09-04-2019, 10:47 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-04-2019, 10:50 AM by Chinchillin777.
Edit Reason: Typos
)
Hi, my name is Samson 
PLEASE forgive me for posting this in the welcome section if doing so was at all inappropriate - it seemed to be the most appropriate descriptor/subject area for my message, but I also don’t want to be perceived as posting replies/threads erroneously just to increase my post count as quickly/effortlessly as possible. Please feel free to invalidate this post insofar as it counts towards the sum total of the first 50, 150, etc. posts that I have made.
A bit about myself for those of you who never really got to know me - I created this account a little over a year ago, with the honest intention of sharing what knowledge/resources I was familiar with, as well as getting to know others in the community - in particular I value anecdotes or similar stories/experiences to my own, because it reminds me that I’m not losing my mind, the medical profession truly IS in a sad state of affairs.
Many of the subjects and posts struck a chord with me as a suffer of severe generalized anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive, & related sleep disorder(s), as well as a big o’l helping of severe chronic pain, stemming both from physical damage to the lumbar region (herniated/“slipped” vertebrae) and corresponding neuropathic pain in the form of sciatica, stemming from pinched nerve(s) in proximity to the damaged vertebrae. Additionally, I have other bouts of moderate-very severe pain which appear unrelated to the aforementioned and have been diagnosed as fibromyalgia despite my relatively young age.
At the time, I was in an admittedly awful situation, having lost my primary insurance coverage - I was eventually able to afford a very “barebones” plan that essentially only protects you from incurring hundreds of thousands in debt, should you be diagnosed with a serious disease or require an extended hospital stay. The co-pays and deductibles are astronomically high all the way around, be it a GP visit, a specialist, advanced imaging/lab work, or simply paying for prescribed medications. Still, compared to some (especially within the US) I consider myself VERY fortunate for having just enough medical and financial assistance to “pull myself up by my bootstraps” so to speak.
I mention these circumstances because I recall that when I first became a member of your site, each and every comment/thread I would post was a grueling experience, both physically and mentally, considering the degree of anxiety(s) coupled with the sheer pain I was experiencing just having to type and to collect my thoughts/stay on topic. This was, at least in part, due to the fact that when my insurance plan changed, I could no longer afford to see my old GP, and the new one that was covered by my plan essentially “read me the riot act” for being “highly over-medicated”, when, in fact, I would estimate that the medications I was being prescribed at the time were only addressing ~2/3 - ~3/4 of my pain and even less so with regard to anxiety.
I did my very best with “the cards I was dealt”, but ultimately, lacking substantial financial and physical support, my world became smaller and smaller until the point where I was practically bed-bound. At this point, my account, which was only a few weeks from having been created, lapsed into inactivity, as I felt I no longer had the ability to call fourth any information of value or substance for your community to benefit from from.
Having totally re-arranged my medical situation, in large part due to the financial help I received in the form of an inheritance, I’ve been able to see better trained, less closed-minded specialists(mostly in the neurological department) as well as, try some newer medications that had previously been cost prohibitive, etc. & in doing so, finally take back a large part of my life that had been stolen from me by a combination of poor health, corporate greed, and medical “fear-mongering”.
I am far from worry free, far from pain free, but so, SO much better than I was when last I visited this website. Recently, I was reminded of it by my girlfriend, who suffers from fibromyalgia, as well as an ankle that was literally crushed in an attempt fix a flat tire using a jack that was in the trunk. It was dark, snowy, and icy, and well... you can probably fill in the rest... she has recovered a great deal, and is able to walk freely with very little uneven gait, however, she still struggles with the pain and “soldiers on”, not really having a choice give that she is totally without insurance. I will be posting a separate thread related to her condition(s) and any “home remedy’s” that might be suggested as her GP doesn’t like her talking pks on a regular/ongoing basis, despite the pain being more or less permanent at this juncture.
