicate it. They sent me to the ER with a heart rate of 150 and blood pressure was 170/120. That reading stayed the same until I was on lisinopril for about a month. It's normal now but I take a pill every day. My sisters have hypertention too.
My mri showed kydney stones too. I'm trying to drink lots of water, poweraid and cranberry juice.
My mother died from a side effect of blood pressure medication. She was mildly high and started taking a med for it. Two Weeks later, after putting on a dinner party for thirty, she threw a clot and died of a pulmonary embolism. She was in her early seventies.
Your post hit home with me Ludlow and let me first say that I am sorry to read of the troubles you are having. I don't know about you but coming to terms with the fact that your body is starting to give up on you is a bit of shock even though intellectually you know that one day it was bound to happen. I have been very lucky until recently when I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my right knee. I have never had to take medication for anything more serious than an ear infection and have stayed away from over the counter drugs hoping that when it does become necessary less lethal drugs will do the trick. My doctor put me on Naproxen for a week which helped me get a better sleep at night as the pain was worse then for some reason. I'm finished with that now and though there are still twitches and the occasional sharp pain, I figure I have a handle on it and will just carry on. I worry more about the side effects of just about every single prescription drug out there and figure that the cure could be worse than than any temporary relief provided by them.
I wish you well, Ludlow.
I wish you well, Ludlow.
YOu guys got any pointers or easy exercises youngins like me could benefit from? I eat healthy, sleep on my back and try to stretch when i can but any more advice would be much appreciated... 
YOu guys got any pointers or easy exercises youngins like me could benefit from? I eat healthy, sleep on my back and try to stretch when i can but any more advice would be much appreciated...
Nothing that isn't out there all ready, Jonnny. It was an online site that showed me the best exercises to ease the pain in my knee - no my doctor.
I asked my doctor about naproxin when she was telling me about the blood lab report and my kydney function. She said absolutely no Aleve or ibuprophen. No sodas or sugary drinks. I think those two over the counter drugs are very hard on the kydneys.
Relative to my spine problems and some may not think it has much to do with it, my advise would be, Lift with your legs.YOu guys got any pointers or easy exercises youngins like me could benefit from? I eat healthy, sleep on my back and try to stretch when i can but any more advice would be much appreciated...
YOu guys got any pointers or easy exercises youngins like me could benefit from? I eat healthy, sleep on my back and try to stretch when i can but any more advice would be much appreciated...
If you walk a mile or jog a mile you get the same benefit (only difference is the time taken). Walk if you can. Easiest and most enjoyable form of exercise there is. If its not enjoyable you will stop doing it after the novelty or shock factor wears off.
I use to love taking long walks inthe country when I was living in the Ozarks. Sometimes I'd go 6 or 7 miles. When I was finished I really felt good.