Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evolving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
A woman from the midwest USA went to Switzerland to kill herself, assisted by the technology of a death capsule. I read this morning that There were charges brought against the people, and arrests made by American authorities in Switzerland. She had been struggling with the pains and flares and drastic changes of life her autoimmune illness caused She had Lupus. I was thought to have it until I found a doctor who correctly diagnosed end stage Lyme. Yes, it causes pains and compromises your day to day activities, yes, a flare feels like a flu, yes, a "normal" life becomes a life that is one day at a time, with several days of just being fragile. She was in her early 60's. or maybe 60. The news is in MSM. Let me tell you, since the doctors in the USA became frightened of prescribing pain meds for people with chronic conditions, there are more who are choosing suicide. I understand that they were handing out narcotics like candy in certain states, West Virginia comes to mind, I understand that pain medications that contain opioids should be carefully prescribed in cases where recovery happens (broken bones, dental surgery, post operatively). But the fact that they are controlling these meds to the point of allowing some cancer patients and those with chronic painful conditions like RA, Lupus, Ehlers Danlos, degenerative disc disease to suffer, is a sin. There are remedies for lifetime pain, and managed well, there is no need to up the dose to the point that the person is nodding out with a high. I have been taking Tramadol for over 10 years, daily, the dose has not been raised in that time, without it, there are days I would be in bed trying not to move. I also use cannabis and a muscle relaxant when needed, on the days that I do flare up because of a trigger, which could be sun exposure, certain foods, chemical exposures, etc. There is a difference between people who do all the right things to learn to live with a chronic condition, with the help of pain management, and the kid who gets high on grandmas cancer meds. The strict controls on all pain meds have increased the amount of suicides for those of us who live in a constant fear that one day the doctor will say no. There is a stigma attached now. I hope, in the future, that this will be dealt with sanely and compassionately. Our healthcare system in this country is neither. Suicide is soul killing, and it effects family and friends for those left behind. The difference between addiction and dependence is huge. Addiction starts when the person who is taking the meds feels better, and then takes another one, to feel even better, and then some more because it feels really good. The point of the med is to keep pain below the #5 stage, and it will, in a progressive disease, what you want is the ability to function, albeit of course not as well as you did when you were in your 30's and disease free. Some of us need these drugs, believe me, I wish I did not, but I am sure glad I have some relief. Just wanted to get that off of my chest.
Firstly, prayers sent your way anon! Secondly, the entire post is very eloquently thought out and written. I have to comment so I can paraphrase & borrow the quoted line above for my own check up next week.
I don't have Lupis nor Lyme, but the way you phrased that statement of a normal day of quality of life being an increasingly less and less expected occurence really hit home for me.
Sorry for your troubles, Fren, and agree it’s odd how restrictive some meds have become when they seem necessary.
For your lyme, have you tried parasite protocol? https://www.floridasharkman.org/protocol/protocol/FloridaSharkman-Protocols.pdf
Yes, I went into anaphalaxis due to the Herz effect, I caught it back in 1986, before I realized what it was. Symptoms started in 93, it's systemic, its controlled with a regimen of otc anti histamines, controlling mast cell build up in my intestines with diet, supplements, herbs. At 74, unfortunately a long term bombardment with antibiotics could kill me, although I have taken antibiotics for a cat bite,(I was pilling the little bastard and it bit me, it went toxic in a matter of hours) and for a bad bronchitis, both times I felt great, but my doctor said no, The bacteria drills into all kinds of hidey holes and goes dormant, after it has eaten up all your cartlidge. The trick is to keep them dormant and avoid triggers. The pain management is for the whole body arthritis that resulted from it. I did the parasite protocol with meds, Ivermectin, and herbs, black walnut, artemesia, oregano oil, and took something to dissolve the biofilm, day 7 I broke out in a head to toe hive attack, and then severe vomiting, ended up in the ER going in to shock! I do take japanese knotweed to keep the devils at bay, but killing them all off just releases an immune response that is dangerous. The one good thing about it? I was exempt from taking the jab per doctors orders, due to immune response to vaccines.