Wednesday, June 21, 2017

AMA needs YOUR Assistance for Congress and the Health Care Bill TIME is ASAP!!!

URGENT!!!!!



Last month the House of Representatives narrowly passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), legislation that according the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) could result in an estimated 14 million Americans losing their health care coverage in 2018 in addition to a projected cut of more than $800 billion to Medicaid over the next decade.

Now it's the Senate's turn and prospects for an improved bill that addresses the concerns expressed by physicians from across the country look grim. As early as next week, Senate leadership is moving forward with plans to vote on a bill that has not yet been made public nor scored by the CBO.

Physicians stand united with their patients in opposition to any legislation that would cut coverage for Americans with health insurance, take quality health care coverage away from those who have it now and increases out-of-pocket health care costs.

Contact your Senators now and tell them to vote NO on any legislation that would make coverage more expensive for millions of Americans.  It's time to put patients above politics!



https://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BAAAAAoYACnXMAUIN3Q7FAA



Monday, June 19, 2017

"KRATOM" Anyone Else know about this "potential off the counter" chronic pain medications that seem to help many conditions...

Here are a few links below as well as some information I've just received from one of my friends on Facebook...

It was something I had never heard of, and for the most part, it appears that MANY, MANY DOCTORS have no clue about this...


https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2016/9/21/survey-kratom-very-effective-for-many-chronic-pain-conditions


https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/should-kratom-be-legal/


My FIRST QUESTION would be WHY HAS THIS NOT COME FROM THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, AND SINCE IT IS SOMETHING NOT "designed" from the Pharmaceutical companies, thus they lose out on huge profits, is that the REASON IT IS BEING KEPT SO QUIET???

It seems there should be many of us questioning this "substance" with our doctors, and finding out online, and through anywhere we can about it...


This is the first time I've heard of it, and the "DEA" quietly said it would not be shown "beneficial" for chronic pain, BUT IN THE ARTICLE FROM THE PAIN NETWORK, LOOK HOW MANY PEOPLE DID NOT IT EXTREMELY BENEFICIAL!!! 


I'm not saying I am FOR THIS OR AGAINST THIS... since I've been made aware just today, I a interested in knowing the safety, if it works like the article says, the side effects, long term effects if any, the cost, and so forth.....

CONTINUED FROM "Delving Into "hopefully" a New Outlook on Rheumatic Illnesses & finding Ways to get the word out to Others... Possibly a New BOOK, A new "Non-Profit" to be active with, and a "new attitude" for myself "Relationships" Chronic Illnesses, and Life

It's a mixed emotional painful weekend last few days for me... my entire BODY hurts so badly, and I am not sure what the hell is going on. Even MANY of the "joints" that have been completely replaced hurt so badly, I a not sure what to make out of it.


I continue to blame much of the severe pain that sometimes occurs on the humid, wet TX weather. Not the "heat" so much, as it is the basically HIGH HUMIDITY we have most of the time, whether hot or cold here.

You would think I lived much closer to the coast the way the humidity is so high here. Yet, I live at least 6 hours from the coast, if I went directly to Houston from where I am.

So, "the region" is not to blame for sure. We just happen to have a great deal of very "wet, damp" even some mornings the lawn will appear as if it has rained the night before because everything is so "wet and the moisture just "hangs" almost in the air.

Yet, I have to believe that there is more to what I am feeling than humidity. It's gotten me hurting so badly, that it matters not what I do or don't do, the pain is almost unbearable. In fact it can be down right frightening.

When you are already "autoimmune compromised" with RA, Lupus and so forth, you are on medications that are "risky" to say the least for severe infections, and sometimes even cancer that could develop although the risks are very low, I fear "infected" joint replacements, or something that has gone "wrong" with the implants... Yet it's not just those joints, it is all of my other joints, muscles, my lower back, headaches, every inch of my body seems to just ache deeply down almost as if my "bones" were in pain.

I've researched the subject many times, because this has happened to me over the past at least 10 years off and on, with really no way to find a good explanation or a diagnosis to put your finger on and say OKAY, "this is what's wrong"....

As I've told my pain specialist before I could literally...

Alas MONDAY MORNING ARRIVES, AND GUESS WHAT??? HIGH HUMIDITY, STORMY WEATHER, AND A "THICKNESS" IN THE AIR that feels like you could "push it up and sit down on it"....

So, no one can say "weather" does NOT effect many of us very dramatically especially when joints, bones, muscles, and chronic pain and chronic conditions are present....

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Trying to "Balance" All of Life's "Chores" When Chronic Illnesses and Pain, Plus surgery recovery is supposed to be "PRIORITY"

I feel as if all I do is gripe, fuss and moan about my Cervical Neck Surgery. Yet, since it was not the "usual" cervical surgeon most Orthopedic Doctors see and do, it has became something that really needs to be discussed...

