I have a medical condition which will be tough to treat, and it means the end of radio (for now)

[gimmick]

Normally I'd be long gone after reading a few threads once every three months but I need to see how this clown show ends. Shit's riveting. The literal minute by minute posts of how he is feeling exactly during his day is astonishing and makes one wonder how the guy isn't in a padded room yet.

Parts of Druffs personality are useful in his professional life and the same parts can become a problem in personal life. Chopping everything to pieces and having the ability recollect minor details.

It takes a while to realize that just comtemplating pulling the trigger with some decisions can become more toxic than pulling the trigger and being wrong sometimes.

KTs 5 part list to decision making is also well timed now. The same list wouldn't have worked a month ago. Now Druff actually could answer those and be right in his decision most of the time.

Getting stubborn people to adapt doesn't happen overnight. You usually have to let them make mistakes and find some answers on their own.

Most of what i say doesn't come from the holier than thou place, but more from other people can avoid a lot of mistakes i've made. And i can see that's the same with you. I've minimized jabs to Druff in this thread but i definitely understand why others haven't.

Some unnecessary pain on Druffs part. With meds it's often a balance issue. Too little or too much is bad, the good is somewhere in the middle. Rest and taking a break from yourself does so much that it was tilting that Druff didn't see that. That alone can often get the ball rolling for recovery.

[chinamaniac]

I'm not going to bother with a gym. I'm not training to be Mr. Olympia.

Not everyone who works out in a gym is training to be a body builder. There are a lot of very good cardio machines in gyms with treadmills that can simulate hiking etc.....

But that aside , I was just suggesting using a gym because if you are worried you may have a heart attack from working out , cannot think of a better place to have one than in a gym because if your working out at any "normal time" there will be plenty of people around

[gimmick]

I'm not going to bother with a gym. I'm not training to be Mr. Olympia.

Not everyone who works out in a gym is training to be a body builder. There are a lot of very good cardio machines in gyms with treadmills that can simulate hiking etc.....

But that aside , I was just suggesting using a gym because if you are worried you may have a heart attack from working out , cannot think of a better place to have one than in a gym because if your working out at any "normal time" there will be plenty of people around

For Druff it's likely better that the place isn't too sterile/safe. Less chance of spacing out or getting lost in your own thoughts. It's likely good for you because exercise takes care of itself, but it's bad for the mental side of things.

Nature works because it bombards the mind with stimuli. It forces to focus itself and most people are hardwired to be alert in those circumstances. Basically too much stuff to do to worry about anything else. Mostly because it punishes if you aren't alert.

[Pooh]

Just popped a Vicodin around twenty minutes ago partly in response to this thread and partly because my dental work fucking hurts. I must say I prefer my Xanax. Actually curious to see if I can walk once I hit send on this post.

[gimmick]

Druff doesn’t read books. Not a troll.

10% Happier. Catchy title.

For fuck’s sake, lovebug - play along. Don’t be contrarian.

AUDIOBOOKS will also work. And require minimal effort / concentration.

I have all 3 in PDF format - PM if you get your head out of your ass. ❤️

Could be too new agey or too close to Eastern mysticism. That said Zen Buddhism is usually the most palatable form to the West. You get do stuff all the time and somehow on the way to spiritual enlightenment you get to compete while going for personal high score. Those are the kinda things we understand and see worth doing.

[Lord of the Fraud]

It's a personal blessing that all these feelgood drugs that you speak of are not available in the UK

As there's a moderate chance I'd be sucking many cocks after the doc cut my prescriptions off.

[limitles]

For fuck’s sake, lovebug - play along. Don’t be contrarian.

AUDIOBOOKS will also work. And require minimal effort / concentration.

I have all 3 in PDF format - PM if you get your head out of your ass. ❤️

Could be too new agey or too close to Eastern mysticism. That said Zen Buddhism is usually the most palatable form to the West. You get do stuff all the time and somehow on the way to spiritual enlightenment you get to compete while going for personal high score. Those are the kinda things we understand and see worth doing.

Have to jump in here even though I know most people are blind to it. Meditation beats medication times ten. No side effects, better results, no cost, and it will change your world.
I have had this in my back pocket from the age of 18. I have used it twice to pull myself out of a major addiction cycle. Why do I let addiction back into my life???? I wish I could tell you.
Probably a drama queen.

[MumblesBadly]

Just popped a Vicodin around twenty minutes ago partly in response to this thread and partly because my dental work fucking hurts. I must say I prefer my Xanax. Actually curious to see if I can walk once I hit send on this post.

When I had all four impacted wisdom teeth surgically removed in one sittting in my mid 20s, the only pain med I took after the surgery was one (1) Tylenol 3. One pill. That’s it. Not even aspirin or regular Tylenol after that.

