Pinched Nerve

Welcome to the Precious Metals Bug Forums

Welcome to the PMBug forums - a watering hole for folks interested in gold, silver, precious metals, sound money, investing, market and economic news, central bank monetary policies, politics and more.

Why not register an account and join the discussions? When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no Google ads, market data/charts, access to trade/barter with the community and much more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!

Bottom Feeder

Bottom Feeder

Yellow Jacket
Benefactor
Messages
1,431
Reaction score
1,723
Points
298
Location
Snowflake City
This is a very painful condition, I can hardly type with my left hand now. I have a constant tingling (think whacked 'funny bone' tingle) running from my elbow to the tips of my little finger and the one next to it.
Apparently it is called Cervical radiculopathy as it affects the nerve running from my spine down my left arm.
I went to the doctor on Monday and he prescribed me hydrocodone-acetaminophen, one taken every six hours. They are 5 mg hydrocodone and 325 mg acetaminophen. More than 4,000 mg acetaminophen in 24 hours starts to damage your liver.
I got home with the 'scrips and I took the first dose. OVER AN HOUR before the pain lessened somewhat. Somewhat. Evidently my body feels like 5 mg of hydrocodone ain't shit. The 'reduction' in the arm pain lasted about three and a half hours. The hell with that six hour stuff, I took two more at four hours. Again OVER AN HOUR before the pain reduced, but this time I felt relief. So I calculated every four hours, two pills, would be12 pills a day at 325 mg of acetaminophen per pill which brings that to 3,900 mg of acetaminophen! So I skipped the every four hours schedule. I took two pills when the pain became unbearable and brought it down to six pills a day. That made my life half livable.
Then the side effect of taking hydrocodone started up — constipation.
Now I'm a regular bowl movement person, every morning after I get up, but this stuff clogged me up for four days!
My only relief was stopping the meds for 36 hours and taking a laxative (I had to go buy it, none at home) — WHEW!
Appointment on Wednesday for an X-ray. Then schedule whatever process, then three to six months to fully recover.
Meanwhile I have a choice between constant irritating pain or constipation. — what a drag it is to get old.
Anyone else gone thru this? What do I have to look forward to here?

Bottom Feeder
 
I do recognize the addiction possibilities of hydrocodone.
The 3-6 months is after surgical procedure to fix it. If no surgery I live with the pain forever.
Lancers32 said:
How did you do it? Sleep wrong?
Click to expand...
Nothing I can point to except gettin old.
I suspect it may have been my active lifestye.
 
Damn!! I do not like this at all.
Constipation from pain meds or debilitating pain from not taking hydrocodone-acetaminophen.
This is agony, but I did get to shit.
 
Last edited:
Chiropractor can cause moar injury if any of the cervical spine segments are fractured. The seven segments at the top of the spine is where my pain originates —
22639-cervical-radiculopathy.jpgCervical Nerves (C1-C8).jpeg

These segments are more vulnerable to damage than the more robust spinal segments.
X-ray first, then see where I'm at.
And, yes, surgery is a last resort.
 
Try topical lidocaine on the problem area. A glucosamine supplement may help too. You will definitely need to watch how you move in the future.
 
Thank you everyone for your suggestions and concern.
I know this is a 'no-big-deal' to those who have a chronic life ending condition and I apologize for being such a whiney little shit.
I hurt, can't sleep, no appetite, and am totally exhausted from this week long pain.

Thanks for listening,
Bottom Feeder
 
Chiropractor will look at xrays. Might even insist on you having xrays done. An ethical one will tell you if they can help you, or not.

Decompression on an inversion table might help? I picked up a cheap one from Big5 Sports for $100. Ebay, marketplace et al might have one?
I set mine up to 45° angle and gradually stretched out my back.
 
Bottom Feeder said:
I went to the doctor on Monday and he prescribed me hydrocodone-acetaminophen, one taken every six hours. They are 5 mg hydrocodone and 325 mg acetaminophen. More than 4,000 mg acetaminophen in 24 hours starts to damage your liver.
Click to expand...
That's why they put acetaminophen in those things. Ie: same reason the gov laced moonshine back during prohibition. To try to make people think twice about abusing the stuff.

