Healthcare, Doctors, and... Money?

I’ve been dealing with this pain since I was 33. For 25 years, I’ve just lived my life pushing through it.

Can you even wrap your head around being in pain 52 weeks a year, 7 days a week,
24 hours a day?

And there isn't a single thing—no injection, no pill—that actually touches it.
You see every specialist under the sun, visit the top Pain Clinics, work with the best doctors in the world... and they all tell you the same thing: "Unfortunately, we can't help you."

I've actually canceled surgery twice because my wife is terrified I'll end up paralyzed.

So, I'm waiting until January 19th to see my Neurologist again and get back on the surgical list.
I can barely walk at all, and the pain is absolutely brutal whenever I try.
I know some damage is permanent due to Arachnoiditis, and I realize nothing will ever be "fixed," but I'm just hoping to find a way to walk a little easier.

A 50% chance sounds slim, but I'm willing to take it. If I'm destined to be paralyzed, then so be it—every other specialist has already given me that same prognosis.

🙂 😉 😎

Monday 02/16/04,
It's 1:00 AM here in Australia... the best time for me to write since I don't head to bed until late.

So, I went to see the Neurologist on January 19th, but everything is a mess. He stopped seeing private patients, so now I have to catch him at the hospital. On his first day back from vacation, he was in top form—super talkative. But today? I didn't even get through the door before he started rushing me. He basically told me, "I'm definitely not operating on you,"
"Especially since I'm leaving the hospital around March or April. But I have to refer you for an MRI; it's my responsibility to track how your condition progresses."

Anyway, I ended up getting an MRI at a different hospital at 7:30 PM on 02/12/04,
and I finally get to see the results today... we'll see what happens.

👋 👋
🙂 😉 😎

Just wanted to check in. I saw Neurosurgeon Mr. McCulloch, and he’s scheduled to leave the hospital on 6/4/04.

He put me on the waiting list, but with priority status. I’m hoping he’ll perform my surgery; if not, I’ll have to head to another hospital and restart the whole process—which means a six-month wait just for a consultation and a year before they even consider operating.

The thing is, he’s a top-tier specialist with massive experience. He’s the only leading neurosurgeon working within the public hospital system here, while most others operate almost exclusively in private practice. Since I don't have private insurance, he's really my best shot.

We'll see how things play out. Having seen him privately over the last four years, maybe he'll pull some strings and get the surgery scheduled, though even then, the odds aren't great—maybe only a 50% chance of full recovery.

👋 👋

🙂 😉 😎

Well, lucky me—I just got the letter from the hospital confirming my surgery date.
It’s a Laminectomy, scheduled for March 24th, performed by senior Neurosurgeon Mr. McCulloch.

I still have to head into the clinic for a mandatory EKG (standard procedure for anyone over 50) and some tests regarding my Asbestosis to check my lung capacity. I’m pretty sure everything will be fine, though; I can't imagine I'm in worse shape than someone smoking 40 to 60 cigarettes a day. Luckily, I quit about 16 or 17 years ago.

I am a little worried that this won't actually fix my back pain, or worse, that the surgery might make it even more intense. Still, I'm hoping for that 50% improvement in my legs so I can walk longer distances. If I'm lucky, it might even stop the stiffness and tingling, though those burning pains could persist... there might not be a solution for everything because
I'm dealing with a second issue stemming from my first surgery: nerve sheath damage known as Arachnoiditis.

ARACHNOIDITIS/IMAGE

02/03/04

Spent about three hours at the hospital today. I had an EKG, chatted with the surgeon, met the anesthesiologist, and spoke with the nurse who manages post-op care.
Luckily, I brought a comprehensive list of my medical history and medications. I’m quite a complex case with several overlapping health issues.

My EKG came back clear, but my other conditions put me in a
high-risk category for anesthesia. Honestly, though, I'm not worried.

That's how they handle everything now—they get all the pre-op checks out of the way beforehand. You basically head straight to surgery from home after prepping and disinfecting yourself there. You check in at the hospital at 7:00 AM, say your goodbyes since no one can stay with you, and then just sit quietly and try to relax until it's time.

At this point, I'm just hoping nothing unexpected comes up—like an emergency surgery elsewhere—that might cause a delay. My doctor is actually heading out on vacation
just two weeks after my scheduled procedure.

So, I'm focusing on all the preparations now and hoping for the best.

👋 👋

🙂 😉 😎

Adelaide,
Australia,
03/24/04

0:38 H,

On 03/23/04, I got a call to show up at the hospital at 8:30 instead of 7:00 this Wednesday, 03/24/04. At this point, I’m pretty sure nothing else can step in to stop this surgery.

