Everyone here on the board, has shown a lot of support, and wisdom....Thank-you so much, for the short time here, I have felt better, with myself, knowing that there is so much more to do, and the help possible. Before this time, I learned to easily to allow my mind to slip into various forms of negativity. When I do, the first thing that leaves me is my sense of gratitude. I started to take the people in my life for granted, and the love that I often feel is replaced with such resentments and frustrations. This site reminds me to is to focus on the good in my life. Thank-you to all who replied to my different subjects. OH! by the way my wife actually chewed off our doctors ear, for the fact, that pharmacy keeps doing this stuff, so he will be talking with them. But I will still write a letter of complaint to the health board, and also so them the patients rights bill, thats if I can find it here in my office. Would anyone out mind if I put in what I use in my newsletters to my community, I call the thoughts for the day! what a child learns from you lasts forever! I don't want to step on toes, because I see that someone else has something very similiar. Thank-you all, and hope to hear from a few of you again!
Peteybear!
"Though everything looks dark and drear, I shall succeed. Though failure's voice speaks in my ear, I shall succeed. I do not fear misfortune's blow. I tower with strength above each fear. I stand erect because I know I shall succeed. Night swoops on me with darkest wings, but I'll succeed. I see the stars that darkness brings, but I'll succeed. No force on earth shall make me cower because each moment and each hour, I still affirm with strength and power: I SHALL SUCCEED!" "Give yourself the courage to stand in the midst of your troubles and say 'I SHALL SUCCEED!" author unknown, I pick up many of these things from when I taught elementary school and coach HS ball, and many other sports. Have a good night and hope for a good day tomorrow!

It's good that you're pursuing this petey, maybe the next person won't have to go through what you did. I'm struggling to fight this, it's funny you mention gratitude, one of my girlfriends told me last week to make a gratitude list. It's horrible to have to fight to get people to belive you, fight to get treatment, fight for pain relief. It shouldn't be like this. You are right though , we all need to keep hoping, without hope we're sunk. Thanks for reminding me, I've been trying to stay positive and really having trouble.

Good Luck Peteybear. Good for your wife. Cico I read the post about Morophine. FYI, It is a narcotic I think the strongest.

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Dale

Petey! Great to hear your progress...Hope you get the most effective help SOON! Others in your life can really be a help even when they wish they could do more for you! God bless! Al

Dale, Morphine,Vicodin,Codeine,Oxycodone are all narcotics. Ultram is not a narcotic but acts on the opiod receptors so it can have addictive properties. I've also been reading lately about people taking Methadone for pain control. Seems to be very effective and I'm not sure what class that falls into. Morphine is one of the strongest narcotics and I belive Vicodin is one of the least strong. All narcotics can be addictive but the incidence of addiction is very small for people who take it for serious chronic pain.

Hey Ciocc. Methadone is also an opiate, just like morphine, heroin, etc. It is, in fact, stronger and more addictive than heroin, although it's legal and is used to detox people off of the other opiates, including the pharmaceutical ones prescribed for pain relief. I worked at a methadone maintenance clinic for a couple of years after college and saw many people detox off opiate addictions. Not fun, but definitely possible.

Hi Val, I thought so but wasn't sure. Not something I'd take with my family history but I've bumped into articles on it several times recently. They all said it was very effective for FM pain without getting a high. You'd think by now that someone would have come up with effective pain management that wasn't addictive but there really isn't a whole lot out there. For people who are using opiods, be very careful, you can get "rebounds", especially headaches from long term use.

Ps Val, I haven't written off the Gui., I just haven't gotten motivated to do anything else at the moment. My next step is the TMJ dentist.

Thanks for the p.s., Rach. I've been reading your posts about how hard things have been recently for you...BUT, I did promise to only say it one time...LOL!!

I've been on it 3 weeks now, and it has been tough going. Not terrible, but thank Someone that I started it. My daughter is starting her third month on it and "cycling" her IBS and neck and back pain hard this week. But, it's so weird how it's working. She got up this morning claiming she felt the best she has felt IN MONTHS! And this afternoon, she came home from the mall with the worst apparent case of stomach flu you could imagine -- only to have it completely disappear again in a few hours. This is how they describe "cycling" at the guai websites. If the IBS stuff keeps up, however, I'll be writing you privately again for specific directions on the flaxseed. This random nausea/vomiting/diarrhea was something she did at the end of 6th grade, she just remembered tonight. So, if she is actually reversing at the rate of one year of bad symptoms for every 2 months on guai, she's right on schedule. Poor kid. It's not a treatment for the faint of heart...

Good luck with the TMJ. Even if you are doing the guai, you still need every med and trick in the FM book to get through the "reversal" process.

XOXO

Val

And that's one of the reasons I haven't jumped into it Val. I'm barely hanging on as it is and I don't want to feel any worse. I'm still patting myself on the back for not smoking! At this point, any additional suffering and I'm heading for Marlboro land!

smart woman!!!

the only thing about the pain and disability from "reversing" is that you know you're getting better, not worse. it seems to make it worth going through for them. and there IS a light at the end of that particular tunnel. truly amazing stories about people getting fully well.

I have my fingers crossed...

Val

Val, I'm still overwhelmed with what else it "might be" that's triggering all this. My mom is now suggesting that I ought to make sure I'm not going through early menopause. 'Course the women on both sides of my family have LATE menopauses so I'd have to really be out of whack if that's the case. Menopause at 33, can you imagine? Hormones,Thyroid,SAD,Seratonin,Chromium, Magnesium shortage, the list of things to rule out is apparently endless.

Hi peteybear, Thanks for sharing that piece. VERY inspirational! It is, somedays, very tough to keep the positive thoughts flowing, but sounds like you (and your wife!) are doing a pretty bang-up job getting things done. Way to go, and hang in there. Remember that old song: "smile though your heart is breaking"? a little revision: "smile though your body's aching", it is probably one of our very best medicines!

Hey, cioc, >>Menopause at 33, can you imagine?<< Yep, almost. How about 35? I'm GLAD it's done and over, now I can ENJOY my 50's! LOL

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Copper
Let Miracles Replace all Grievances