Re: Relief at Last to Andre

[Guest guest]

Andre,

You must feel as though you're reborn again - to be able to lie down and sleep,

and then

eat without pain afterward. There's nothing like getting a pain regimen that

works, it

makes all the difference in the world for our sense of well being.

I'm so glad that the meds are working so well for you and that you're finally

getting the

relief that you deserve.

With love, hope and prayers,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and should not be

substituted for

consultation with a medical professional.

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Heidi for your kind words. I think I may have been a bit

premature in my effusive remarks concerning my new pain meds. I have

had some bad days since I 1st wrote that note last week, but nothing

yet like I had been experiencing. I do believe I brought my latest

bout on by being hard-headed. After feeling so good for about a week

or so, I decided it would be okay for me to attack my lawn as it

needed cutting really badly since we had been having a lot of rain

this month. Well, after I was finished, I got hit with a " mother of

an attack " and had to visit my local ER. Talk about disappointed!

Since than, I have confined myself to my usual routine of doing as

little as possible (you can imagine how happy this makes my wife)and

have gotten back to where I can eat once more. I guess I took things

a bit to fast initially and won't be making that mistake again, I

hope. I haven't been able to sleep in bed since my lawn-work, and

that too is somewhat disappointing but I am convinced that I will be

sleeping in my own bed in the not too distant future.

Thanks again for your words of encouragement, Heidi. You guys are so

positive all of the time and that's what keeps me going...

Andre'

>

> Andre,

>

> You must feel as though you're reborn again - to be able to lie

down and sleep, and then

> eat without pain afterward. There's nothing like getting a pain

regimen that works, it

> makes all the difference in the world for our sense of well being.

>

> I'm so glad that the meds are working so well for you and that

you're finally getting the

> relief that you deserve.

>

> With love, hope and prayers,

> Heidi

>

>

> Heidi H. Griffeth

> South Carolina

> SC & SE Regional Rep.

> PAI

>

> Note: All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and should

not be substituted for

> consultation with a medical professional.

[Guest guest]

Andre' wrote:

<After feeling so good for about a week or so, I decided it would be okay for me

to attack

my lawn as it needed cutting really badly (snip) after I was finished, I got hit

with a " mother

of an attack " and had to visit my local ER.

Andre',

Don't feel bad about that temporary setback, Andre'....I did the very same thing

myself!!

I'd been feeling so good for several days last week that I took a trip to Home

Depo to the

garden department. Always a mistake, since I love everything there. I filled

up the back of

the Jeep with dianthus, miniature yellow daisies, dipladenias and pentas and

then spent

the whole afternoon planting them all. I felt great while I was doing this,

everything

looked so good. But, I woke up the next morning in total agony and had to spend

the

whole day in bed. It took me two days to get myself back to normal. I didn't

have to go to

the ER, but I was miserable enough just staying in bed.

My husband said, " what a @*%# shame that you can't even enjoy moderate exercise

anymore without it making your pancreas go wild " . He told me that he'd plant

anything I

wanted, all I had to do was tell him where, but that's just not the same thing.

It's a

wonderful gesture, but there are still so many things I want to do myself, that

I can't.

Every time I attempt to do something normal, my pancreas kicks up. So I truly

do

understand how you feel.

With this disease we really need to learn and utilize moderation, which is very

difficult to

do, especially when you think that you're doing so well. I hope your setback is

only

temporary and that those new meds do start to make a difference in your activity

levels.

Just take it slow, it will happen!!

Think good thoughts,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and should not be

substituted for

professional medical consultation.

[Guest guest]

Andre' wrote:

> I am on all of these anti-depressants (Zoloft 100mg and Elavil 70mg per

day). Obviously, these pills are not the answer to my needs and I

am considering discontinuing them all together. Once again, I'm so

sorry to put this burden of my moods on you and the others in the

group. I just had to get this out of my system...

Dear Andre',

Don't give up your anti-depressants. As little as they seem to be helping you

right now, they are doing something, and the mental figue that you're going

through right now is just one that can't be cured by a magic pill. Wish it

were,

because I know we all go there sometimes.....when we just get so down with

our lack of life like it used to be, pain bothering us all the time, doctors

that

can't do anything more than they're already doing, or don't want to, loved ones

saying something that comes out wrong and hurts, when we're already so

down.

