A lot has been going on lately

[Shawn]

Thought I would post here and catch up on some stuff that has been going on.
Me and my wife decided it was time for me to adopt my step daughter.So we have started the process of that.My step daughter has asked her mom about it a few times and we have all talked about it and think it is better to go ahead and do it while she is young. Everything has been ok and gotten better since we have been living together and got married and he changing jobs recently.
My daughter fell at school back in 2011. She was on crutches from her Ankle surgery and slipped on water that was on the floor and no wet floor sign was in place to warn her.Her crutch slipped and she went down hard on her knee.She had a friend with her carrying her books who was a witness to it. I was picking her up early from school and she told me she fell,we done the accident report at school right then.I had a bad feeling and I was right,she looks to be heading for another surgery. I have talked to the school administration about the medical bills and the guy had the nerve to tell me that they have no insurance to cover the medical bills. I told the guy I am not stupid.I know how it works and that they needed to pay the medical cost so that she could get treatment and he stuck with his story. I told him I will get an Attorney and he said go ahead,it's not going to change anything,they are not paying. So I got the Attorney and well,that guy was very wrong.I gave them the chance to pay the bills so I wouldn't be forced to sue them.I was not out for all that.I was wanting the bills paid and be done.Now I am forced to sue them.It did ruin my daughters plan to get into the Military now.Since I was forced to get the Attorney,I have decided to make them pay for more then the medical bills. If they want to play stupid,I will show them exactly where it will get them. Right now,the Dr is trying to hold off surgery and doing physical therapy,6 months of it.That is a lot of therapy but he said the injury is one that heals very slow,if at all and surgery only has a 65% success rate but she will always have problems with her knee. I am going out on a limb here and will say it will cost the school's insurance company several thousands of dollars for medical bills,her in ability to follow the career path she chose,and pain and suffering. The surgery will put her down for close to a year is what the Dr said. It really wouldn't surprise me if the settlement hit a little over the million dollar mark given all that she is going through and for lost income she will not have a chance at getting. She has talked about joining the Air Force since 8th grade and now that has all been taken away from her.She is still upset because of it. I think we are a few years off from being able to settle this but I feel she will be taken care of for life when they do settle.
My daughter has also been on a diet of some sorts.She was about 196 pounds last October and yesterday she was at 168 pounds. She has managed to keep it off.Me and my wife put the idea in her head and helped her find ways to loose weight and told her no pressure in losing it.We wanted her to do it for herself.She has a target weight of 130-135 pounds that she wants to get to and I think within 5-6 more months she will be able to meet her goal. She has done very well at it and she said she feels better then she did before we started this.Her knee Dr said she is doing great and that the 30 pounds off is like taking 120 pounds of pressure off her knee. Slow and steady is the best way to do a diet.She was eating school lunch for a few weeks and was at a standstill,as soon as she started taking her lunch again,she lost a few more pounds.School lunch isn't so healthy after all.
I recently found out bad news about my back which it seems to have no end in sight for.I may have to stop working for good if I keep having pain the way I am. Last weekend was horrible and painful for me to sit and drive. I am not on any pain meds right now,but really wish I had something to just take the edge off my pain for just a few hours so I can sleep without tossing and turning.Not a very good way to live. Surgery will do no good for me until my legs start going numb and I pretty much loose control of everything under my waist line,and even then,the pain will not be gone. I know a few people who had the surgery and they said it still hurts but they go the use of their lower half back.

I think me and my daughter are slowly falling apart.

[Diabolique]

Awww sorry to hear that things have been so difficult for you and your daughter! Hope she feels a lot better soon!

[soloist]

I too am sorry to learn of the situation
that yourself and now your daugh-
ter is experiencing. I'm hopin-
g for the best for you and
your family. I'll speak
more on this whe-
n I have more
time to ty-
pe, ok?

[Shawn]

Went to the Dr today and discussed my CT scan results. I am pretty much screwed. I have stenosis and bulging disc and pain that won't go away. I am on pain meds but they are not helping me a bit. We discussed surgery and she said it would do no good and I'd be back in 4-5 years needing it again and it would be worse the 2nd time around and no way to know if the first surgery would even help me seeing how back surgery usually makes it worse or doesn't change the pain level any.
they are working on getting me another Dr in another city for better treatment.Their hands are tied.She knows how much I hate this and how I can't live life the way I used to. I do what I can and that's about it anymore.

