The chronic illness thread

[finecojeffe]

The pain travels down my leg and can numb the leg, mostly on the front of my left leg in the ankle/shin area. It's generally concentrated in my lower back and hips though.

I've had days of less pain, which I think can attribute itself to physical output vs being stagnant, and in some cases weather plays a factor. The more physical I am the better I feel.

I've been on lyrica in the past, but never noticed any benefits from it, so after a few months of taking it I weened off. I've taken celebrex, ultram, oxycontin, vicodin, flexeril, and various other pain management and anti inflammatory medicines. None of them work. I mean they can numb the pain slightly, but it doesn't go away and the side effects are bothersome enough to not want to continue them. Also I'd prefer the never be addicted to anything, so even when I was taking those meds I would be careful not to do so for extended periods of time. I do have a bit of nerve damage from them being pinched.

PT and chiro have helped, I think. I don't actually know for sure. Being active relieves my pain, and so doing the pt exercises helps in that regard...but I'm not sure it's specifically the pt. What I'm getting at is if I'm moving I feel ok, but as soon as I stop the pain begins to radiate. I sit at a desk 8 hours a day and it's killing me! I'm going to request 4 more months of the pt at my next pain management doctor visit. I think that should be enough time to rule for or rule out the possibility of any surgery in the future.

The radio frequency injections worked on my for just a little less than 2 years. The good was pain relief, but the bad was slower muscle function...or reaction in my legs that is. I'm sure the muscles worked fine, but I always felt like my legs were a bit heavy after having the procedure done.

Epidural injections of cortisol never worked for my predicament. I had 5 of them over a few years and all they did was make me sore.

I've skated the entire time, sometimes well but mostly as a shell of my former abilities. I've recently got my 360 flips back though, which I tribute to the core strength exercises I've been doing. I'm also getting back into skating ledges. I've had a fear of ledges because I'm afraid if I fall on my tailbone it will be all over for me.

[layzieyez]

I'm lame. I have sleep apnea where my sinuses collapse in rem sleep.

[GAY]

I'm lame. I have sleep apnea where my sinuses collapse in rem sleep.

Few things are worse to me than a bad night's sleep. Having several of them in a row would literally make me want to kill myself or someone else, whomever was easier to get a hold of.

[GAY]

The pain travels down my leg and can numb the leg, mostly on the front of my left leg in the ankle/shin area. It's generally concentrated in my lower back and hips though.

I've had days of less pain, which I think can attribute itself to physical output vs being stagnant, and in some cases weather plays a factor. The more physical I am the better I feel.

I've been on lyrica in the past, but never noticed any benefits from it, so after a few months of taking it I weened off. I've taken celebrex, ultram, oxycontin, vicodin, flexeril, and various other pain management and anti inflammatory medicines. None of them work. I mean they can numb the pain slightly, but it doesn't go away and the side effects are bothersome enough to not want to continue them. Also I'd prefer the never be addicted to anything, so even when I was taking those meds I would be careful not to do so for extended periods of time. I do have a bit of nerve damage from them being pinched.

PT and chiro have helped, I think. I don't actually know for sure. Being active relieves my pain, and so doing the pt exercises helps in that regard...but I'm not sure it's specifically the pt. What I'm getting at is if I'm moving I feel ok, but as soon as I stop the pain begins to radiate. I sit at a desk 8 hours a day and it's killing me! I'm going to request 4 more months of the pt at my next pain management doctor visit. I think that should be enough time to rule for or rule out the possibility of any surgery in the future.

The radio frequency injections worked on my for just a little less than 2 years. The good was pain relief, but the bad was slower muscle function...or reaction in my legs that is. I'm sure the muscles worked fine, but I always felt like my legs were a bit heavy after having the procedure done.

Epidural injections of cortisol never worked for my predicament. I had 5 of them over a few years and all they did was make me sore.

I've skated the entire time, sometimes well but mostly as a shell of my former abilities. I've recently got my 360 flips back though, which I tribute to the core strength exercises I've been doing. I'm also getting back into skating ledges. I've had a fear of ledges because I'm afraid if I fall on my tailbone it will be all over for me.