I was told they’ll be performing the procedure with me in a kneeling position. It’s interesting—I think I know a fair amount about medical processes, but this is my first time hearing about kneeling for a Lumbar Laminectomy or lumbar canal stenosis. It likely makes things easier and safer for them; usually, you see patients lying on their stomach or side.

But honestly, that’s the least of my worries. I know my Neurosurgeon is one of the best out there, both for brain work and spine issues.

I hope to check back in within the next seven days after a successful surgery. I know the rehab will take some time, but fortunately, I have all the time in the world right now. There's no rush to get back to work since I'm officially retired.

Best wishes to everyone. I hope you all stay healthy and well.

👋 👋

🙂 😉 😎

Good luck, and definitely keep me posted!

Forwarded from Jamie Clark74 regarding a pain crisis...


It’s been seven weeks since my surgery. I’m happy with how the procedure went, but it really comes down to what the Neurosurgeon said... is it actually worth it?

The surgical site itself isn't bothering me much; if I had to rate the discomfort there, it’s a 3 out of 10, which is fine.
But walking is just as brutal as it was before. Every time I move, the pain hits me hard—I’d rate it a 7 or 8 out of 10.

That tingling and skin sensitivity I get in both legs has come back, but for the first time, it’s started spreading to my upper body.
Arachnoiditis... most likely?

I was at the Pain Clinic on May 12th, and honestly, I'm running out of options. I'm trying one last thing from the standard list... the antidepressant Amitriptyline/Lignocaine/Endep. For now, I'm just taking one pill at night, though I might eventually need to bump that up to four.

I don't know. I'm already juggling about 23 other pills I need to take... and this one made me feel absolutely terrible for the first three days. It was actually harder to deal with than taking Morphine. We'll see how it goes,
and how my body reacts moving forward.

👋 👋
🙂 😉 😎

Adelaide, May 18, 2004

I'm feeling pretty great today!

When it comes to knowing who to trust in medicine, I have a rule: I never take a doctor's word at face value. I always run everything by two or three different specialists first. Only after I’ve gathered enough second opinions am I comfortable deciding for myself that everything is actually fine.
That’s exactly why I went through all that training—to see just how much you can actually learn without having an MD.

I was just at the Pain Clinic... and I received my last shot at the medication. Amitriptyline / Lidocaine / Endep 25 mg
The pills are antidepressants...I've been on antidepressants for 13 years now, currently taking 20mg of Aropax/Paroxetine twice a day.
Today is the one that gives me plenty of trouble, but it’s also the only thing that actually works for me.

It isn’t the first time the clinic has prescribed me an antidepressant or epilepsy medication.
Pills or capsules tend to be more effective since they actually target the brain's pain management system.

The doctor situation has changed. My first doctor was an Indian specialist—a highly qualified anesthesiologist. I was really happy with his work, even if he had a bit of a heavy accent. The new guy is very young; he just finished his training and took a position at the Pain Clinic while continuing his studies to become a neurosurgeon. Good luck to him, I guess.

He gave me enough tablets for one week. The plan is to start with one every night, then taper up to one every three days. I’ve actually been through this before—I've tried about ten different types over the last year just to see what works.

The staff at the clinic have my current medication list on file, which I always make sure stays up to date.
My wife asked the doctor if he was absolutely sure about my other medications, given how many I'm currently on, and specifically if it was okay to take them alongside the Aropax. He wasn't exactly thrilled about the question, but he reviewed the full list and assured us there were no issues. He noted that this is really everything he can offer to help me right now.

I took my first pill last night... within two minutes, I was completely "done." Things settled down after about fifteen minutes. Once I took my usual evening dose of other medications around 7:00 PM, I started feeling some chest pain. I knew what to expect since I’m adding another very heavy medication to the mix. I told my wife that if this keeps up, I'm not sticking with the second one—by the third day, I'm out.

I didn't have the energy to sit at my computer and dig through the data last night, but something just felt off.

The next day, I headed over to my pharmacist with the package in hand. I asked him to add this new one to my current list so he could double-check that there wouldn't be any issues interacting with my other medications.

Once he saw I was coming from the Pain Clinic, he told me there was no need for that pill; he said it was just for pain management.
I wasn't too happy that he didn't save everything to the computer and was actually asking for comparisons.

I took another pill last night thinking it might actually help. When I took the second one, things didn't feel quite as bad, but it definitely messed with my head. My memory felt off, and honestly, I started losing control to the point where I began seriously questioning if the pill was even working.

I haven't been feeling great lately, but honestly, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. Between all the different medications I'm taking, I deal with dizziness, stomach issues, balance problems, or blurry vision pretty frequently.

All in all, I had one drink a night for four nights straight, and the next day I told him that...
I honestly don't know what kind of pain I'm dealing with, so I'm not going to touch those medications.

