http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/tags/pain Why are we talking about this!! Zits!! Arghh!!!!! en-US Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:08:13 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/search.php http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3255 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:44:49 +0000 Anonymous 3255@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Prof. I cannot offer anything more than my warmest thoughts and prayers of better days. There are so many of us with health issues. i have my meditation time, with that comes many tears and cleansing. With about 5yrs into PTZ i hear many souls pouring out their pain. We share, and support and personally that, as simple as it is, gives me strength. Thank you dear fellows. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3252 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:15:42 +0000 Anonymous 3252@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Tiff, hows it goin?? hope your burns are getting better.. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3247 Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:50:12 +0000 Anonymous 3247@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>methadone should have a reputation. it has almost knocked me out of The Game a few times when my metabolism went haywire. on the other hand, when the patient is medically stable, it is EFFECTIVE and it is CHEAP. the danger is that it has a very long half-life -- so it is prescribed in lieu of time-release formulations (as in oxycontin, etc), the thinking being that it lasts so long, it may as well be time-release! that there is stupid thinking, my friends. its metabolites can sneak up on you, having built and built with each dose, so that the cumulative effect is an overdose. this happened to me 3 times in as many months, and each time i ended up on life support, then got pneumonia, the whole melodramatic shebang. i went off of it for two years, returned to oxycontin. but i felt tremendous guilt about how much oxycontin costs, and also was troubled because i *did* experience a "high" on that drug. i did not want to be in a classroom when i felt under the influence of anything except coffee! anyway -- i am back on methadone now, but refuse to take the prescribed dose. he had me on a HUGE amount before --160 mg a day. now it is just 40 mg a day, but i only take 25. i know it sounds ridiculous but i kind of love life and cannot get the memory of that weird time to go away. i had all the symptoms you would expect to find in a methadone overdose -- but my blood levels were in LOW therapeutic range! whatever processes the stuff in my body just decided to pack a bag and go on vacation. obviously, after the first reaction -- ventilator, icu, etc -- we reduced the dose. same thing happened, even with a lower serum level. and again. three times in three wicked months. so i have a healthy fear of this drug even as i appreciate what little it does do. it is a preferred drug for CRPSers because of how one of its receptors links up to our diddlytoewinkerpoothingy. got it? he he. </p> <p>as for the 'rep' -- i don't worry about it. i wean myself off at least once a month in an effort to reset my pain sensors and clear it out of my system as much as possible. the average heroin addict, i can assure you, does not go to such extremes. it makes me very sad to see and hear how "former addicts" are now addicted to methadone! where is the progress in that? i think it is bad medicine, but that's my lay, uninformed opinion. the chemically dependent folks i have worked with in the homeless population were only successfully transitioned to being housed and safe again, even veryn productive and reunited with family, had to go cold turkey. god bless their brave souls. </p> <p>i don't get any high or affective changes on methadone, which is its greatest attribute. and if i only said it a few times, here's a reminder: it's cheap! probably cheaper than the equivalent amount of OTC analgesics.</p> <p>god, it's almost 3 am. shut up,prof.</p> <p>i've had a rough day. but then, that is in no way special!</p> <p>g'night, y'all. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3242 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:02:47 +0000 Spooky 3242@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Silvadine is great for the pain...but it is very expensive and some insurance won't pay for it except for certain things. It is used a lot to help with the pain of severe bed sores. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3240 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:50:52 +0000 cantlookaway 3240@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Try to get a prescription for silvadene ointment. I have no medical experience, but it really, really helps with the pain. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3239 Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:55:32 +0000 sexandzitz 3239@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Methadone has a bad reputation because people associate it with heroin withdrawal. They prescribe it for the pain of the withdrawal. Many pharmacists won't even fill the prescription. My husband recommends it highly for chronic, intense, "nothing else helps" pain. He has Crohn's and because he had a J-pouch, they closed up the stoma from the ileostomy when they removed his large intestine, and created a pouch so that he evacuates through his colon (A BIG MISTAKE FOR ANYONE WITH CROHN's; it's ok for severe UC), he was getting constantly insanely painful blockages. If you do have Crohn's and your doctor is recommending surgery, you should speak with my husband, who counsels people under the auspices of the American Cancer Society (even though Crohn's is NOT cancer) at Mt. Sinai Hospital where Dr. Crohn practiced medicine. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3236 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:16:51 +0000 Anonymous 3236@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>norton -- my doc made fun of me today, which is okay, as he is a great guy. a little behind on the crps learning curve, but hey, aren't they all? i've met loads of nurses with great understanding -- i think because of so many traumatic injuries suffered on the job, hence a *real* intimate knowledge -- but few docs who "get it." anyway... we were chatting and i told him that every time we do a course of abx, the burning type of crps pain eases up. </p> <p>"uh-huh," said he.</p> <p>since infectious disease has given up (until next surgery and a new opportunity to do deep cultures) trying to match my osteomyelitis bug to an antibiotic, they are suggesting staying on a broad spectrum in the meantime. </p> <p>"uh-huh, i see where you are going with this," he opined.</p> <p>he said NO to the ID doc's suggestion and pooh-poohed my claim to get better with abx on board. </p> <p>"there is no evidence that that would make any difference whatsoever," and with that, he popped my bubble.</p> <p>have YOU ever experienced that, or known any other CRPSer who improved on abx? i know it is far out, but it is what it is. he and i are good together, actually, and i told him back in 2002 that i was going to tell him everything, no matter how crazy it sounded -- and i still do. you can't talk about CRPS without sounding like a maniac anyway. </p> <p>(well, it's like my leg has been put in the freezer and then doused with gasoline and set on fire... except for those areas where someone is busy stabbing me with a long, thin dagger... and then there are the invisible little men who keep banging on my knees with baseball bats. oh, yeah, and last night? my right leg was indigo blue, my left leg was red like a boiled lobster, and my right hand was pasty white. hey, watch it! don't touch me! stop waving that paper around: AIR HURTS!)</p> <p>yes, i love the looks. at least, once you get past the generalists, the specialists know what you mean. my neurologist says he always notes the date in the chart when a CRPS patient begins to talk about his/her limbs as if they were alive and malevolent.</p> <p>anyway, most of the drugs i am on are so effing toxic... what's wrong with tossing them out and adding oral vanco or something? </p> <p>oh, and yes, youse guys, today was, in some respects, better. i am still trying to figure out how to take a much needed shower. without requiring the assistance of the fire department.</p> <p>the most helpful thing at the moment is good old ibuprofen. yep: a steady pain diet of methadone, percocet, ibuprofen, and steroids... a full-fledged attack on inflammation.</p> <p>if i ever get the chance to yak at a psychiatrist, i want to know why i refuse to take the prescribed amount of methadone and percocet. maybe it is the only control i have? maybe they really don't get the job done, so why take so much anyway? maybe i am an ornery idjit? it probably has something to do with potty training... </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3234 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:08:18 +0000 Anonymous 3234@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>I hope EVERYONE is feeling better. Makes me feel like a wuss "only" having Type II diabetes and Bipolar II plus anxiety, plus the accompanying high blood pressure, high cholesterol and foot crud. The depression and anxiety are so bad that I've rarely left the apartment for the past year and a half -- mostly for special occasions, lunch with one of two friends, or very special occasions. PTZ is a great release, and I'm enjoying getting to know the members a bit. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3232 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:44:04 +0000 Anonymous 3232@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Prof, I sure hope you are feeling better today. I, too, have fibromyalgia and have had it since I was a senior in high school. They just never knew what to call it then! I have learned to cope with it over the years to where it doesn't bother me as much as it did. I do have my days though. I also have a spinal arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis. (my rheumatologists can't agree over it though. Another one says it is only sacroiliitis.) My nephew has it as well, AS that is. I know pain and fatigue but what I don't know is the pain of breaking bones and nerves gone haywire because of a stupid nurse and inept doctors. I can't imagine that pain. </p> <p>People have said a broken bone is so painful. Knock on wood, the only bone I have broken is a collar bone when I was 3 or 4. I actually broke it twice. I have memories of it but when you are young, nothing bothers you much. I have several other health problems but I won't list them here today. </p> <p>I just wanted to let you know that although my pain is different from yours, I really understand those days you want to kill someone or yourself because of the pain. I have had those and demonstrated them here on PTZ in my comments and in the shoutbox. I am trying to change that and not lash out at people I barely know. I used to think that the internet was a safe place to do that because you didn't know anyone personally. But I've found out that people take you seriously on here and their feelings do get hurt. </p> <p>Again, I am sorry I offended you. I will try to put myself in the other person's shoes before I respond. Thank you for reminding me of that.