Dude I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. Like I said earlier, constant pain is something I live in fear of. Stoked on the fact that you continue to skate at all, actually. I'm curious, does skating, which is fairly rough on the body, also make you feel better or is there a tipping point with the physical exercise you do that can actually make it worse? Like weights or something like that? Or is it just most/all physical exercise makes you feel better?

Also, and this is not something I suggest because I am one of the most skeptical/cynical people I've ever met, have you ever tried the whole holistic/natural/hippy-dippy route? Stuff like acupuncture? I've never done any of that but my dad, who is a Southern Baptist (so unless it's prayer it's of the devil, basically), did some acupuncture after he had his hip replaced and he actually said it worked well...which surprised the shit out of me.

When I was newly diagnosed as HIV+ I had a couple roommates who jumped all over me and were like, "You can't take the meds! You have to go the holistic route." I know they meant well, but I had to make them understand that for someone like me, who doubts that stuff wholeheartedly, I would actually have to change my entire belief system first before starting on a regimen like that, and being young and newly diagnosed with a chronic illness (I was 25 when I found out) I just wasn't up for that.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your story. Hang in there man. Easy for me to say, I know.

[lamfordie]

Ive been getting stomach ulcers since I was 12(Im 22 now). I ususally get 2-3 of them a year and the pain is pretty bad. I usually get really bad stomach pains and also bad lower back pains. I havent vomited blood as of yet but I take madication that helps a lot with the ulcers. The last time I went to the hospital for it the doctor told me that if I have another really bad stomach ulcer that they would consider putting me on the stomach transplate list since they believe my stomach would be too damaged.

[GAY]

Ive been getting stomach ulcers since I was 12(Im 22 now). I ususally get 2-3 of them a year and the pain is pretty bad. I usually get really bad stomach pains and also bad lower back pains. I havent vomited blood as of yet but I take madication that helps a lot with the ulcers. The last time I went to the hospital for it the doctor told me that if I have another really bad stomach ulcer that they would consider putting me on the stomach transplate list since they believe my stomach would be too damaged.

Jesus H. I've never even thought of a stomach transplant in my life before reading your post. Is this something that's in high demand? Like I'm guessing hearts are super-rare...are stomachs difficult to get?

[lamfordie]

Ive been getting stomach ulcers since I was 12(Im 22 now). I ususally get 2-3 of them a year and the pain is pretty bad. I usually get really bad stomach pains and also bad lower back pains. I havent vomited blood as of yet but I take madication that helps a lot with the ulcers. The last time I went to the hospital for it the doctor told me that if I have another really bad stomach ulcer that they would consider putting me on the stomach transplate list since they believe my stomach would be too damaged.

Jesus H. I've never even thought of a stomach transplant in my life before reading your post. Is this something that's in high demand? Like I'm guessing hearts are super-rare...are stomachs difficult to get?

Its like the 4th or 5th most needed organ. They told me the list is pretty long though and they told me they would see if they could bump me up higher if its in dier need. I havent had any real big ulcers as of late because of my medication.

[Shredsledder]

I live in pretty much perfect health despite me trashing my body with cigarettes and the like. Reading all of this definitely reminds me how lucky I've been.

There's only one thing. eye floaters. Everyone has them, you've probably noticed some strange thing floating in your vision from time to time. My eyes are filled with these fucking things and most of them are so large that they never leave my field of vision. It's really not a big deal and I can still see everything around me, it just irks me to no end when I'm tryna look at a landscape and I have dozens of amorphous blobs flying around. I mistake them for flies sometimes and swat at them until I realize what's going on.

Thank jeebus i don't have any real ailments or I would lose my mind. I have lyme's but it hasn't come back at all since i got it like a decade ago.

[GAY]

I live in pretty much perfect health despite me trashing my body with cigarettes and the like. Reading all of this definitely reminds me how lucky I've been.

There's only one thing. eye floaters. Everyone has them, you've probably noticed some strange thing floating in your vision from time to time. My eyes are filled with these fucking things and most of them are so large that they never leave my field of vision. It's really not a big deal and I can still see everything around me, it just irks me to no end when I'm tryna look at a landscape and I have dozens of amorphous blobs flying around. I mistake them for flies sometimes and swat at them until I realize what's going on.