Anyway I think I’ve said more than enough, and again to those of you who are moderators, feel free to move/delete this post if you think it is inappropriate, as well as subtract this post from my current total.
Now that I am in a better place in my own life and have several people close to me (girlfriend, father) with ongoing medical issues that I do my best to try to understand so that I can potentially be of help.
I hope you guys forgive me for “ghosting” on you the way I did last year (I think it was in late spring/early summer, maybe June 2018?) I honestly meant no disrespect to anyone - to the contrary, I have never happened across such a tight-nit, well moderated community that centers on subject matters that can easily attract the wrong kind of attention/web traffic.
Bravo to Charon, Icewizard, Fishfarmer, and all of the other super mods I recognize easily from over a year ago! (No hard feelings if I left your name out, my memory isn't THAT good!) You all have not only created, but protected, (on an ongoing basis - not an easy feat in this day and age) this forum and allowed it to grow into a truly valuable resource for anyone needing ongoing medical care, or even a caregiver/family member of said individual. What’s more you clearly read the forums very often and weed out the sketchy, factually incorrect, or just downright dangerous advice that other, lesser educated/ranked members contribute, such that one can look at an old thread with confidence and clearly glean what information
/advice is positive and what should largely be ignored.
Going forward I intend to check/read the forums regularly and make constructive comments as my intellect permits, as well as potentially a thread or two asking you guys for your two cents - especially regarding my father’s heart condition and my GF’s poor ankle ?. I hope the knowledge and experience(s) I have accumulated thus far in my life, in dealing with medical issues and the establishment in general, can be of use to your loyal and active members, and I aim to try (again, this time without the 8.5-9/10 scale of blinding pain that was present when I first registered my account, attempting my best to participate and contribute information in those areas that are my personal “strong suit” with regard to medical/pharmaceutical knowledge.
Thank you again, I just wanted to re-introduce myself, since it has been so long. I look forward to getting to know some of you better, and potentially add my advice, or at least my own experience(s), to the veritable font of information that this site is already brimming with regard to the medical/healthcare sector. Very sincerely,
-Samson M
PLEASE forgive me for posting this in the welcome section if doing so was at all inappropriate - it seemed to be the most appropriate descriptor/subject area for my message, but I also don’t want to be perceived as posting replies/threads erroneously just to increase my post count as quickly/effortlessly as possible. Please feel free to invalidate this post insofar as it counts towards the sum total of the first 50, 150, etc. posts that I have made.
A bit about myself for those of you who never really got to know me - I created this account a little over a year ago, with the honest intention of sharing what knowledge/resources I was familiar with, as well as getting to know others in the community - in particular I value anecdotes or similar stories/experiences to my own, because it reminds me that I’m not losing my mind, the medical profession truly IS in a sad state of affairs.
Many of the subjects and posts struck a chord with me as a suffer of severe generalized anxiety, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive, & related sleep disorder(s), as well as a big o’l helping of severe chronic pain, stemming both from physical damage to the lumbar region (herniated/“slipped” vertebrae) and corresponding neuropathic pain in the form of sciatica, stemming from pinched nerve(s) in proximity to the damaged vertebrae. Additionally, I have other bouts of moderate-very severe pain which appear unrelated to the aforementioned and have been diagnosed as fibromyalgia despite my relatively young age.
At the time, I was in an admittedly awful situation, having lost my primary insurance coverage - I was eventually able to afford a very “barebones” plan that essentially only protects you from incurring hundreds of thousands in debt, should you be diagnosed with a serious disease or require an extended hospital stay. The co-pays and deductibles are astronomically high all the way around, be it a GP visit, a specialist, advanced imaging/lab work, or simply paying for prescribed medications. Still, compared to some (especially within the US) I consider myself VERY fortunate for having just enough medical and financial assistance to “pull myself up by my bootstraps” so to speak.