[soloist]

It's a shame that no one can give you an answer. It's
almost as if your life is being played with. Surel-
y someone knows something. I know your sit-
uation is not the first of it's kind, so the-
re must be a solution as well as an a-
lternative. The question is whet-
her or not someone will rev-
eal it to you instead of
thinking how much
of your insuran-
ce money th-
ey can m-
ake us-
e of.



(those doctors need some... adjusting)

[Shawn]

It's a shame that no one can give you an answer. It's
almost as if your life is being played with. Surel-
y someone knows something. I know your sit-
uation is not the first of it's kind, so the-
re must be a solution as well as an a-
lternative. The question is whet-
her or not someone will rev-
eal it to you instead of
thinking how much
of your insuran-
ce money th-
ey can m-
ake us-
e of.



(those doctors need some... adjusting)

I looked it up and done some research myself and she is right.The surgery would not fix my back pain,but it can make it worse. The stenosis is the big issue with all this.The bulging disc isn't.She said that the bulging disc is likely not causing my pain but the stenosis is causing the pain since it is pinching nerves and squeezing my spinal cord.She said eventually I will need surgery when pain starts shooting in my legs and they start going numb on me. I don't trust to many Doctors but I do this one because I have been going to her and the other Dr for a good amount of time.They both have the reputation that if they can't fix it or find a solution then there is no one who can.There are a lot of people they have helped with becoming pain free either through surgery or injections.I don't trust my primary doctor and I have been seeing him since 2006 when I had the first accident. He did give me the pain meds and I didn't have to ask for them and wouldn't have.I simply went in for the CT results. He said I better take the script just in case I need it. I was off them before the ct scan was done and I don't care to be on them now.They don't help,even when I take 2 I feel zero relief. I have about given up on them because the next thing he will try is Oxycodone and I will never use that again.Last time in 2008 I took it and went off it,the withdrawals were he ll to deal with.200x worse then norco/vicodin.

[soloist]

I'm glad to learn that you were able to make some degree of
progress in terms of dealing with someone who can hel-
p. I'm hoping that something can be done before t-
he pain gets to the point of damaging your leg-
s. Now that I know the name (Stenosis), I
will see what I can learn about the a-
ilment in hopes of trying to find
an alternative to the surger-
y. At this point, it seem-
s to be the only way
outside of conti-
ued drug us-
e. I'll see
what I
can:

(find out...)




G-
ood l-
uck, Sha-
wn. I can on-
ly imagine how d-
ifficult it is to live wi-
th such an ailment and t-
rying to live a normal life. I
am praying for you & your family.

[Shawn]

Thanks soloist for replying and being so caring. I have been a mess the past month. I have ran out of pain meds cause the doctor refuses to give me a dosage that will actually work.I guess having 2 bulging disc,stenosis and Fibromyalgia on top of it shouldn't be painful.What he doesn't understand is the FMS makes pain feel 2-3 times worse then a normal person. I go back next week to him and then to my specialist on the 12th.She wants to write me a script that would help,but then she would be breaking the law since their place got raided for BS. The Gov't is out to make anyone in pain suffer just because doctors won't drug test and see if they are taking their meds the right way or selling them. I still go to this Dr because they have been very helpful in explaining things to me and what options I have.
Now I am waiting on a call from a Dr out of town to see when I can get an appointment there.My specialist said probably not until November or December. Not sure I can wait that long.

The day I found out the results of the CT scan,we got a letter in the mail and we have to move before August 1st.Great,just what I needed.Barely working and barely getting by right now and now we have to move.I have no idea what I am going to do now. Hope something changes soon.

[Diabolique]

Sorry to hear that you are having such a rough time, Shawn!
What happened that you are now forced to move out of your current place?
That sucks, especially since you seemed to like your new location. Hang in there.

[Shawn]

Sorry to hear that you are having such a rough time, Shawn!
What happened that you are now forced to move out of your current place?
That sucks, especially since you seemed to like your new location. Hang in there.