[Crowe Diddly]

When I had all four impacted wisdom teeth surgically removed in one sittting in my mid 20s, the only pain med I took after the surgery was one (1) Tylenol 3. One pill. That’s it. Not even aspirin or regular Tylenol after that.

Why did you go this route? Didn't feel much pain? Massive pain tolerance? Enjoyed the pain? Broke? Philosophical reasons?

[limitles]

Could be too new agey or too close to Eastern mysticism. That said Zen Buddhism is usually the most palatable form to the West. You get do stuff all the time and somehow on the way to spiritual enlightenment you get to compete while going for personal high score. Those are the kinda things we understand and see worth doing.

Have to jump in here even though I know most people are blind to it. Meditation beats medication times ten. No side effects, better results, no cost, and it will change your world.
I have had this in my back pocket from the age of 18. I have used it twice to pull myself out of a major addiction cycle. Why do I let addiction back into my life???? I wish I could tell you.
Probably a drama queen.

That's interesting. "Get to compete while going for personal high score". If I read you right, the goal oriented person can still have that but realize it through a different mechanism. And likely see the game differently in the end?
Wow, I'm sure I've confused a few in that thought process,
but I think you're right, if I'm right

Ok this is then totally appropriate

[IamGreek]

Normally I'd be long gone after reading a few threads once every three months but I need to see how this clown show ends. Shit's riveting. The literal minute by minute posts of how he is feeling exactly during his day is astonishing and makes one wonder how the guy isn't in a padded room yet.

Don't know why but I just busted a gut laughing at this. Thank you Mr. Pooh!

[snowtracks]

Normally I'd be long gone after reading a few threads once every three months but I need to see how this clown show ends. Shit's riveting. The literal minute by minute posts of how he is feeling exactly during his day is astonishing and makes one wonder how the guy isn't in a padded room yet.

Don't know why but I just busted a gut laughing at this. Thank you Mr. Pooh!

I gotta admit.. after re-reading this .. I agree greek... HOF Pooh has gotta be the new number one poster!

[gimmick]

Have to jump in here even though I know most people are blind to it. Meditation beats medication times ten. No side effects, better results, no cost, and it will change your world.
I have had this in my back pocket from the age of 18. I have used it twice to pull myself out of a major addiction cycle. Why do I let addiction back into my life???? I wish I could tell you.
Probably a drama queen.

That's interesting. "Get to compete while going for personal high score". If I read you right, the goal oriented person can still have that but realize it through a different mechanism. And likely see the game differently in the end?
Wow, I'm sure I've confused a few in that thought process,
but I think you're right, if I'm right

Haven't really look in to it for 20 years, but some schools aren't oppose to it. It's not really a race/game to enlightenment, but becoming better at whatever they practice mindfulness with. Tea ceremony, archery, calligraphy and stuff like that. Doubt the list has been revised since 17th century, but some schools still do it with everyday stuff.

Within Asia it's just monks and some practitioners of ancient arts/sports. Most Buddhists just accept Karma and support those few that seek enlightenment. In the west it's kinda flipped. Everyone want's to do the devoted stuff for whatever reason. With converts it's less of a religion and more something about personal growth.

[Pooh]

Just popped a Vicodin around twenty minutes ago partly in response to this thread and partly because my dental work fucking hurts. I must say I prefer my Xanax. Actually curious to see if I can walk once I hit send on this post.

When I had all four impacted wisdom teeth surgically removed in one sittting in my mid 20s, the only pain med I took after the surgery was one (1) Tylenol 3. One pill. That’s it. Not even aspirin or regular Tylenol after that.

How many cocks you suck in your life? Be honest. Fat fucking slob.

[Dan Druff]

Let's get back on track here.

Couldn't tell if I had next day tiredness with the Xanax or not. I was already very tired because of lack of sleep the night before, so I just slept a lot. I don't feel tired now, but I slept a ton, and it's also now been 30 hours since I took 0.25mg of Xanax, so I wouldn't be tired at this point anyway from it.

Here is a serious question for those who have taken Xanax: Have you ever had vivid dreams or nightmares on it? Some do. I have not yet, though I have only taken 0.25mg twice, and didn't go to sleep for 12+ hours after I took it both times, so that could be why.

I'm really hoping the Gaviscon works or at least partially works for my LPR. I won't know for awhile, since the throat has to heal. The one pain in the ass is having to not eat or drink anything for as long as possible (they suggest at least 2 hours) after taking it, or you screw up its effectiveness (the foam barrier breaks). So if you violate this, you aren't harming anything, but you're negating the whole point of taking it.

For those who feel I've been overly concerned about medications, side effects, etc, I probably have been, but that's because both of these conditions are ones where you can fuck yourself up further if you throw caution to the wind and treat them incorrectly. I've personally known people who seriously regretted getting on things like SSRIs for anxiety, as well as those who thought they were using Xanax responsibly, but in reality weren't. I've also known people who did these things under the direction of doctors and psychiatrists, and then spent months or years simply trying to get back to where they were before they took the meds.