Those days happen to most of us at some time, we just have to learn how to

climb out of that pit before the apathy and depression takes over. I know I've

been there a few times myself. I spent an hour one day sitting in one spot in

my kitchen, looking at the 2 quart bottle clear bottle that holds all my used

syringes. It was full, packed full to the top with syringes...yet it seemed

like

only a few days ago that I'd put it there empty. That full bottle held the

implements that help keep me alive, yet I was angry having to see it there. I

was angry having to need it there, I was angry having to have this brittle

diabetes that has suddenly taken control of my life. And I'd thought before

that

CP was bad enough? I realized I needed to find something to distract me from

the impending depression, so I went outside and started to play ball with

, just something for a deversion.

You shouldn't ever feel quilty coming here to vent, we're quite used to it

because we all need to do it and you can do it here and no one's going to

misunderstand. I can't vent at home, it just seems to make things worse, 'cuz

then my husband gets all down himself and it seems to make everyone else

around me feel helpless.....it just never brings any resolution. We're a lot

more thick skinned here on the website and everyone always seems to have

the right thing to say. And if they don't, they try to, and just knowing that

they're listening and understanding seems to help get the bugs out.

We can't be positive all the time, as much as we'd like to be. It's not

natural,

and anyone that has as many disadvantages as we do, would have to be half

crazy to maintain a positive outlook all the time. We just have to try not to

let

the negatives take over too much, by airing out our feelings when we have to,

to clear the air and open up the door so the good thoughts can slip back in.

That's my take on it.

Back to the anti-depressants. I've only been on the same one, and the same

amount, for two years. I probably need a change in dosage myself because I

don't feel that they're doing me any good right now. But what I'm wondering

is, is that maybe they need to be changed to something else after a few

years? Do we build up a tolerance to those like we do to other meds after a

few years? If anyone knows the answer to that question, please contribute

what you know. If might just be that you need a change, Andre'. But I don't

think quitting would help, and I do know that you aren't supposed to stop them

cold turkey. You have to do a slow, planned reduction of those over a several

week period, so you'd need to talk to your doctor about any changes you

wanted to make.

I'm hoping that you wake up to a better day, Andre', better tomorrow and the

next. Keep talking it over here, and we'll help you through.

Think good thoughts,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and should not be

substituted for professional medical consultation.

Think good thoughts,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and should

not be substituted for professional medical consultation.

[Guest guest]

Heidi,

about your pain medication. What they've done for me is when the meds

aren't helping any more is up my dosage. Doctors usually do this until

you are on a very high dosage of that medicine and then, once you've

reached the high dosage, they'll think of changing your medications. My

doctor said this is because it can be hard to find a pain medication

that works for some people, so they don't like to have to change to a

new medication unless they have too. They'd rather try a higher dosage

first. That's what my experience has been, but it may be different for

other people, so hopefully others will answer this message.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.

[Guest guest]

Kimber wrote:

> Heidi, about your pain medication. What they've done for me is when the

meds aren't helping any more is up my dosage.

Kimber,

Thanks for your reply, but I wasn't referring to pain medication. If you look

at

the message again you'll see that I was talking about anti-depressants. I

knew that they kept upping the pain medication when one dose stopped

working, they've already done that with me numerous times...LOL! The days

when a few Percocet 7.5's would last me several weeks are long gone! I can

remember when a container of 30 would easily last me three months or

more....

I didn't know how it worked with anti-depressants when one felt that the dose

he or she was on just wasn't doing the job anymore. I've been on 20 mg. of

Celexa for over two years and I've noticed lately that I'm not handling my

feelings of depression very well. What's usually done about that?

Think good thoughts,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are personal opinion only, and should not be

substituted for professional medical consultation.

[Guest guest]

Heidi,

sorry about that. I saw medication not working and automatically assumed

you meant pain medication. Yeah, I remember when I was on only 5 mg of

Oxycodone. Sigh. Unfortunately, I don't know what they do about the

depression medication. I'm on Elavil for neuropathy, but it works also

for my depression and I haven't had to change the dosage in about 10

years (guess I'm very lucky!). Have you talked to your doctor about

this yet? I don't remember if you mentioned talking to your doctor or

not in that email.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.