Chill π₯Ά, you can do this! I know that it is a lot but even though I really donβt know you, I have always had a picture of you in my mind and that woman is strong. She can handle anything, maybe with lots of medication πππ but she will make it.
What happened to your spinal cord? You didnβt go to a salon & have your neck bent back too far did you?
As for being done with Drs: My 81 year old Dad gave up on Drs 3 years ago after giving them a chance to end his decades battle with back pain. Only to have their actions put him in the most severe pain no matter whether he was sitting or laying down. They were sports doctors, so I guess he was hoping they may know better, no.
His wife found a doctor who said that those doctors performed the wrong procedure & once Dad allowed them to look at him, THEY made sense to him. (I found out from my SIL that their 25 year anniversary party 6 hours away from my Dad was part of the motivating factor π Iβm glad heβs actually not being as pigheaded as he usually is about this. Especially after a talk with Ken, a guy I talk to at the Diner I miss driving to each morning (I was able to have my DH drop me off on Monday morning & we chatted about Dadβs procedure. He said he had a friend who had the cauterization of nerves in his back done & the changes were night & day.)
As for quitting smoking, I know that itβs a tough & rough habit to break, but imagine not having to add salt & other spices that may not be healthy! Just this one life change can make your life better & food taste better! π
I know that when I go to Starbucks, & get the iced blueberry tea, they, if they donβt know me are shocked when I ask for no sweeteners. Itβs perfect as is. I never knew that cigarettes affected the tastebuds like that until I worked for the doctor.
There are benefits in listening to these doctors even if itβs hard to listen to.
Oh my, Jes. I don't know what to say except that you have been an inspiration to me since I have found this forum, and I have always looked up to you in a way that I would always say to myself ~ What would Jesmcd2 do?
Jes, shark-sis!πwe are all routing for ya! & LπVE YA too! I have been done w/ doc's for many yrs. Now, & kinda became my own Doc.w/ all the research, Naturalpathic Docs' on my e.mail lists, I have literally managed to stay in a good remission of the M.onS.terrorizt for almost 9 months now! By what we all have been trying to talk about on here, Cleaning our leaky-guts, whenever our guts are bacteria/Candida fungal overgrowths, it does cause a plethora of auto-immune diseases i.e. M.S., Rhumatoid Arthritis, Hashimotos, cuz our immune sytems start getting all confused & just start attacking our own bodies!! Yikes! My life-Saving /changing ebooks or books by Ann Boroch, "Healing Multiple Sclerosis", & "The Candida Cure", are many of the best out there & do a search for Dr. Amy Myers & Doctor Jockers (he's always on youtube), they're my go tos'! YOUR BODY WILL THANK YOU L8R!πππ
Sorry to hear about your troubles, but you really have to quit smoking for a million reasons. My dad's cancer was linked to smoking - he died at 39. My husband quit smoking. You can do it if you really want to.
Poor Jes, I feel so bad for you! What in the heck did you do to your spine? I know that right about now you want to kill anyone in a white coat with a stethescope hanging around his/her neck, but chill for a moment. Have you gotten a second opinion? Before having back surgery, I would definitely get one, and maybe even two. And search out the best one that you can find to do the surgery! And if your current dr isn't good with that, too bad, and he/she isn't the dr you need to be with! And you don't have to quit smoking by yourself. My sister-in-law, who is a one in the hand and two in the ashtray smoker, quit through hypnotherapy, but she only went to one appt. and went back to smoking. I think she really has given up on life, but you are NOT going to do that! You are going to stay strong, whatever it is, and be the BEST MS WARRIOR YOU CAN BE! Ride on, baby, and let us know what happens and how you are doing! Sending good karma and lots of hugs. Sukie
Sorry to hear about your back π£. Good Luck with quitting smoking π¬. Several of my friends used Chantex (spelling?) and had success with itπ. Prayers are with you πππ Ken πΎπΎ
Jesmcd2 & Kenu I know several people as well that quit with Chantex and it helped them. Some had to do a 2nd round of it to finally kick the habit. My grandpa, years ago, had to have a small surgery on his back and was told that he needed to quit smoking or the doc would not operate on him. You heal quicker if you don't smoke. I know it is a hard thing to stop but you can do it!
Hugs my friend, sorry for the bad news being thrown at you all at once. I know you can do it.