Imho, it's a dumb reason, but that's their reason.

They do make one version of those that do not contain acetaminophen, or at least they used to.
.....but those are hard to get prescribed.


Bottom Feeder said:
Evidently my body feels like 5 mg of hydrocodone ain't shit.
Click to expand...
Because it really isn't.

5's will make a person take 'em more often than they should, and next thing ya know, yer addicted to 'em.


Bottom Feeder said:
Appointment on Wednesday for an X-ray. Then schedule whatever process, then three to six months to fully recover.
Meanwhile I have a choice between constant irritating pain or constipation. — what a drag it is to get old.
Anyone else gone thru this? What do I have to look forward to here?
Click to expand...
Have ya thought about holding onto something solid with your right hand and having someone give your left arm a good yank?


Might pop somethin' back into place.
Edited to add: or what about a dead hang? Let gravity do it's thing.

Lancers32 said:
Try another type of doctor. The pain medication straight up is very addicting. 3-6 months sounds a bit much. How did you do it? Sleep wrong?
Click to expand...
In 6 Months of eating hydro's every 3 hours, he just might find himself buyin' oxy's in a dark ally somewhere. lol

Let's hope that doesn't happen.


Bottom Feeder said:
Chiropractor can cause moar injury if any of the cervical spine segments are fractured.
Click to expand...
That's why any chiro worth his salt won't touch you without xrays first to ensure nothing is broken or super f'ed up.




I love getting an adjustment. Old school chiro's are best though. You want one that doesn't just rely on the drop table.

What ya need to be careful of are the ones that want never ending repeat visits. Ie: ongoing $$$$ for their boat payment. Also watch out for the ones pushing new age herbs and ointments and such. Seen a few of those around.
 
Last edited:
Birds love to fly surgeons love to cut. Like some of the guys have already mentioned a good chiro will take X Rays and will be very careful doing any manipulations.

Got some Oxy after some procedure years ago like 25 and even though as a kid I indulged that stuff messed me up quick. If you have an addictive personality you gotta do whatever you can to get rid of the pain.
 
DMSO is an astonishing liquid. A gift from the pine trees that shows up when the wood gets smashed to pulp to make newsprint . It’s incredibly versatile and seemingly able to help with all sorts of repairs to our bodies.
I use it for aches n pains and it does a good job .
Helps restore eyesight and gets rid of cataracts.
Incredible on burns, like next day there’s no evidence of the burn
It’s that secret liquid the trainer uses to get a limping athlete back into the game and no it doesn’t mask the pain it seems to be able to repair the injury.
It’s a strong solvent and it’s important to have clean hands and skin when applying it . And let it dry before covering with coloured clothing as it can pull the dye into your skin.
And one thing it’s used for is cryogenic storage of organs for transplant, curious how they have the infrastructure set up to keep wounded Ukrainian soldiers alive just long enough to harvest em at Israeli run field hospitals …..
If you want to know more there’s a ton of info in recent articled done by ‘A Midwestern Doctor’ on substack
There’s been so much recent interest in dmso as a result of these articles, which often get re run on Dr Mercolas daily newsletter, that price and availability have been impacted .
And most importantly, avoid the big pharma options. They are not meant to heal anything, only manage symptoms.
 
I deal with "intermittent chronic pain" issues (wrist, shoulder, back) a lot. Once they flare up, it takes a long time for them to go away. In my case, they generally flare up because I spend too much time with repetitive motion or sedentary position (ie. I spend too much time sitting in my chair working on my computer). Anti-inflammatories might provide some relief. Alcohol might make me forget it for a while, but the best medicine in my case has just been to get away from the computer and go be active - take a long walk, spend some time doing yard work or gardening, cook a meal, do some yoga or gentle stretching exercises, etc.
 
DMSO — I forgot about that, thanks rb.
Yer right bug, gettin up and moving about seems to reduce the pain.
Not getting a good nights sleep knocks my energy levels in the dirt and I am exhausted after just a few minutes of any activity.
X-ray on Wednesday, then we see where to go.
 