I mention these circumstances because I recall that when I first became a member of your site, each and every comment/thread I would post was a grueling experience, both physically and mentally, considering the degree of anxiety(s) coupled with the sheer pain I was experiencing just having to type and to collect my thoughts/stay on topic. This was, at least in part, due to the fact that when my insurance plan changed, I could no longer afford to see my old GP, and the new one that was covered by my plan essentially “read me the riot act” for being “highly over-medicated”, when, in fact, I would estimate that the medications I was being prescribed at the time were only addressing ~2/3 - ~3/4 of my pain and even less so with regard to anxiety.
I did my very best with “the cards I was dealt”, but ultimately, lacking substantial financial and physical support, my world became smaller and smaller until the point where I was practically bed-bound. At this point, my account, which was only a few weeks from having been created, lapsed into inactivity, as I felt I no longer had the ability to call fourth any information of value or substance for your community to benefit from from.
Having totally re-arranged my medical situation, in large part due to the financial help I received in the form of an inheritance, I’ve been able to see better trained, less closed-minded specialists(mostly in the neurological department) as well as, try some newer medications that had previously been cost prohibitive, etc. & in doing so, finally take back a large part of my life that had been stolen from me by a combination of poor health, corporate greed, and medical “fear-mongering”.
I am far from worry free, far from pain free, but so, SO much better than I was when last I visited this website. Recently, I was reminded of it by my girlfriend, who suffers from fibromyalgia, as well as an ankle that was literally crushed in an attempt fix a flat tire using a jack that was in the trunk. It was dark, snowy, and icy, and well... you can probably fill in the rest... she has recovered a great deal, and is able to walk freely with very little uneven gait, however, she still struggles with the pain and “soldiers on”, not really having a choice give that she is totally without insurance. I will be posting a separate thread related to her condition(s) and any “home remedy’s” that might be suggested as her GP doesn’t like her talking pks on a regular/ongoing basis, despite the pain being more or less permanent at this juncture.
Anyway I think I’ve said more than enough, and again to those of you who are moderators, feel free to move/delete this post if you think it is inappropriate, as well as subtract this post from my current total.
Now that I am in a better place in my own life and have several people close to me (girlfriend, father) with ongoing medical issues that I do my best to try to understand so that I can potentially be of help.
I hope you guys forgive me for “ghosting” on you the way I did last year (I think it was in late spring/early summer, maybe June 2018?) I honestly meant no disrespect to anyone - to the contrary, I have never happened across such a tight-nit, well moderated community that centers on subject matters that can easily attract the wrong kind of attention/web traffic.
Bravo to Charon, Icewizard, Fishfarmer, and all of the other super mods I recognize easily from over a year ago! (No hard feelings if I left your name out, my memory isn't THAT good!) You all have not only created, but protected, (on an ongoing basis - not an easy feat in this day and age) this forum and allowed it to grow into a truly valuable resource for anyone needing ongoing medical care, or even a caregiver/family member of said individual. What’s more you clearly read the forums very often and weed out the sketchy, factually incorrect, or just downright dangerous advice that other, lesser educated/ranked members contribute, such that one can look at an old thread with confidence and clearly glean what information
/advice is positive and what should largely be ignored.
Going forward I intend to check/read the forums regularly and make constructive comments as my intellect permits, as well as potentially a thread or two asking you guys for your two cents - especially regarding my father’s heart condition and my GF’s poor ankle ?. I hope the knowledge and experience(s) I have accumulated thus far in my life, in dealing with medical issues and the establishment in general, can be of use to your loyal and active members, and I aim to try (again, this time without the 8.5-9/10 scale of blinding pain that was present when I first registered my account, attempting my best to participate and contribute information in those areas that are my personal “strong suit” with regard to medical/pharmaceutical knowledge.
Thank you again, I just wanted to re-introduce myself, since it has been so long. I look forward to getting to know some of you better, and potentially add my advice, or at least my own experience(s), to the veritable font of information that this site is already brimming with regard to the medical/healthcare sector. Very sincerely,
-Samson M