They don't want to fix anything here.We had some major water damage and the basement is leaking really bad.Some lights flicker now and I have had to shut power off to one room because the lights were buzzing. When it rains,water gets in under the stairs and sits and stinks unless we clean it up and also leaks within a few inches of the fuse box. We complained about all the work needing done and they decided they were not going to renew our lease.How nice of them.Maybe I should of gotten renters insurance and let the place burn.
I have put a deposit on a new place but having a hard time getting the first months rent and pet deposit so IDK what to do. I am in a tight situation here and trying to work as much as I can now,even on my days off to get money. We dropped the cell phone plan and went prepaid which will save $200 a month and cutting back on other things.We dropped Cable TV and my internet speed down saving another $100 there. I am so sore when I come home and pain meds are not working still. Sometimes I feel like it's just time to give up and let it all go to he ll. I can't win for losing anymore.

[soloist]

My goodness! That's what you're experiencing in the new place?
It does seem like a revolving door since you can't get the m-
eds that actually help and experiencing everything that
you are at your place of residence isn't helping with
peace of mind that we should get at home. That
idea concerning the insurance doesn't sound t-
oo bad right now (laughs). But really, what
can you do at this point? The meds are n-
eeded to keep you out of pain so that
you can work and the lease is up at
your new place meaning you'll h-
ave to put up with the leakin-
g and other nonsense there.
Are you searching for ano-
ther place at all? It's go-
od that you've reduce-
d your spending via
downgrading cab-
le service and t-
he like. I'm go-
ing to check
right now
about t-
he ste-
nosi-
s.

(hang in there, Shawn...)

[soloist]

Shawn, check
the pages
below,
ok?





click here, please...


click here, please...


click here, please...

[Shawn]

Went to the Dr yesterday and flat out told him I am in serious pain and the meds are not working. I told him between taking 3 800mg Ibuprofens and 4-6 5mg hydrocodone/325 tylenol,it was not helping and just making my stomach hurt. I asked him if her would just prescribe Vicoprofen since it is 7.5 hydrocodone and 200 mg of ibuprofen.I told him that all that is making me sick plus the other meds I have to take. He was reluctant to and said he couldn't keep raising my dose up.I spoke up and told him he hasn't raised it since I have been back on them and they never worked that great when I started taking them last October. He finally seen my point and changed it up. The DEA is all over Doctors around here for prescribing pain meds,but I don't abuse them as much as others do,but I took to many because my dose was weak and I was desperate at times and took extra,but there were also days I was able to not use as much so it pretty much evened itself out. The new medication is working 10x better. I feel human again.Weird that I feel no pain until it wears off and they also don't wear off as fast as the others did. Hopefully in a few weeks my stomach will be a little more normal feeling. Cutting the tylenol out and a lower dose of the ibuprofen should help.
I go soon for an MRI on my neck.In the last few weeks it has started hurting in where my spin is and going down to my left shoulder and left arm.The muscle relaxer isn't helping like it has for the past few years and the pain is kind of like my back pain is and how I knew something else was wrong with my back. Not sure when I go,waiting for the insurance to approve it.
I also will be seeing a pain Dr in the future.I called today to see what was going on and they never got my paperwork so my other Dr had to refax it.I am calling Monday to see if they have it now. I have to travel over 100 miles 1 way,but if it helps me,then it's worth it.

Last Monday,A close friend of mine found his wife unresponsive.She has type 1 diabetes. Her sugar spiked to 917.She was in a coma for about 4-5 days and then came out of it.They had her on the ventilator for 7 days.She is finally off that and awake but very weak.She got pneumonia on top of the coma so she was in very bad shape. I went to check on her today and she was awake.The hospital didn't even bother calling my friend to let him know his wife was awake and off the machine.If I wouldn't of went up there,he wouldn't of known until the evening time when he goes to stay with her. As bad as she was and them knowing how worried he was,they couldn't make a 10 second phone call to tell him.I asked her if he had been up there and she started crying and shook her head no,so I called him and told him and put him on speaker phone so he could calm her down.That's all she needed was to hear his voice. I couldn't stay long but I was very happy to see her off the machine and awake and I think she was happy to see me,she wouldn't let go of my hand. It was hard seeing her like that and my friend all torn up over it,but she is closer to going home now.She has been in ICU since last Monday when he called the Ambulance.One of the nurses said if she wouldn't of came in when she did,she wouldn't of survived another day.I'm just glad it has turned out the way it did.I don't think he could of handled it if something would of happened to her.They just got married this year on Valentines day.Sorry this was long but it has been a long week for me between work,Doctors and going to the hospital to visit several times this week.

