Jean.Prophet@f33.n371.z1.fidonet.org (Jean Prophet) (11/06/90)
Index Number: 11547
[This is from the Spinal Injury Conference]
As I reported a couple of months ago when Buddy was in the hospital,
Buddy's doctor is now injecting his back with something that I didn't know
what and we weren't very impressed with his new doctor ....
WELL, we went back to see the doctor again yesterday am and I ASKED
Dr. Lowell just WHAT was he injecting - I put it in such a way that he
couldn't NOT answer me <grin>. He told me that he was injecting Buddy's
back with a non- steroid Cortizone (whatever that means). Dr. Lowell was
much kinder this time 'round (actually even smiling a little) and was a
bit more communicative (wonder if the letter from our attorney had
anything to do with that <grin>).
Anyway, I'm now wondering why Dr. Lowell is injecting Buddy's lower
back with the Cortizone when his problems are C4.C5,C6 area - Buddy's
complaint is lower back now and leg pains (but our other doctor in Miami says
all this discomfort is caused from his neck injury). Dr. Lowell says the
injections will help him walk better and ease the pain - it DOES work (for
about 2 weeks), then it's right back to the old pain, stiffness and
unstable condition again. Has anyone else expierenced this ??
Buddy will never walk correctly again - he will never be free of
pain - he will never NOT have the muscle spazms .... I'm just wondering if
all the doctor visits, injections and hassle are even worth it when he
HATES to go see the doctor anyway .... It seems so useless (and I fell
helpless to help him).
I guess maybe I sound a little down this morning .... I WANT to help
him, I WANT to make him feel better and I just don't know how. It breaks
my heart to see him suffering. And he works SO hard to keep moving around
(I guess that's the heart breaker). This is my BEST friend, my confidant,
my lover, my better half I'm seeing suffer and it really hurts me to see
him this way when I can't do anything about it. (See, I can say all these
things to you all - you understand ..... I just put on a 'happy face' to
him and pretend that all is OK - I certainly don't want to upset HIM!!).
Thanks for letting me post this message ... I feel a little better
now - and THANKS ALAN for starting this message area ..... I know you all
have drawn support from it and I have drawn support from you all !!
Jean
--
Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!371!33!Jean.Prophet
Internet: Jean.Prophet@f33.n371.z1.fidonet.orgFrank.Whitney@f1000.n261.z1.fidonet.org (Frank Whitney) (11/06/90)
Index Number: 11548 [This is from the Spinal Injury Conference] > WELL, we went back to see the doctor again yesterday am and I ASKED >Dr. Lowell just WHAT was he injecting - I put it in such a way that he >couldn't NOT answer me <grin>. He told me that he was injecting Buddy's >back with a non- steroid Cortizone (whatever that means). Dr. Lowell was >much kinder this time 'round (actually even smiling a little) and was a bit >more communicative (wonder if the letter from our attorney had anything to >do with that <grin>). I'd ask to see what he is being given in the physicians desk reference better known as the PDR. I've never heard of a non-steroid Cortisone. Also you might want to check out the long term effects of using this drug. It sounds like his doctor is going to keep him on this medication for quite a while. You might have to judge whether the benefits outweigh the negative side effects of the drug. After all the Cortisone does not cure the problem it only hides it. The letter from the attorney could also have been a factor in his treatment this last time. > Anyway, I'm now wondering why Dr. Lowell is injecting Buddy's lower >back with the Cortizone when his problems are C4.C5,C6 area - Buddy's >complaint is lower back now and leg pains (but our other doctor in Miami >says all this discomfort is caused from his neck injury). Dr. Lowell says >the injections will help him walk better and ease the pain - it DOES work >(for about 2 weeks), then it's right back to the old pain, stiffness and >unstable condition again. Has anyone else expierenced this ?? > > Buddy will never walk correctly again - he will never be free of pain >- he will never NOT have the muscle spazms .... I'm just wondering if all >the doctor visits, injections and hassle are even worth it when he HATES to >go see the doctor anyway .... It seems so useless (and I fell helpless to >help him). My wife feels the same way about her neurologist. She has MS and he keeps telling her that there's nothing that can be done to help her. It's really frustrating for us to see all of the research monies going into other diseases and the treatment for MS is basically the same as it was 40 years ago. MS generally hits someone in the prime of their life and it doesn't kill or infect others such as the AIDS virus so there's no real push for money or the sympathy that some of the other diseases get. > I guess maybe I sound a little down this morning .... I WANT to help >him, I WANT to make him feel better and I just don't know how. It breaks my >heart to see him suffering. And he works SO hard to keep moving around (I >guess that's the heart breaker). This is my BEST friend, my confidant, my >lover, my better half I'm seeing suffer and it really hurts me to see him >this way when I can't do anything about it. (See, I can say all these Boy can I relate to that. My wife has MS and it's very troubling to have to watch someone that you care for continue to get worse and know that it's never going to get better. Jeanne tries so hard to do things and sometimes it just doesn't work or she would have been better off not even trying because of the frustration and mistakes that she makes. The big thing is that she knows that I love her and accept her as she is. Sometimes the only thing that you can do is to just be there and help console them when they get down. I'll never forget seeing a show where they were showing a person with MS skiing down a slope. They were saying all of the things that this person was able to do but they neglected to show him start or finish his skiing. When I see something like this I'm very observant what they didn't say was that he maintained his crouch position by having his legs strapped to a bent bar under his legs. This really pissed me off because my wife didn't see the bar and was thinking that she wasn't trying hard enough. When I explained to her how he was able to ski she felt much better about herself. It just made me angry to think that their were an awful lot of people that didn't