Get a second opinion on the surgery and good luck with it if you need it. Hopefully you'll recover quickly and feel much better afterward. Quitting smoking is always a good thing. It'll be hard but you'll be glad you did later. My sister had a post-it taped to her steering wheel to help her quit smoking. The post-it listed the price of a pack of cigarettes times how many she went through in a day times how many a week times how many a month times how many a year. The cost was staggering! She then listed all of the things she could have done with that money instead. She put the money in a mason jar to help better visualize all that she was saving. By the end of her first year of not smoking she had saved up enough to pay off her minivan 2 years early! ππ She's now using the extra funds to pay off her student loans.
Jesmcd2 . Surgery maybe. Give up smoking?????. All my drs are on me to quit smoking but after 50+ years I ainβt as easy as it sounds. Being Iβve had my share of surgeries I wish you thee best of luck. And Iβll be praying you donβt kill your dr or anybody else gritting smoking. I tried Chantix years ago and had one of the main side effects. It was suicidal thoughts. So I quit it immediately. Iβd rather die from smoking than suicide.ππGod bless on your surgery and quitting smoking.
Okay, kiddo, I've opened my old mom manual to the chapter on giving gratuitous advice: Back surgery is tricky. Get a second and maybe even a third opinion before making a decision. Quitting smoking is hard, but necessary for all sorts of reasons (health, improved taste and olfactory sensations, cost) but you can do it. Lots of us have (including me)...and if you need surgery, the lung impairment it has caused affects the anesthesia. Okay, manual back on the shelf. This is from me: we're with you. Hugs.
So sorry you are going through all of this!! The only things I have to add to what others have said that as a nurse I have seen how smoking affects healing after surgery and it will also help your MS to quit. I also know it is one of the hardest things to do. I researched quiting methods to help my husband quit. He used the patch and then had lozenges for the urges throughout the day. He said it really helped and made it not as tough as he thought it would be. Be prepared to start coughing up all the stuff stuck down in your lungs for the first month or two and my husband said he had really vivid dreams at first too. He felt so much better after though and he doesn't have anything wrong with him. He did say the lozenges made him gassy, not sure if the gum would do the same thing.
Oh bless u honey thatβs crap! I just wish youβd get better I really so, lots of hugs and love xxxxxxxxxxxx β€οΈπβ€οΈπβ€οΈπβ€οΈπβ€οΈππβ€οΈ
I hear your frustration. I had an old injury on neck. Three herniated disc. Only if it is leaning on spine do you want surgery. I was misled for long time. I can't quit smoking either. I get frustrated as you. I wish you well and new miracles Γ§oming your way.
As a nurse, I encourage you to also get a second and third opinion. If your doc isn't ok with that, it's HIS problem. A very good dr will never be offended if you want a second opinion. Back surgery is tricky and often once you have it done, other drs don't want to redo someone else's work. I pray π that you find the best dr with an excellent bedside manner and all goes well. You have been an inspiration to me and I hope you will lean on all of us through out this huge mountain in your way and you will climb over or around (either way is fine! π) and you will feel stronger and healthier than ever. Love and hugs. ππ
Oh Gosh, Jesmcd2 , That's a bummer Diagnosis on top of everything else. I wish I could refer you to my spine doctor. He fused my Hubbie's neck, and fused my lower spine. Hubby could still do Triathlons and I could bicycle ride Hundreds of miles. Talk with the surgeon ahead of time about your expectations and what the surgeon's expectations are. My first spine surgery was a "Laminectomy" and I was in pain for 12+ yrs until I had the area fused. I will definitely keep you in my thought and prayers. You knw how to get in touch with me!!!
That is a lot. I will be praying for your healing. I wish you didn't have to go through this, but if the outcome is better for you; only you know. Remember we pray for one another.
Sorry to hear you need surgery. Hopefully it will help you feel better in a few weeks. It's hard getting all the bad news but it won't last. Try to think positive thoughts, they will help lift up your spirits. Praying for you to get through it all soon.
So sorry you have to go through all this Jesmcd2 ! Quitting smoking is hard but as others mentioned, it will help you heal better and more rapidly if you do. I also agree with the idea of getting a second opinion and even a third. Back surgery is tricky. You want to give yourself the best chance of success. We are rooting for you!
You said you were going to stop smoking on Sunday and here it is/was. I hope you made it through today. Only take it one.day.at.a.time. Don't think about tomorrow, just focus on the now. Remember, if you scream and rant at us, it's ok! Besides, you can use any volume you want, it won't hurt our eardrums. π
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