<br /> Have a good day. I sincerely mean that. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3219 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:50:11 +0000 sexandzitz 3219@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>I seek out guilty pleasures. PTZ is my latest! </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3218 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:56:17 +0000 Anonymous 3218@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>wow... i just reread my "brief rant" and nuclear warhead, and now i am giggling. thank you, ppm, for being so understanding.</p> <p>norton, thanks. i was worried about you in haiti. you must have some excellent coping skills.</p> <p>and inna? i wish my floors were less pristine, more littered with confetti and a smear or two of good mud in the space of a kid's shoeprint. crohn's sucks big time, i know it is a daily challenge. fibromyalgia, i am told, feels like *constantly* fighting the flu, which can only be draining. i failed to mention that for every hour "up," i have to spend about 2 "down." my doc wants my legs elevated all the time and i am waiting for him to explain to me how *that* is done in real life.</p> <p>the important thing is to celebrate every morning -- but only after you're sure you have a pulse. </p> <p>something i am enjoying? wii sports! it's become a guilty pleasure. i wait until i have The Manor to myself, and then, it's center court wimbledon in my sieve-like mind... </p> <p>thank you very much, everyone, for helping me get through today. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3216 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:27:34 +0000 Innaffitoften 3216@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>prof, I understand the going postal thing. It's hard to convey just how difficult it is to struggle with debilitating disease and injury, even if you have the gift of "words". At times, it seems as tho' no one can say anything that doesn't bug the shit out of you.<br /> I have had "Fibromyalgia" for about 4 years now, and I believe that I have been misdiagnosed, and actually have Lupus, and have been in a flare for most of those four years, so I feel for you on that one, not that I don't "feel" for you on the other issues, I just understand it a bit more than the other things that have been sent from the depths of hell to try and see how far your sanity can be pushed. On top of Fibro/Lupus, I have Chron's disease, and I am not even going into THOSE issues. To make matters worse or better, I still cannot decide, I am on high doses of both TR morphine and IR morphine, which causes issues with my Chron's that I am REALLY not going in to. I am not bound by a wheelchair, and my kitchen floor is not pristine. I spend a day or two in bed after just trying to clean my hardwood floors. I admire your strength in the face of constant pain and fragile bones and all of the things that you face on a daily basis. Being short fused comes with the territory. So many people look at illness with different ideas of "what they would do", but they have absolutely no clue. Each and everyone of us has a limit to what we can and are willing to take. Each and every one of us reacts differently to medicine, to the disease itself, and the emotions that come with being sick. I really admire the way you seem to handle yourself. Whatever differences we may have had, know that I have respect for you and what you have been through, coming "out" of it with wit to spare. I hope that you can find that single malt scotch, and maybe use it as a chaser for some good pain meds. Wishing you the best...~Inna </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3213 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:20:45 +0000 Anonymous 3213@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>wow, norton. How do you function as a nurse? That must be hard to do having all that nerve pain. I am on Neurontin and am thankful for it but I'm sure what you guys have needs something a lot stronger than that!<br /> Sorry to hear that about you, too. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3211 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:02:45 +0000 norton 3211@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>prof... as a crps.. rsd girl as well... I am sorry..<br /> and the husbands? hrumph...<br /> I am here girl! </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3209 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:57:37 +0000 Anonymous 3209@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Omgosh prof! I am sooooo sorry for my poor choice of words! I was trying to be funny and instead I offended you! I just was trying to be caring and it turned out wrong. No apologies are necessary and go postal on me if you need to... no offense taken here. But I am sorry for saying things that you took offense to... please accept my most sincere apology. Sometimes these little boxes we type in don't truly convey our feelings...again, I'm sorry!</p> <p>I do understand a lot better now... and sorry to say on some things my memory is short... you have said before you have lupus among other things and I simply forget. Give me a pus video and I can probably remember where, when, and what time I saw it. Anything else is probably out of the window. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3206 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:13:15 +0000 Anonymous 3206@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>i apologize for going nuclear on you, ppm. it defies logic. i, me, moi -- started this vent, and you and sexandzits just kindly responded.