see that bar and how did they feel about themselves. >things to you all - you understand ..... I just put on a 'happy face' to him >and pretend that all is OK - I certainly don't want to upset HIM!!). I'm really concerned about your having to always put on a happy face so that you don't upset Buddy. This is a tremendous emotional strain believe me I know of what I speak. For years I've not said anything and it's really a strain. I think that sometime in the near future we're going to need counseling so that their is as little hurt as possible. I've always been sort of the quiet type when it comes to personal relationships. This then leads to stress and sometimes very undesirable results. > Thanks for letting me post this message ... I feel a little better now >- and THANKS ALAN for starting this message area ..... I know you all have >drawn support from it and I have drawn support from you all !! Thanks for sharing. It really helps to have a non-judgmental place to speak your mind. I know that this conference has really helped me through some really hard times and I'm sure that it will continue to do so. Being able to talk to others is a real blessing and sometimes a lifesaver as well. I hope that things get better for you or at least they don't get any worse! I hope that I didn't ramble on to much. Love, Frank. -- Via Opus Msg Kit v1.11 -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!261!1000!Frank.Whitney Internet: Frank.Whitney@f1000.n261.z1.fidonet.org
cas@mtdcb.att.com (Cliff Stevens) (11/09/90)
Index Number: 11646 The PDR is good, but maybe a little too technical. But even better (and required by some insurance) is a second opinion! I mean, it's not the doc's own body, only his rep! ------------ Militant Handicapped Survivor! Cliff Stevens MT1E228 att!cbnewsj!ncas (908)671-7292
Jean.Prophet@f33.n371.z1.fidonet.org (Jean Prophet) (11/14/90)
Index Number: 11666 [This is from the Spinal Injury Conference] > I'd ask to see what he is being given in the physicians desk > reference better known as the PDR. I've never heard of a non-steroid > Cortisone. Also you might want to check out the long term effects of Well, this doctor's 'bedside manner' definately leaves MUCH to be desired <grin>. It's a good thing that he has an Associate that 'puppy-dogs' behind him and makes relations a little better with his patients. > using this drug. It sounds like his doctor is going to keep him on > this medication for quite a while. You might have to judge whether > the benefits outweigh the negative side effects of the drug. After > all the Cortisone does not cure the problem it only hides it. The > letter from the attorney could also have been a factor in his > treatment this last time. I have no idea how long he's going to keep injecting Buddy's back - I'd never heard of a 'non-steriod' Cortisone either .... And you are correct about it only 'hiding' the problem, but then the problem can't be cured so he's probably just trying to make Buddy feel a little better. > My wife feels the same way about her neurologist. She has MS and he > keeps telling her that there's nothing that can be done to help her. Maybe someday there will be a 'cure' for MS and or spinal problems - until then, I guess the neurologists are just doing the best they can with the symptoms (like for a cold -- there's no cure, we just treat the sniffles, stuffy nose etc). > It's really frustrating for us to see all of the research monies > going > into other diseases and the treatment for MS is basically the same as Yes, It IS frustrating (and even MORE frustrating for spouses trying to live with it). I wish I could offer a solution. > I'm really concerned about your having to always put on a happy face > so that you don't upset Buddy. This is a tremendous emotional strain > believe me I know of what I speak. For years I've not said anything > and it's really a strain. I think that sometime in the near future > we're going to need counseling so that their is as little hurt as > possible. I've always been sort of the quiet type when it comes to > personal relationships. This then leads to stress and sometimes > very > undesirable results. Yes it IS a strain, but then it's people like you and others here that give me the support *I* need so I can be more supportive for Buddy. Most of the time it's not bad - I can cope - but then there's other times I feel 'all alone' (I hope you understand what I'm trying to say). Buddy NEEDS my support - HE'S the one hurt -- I just try and 'be there' for him. Thanks for your support for me !! > I hope that I didn't ramble on to much. You didn't ... thank you again - you take care now and give that lovely wife of yours a GREAT BIG HUG and KISS !!! Love, Jean -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!371!33!Jean.Prophet Internet: Jean.Prophet@f33.n371.z1.fidonet.org
Ruthie.Hoffman@f223.n260.z1.fidonet.org (Ruthie Hoffman) (03/01/91)
Index Number: 13792 [This is from the Spinal Injury Conference] Hiya Jean and Buddy, Glad to hear from you...always wondering how my pals here are doing. Sounds like the new Dr. isn't all that grand, but then again, are any of them really?? :) > We ask him about a water bed and were told that was the > worst possible thing that we could do. I was told the same thing by my nueurosurgeon. > Buddy asked for some pain medication and was given Tylonel > #3 for pain. He also asked about something to help him sleep, I can't believe that is all they gave him! That stuff does very little for me and cause alot of nausea...I hope Buddy has better luck. > Dr. Lowell also changed us from Baclofen to Robaxin > of him. Does anyone know anything about Robaxin ?? Or, are > there others out there taking that particular drug ?? I was on Robaxin for awhile when all my problems first started a year and a half ago or so. Didn't help much at all, and again, some, not alot, but some nausea. The valium works better for me, but I don't have to take it continuously, so that is probably why they don't mind giving me it. The Robaxin is something that I had to take continuously. Boy.... some tact that Dr. has with his patients. I don't know if I could continue to see someone like that. Again...I don't know if I have really offered any helpful info, but I did want you to know that you aren't really alone with all this. My thoughts and prayers go out for both of you. The strength and love that you two show in your messages in this echo are truly amazing. take care, Ruthie -- Uucp: ..!{decvax,oliveb}!bunker!hcap!hnews!260!223!Ruthie.Hoffman Internet: Ruthie.Hoffman@f223.n260.z1.fidonet.org