In a blog post a couple of weeks ago I reported that after 45 years of constant back pain resulting from an injury in the military, and after taking every kind of opioid the VA doctors gave me and getting no relief, I decided to try medical marijuana, which is legal here in Florida in oil or capsule form.
As I said then, I stopped taking the heavy drugs from the VA immediately and began using the marijuana. Within a week or two my pain level was down by 50% Now it’s gone for the most part. I still feel some stiffness when I get up first thing in the morning, and an occasional twinge or two, but nothing at all compared to what I’ve dealt with for most of my adult life. No, the marijuana doesn’t repair the bad discs in my back, but it does relieve the pain and I don’t take enough to get high from it.
That being said, beside being a pothead, I just realized I’m also a pill head. Really, look at what I take every night. Who needs a midnight snack when you’ve got all of this? And that’s after I dumped the opioids! Actually, only two of what you see here are prescription meds, one for cholesterol and one for blood pressure. Everything else is a vitamin or supplement of some kind or another that Terry gives me. I’m not sure what they all do, but none of them have made me taller or skinnier. The good thing is, they haven’t affected my boyish good looks, either.
A few days ago I was talking to my buddy Mac McCoy, who worked the RV rally circuit with us for many years, teaching fire safety to RVers. Mac is now retired and living in Oregon, and he mentioned that he and his wife Annie have starting using contoured neck pillows. Mac said they’ve made a world of difference in their sleep. So Miss Terry decided to order a couple of them. Amazon has a lot to choose from, and Terry went with the DMI Hugg-A-Pillow hypoallergenic pillows. We tried them out Thursday night and she really liked hers. For me, when I’m sleeping on my side, the contoured pillow is nice, but I tend to change positions from side to back several times a night, and when I’m on my back it’s not very comfortable for me. Or maybe I haven’t learned how to use it yet. I’ll keep you updated.
When I’m not writing books, I love reading them. My taste runs everywhere from mysteries to biographies to books on historical subjects, among others. We are fans of the TV show The Incredible Dr. Pol, which is about the folks that work in a veterinarian’s office in a small town in Michigan. They treat everything from small animals like dogs and cats to making farm calls to deal with cows and horses, as well as exotic animals like emus, reindeer, parrots, and even snakes. It’s an interesting show and I have learned quite a bit from it. I’ve even picked up some things I will be slipping into one of my mystery novels now and then. I get ideas for my books everywhere.
So when I saw that Dr. Pol had a book out, I ordered it from Amazon. Never Turn Your Back on an Angus Cow: My Life as a Country Vet, is a good read and covers everything from his childhood in Holland to veterinary school, coming to the United States as an exchange student and meeting Diane, the love of his life, and later returning to Michigan to marry her and set up their practice. It’s almost an updated version of James Herriot’s excellent All Creatures Great and Small. If you’re a fan of the show, or are just interested in animals, get yourself a copy. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audio book of undone, the first book in my buddy Jason Deas’ new Burt Bigsley mystery series. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.
Thought For The Day – Did you ever wake up from a sound sleep with a foot cramp and think, “this is it, this is how it all ends for me”?
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
Hope the marijuana continues to work. And you’ve given me an idea–my dear mother suffers from horrible non-operable back pain and takes opiods. Recently her pain clinic doctor significantly reduced her prescriptions due to the opiod crisis–right, let’s take the drugs away from the people who really need them. I bet she and her husband would really benefit from medical marijuana–whether or not I could get my ultra religious mother to take it is another issue!! 🙂 Thanks for the book suggestion!
Nick, I also went with one of these pillows and like you I flip from side to side all night, but I will say that my neck, shoulder and back pain has diminished and I’m not rolling over as much as before. For me, it has been worthwhile.
I use cannabis ointment for RA and old, beat up and abused body aches and pains. Only rub it on feet and ankles and hands and it has reduced my pain by 90%. Wake up in the morning and can get out of bed without warming up and can hold a cup of coffee without waiting for 15 minutes. It works great with no after effects. They tell me you can’t get high and I have had no trouble. THC is active ingredient. Have only used marijuana in ointment form. Janna your Mom may not object in ointment or liquid form. Sometimes I apply it several times a day. AM and PM and when needed in between. Really helps rotator cuff surgeries that went south. I am 83 years old.