Thank jeebus i don't have any real ailments or I would lose my mind. I have lyme's but it hasn't come back at all since i got it like a decade ago.

What are they? Is it something that is happening in the back of the eye or is it something floating around on the front of your eyeball? Or somewhere in the middle? I've always wondered about those things.

[paraquat]

I live in pretty much perfect health despite me trashing my body with cigarettes and the like. Reading all of this definitely reminds me how lucky I've been.

There's only one thing. eye floaters. Everyone has them, you've probably noticed some strange thing floating in your vision from time to time. My eyes are filled with these fucking things and most of them are so large that they never leave my field of vision. It's really not a big deal and I can still see everything around me, it just irks me to no end when I'm tryna look at a landscape and I have dozens of amorphous blobs flying around. I mistake them for flies sometimes and swat at them until I realize what's going on.

Thank jeebus i don't have any real ailments or I would lose my mind. I have lyme's but it hasn't come back at all since i got it like a decade ago.

I have heard those are caused by smoking.

[SkateViolence]

I'm gluten intolerant and have a host of other undiagnosed gut problems that I generally attribute loosely to IBS. I should definitely get that shit looked at though. Basically, I'm gassy/bloated almost all the time and my body doesn't process nutrients correctly so I'm really skinny and if I'm not eating right/exercising then I get crazy muscle cramps and have a tendency to pass out. I figured the gluten intolerance out about 4 years ago and cutting that shit out has helped immensely.

[L33Tg33k]

I've been diagnosed with major depression along with some other mental health problems. I've dealt with it since the beginning of my working memory. Honestly speaking, I don't even know if I really believe in depression. A lot of the time I just think it's an excuse for my shitty life. I tried to off myself a couple weeks ago, but I couldn't follow through with it. I would have killed myself already if I wasn't such a coward.

I've got an enlarged prostate. It's not cancerous or anything, it's just big and it puts pressure on my bladder so I have to piss very often. I can't always make it out of bed and into the restroom so I keep empty bottles in my room to piss in. Yes, there is literally bottles of piss on the floor of my room.

I have carpel tunnel which is cool.

I've had asthma since I was kid. It's not really a big deal, but I can't be around smokers for too long.

[wallieD]

I live in pretty much perfect health despite me trashing my body with cigarettes and the like. Reading all of this definitely reminds me how lucky I've been.

There's only one thing. eye floaters. Everyone has them, you've probably noticed some strange thing floating in your vision from time to time. My eyes are filled with these fucking things and most of them are so large that they never leave my field of vision. It's really not a big deal and I can still see everything around me, it just irks me to no end when I'm tryna look at a landscape and I have dozens of amorphous blobs flying around. I mistake them for flies sometimes and swat at them until I realize what's going on.

Thank jeebus i don't have any real ailments or I would lose my mind. I have lyme's but it hasn't come back at all since i got it like a decade ago.

What are they? Is it something that is happening in the back of the eye or is it something floating around on the front of your eyeball? Or somewhere in the middle? I've always wondered about those things.

for me it's like a tiny translucent squiggly line and if you really focus on it you can watch it float around for awhile. at one point i was noticing it so often that it was freaking me out and then i tried to forget about it and i rarely notice them anymore. also, much respect to you for being upfront about your situation before sexual encounters GAY.

[weedpop]

I live in pretty much perfect health despite me trashing my body with cigarettes and the like. Reading all of this definitely reminds me how lucky I've been.

There's only one thing. eye floaters. Everyone has them, you've probably noticed some strange thing floating in your vision from time to time. My eyes are filled with these fucking things and most of them are so large that they never leave my field of vision. It's really not a big deal and I can still see everything around me, it just irks me to no end when I'm tryna look at a landscape and I have dozens of amorphous blobs flying around. I mistake them for flies sometimes and swat at them until I realize what's going on.

Thank jeebus i don't have any real ailments or I would lose my mind. I have lyme's but it hasn't come back at all since i got it like a decade ago.

I have heard those are caused by smoking.

I don't smoke cigarettes (only weed) and I certainly have a case of the "eye floaters". For me they look like little amoebas moving around in random patterns on my eye which I can only see when I unfocus my vision in a certain way. I've always thought they were just micro-organisms that happened to be living on my cornea, but I've never talked about it with anyone else or heard any sort of scientific explanation for it.