I know my son asked me about a week ago, Had I known just how involved and how much time, toil and complications were going to happen, "Would I still go through with the surgery?} Well, the first answer you feel would be HELL NO! But, of course pain, and all of the "symptoms" that happen when a neck is so severely disintegrated, of course my answer was yes. If I had not had so many "issues" last year that kept me from having the surgery, it maybe that it would have been in a bit "better state" or NOT, but possibly it might have been less problems than we thought.

My surgeon was very honest with me, and he told me that the possibility of once he got into the spine and vertebra during surgery, things may be a great deal worse than what we had seen on the films. Sure enough, both myself and he were correct. Once he opened me up, there was a previous fusion that never got completely "set and hardened" plus the other new C5C-6 I think, had NO disc for the most part, plus is was so jagged, and there was NO disc space, thus he had to literally stretch my neck 2 inches in order to make things right. Plus there were bone spurs, one huge new one and several others had developed. Well, NOT ANYTHING in there was going to magically heal itself, and as time went on, I would just be in worse condition, thus I would be an idiot to put off surgery...


I am in the process of trying to get my medical records, but their patient portal I don't believe is all finished yet.


Thus the osteoporosis, RA, osteoarthritis, RA, Predisone, as well as some other medications, my past few years of smoking although never very much and not all that long it is proven that it can cause the fusion not to harden and do what it is meant to.


So, after 9 LONG weeks in the hard collar, I have another 4 WEEKS to do the same, other than i can wear the soft one at night sleeping.


What I truly don't understand, is WHY DOCTORS DO NOT GIVE OUT ENOUGH INFORMATION TO PATIENTS BEFORE AND AFTER A SURGERY OF THIS MAGNITUDE????

IF I was NOT educated and versed in searching the internet like some people especially elderly.... I would not have one clue what I CAN do and what I CANNOT DO!!!! I've done search after search making sure I am not causing more harm, yet wanting to be able to do some things. But, he nor most surgeons, DO THE SURGERY... they don't have the bedside manner of a PCP, or listen like other doctors do, and they can be rude, down right pissy, walk out of the room when you are trying to speak, and so on....

Even I am not sure, other than he basically said I could not turn my head, nor nod up and down thus that covers about everything any person does, other than walk straight and sit up straight..


I shall continue later, probably tomorrow.....

Friday, June 9, 2017

Nightly News and the STORY OF THE FDA DOING SOMETHING TOTALLY INSANE - TAKING A DRUG (PAIN MED) OFF THE SHELVES FOR AN INSANE REASON!

 I was SO MAD and SO UPSET over this story I just watched on "Nightly News" that I HAD to come and post the video along with MY OPINION!!!! THIS IS NOT THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY'S (ENDO) FAULT!!!! IF WE ALLOW the FDA to start doing this then WHEN WILL THEY TAKE TYLENOL AND BABY ASPIRIN OFF THE SHELVES???? Or TELL DOCTORS AND PHARMACISTS what they CAN or CANNOT prescribe for patients!!???? Just because a "group" OF STUPID PEOPLE TAKE A MEDICATION OPANA ER (by the way before I had my ain pump put in I was on this medication and it was the 1st one that contained a chemical that if you altered it by smashing it, cutting it, melting it and so forth IT DOES NOT HAVE THE EFFECT!!! Once a "drug" of ANY KIND comes off the Pharma's shelves, THEY CANNOT CONTROL WHAT A PATIENT DOES OR DOES NOT DO WITH IT!!! Nor can anyone but that patient!!!!! IF THEY can't get "Opana" then they will get SOMETHING ELSE.... NOTHING the FDA does will KEEP THOSE WHO ABUSE IT BADLY ENOUGH TO KEEP FROM FINDING SOMETHING!!! mMANY PEOPLE Use their ANTIDEPRESSANTS to try and commit suicide! IS THE FDA going to REMOVE ANTIDEPRESSANTS FROM THE MARKETS????? This is totally insane!!! IF WE stand for this AS PATIENTS, AS CARETAKERS, AS ADVOCATES FOR CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS, AS ANYONE WHO DOES NOT WANT THE FDA TO RULE OVER WHAT WE CAN DO.... or NOT DO... They need to send an email, send FACEBOOK POSTS, SEND TWITTERS, ANYTHING TO SAY "HELL NO" I will NOT stand around with my hands down and head in the sand and allow this mess!!!! GGGGGRRRRR! This one really gets me extremely upset.... as a legitimate chronic pain patient that could NOT live without my Pain Control.... I would have already passed away from pain!!!!!! I CHALLENGE EACH ONE THAT DOES not agree to DO SOMETHING!!!!!







http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/fda-to-drug-maker-please-pull-this-potent-drug-off-the-market-964253763552