Regarding the LPR, I'm a member of a lot of discussion groups where people have jumped into 3-month, high dose PPI (Nexium/Prilosec/etc) use, as advised by their doctor to cure their LPR, only to find themselves with all kinds of new problems, including GERD they didn't have before. I've seen others who have jumped into surgery to "correct" it, only to wake up even worse. Again, these people were acting on advice of their doctors, and these aren't rare, outlier cases.

My approach to solving the LPR will be to do any noninvasive or minimally invasive test that I can in order to find out as much as possible, and then to try a lot of low-risk solutions like the Gaviscon to see if I can find something that works. My only two regrets so far:

1) Giving up on the Gaviscon in early Sept when my first experience was bad, since the bad experience was probably because of the Nexium
2) Not taking Xanax during the panic attacks in August and early Sept

[Dan Druff]

Regarding my cavalier attitude toward Vicodin in the past and my cautiousness regarding Xanax:

I knew I wouldn't get addicted to Vicodin, plus I tolerated it super well -- better than just about anyone. Zero side effects, yet it did its job. I could take it, be fully alert, yet it would take care of the pain. But I never desired to take it for pleasure, and I knew the rare headache I took it for (basicaly when Excedrin wouldn't do the job, which was about 4-6 times per year) would not cause any kind of habit.

My only fear of the Vicodin came when I took it for 2 weeks straight because of mysterious and unexplained lingering pain after a dental extraction, and I started worrying that I was going to get addicted. So I quit it cold turkey and switched to Advil. No problem doing that whatsoever. The pain subsided anyway about 1.5 weeks after that.

Xanax is a bit different because it would be treating an ongoing problem which, to be honest, may never get better. Plus there is a big problem with people habituating to it and needing more for the same effect, which I know also is an issue with Vicodin, but to a greater extent with Xanax. Furthermore, my tolerance of it and possible side effects or withdrawal symptoms are unknown, unlike Vicodin where clearly I had none.

I realize that opioid abuse is a huge epidemic right now, which is why it alarmed people (even my own parents) when I casually said I took Vicodin occasionally for headaches, but I 100% knew it would cause me no issue, and I was right. Didn't fear that one bit.

Xanax still scares me somewhat, though it will probably be okay if I keep its usage down to "as needed" for things like going to the doctor or dentist, or maybe the eventual plane flight I might be able to take in the future.

[Dan Druff]

Speaking of the Vicodin, both the psychiatrist I see and another doctor cited my "doing Vicodin for 2 weeks and quitting abruptly out of fear of addiction" story as a big reason I wouldn't get addicted to Xanax if I used it responsibly.

"Someone likely to have addiction problems with Xanax wouldn't have just quit the Vicodin that way", they said.

[Forum Wars]

For those who feel I've been overly concerned about medications, side effects, etc, I probably have been, but that's because both of these conditions are ones where you can fuck yourself up further if you throw caution to the wind and treat them incorrectly. I've personally known people who seriously regretted getting on things like SSRIs for anxiety, as well as those who thought they were using Xanax responsibly, but in reality weren't. I've also known people who did these things under the direction of doctors and psychiatrists, and then spent months or years simply trying to get back to where they were before they took the meds.

Regarding the LPR, I'm a member of a lot of discussion groups where people have jumped into 3-month, high dose PPI (Nexium/Prilosec/etc) use, as advised by their doctor to cure their LPR, only to find themselves with all kinds of new problems, including GERD they didn't have before. I've seen others who have jumped into surgery to "correct" it, only to wake up even worse. Again, these people were acting on advice of their doctors, and these aren't rare, outlier cases.

My approach to solving the LPR will be to do any noninvasive or minimally invasive test that I can in order to find out as much as possible, and then to try a lot of low-risk solutions like the Gaviscon to see if I can find something that works. My only two regrets so far:

1) Giving up on the Gaviscon in early Sept when my first experience was bad, since the bad experience was probably because of the Nexium
2) Not taking Xanax during the panic attacks in August and early Sept

I will say this Druff: you are an ombudsman of early health self-stewardship that the (real, not pharma-conflict-of-interest-supported) medical community wishes everyone would model themselves as.

Actually, I don't know what your ratings for what you feel is your biggest challenge now is: the LRR (assuming it's main toll is the lump sensation) or the anxiety or the depression (if you still have that). Kinda hoping that if one caused the other/caused the other...it works like dominoes in reverse too.

EDIT: Have you ever TRIED apple cider vinegar in water? It's an irritant for sure, so be careful, but it goes all alkaline in your body. Also, what are the chances this is some kind of allergy you just developed and not LPR?