As for chronic illnesses, I have a genetically transmitted form of early onset arthritis that causes your vertebrae/ribcage to fuse together. My Grandpa had it but I didn't even think about it until recently when I started experiencing weird levels of pain and stiffness (it usually starts between the ages of 18 and 30). It pretty much makes it impossible to skate as of right now (or at least to do tricks) but I'm thinking about starting yoga or something to help with flexibility and shit.

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

I've got an enlarged prostate. It's not cancerous or anything, it's just big and it puts pressure on my bladder so I have to piss very often. I can't always make it out of bed and into the restroom so I keep empty bottles in my room to piss in. Yes, there is literally bottles of piss on the floor of my room.

I know a solution to your enlarged prostate problem.....I'm just sayin.... the bigger the prostate, the better it feels...


I don't have diabetes.....yet. Its genetic in my family so its basically not if but when. I thought my dad managed to avoid it which made me a bit relieved, then last year, at age 64, he finally was diagnosed with it. I'm terrified of needles, love sweet food, as well as walking and seeing.


Also, this doesn't really count aside from joking, but I'm balding. It only affects me in that I try to have women walk places in front of me and I get super self-conscious doing things like picking up shit I dropped in front of women who I seem to be doing well with. I also don't like to wear hats anymore because I feel like I'm misrepresenting myself.

Whatever happened to Diabolik!? He had colitis and it seemed to be really fucking with him. He was a really cool dude too.

[Cosme]

Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 2 wich is the combo of Diabetes Type 1 and Addison's disease.

I have a pretty normal life besides the daily dose of insuline shots and pills.
The only thing that bothers me is being aware of the level of glucose in my blood at all times.
I've been diabetic since I was 9 so this made me become a control freak about food - wich in the long run has been a good thing.

There's also other features that could add up to this combo that I'm staying away of for the time being.

But I can't complain.


Good luck and I hope it all turns out well for everybody: stay strong!

[The Human Condom]

There's only one thing. eye floaters. Everyone has them, you've probably noticed some strange thing floating in your vision from time to time. My eyes are filled with these fucking things and most of them are so large that they never leave my field of vision. It's really not a big deal and I can still see everything around me, it just irks me to no end when I'm tryna look at a landscape and I have dozens of amorphous blobs flying around. I mistake them for flies sometimes and swat at them until I realize what's going on.

What are they? Is it something that is happening in the back of the eye or is it something floating around on the front of your eyeball? Or somewhere in the middle? I've always wondered about those things.

One of my sisters is an optometrist and I've asked her about these in the past.  Basically, she said floaters are just tiny pieces of collagen protein in the eyes.  They're usually harmless.  She said they're only a problem if they don't improve, there's also pain, vision loss, or flashes of light.  Most people have floaters and they usually develop with age as the eye gradually deteriorates.

[Bronson]

I've got an enlarged prostate. It's not cancerous or anything, it's just big and it puts pressure on my bladder so I have to piss very often. I can't always make it out of bed and into the restroom so I keep empty bottles in my room to piss in. Yes, there is literally bottles of piss on the floor of my room.

I know a solution to your enlarged prostate problem.....I'm just sayin.... the bigger the prostate, the better it feels...


I don't have diabetes.....yet. Its genetic in my family so its basically not if but when. I thought my dad managed to avoid it which made me a bit relieved, then last year, at age 64, he finally was diagnosed with it. I'm terrified of needles, love sweet food, as well as walking and seeing.


Also, this doesn't really count aside from joking, but I'm balding. It only affects me in that I try to have women walk places in front of me and I get super self-conscious doing things like picking up shit I dropped in front of women who I seem to be doing well with. I also don't like to wear hats anymore because I feel like I'm misrepresenting myself.

Whatever happened to Diabolik!? He had colitis and it seemed to be really fucking with him. He was a really cool dude too.

Me too. I used to take this Gefina-drug for it that supposedly slows down or stops the balding process, but it caused me all kinds of sexual dysfunctions (why the fuck does it seem like every medicine I take has to mess with my penis?).

[Bronson]

The pain travels down my leg and can numb the leg, mostly on the front of my left leg in the ankle/shin area. It's generally concentrated in my lower back and hips though.

I've had days of less pain, which I think can attribute itself to physical output vs being stagnant, and in some cases weather plays a factor. The more physical I am the better I feel.

I've been on lyrica in the past, but never noticed any benefits from it, so after a few months of taking it I weened off. I've taken celebrex, ultram, oxycontin, vicodin, flexeril, and various other pain management and anti inflammatory medicines. None of them work. I mean they can numb the pain slightly, but it doesn't go away and the side effects are bothersome enough to not want to continue them. Also I'd prefer the never be addicted to anything, so even when I was taking those meds I would be careful not to do so for extended periods of time. I do have a bit of nerve damage from them being pinched.

PT and chiro have helped, I think. I don't actually know for sure. Being active relieves my pain, and so doing the pt exercises helps in that regard...but I'm not sure it's specifically the pt. What I'm getting at is if I'm moving I feel ok, but as soon as I stop the pain begins to radiate. I sit at a desk 8 hours a day and it's killing me! I'm going to request 4 more months of the pt at my next pain management doctor visit. I think that should be enough time to rule for or rule out the possibility of any surgery in the future.

The radio frequency injections worked on my for just a little less than 2 years. The good was pain relief, but the bad was slower muscle function...or reaction in my legs that is. I'm sure the muscles worked fine, but I always felt like my legs were a bit heavy after having the procedure done.

Epidural injections of cortisol never worked for my predicament. I had 5 of them over a few years and all they did was make me sore.

I've skated the entire time, sometimes well but mostly as a shell of my former abilities. I've recently got my 360 flips back though, which I tribute to the core strength exercises I've been doing. I'm also getting back into skating ledges. I've had a fear of ledges because I'm afraid if I fall on my tailbone it will be all over for me.

Dude I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. Like I said earlier, constant pain is something I live in fear of. Stoked on the fact that you continue to skate at all, actually. I'm curious, does skating, which is fairly rough on the body, also make you feel better or is there a tipping point with the physical exercise you do that can actually make it worse? Like weights or something like that? Or is it just most/all physical exercise makes you feel better?

Also, and this is not something I suggest because I am one of the most skeptical/cynical people I've ever met, have you ever tried the whole holistic/natural/hippy-dippy route? Stuff like acupuncture? I've never done any of that but my dad, who is a Southern Baptist (so unless it's prayer it's of the devil, basically), did some acupuncture after he had his hip replaced and he actually said it worked well...which surprised the shit out of me.

When I was newly diagnosed as HIV+ I had a couple roommates who jumped all over me and were like, "You can't take the meds! You have to go the holistic route." I know they meant well, but I had to make them understand that for someone like me, who doubts that stuff wholeheartedly, I would actually have to change my entire belief system first before starting on a regimen like that, and being young and newly diagnosed with a chronic illness (I was 25 when I found out) I just wasn't up for that.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your story. Hang in there man. Easy for me to say, I know.

My condition is not quite as severe as finecojeffes so I cant speak for him, but for me the things that seem to increase the pain are things that involve running, jumping, kicking or sudden twists. Doing leg excercises at the gym with big weights is also a huge no no. Have to be super careful when doing things like sit-ups or hyperextension because while strenghtening your core is important for sciatica, its also real easy to make your back even worse. Cycling and swimming seem to take the pain away, as does anything that makes your body release endorphins. Pushing on a skateboard hurts like fuck so thats that.

[finecojeffe]

Dude I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. Like I said earlier, constant pain is something I live in fear of. Stoked on the fact that you continue to skate at all, actually. I'm curious, does skating, which is fairly rough on the body, also make you feel better or is there a tipping point with the physical exercise you do that can actually make it worse? Like weights or something like that? Or is it just most/all physical exercise makes you feel better?

Also, and this is not something I suggest because I am one of the most skeptical/cynical people I've ever met, have you ever tried the whole holistic/natural/hippy-dippy route? Stuff like acupuncture? I've never done any of that but my dad, who is a Southern Baptist (so unless it's prayer it's of the devil, basically), did some acupuncture after he had his hip replaced and he actually said it worked well...which surprised the shit out of me.