Dang — 20 (or so) x-rays of my neck. Asked the technician how many Roentgens I got and she replied; "Oh, about the same you would get in about a year from natural radiation."
And, of course, it's gonna take a week or so before the results to be revealed to me.
Left arm still still tingling and diminished function. (Can't hardly lift anything with it)
 
Lancers32 said:
Try another type of doctor. The pain medication straight up is very addicting. 3-6 months sounds a bit much. How did you do it? Sleep wrong?
Click to expand...
OMFG, yes. After minor surgery, I was given some of that to get me through the first 5 days at home.

The first day, worked fine. Second day, I noticed a lessening of effect...I was in some discomfort, and was watching the clock for time to dose again.

Third day, I came to notice the bowel stoppage. Okay...dass it, time to get off this. Which I did.

I had some business that day - was selling a motorcycle to PAY for all this fun, and I had a buyer on hand. Now, selling a motorcycle is not easy anymore - when you have a buyer, you tie him down until he pays and agrees to haul the thing off. You do NOT tell him, maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow his wife may talk some sense into him.

So I head down to the storage unit I have it parked at, feeling like absolute hell. I mean, miserable.

It took me a couple of hours to realize - I was jonesing. I was in physical withdrawl. After THREE DAYS of the prescribed dosage.

Plus, I had still to deal with the constipation. On top of the pain of surgery.

Throw those pills into the trash.
 
pmbug said:
I deal with "intermittent chronic pain" issues (wrist, shoulder, back) a lot. Once they flare up, it takes a long time for them to go away. In my case, they generally flare up because I spend too much time with repetitive motion or sedentary position (ie. I spend too much time sitting in my chair working on my computer). Anti-inflammatories might provide some relief. Alcohol might make me forget it for a while, but the best medicine in my case has just been to get away from the computer and go be active - take a long walk, spend some time doing yard work or gardening, cook a meal, do some yoga or gentle stretching exercises, etc.
Click to expand...
We sit at these boxes, these screens, WAY too long.

And a sedentary life is not a good way to age. I saw how it took my father out - an active young man, Army infantryman in the European Theatre, and then once home, finished college, he thought he'd build his first home. Alone.

It wasn't a masterpiece, but he did finish it, live in it some years, and it still stands today - although with a second-floor added under a newer steeply-pitched roof. They found it and photographed it in 1996, returning from Colorado, our family-reunion location of the time.

Okay...somewhere about this time, his mostly-inactive work life caught up. He changed roles with his Big Oil employer - engineering to industrial sales. That involved a lot of driving in a company car. Nights, 60-percent of the time, were spent in company hotels. A Hilton is nice, but it's not home. And if you hate TV (as he did and I do, it's genetic, I think) there is only reading, listening to music (classical in his case) in whatever easy chair is in that hotel room.

That came to be his default position. Sitting in a chair somewhere, his classical records playing reading a book or a newspaper.

And since we kids were now old enough to do yard work, he stopped doing THAT. After ten years of this, he looked like he'd swallowed a beach ball.

He made it to age 74, but his last fifteen years were marked with physical weakness and - related, I'm sure - mental degradation. Although I look like him, and have the same body-type, and many of the same predispositions...I absolutely REFUSE to sit in a chair and vegetate.

I do spend way too much time here, but AT A MINIMUM I'm out hiking, riding a bicycle, or just walking someplace for an hour each day. No yard work for me, I live in a rabbit warren; but nothing says I can't walk down to the Clark Fork river and walk the trail.
 
Casey Jones said:
I do spend way too much time here, but AT A MINIMUM I'm out hiking, riding a bicycle, or just walking someplace for an hour each day. No yard work for me, I live in a rabbit warren; but nothing says I can't walk down to the Clark Fork river and walk the trail.
Click to expand...
I play pickleball 3 or 4 times a week!

That'll get you going!
 
Goldhedge said:
I play pickleball 3 or 4 times a week!

That'll get you going!
Click to expand...
There is NO...FRIKKIN....WAY I could do that.

Right now - and it's frightening - moving is an elaborate process. Not unlike taking your car out of the garage on a subzero morning.

I have to start slow - after getting out of bed, or up out of this chair (still taking my time over morning coffee) I have to move slowly.

In about two hundred feet of walking, I stop the limping - Motion-Is-Lotion, so say the therapists - but I have to warm up. And the idea of dancing around a court on my toes, looking to whack a ball...no, that ship has passed. Carrying all my other young-man's toys.

