PatG

Dear Raven: When I get flareups, I try to lay down a little more often during flareup time. I either add heat or ice to the body parts that are flaring up. I had a flare up for two days this past weekend; in my neck, it was due to vaccumming. My husband said he'd do that from now on. Oh sure, I will ask him to do it and maybe it will get done 1 week later (then you can't imagine how many "things" in the rug I have to look at!).
According to this arthritis thing I read, we are supposed to lie down 10 min. every hour to rest our joints. If you have young kids, that is next to impossible!

I am sorry about your financial situation. Right now, we took a pretty good hit this summer and we are living on a cash advance on our credit card. It was a deal to be treated as a purchase, which is less finance charges than an actual cash advance. I need to go to work, too, but how? Not in my physical shape and the bummer is, I will most likely never be able to work again. I just don't think your husband really understands the severity of your problem. You know, do you think he would go with you to your doctor and perhaps your doctor could explain your situation to him? Just a thought.

I cannot believe you are interested in dog training. We raise German Shepherds!!!! Right now, we have 6 dogs. I keep telling these dogs that I have too many dogs. Every now and then, we'd end up with an extra puppy that wouldn't sell. So, thus we have 6 dogs! Our female is getting old and she just hasn't been making any more puppies.

That doctor's email was given to me a couple of years ago, so I hope it still works for you. If not, I did give you his address, didn't I? Email is: <hugh.allen@vmmc.org)
I have a dot between hugh and allen, but usually email's don't have dots there, so try it with and if it doesn't work, try it without the dot.

I'd try one of these icons, but I can't remember what they all mean. My luck, I'd try to figure them out and lose this message I worked so hard to type.

Regarding the vicodine, you may be like my son and allergic to some of these things. I've had a pain in my stomach the last few days, but it isn't from my pills. It is a "sick" (virus) of some sort. The reason the darvocet maybe okay is because darvocet is of the family of methadone (the stuff they use to get people off of heroine). Demoral is of the same family as darvocet and that would be the stronger drug of choice for you, if you are allergic to the opiates. My son-in-law used to be a DEA agent and he gave me a book on abusable drugs, and this is how I know this stuff. If your doctor gave you percocet or percodan (one has aspirin and one has tylenol in it; that is the difference), he would be giving you a drug of the same "family". However, figure this one out: My allergic son can take Codeine! I asked my druggist and he said it is a different compound. My son could not take morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone (vicodine), but he can take Codeine. You may be the same way.

Well, I hope you are doing better. This cold weather we've been having here in Washington state, (record low -2 at night!) hasn't been too good for me either. Between that and vaccuuming, I've been hurting for 3 days. Today I finally feel a bit better. Take care, Raven! Pat G.