</p> <p>there is something about ANY orthopedic injury that just sends me straight into PTSD. </p> <p>that is not an excuse for my behavior, just an explanation. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3205 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:07:37 +0000 Anonymous 3205@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>oh, the crucial detail: neither the nurses, nor the doctors reported the fall and subsequent injuries. we found that out with the investigation. the surgeon suddenly left the state and now practices in virginia. indeed, he is a professor of surgery there, the dickwad. if they had managed to let my crps diagnosis slide for 5 more months, they would have reached the magic 24 month limit to file a law suit. as it was, i was too sick to sue them, was just devastated for the better part of 4-5 years. in what was an extraordinary move, a hospital lawyer called me 2 weeks before the statute of limitations was to expire, and OFFERED A SETTLEMENT -- when no lawsuit was being filed.</p> <p>of course, if i had known what i was in for? i would have sued their asses off, all of them, or i would have insisted on a REAL settlement, not the pissant amount we agreed on. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3204 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:01:26 +0000 Anonymous 3204@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>thanks for all that dripping pity, ppm!</p> <p>i gotta say, though, and please remember that i am feeling kinda touchy, that no, i did not win the fucking disease lottery. i know you meant well, just a callous choice of words. in order of acquisition then, we have: lupus, avascular necrosis (an offshoot of lupus treatment), adrenal failure (another gift of steroids), glaucoma (also steroid-induced, as well as strong family genetices).</p> <p>heart issues (chronic failure [now believed caused by lupus], aortic aneurysm), eleven or so major orthopedic surgeries, including many joint replacements and fracture repairs due to combination of avascular necrosis and crps.</p> <p>the crps itself began following a shoulder replacement in 2002. the doc forgot to order stress-dose steroids prior to surgery so i went into addisonian crisis, the whole shebang: multi-system failure, cardio-pulmonary arrest, ventilator, infection... as i was recovering in the icu, memorial day, my nurse decided it would be a great idea if i got up and sat in the chair. despite my warnings that i couldn't, she insisted. there was no part of me that she could hold onto to help me stand -- tubes everywhere, plus slings and splints...</p> <p>i stood up.<br /> i fell down.<br /> broke my goddamn leg in three spots.</p> <p>she made me stand on it in an effort to get me back in bed before anyone noticed the icu patient laying on the floor.</p> <p>45 minutes later, i had crps in my right lower leg and in my left forearm. also a concussion, internal bleeding, and the aforementioned fractures.</p> <p>later that day, when the excitement [?} had cooled down, fred and i asked to make an addition to the incident report they swear had been filed. little did we know that they sent in one of the regular nurses to listen, nod, and appear to take notes, instead of the administrative nurse manager we requested. oh, i forgot. first they told us they had "no patient advocates," and suggested we get the spiritual counsel of a nun. we stared at the nun for about 5 minutes, declined to pray after she told us the nurses wouldn't tell her why they had called her in...</p> <p>i was in the hospital over 6 weeks, had three surgeries.</p> <p>later, discovering that the hospital was not keeping its many promises to pay for stuff like ambulance rides, hospital beds, physical therapy, etc. -- i notified the state medical licensing board.</p> <p>they almost shut down a few of the departments at that well-known and supposedly excellent facility. they declared the existence of "a sentinel event."<br /> <a href="http://www.jointcommission.org/SentinelEvents/" rel="nofollow">http://www.jointcommission.org/SentinelEvents/</a></p> <p>all i know is my life was forever changed and i am never getting it back. the docs involved obfuscated things so that crps was not diagnosed for 19 months, which made treatment a pointless exercise in pain and frustration. </p> <p>all my other "disease lottery" gifts stem and flow from lupus, heart issues, and that magic day back in 2002.</p> <p>that ought to satisfy your curiosity. and here i go, lost in PTSD-land, after remembering it all again.</p> <p>golly darn, i don't have insurance anymore, ppm, so those services are not available. luckily, too, i don't need them.... yet.</p> <p>single-malt scotch... where is it?</p> <p>if you are curious about crps, look it up. an excellent resource is: </p> <p><a href="http://www.rsdfoundation.org/en/en_clinical_practice_guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.rsdfoundation.org/en/en_clinical_practice_guidelines.html</a></p> <p>there are loads of pictures and videos at that site, baby of dr. kirkpatrick in tampa. he opened the world's first clinic and research facility dedicated solely to crps a few years back -- <a href="http://rsdhealthcare.org/" rel="nofollow">http://rsdhealthcare.org/</a></p> <p>i turn the mattress because i choose to turn the mattress. wash, dry, fold clothes. cook fabulous dinners. i even garden. i manage to vacuum pretty thoroughly and my kitchen floor is pristine.</p> <p>like many people, i don't enjoy cleaning toilets or washing windows, so yes, i have been known to ask my partner of 19.5 years to help me out, there. given that he has adhd, he sometimes conveniently forgets. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3203 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:36:08 +0000 sexandzitz 3203@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Feel free to rant at will. I will always be a sympathetic listener. My husband is painfully recuperating from his 19th surgery. The surgeon went in to fix all the surgical hernias from past surgeries and found 8 inches of small intestine gangrene...had a resection...he's weak as a puppy. Doc said he cannot imagine how anybody could have lived with that pain for so long.......the answer, methadone!! </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3202 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:00:58 +0000 Anonymous 3202@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Dang prof... I complain to myself and hubby about my pain but at least I can maneuver most days. How did you happen to get all these diseases? Win the disease lottery? I am very curious about the crps. (I notice how close that is to spelling craps. one letter off)<br /> Is your housemate (i.e. sig other) unable to help in turning mattresses? I gather you don't have county-supported in-home care. Golly darn. I'm sure you are aware of all of the "free" care and house support that is offered for medical, heating, etc.<br /> Every time I think about my pain, I'm going to read this and get things back into perspective. I know about the giving up part, too, but if I were in your "shoes" I think I might have given up a long time ago! Hang in there...<br /> Sure wish I could do something for you. I truly do. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/off-topic-but-brief-rant-at-least-in-relation-to-the-last-rant-of-mine#post-3199 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:01:26 +0000 Anonymous 3199@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>good morning! i am frustrated. that's the extent of the rant, really.</p> <p>oh, why am i frustrated?</p> <p>in a previous rant, i explained that i have crps in all 4 limbs + the lower part of my face -- i also have severe avascular necrosis pretty much everwhere thanks to years of steroids for lupus -- plus there is that pesky osteomyelitis in my shoulders (and probably one knee, too). are you up to speed? basically, my bones suck. sometimes they rot. sometimes they fester. and... very often! they break.</p> <p>i fractured my tibia saturday morning. it was a brilliant moment. i am wheelchair bound (sniff, sniff) -- it's a power chair because i cannot use my shoulders, i mean, my fake shoulders, to self-propel. i was already doing what i am not supposed to do --i was rotating our mattress. </p> <p>now, i keep the thermostat very low -- as in 58 degrees. so we don sweatshirts and sweaters and are just generally swathed in layers of fabric. i try to keep the various sleeves carefully rolled up, so as to avoid accidents.</p> <p>what kind of accidents? ohhhhh, the kind where your sleeve catches on the "joystick" of your power chair and drives you willy-nilly at high speed into the METAL bedframe. not possessing intelligence, the chair continues to push, push, push until the idiot driver manages to smash the OFF button in between screams.</p> <p>i love the various sounds of the erupting zit: schlurp! pa-pa-pop-splat!</p> <p>i HATE the sound of a bone breaking: ccccc-r-aaaa-ccccc-k.</p> <p>given that it was, of course, my right leg, the one my doctor suggested amputating back in november (?), the increase in pain is practically meaningless. going from a steady pain score of 8/10 to 9/10 just doesn't mean crap, y'know? i mean, what am i going to do, take more pain medication? i don't think so.</p> <p>before crps, when my bones broke, i'd surround the offending skeleton with ice. after crps, ice is contraindicated.</p> <p>so we sat around and watched it swell and change colors. more fun than a movie and popcorn.</p> <p>and we discussed how annoying it was that my health insurance is no more. yes, i called the medic and my doc wanted it splinted right away. i knew he was going to say that, so we had already launched an expedition into our Orthopedic Supply Closet, crammed full of boots, splints (cloth and metal as well as air), velcro, exercise bands, a collection of walkers, canes, and wheelchair batteries. thanks to dislike of organization, there were also bedpans, tennis rackets, gallons of biofreeze and betadine, bendy shoelaces (back in the day, i used to wear shoes), and a few embarrassing romance novels.</p> <p>my leg, though, had decided to swell quickly, too fast for the application of a splint.</p> <p>PRAISE THE LORD, because if i cannot wear a sock on my feet due to pain? i surely can no longer tolerate the pressure, touch, and weight of a booted splint. </p> <p>so, no weight-bearing is the rule, also the joke, as i cannot abuse that left leg either, and cannot use any type of crutch -- for those exciting trips of 15-20 feet to get from bed or chair to the bathroom.</p> <p>whew. okay, thanks, y'all. i feel better. everytime i think, "oh, fuck, i *cannot* do this..."? it works itself out. not to say that i don't sometimes look forward to the day when i truly will give up! no time soon, no time soon. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3188 Mon, 15 Feb 2010 03:49:23 +0000 Spooky 3188@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>You might try putting ice on it until the ice burns then take it off until the burn burns. This takes a bit but it does draw the pain and heat out. Also...see if your pharmacy has Lidocane Plus. This is a wonderful cream. It numbs the pain while it heals it. it is a burn and first aid cream with aloe. It is also wonderful on sunburns and small scrapes and insect bites. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3185 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:27:38 +0000 Innaffitoften 3185@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Well, I could afford a regular visit to the MD, it was just the wrong time to do it (there's a lot to THAT story)....so.... I went to the pharmacy late that night for my husbands meds, and asked to speak to a pharmacist. It was about 1am. She said the blisters were so big that they needed to be popped. So I took a brand new small scalpel and just poked each one gently. The largest one took 2 4x4 sterile guaze pads to absorbe all of the liquid! The holes were very small, it was no big show, so I didn't tape it. They still hurt like h-e double hockey sticks, but so far they fill up with fluid 3-4 x's daily, not fill up, but get a bit in them, I push it out with clean hands, rewash everything, clean with alcohol (you KNOW I'm tough now!) and slather on neosporin, then wrap them in sterile gauze. It isn't fun what with all the moving, but life isn't a bowl of cherries, is it? More like a bowl of pits, if you ask me. I am watching closely for any signs of infection, and so far so good. I am going to try to upload a pic of the burn before I popped the blisters and see if Emil will put it up, heprobably wont, but what the heck, it's worth a try.<br /> I had a crappy Valentine's Day, anyone else? My kids had a pretty decent one, lucky little farts! I hope you are loved gently and truly by someone on this Godforesaken Earth! Thanks for the "ahhh poor you's" guys, I needed 'em!!! ~Tif </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3166 Sun, 14 Feb 2010 07:35:32 +0000 jollypopper 3166@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>I'm so sorry to hear about the accident Inna. I definitely don't know how blisters like that are, but I can relate to being broke and having to pass on expensive health care. I also know the burden of having to move as I experienced an unfortunate case of foreclosure last summer. Yet another case of overinflated property value falling through the floor with too much owed to the bank. As with any money situation though, you must take care of yourself and things will work out. I hope the best for your burns and by all means, go to the ER if things are not clearing up for you. My wishes are with you and a speedy recovery. Don't forget to call upon friends and family to help with the move. I'm sure they will understand. I even had neighbors that we were not close to helping us move. It's amazing what some people will do for a home cooked meal. Like I said though, will be thinking about you and hope the healing goes smoothly and quickly. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3158 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:01:01 +0000 norton 3158@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>grr... sorry... draws out heat... not HEAR... I hate it when I am a dork </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3157 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:59:54 +0000 norton 3157@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Tiff... I thought of something else... Lavender oil is good at drawing out hear from a burn, but do not put it on a blistered area. That skin is still raw and needs to stay clean and sterile... you can use the lavender oil on the non blistered area. It also works if you have a burn from cutting jalapenos or peppers...<br /> how are you doing my dear?? </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3140 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:16:45 +0000 Halph Staph 3140@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>I thought most ER's in the uS are required to treat a patient regardless of ability to pay. Just tell them to bill you. Believe me, ER visits don't ruin your credit like medical bills used to. And moving? Aww, sweetie, you have the worst of all worlds. I loathe moving like you wouldn't believe. Well, at least you won't live next door to the evil family from Hell anymore. Silver lining??</p> <p>Much love to you and your family, honey. Keep me posted on your burns. Thanks for making her feel more confident, MomE. :)</p> <p>Hugs ~ H.S. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3131 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:15:41 +0000 Anonymous 3131@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>So sorry to hear that, Inna. I hope you can heal without medical intervention and if you can't, I hope somehow the money will be there for you. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3129 Fri, 12 Feb 2010 07:46:17 +0000 Anonymous 3129@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Oh God Tiff, Let those blisters break on their own. Tepid to cool compress. Not icy. If there is any s/s of infection, get to Dr. Burned flesh is very susceptible to infection.. The mntn. woman is right Aloe offers alot of natural pain relief and keeps the flesh moist. Most important. Monitor for infection.. You could keep it wrapped with gauze, not to tight, make it damp with steril h20 so it wont stick before you wrap again. zinc oxide is good. Just dont let the flesh stick to the wrap. damp it everytime you go to change and watch watch watch.... Love ya. MomE. </p> http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/topic/a-really-bad-burn#post-3123 Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:46:54 +0000 pussnstuff 3123@http://www.popthatzit.com/zit-forums/ <p>Sorry to hear that the space heater won the battle, Inna.<br /> My Momma, the mountain woman that she was, would tell you to use aloe on the area. </p>