The lower spine has collapsed. I'm okay for normal activities - NOW - but I suspect my future is a wheelchair or worse.
 
Wow! I'm knocking on wood! I'll be 74 in June and I'm in pretty good nik...
 
Bottom Feeder said:
Oh yeah, I agree with casey — no frikin way. And at 74 I was still pretty spry, but not football play spry <heh>.
My crash came after I turned 80 - it's been downhill from there.
Click to expand...
We all get old, but we get old at different times.

I just got old, younger.

My advice? Mamas, don't let your sons grow up to be railroaders. They'll retire in a wheelchair. If they make it even that far - we'd had more than our share of fatalities on the job, and mostly not from accidents.
 
FWIW

My wife's knees are bad from playing tennis 10 hrs a day for 10 years in her youth. Every step she took was in pain.

She just had Prolotherapy done to one knee (her worst) on Thursday. Basically, they inject dextrose into the joint and tendon area and it fools the body into healing again. She's starting to walk a little better today, was stiff the first few days, but she says it's working! In two weeks she should be playing pickleball again.


I also have a buddy who told me about it 25 years ago. He's one of these guys that has only one speed: GO!!

Down hill skiing? Not with the regular folks... he'd go over the side of some cliff and managed to survive the fall while on skis! Technical rock climbing - he had all the gear! Rock climbing he bashed his right elbow and couldn't lift a hammer. Got "prolo'ed" and was back at it with in a month.

He had his knee done and it healed.

It's considered 'alternative' and not covered by insurance so it's cash out of pocket.

The doc is a DO... knows her shit she does! Lidocaine is what they inject first and then the dextrose solution after 5 minutes or so.
 
You're lucky to know such a provider.

I just lost another doc, a VA DEI quack. She upped and quit - just got the word; I have my six-month physical in three weeks.

They want me to have a "Tele-Med" conference with...someone. Over the InterwebZ. With someone I have never heard of; maybe they don't even know who, yet.

I don't have a camera or a program; I have no experience with this kinda thing. Except to know it's got zero security. I've been a repeat victim of identity theft - wallet stolen 30 years ago, and the ID used to buy a dung-load of cell phones, back when you were charged by the minute. They tracked me down and demanded $10,000 payment. I told them, and proved, I had my identity stolen and suggested there would be legal ramification if they continued with demands.

Those stopped. Then, a few years ago, one of the credit bureaus got hacked. My data with it.

THEN...Medicare got hacked. I'm part of THAT.

Now I'm supposed to pretend that never happened, and get on unsecure lines with a stranger and provide details about my health and my identification. NOT happening.

I have two coverages - VA and Medicare - but no PCP.
 
Casey Jones said:
You're lucky to know such a provider.

I just lost another doc, a VA DEI quack. She upped and quit - just got the word; I have my six-month physical in three weeks.

They want me to have a "Tele-Med" conference with...someone. Over the InterwebZ. With someone I have never heard of; maybe they don't even know who, yet.

I don't have a camera or a program; I have no experience with this kinda thing. Except to know it's got zero security. I've been a repeat victim of identity theft - wallet stolen 30 years ago, and the ID used to buy a dung-load of cell phones, back when you were charged by the minute. They tracked me down and demanded $10,000 payment. I told them, and proved, I had my identity stolen and suggested there would be legal ramification if they continued with demands.

Those stopped. Then, a few years ago, one of the credit bureaus got hacked. My data with it.

THEN...Medicare got hacked. I'm part of THAT.

Now I'm supposed to pretend that never happened, and get on unsecure lines with a stranger and provide details about my health and my identification. NOT happening.

I have two coverages - VA and Medicare - but no PCP.
Click to expand...
The hardest thing to get rid of is a body...

Show up in person.
 
Bottom Feeder said:
Dumped the second meds for reducing nerve pain, they made me too exhausted. No luck with DMSO, it didn't make any difference.
I don't like taking pills, I'd rather cure the problem instead of masking the symptoms, but a cured patient…
Click to expand...
Did you try my remedy?
 
Off hire the old body and come back with a new one
Choose long blonde hair and blue eyes for your next go round 😉
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom