is trying to sell you something (from princess bride - saw again the other night)

this year has been mostly good - not always feeling good, but focusing on doing as much as i can & trying not to let myself get too run down while still trying to be active

mostly working & have lost about 12 lbs since peak weight in jan

felt yucky for a couple days - also the recent dental work didn't work & became increasingly obvious that a root canal is coming over the last week or so

yesterday thought i had a kidney stone - lower back & right side abdomen very painful all day

some nausea, dizzyness & headache, but i kinda have that most of the time anyway & am pretty much used to it

well, this morning both sides lower back very painful & all around the abdomen same - feels like a burning, sharp pain all over

so after seeing dentist, spent some time with doc, then some tests & maybe more tests tomorrow before and/or after root canal

so far she thinks we've ruled out kidney stones & kidney infection, but she mumbled something about gall bladder and pancreas then walked off, writing in the file - said to do these tests (some basic blood tests & i think amylase, that she didn't think i needed an operation at this point, but if it gets worse to not hesitate in getting in) - more tests likely tuesday if it's not worse, otherwise i guess try to squeeze me in tomorrow or something

it is basically impossible right now to find a comfortable position sitting or horizontal - standing is sorta okay, but i'm also really, really tired, as i've not slept much last few nights

i have vicodin, but it didn't help much for the back/abdomen yesterday - does seem to be helping a little bit tonight...

Sorry to hear you are feeling unwell Cary, it's hard to stay positive when you are short of sleep. Maybe try a herbal remedy for pain and insomnia? I'm sure you know which one I mean. ;-)

A good way to get the lymphatic system working and help with kidney processes and back pain is to do gentle waist circles with your feet together and keeping the head still. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth and imagine you are being held up by a thread from the top of your head to heaven.

Cary,
Sorry you are feeling yucky.
PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE TAKING ANY NEW MEDICATIONS.
I work with the troops that come back from Afghanistan and Iraqi that are suffering from PTSD. One of the problems associated with PTSD is sleeplessness or restless sleep. We try Ambien CR Oral, Klonopin Oral, Lunesta Oral, Rozerem Oral and when all of these fail we have good luck with simple Melatonin. Melatonin can be found at most drug stores over the counter. There has been considerable research done on it.
Like you, I have lived with pain for many years. I was injured a number of times during my military career and the VA throws vicodin at me by the bottle full. They do not take long to become ineffective if you take them all the time. I hope you get feeling better soon.

Mike

Here are just a few journals to look at if interested.

Title:
Sleep and Hypnosis ( Full text )

ISSN: 1302-1192
LCCN: 00243513
Publisher: Küre Iletişim Grubu A.Ş.
Place of publication: Istanbul

Title:
Sleep medicine reviews ( Full text )

ISSN: 1087-0792
eISSN: 1532-2955
CODEN: SMREFC
Publisher: W.B. Saunders
Place of publication: [London]

Title:
Sleep & Biological Rhythms ( Full text )

Title:
Sleep Medicine Clinics ( Full text )

ISSN: 1556-407X
LCCN: 2005214885
Publisher: Elsevier

Title:
Journal of sleep research ( Full text )

ISSN: 0962-1105
eISSN: 1365-2869
CODEN: JSRSEU
Publisher: Published on behalf of the European Sleep Research Society by Blackwell Scientific Publications
Place of publication: Oxford

Title:
The Open Sleep Journal ( Full text )

ISSN: 1874-6209
LCCN: 2008263464
Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers
Place of publication: [Hilversum


Title:
Behavioral sleep medicine ( Full text )

ISSN: 1540-2002
eISSN: 1540-2010
Publisher: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Place of publication: Mahwah, N.J.


Title:
Sleep medicine ( Full text )

ISSN: 1389-9457
CODEN: SMLEAB
Publisher: Elsevier
Place of publication: Amsterdam

Title:
Sleep ( Full text )

ISSN: 0161-8105
eISSN: 1550-9109
CODEN: SLEED6
LCCN: 2004215430
Publisher: Associated Professional Sleep Societies
Place of publication: Westchester, Ill.

Cary,

Sorry you're having all this come down at once. None of them are individually much fun. But, all together?

I hope you get feeling better soon. I am looking forward to seeing you at Bear Lake.

I agree life is a pain, but it's better than the alternative...

despite the high cost of living, it's still pretty poplular

also something like:

life is full of misery, loneliness and suffering - and it's all over much too soon

it's not that i'm afraid to die; i just don't want to be there when it happens

i am at two with nature

Cary,

Get better soon.

Sounds like my gall bladder symptoms a few years ago. I just ignored it until the pain finally became excruciating. Didn't know what was wrong, and my wife rushed me to a hospital. Emergency gall bladder surgery ensued a few hours later.

don't know if it was gall bladder or what it is/was

is much improved, though still a little tender

we'll see this week if anything turned up in the blood tests - hopefully it was something transient that doesn't come back. i don't like pain much.

Cary,

Glad to hear you are feeling a little better. Continue to take care of yourself. I wish you a full recovery and hopefully this will just end up being one of those unpleasant but passing experiences.

Edited by Davidpcvsamoa on 05/27/2009 22:31:36 MDT.