[Pooh]

Regarding my cavalier attitude toward Vicodin in the past and my cautiousness regarding Xanax:

I knew I wouldn't get addicted to Vicodin, plus I tolerated it super well -- better than just about anyone. Zero side effects, yet it did its job. I could take it, be fully alert, yet it would take care of the pain. But I never desired to take it for pleasure, and I knew the rare headache I took it for (basicaly when Excedrin wouldn't do the job, which was about 4-6 times per year) would not cause any kind of habit.

My only fear of the Vicodin came when I took it for 2 weeks straight because of mysterious and unexplained lingering pain after a dental extraction, and I started worrying that I was going to get addicted. So I quit it cold turkey and switched to Advil. No problem doing that whatsoever. The pain subsided anyway about 1.5 weeks after that.

Xanax is a bit different because it would be treating an ongoing problem which, to be honest, may never get better. Plus there is a big problem with people habituating to it and needing more for the same effect, which I know also is an issue with Vicodin, but to a greater extent with Xanax. Furthermore, my tolerance of it and possible side effects or withdrawal symptoms are unknown, unlike Vicodin where clearly I had none.

I realize that opioid abuse is a huge epidemic right now, which is why it alarmed people (even my own parents) when I casually said I took Vicodin occasionally for headaches, but I 100% knew it would cause me no issue, and I was right. Didn't fear that one bit.

Xanax still scares me somewhat, though it will probably be okay if I keep its usage down to "as needed" for things like going to the doctor or dentist, or maybe the eventual plane flight I might be able to take in the future.

We're talking .25's here dude not 2 mg bars. You're a 210 lb adult male for crying out loud. A .25 might as well be considered a fucking placebo. I can't stress enough what a pussy miniscule fag amount you're taking yet you are scared shitless of it. This is why you are getting your balls busted. No problem with a Vicodin for two damn weeks yet you're scared of a .25 xanax like it's crack cocaine. Gimme a break.

Whether half of us even believe you have LPR and not just anxiety like your one doctor expressed is another topic altogether. One I would be very interested in persuing further if you can handle it. If you can't I won't push the issue.

[Dan Druff]

For those who feel I've been overly concerned about medications, side effects, etc, I probably have been, but that's because both of these conditions are ones where you can fuck yourself up further if you throw caution to the wind and treat them incorrectly. I've personally known people who seriously regretted getting on things like SSRIs for anxiety, as well as those who thought they were using Xanax responsibly, but in reality weren't. I've also known people who did these things under the direction of doctors and psychiatrists, and then spent months or years simply trying to get back to where they were before they took the meds.

Regarding the LPR, I'm a member of a lot of discussion groups where people have jumped into 3-month, high dose PPI (Nexium/Prilosec/etc) use, as advised by their doctor to cure their LPR, only to find themselves with all kinds of new problems, including GERD they didn't have before. I've seen others who have jumped into surgery to "correct" it, only to wake up even worse. Again, these people were acting on advice of their doctors, and these aren't rare, outlier cases.

My approach to solving the LPR will be to do any noninvasive or minimally invasive test that I can in order to find out as much as possible, and then to try a lot of low-risk solutions like the Gaviscon to see if I can find something that works. My only two regrets so far:

1) Giving up on the Gaviscon in early Sept when my first experience was bad, since the bad experience was probably because of the Nexium
2) Not taking Xanax during the panic attacks in August and early Sept

I will say this Druff: you are an ombudsman of early health self-stewardship that the (real, not pharma-conflict-of-interest-supported) medical community wishes everyone would model themselves as.

Actually, I don't know what your ratings for what you feel is your biggest challenge now is: the LRR (assuming it's main toll is the lump sensation) or the anxiety or the depression (if you still have that). Kinda hoping that if one caused the other/caused the other...it works like dominoes in reverse too.

I have three issues right now. I've wavered back and forth as to which is most important and which should garner the most attention, but here's how it currently stands:

1) The LPR. The lump is unpleasant but I can deal with it. I'm almost used to it by now. It's the problems that go with it -- the choking when lying down (the worst part), the voice hoarseness, and the throat clearing -- which are most bothersome. I also feel that drove the anxiety to show up.

2) The anxiety. This may or may not lessen if the LPR is brought under control. This actually causes me a greater day-to-day problem than the LPR itself, but I feel it's smartest to focus upon treating the root cause of the anxiety.

3) A third potential problem I haven't discussed out here, which was revealed through blood test and ultrasound. This one is of the variety of, "Very serious if it's what's going on, but is a lot more likely to be nothing or something relatively minor." The problem is that testing for this isn't easy when you have LPR and anxiety, as you have to lie down completely flat to do it, and it takes a long time. I will be doing a different form of this test (also not easy) later this month or early next month.

It is not likely that the LPR/anxiety is related to #3. It seems that #3 was just discovered because of the extensive testing I did, which otherwise I wouldn't have done if I felt fine.