When I was newly diagnosed as HIV+ I had a couple roommates who jumped all over me and were like, "You can't take the meds! You have to go the holistic route." I know they meant well, but I had to make them understand that for someone like me, who doubts that stuff wholeheartedly, I would actually have to change my entire belief system first before starting on a regimen like that, and being young and newly diagnosed with a chronic illness (I was 25 when I found out) I just wasn't up for that.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your story. Hang in there man. Easy for me to say, I know.

Thanks man. Sorry you're dealing with AIDS. That's scary stuff I'm sure. For a long time, decades, it seemed like that was the scariest diagnosis on earth.

Regarding pain and skating, it's painful in general even for a healthy person. I do not notice the back pain almost at all when I am skating. It takes me longer than an average person to warm up. Due to my weaker lower back I have extremely tight hamstrings which are difficult to stretch. In physical therapy they do a thing called Graston technique on my hamstrings a lot to help loosen them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graston_Technique

For the most part I can get about 3 hours in on a session. It's pretty clear when my body starts to break down though. It's not pain that causes the breakdown either, it's just fatigue. I'll stop landing stuff. I envy the people who can go all day.

As for medicinal paths I take, I'm not against holistic approaches. Along with PT, chiropractic care, and pain management therapy, I'm enlisting in the help of a massage therapist and acupuncture specialist. I haven't done the two latter things yet though, I'm buying a package deal this weekend and I'm looking forward to seeing if it will help me. I'm sure the massage will in the very least feel good. I do believe in the minds ability to heal. While I may not be able to will myself to health, I believe if I can stay positive over all, that I will feel better. I'll never be 100% again, even with surgery should it come to that, but I can smile and make sure my kids don't see me in anguish.

[Bronson]

Dude I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. Like I said earlier, constant pain is something I live in fear of. Stoked on the fact that you continue to skate at all, actually. I'm curious, does skating, which is fairly rough on the body, also make you feel better or is there a tipping point with the physical exercise you do that can actually make it worse? Like weights or something like that? Or is it just most/all physical exercise makes you feel better?

Also, and this is not something I suggest because I am one of the most skeptical/cynical people I've ever met, have you ever tried the whole holistic/natural/hippy-dippy route? Stuff like acupuncture? I've never done any of that but my dad, who is a Southern Baptist (so unless it's prayer it's of the devil, basically), did some acupuncture after he had his hip replaced and he actually said it worked well...which surprised the shit out of me.

When I was newly diagnosed as HIV+ I had a couple roommates who jumped all over me and were like, "You can't take the meds! You have to go the holistic route." I know they meant well, but I had to make them understand that for someone like me, who doubts that stuff wholeheartedly, I would actually have to change my entire belief system first before starting on a regimen like that, and being young and newly diagnosed with a chronic illness (I was 25 when I found out) I just wasn't up for that.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your story. Hang in there man. Easy for me to say, I know.

Thanks man. Sorry you're dealing with AIDS. That's scary stuff I'm sure. For a long time, decades, it seemed like that was the scariest diagnosis on earth.

Regarding pain and skating, it's painful in general even for a healthy person. I do not notice the back pain almost at all when I am skating. It takes me longer than an average person to warm up. Due to my weaker lower back I have extremely tight hamstrings which are difficult to stretch. In physical therapy they do a thing called Graston technique on my hamstrings a lot to help loosen them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graston_Technique

For the most part I can get about 3 hours in on a session. It's pretty clear when my body starts to break down though. It's not pain that causes the breakdown either, it's just fatigue. I'll stop landing stuff. I envy the people who can go all day.

As for medicinal paths I take, I'm not against holistic approaches. Along with PT, chiropractic care, and pain management therapy, I'm enlisting in the help of a massage therapist and acupuncture specialist. I haven't done the two latter things yet though, I'm buying a package deal this weekend and I'm looking forward to seeing if it will help me. I'm sure the massage will in the very least feel good. I do believe in the minds ability to heal. While I may not be able to will myself to health, I believe if I can stay positive over all, that I will feel better. I'll never be 100% again, even with surgery should it come to that, but I can smile and make sure my kids don't see me in anguish.

Good luck man and would be rad to hear how those go for you.

[finecojeffe]

thanks bronson. I'll try to recall this thread after a few sessions.