[soloist]

I'm glad to learn that you're finally getting the medicine that you
need to ease the pain for now. I'm sorry to hear of the condi-
tion of your friend's wife. I'm glad that her recovery has b-
een going well, but that must have been some ordeal t-
o have gone through... and without any familiar fac-
es around either until you arrived? Yes, they sho-
uld have contacted someone because hearing
from loved ones or having them visit is pa-
rt of the recovery. It helps ease tension-
n and reinforces the will to live as we-
ll. I hope her condition improves an-
d that she takes her diabetes seri-
ously. I'm constantly telling my
g/f the same thing. On anot-
her note, have you check-
ed out the sites that I h-
ave posted in my las-
t post? If not, I'll r-
epost them bel-
ow for easy a-
ccess. Hope-
fully they
help a
bit.






click here, please...


click here, please...


click here, please...

[Shawn]

I'm glad to learn that you're finally getting the medicine that you
need to ease the pain for now. I'm sorry to hear of the condi-
tion of your friend's wife. I'm glad that her recovery has b-
een going well, but that must have been some ordeal t-
o have gone through... and without any familiar fac-
es around either until you arrived? Yes, they sho-
uld have contacted someone because hearing
from loved ones or having them visit is pa-
rt of the recovery. It helps ease tension-
n and reinforces the will to live as we-
ll. I hope her condition improves an-
d that she takes her diabetes seri-
ously. I'm constantly telling my
g/f the same thing. On anot-
her note, have you check-
ed out the sites that I h-
ave posted in my las-
t post? If not, I'll r-
epost them bel-
ow for easy a-
ccess. Hope-
fully they
help a
bit.






click here, please...


click here, please...


click here, please...

I will have to read through them when I have more time.Got to get ready for bed.I work tomorrow/today.Thanks so much for posting the links for me.
I went up to the hospital today with my wife and my friends wife was getting out of control.Her Oxygen levels are low and she is fighting hem about the mask she has to wear.We were there for about 10-15 minutes and we kept having to put the mask back on her.She can barely talk but she said she was tired of wearing them and wanted to go home. I told her several times that she has to do what the nurses want her to do or she will be in there longer then she wants to be.I told her I understand about wanting to go home,but she has to get the levels up and get stronger first and by fighting the nurses,she is only making it worse. We spoke to the nurse and he said she was fine until people started to visit then she would get all worked up. He said if she didn't calm down,we'd have to leave. 5 minutes after that,we left and talked to the nurse on the way out and told him it was better if we left and wait a few days to come back so she can rest and not get worked up.
She tries to keep up with her diabetes,the problem is when she got married,the state took her insurance and disability away from her and they haven't had the money to get what she needed. Several people have helped with buying her medication but she did run out and this was the end result. I didn't know she was out or I would of paid for the medication and gave it to them.My friend can't work.He is in worse shape then I am and just had surgery on his back to burn the nerves on the right side of his back.He was suppose to have the other side done last week but with everything going on,he had to put it off. Having the right side done has helped him a lot.He no longer has to use a cane to walk and the pain level is lower. He has problems with his hips and knees as well and is trying to get on disability himself but it's a long process. The hospital is trying to help her get insurance back because this will eventually happen again if she runs out of medication. Some Gov't me have.She was very close to being dead and wouldn't of made it another day if she didn't go to the hospital. I know she hates that place and she is still in ICU,but she'll be home soon and back to normal. I'm going to wait a few days before I go back and visit so she is a little stronger and can hopefully talk again. I didn't take what she said to me personally,I know she is miserable there,I'd be the same way.
As far as my back goes,the medication is helping so much better then the other and I actually take less then what is prescribed.I am allowed 4 a day and I have been only using 3 a day. The medication is actually working for me much better then I expected,I just hope I don't get taken off of it or get immune to it and have to take more.I am really feeling much better now that I am not taking very many of them now.