I took some time to dig around online, and I realized pretty quickly that both antidepressants actually belong to two different drug classes. It’s honestly no surprise that they hit me so differently.

I saw my psychiatrist today. She actually expressed surprise that I hadn't gone in to get my records sorted out sooner. Apparently, she’s seen plenty of people make the same mistake before.
She told me she was actually surprised I didn't end up in the hospital, considering how much that combination of four pills plus the Aropax was hitting me.
In other words, some young doctor completely blew it... he was asked clearly, he thought he knew what he was doing, and then he made a massive mistake. Does that mean I don't trust doctors? Of course not. Am I wrong for feeling this way? Not at all. Is it just me, or does this happen more often than it should?
I'm sure I'm not the only one going through this!

My doctor advised me to stay on those four pills for another four days. She suggested I hold off on making any big decisions regarding my medication for at least a week—basically, wait until things settle down and I can get back to my usual self.

She mentioned that if I switch over to Amitriptyline, I'll need about a month to taper off the Aropax by gradually lowering the dose. Then, I should take a couple of days off from everything before starting the new medication.

She left the decision up to me regarding which path to take, since this isn't my first time pivoting to something new.

As a patient, I know my own issues inside and out, and I know exactly what I have to endure to get back on my feet... BUT DOCTORS NEED TO BE COMPOSED AND CERTAIN ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE PRESCRIBING INSTEAD OF ACTING LIKE GODS,
especially if they're relatively new and should be triple-checking everything.

I'm sure everyone makes mistakes occasionally... honestly, it would take me about five pages just to list all my grievances and the errors made by doctors.

Back when I worked at the steel mill, one single mistake on a control circuit could have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars—and I would have been out on the street!

A person's life is priceless.!!!!

In no way am I taking this personally, except for that coward over at the Pain Clinic... the one who thinks he’s a GOD!

Best of luck to everyone dealing with illness. To those of you who are healthy, stay that way,
because nothing can replace your health!

👋
🙂 😉 😎

Jamie Clark74, good to see you around here. I’m truly sorry to hear about what you’re going through.
But honestly, isn't that just how it goes once the diagnoses start piling up? One thing leads to another, then comes the heavy-duty medication, and suddenly you're stuck in this mess where nothing lines up—where certain drugs can't even be taken together because they clash.
It's a mess here in the States too, unfortunately. The only person who should actually be looking at the big picture and knowing which combinations are safe is your primary care physician, but lately, it feels like they've all just been reduced to glorified prescription pad holders.
And now the new Government has pulled this ridiculous stunt. If you see a private specialist and they prescribe something marked with an RS designation, your regular doctor isn't allowed to fill that script. Even if you have full health insurance and supplemental coverage, you're stuck paying out of pocket for it. People are forced into private care because the wait times for specialists in the public system are so soul-crushing they'll just grind you down before you ever get seen. Someone did the math: if we have roughly 750 private specialists and each sees just four patients a day, it would save the Health Insurance Institute a massive amount of money, but... that's clearly not how they're looking at it.
So where does that leave us? We've ended up with two tiers of specialists: those who invested in their own equipment and offices, and those who signed contracts with the government to work in hospitals while running side practices where their prescriptions actually count. And we have two tiers of patients. You've got the people willing to shell out their last cent just to get some relief, and then you've got the ones who don't have a dime to spare, sitting around waiting for an exam or an MRI until the illness has absolutely wrecked them.
👎

Dear rapidranger79,

Well, here we are again after a long time. I can empathize with doctors, specialists, and pharmacists, but I just can't wrap my head around people who act without thinking twice. I’m still reeling from a mistake I made today; I called my psychiatrist again, but she told me there isn't much she can do except suggest we just endure it... both me AND my wife, because the effects are hitting me too.
My pharmacist has access to software, but he didn't bother using it. Instead of checking his computer, he just gave me that "poor guy, one more pill" attitude. I actually figured out the issue via the internet by the third day because I know which medications shouldn't be mixed, though I didn't have the energy to go looking for answers during those first two days. I keep my own list of drug interactions, but honestly, I've been reading so much about these illnesses that I think I lost the link.

In any case, this isn't the first or last time I've had a bad reaction to medication, but unfortunately, I have to stay on all of them for the rest of my life.

Right now, I haven't been able to take anything for the pain for seven weeks. My stomach is fine, but I've become incredibly sensitive to medication—I guess that's just age. Some people can't handle anti-inflammatories for more than a month, yet I've been dealing with this for 34 years.

Anyway, how are things with you? Are you still waiting on your surgery?

Best regards,

👋

🙂 😉 😎

Still waiting. It’s already been a full year.
I keep hearing stories about people who supposedly grease a few palms just to jump to the front of the line and get seen within a few months.
I wouldn't know, personally; I’ve never bribed anyone and I have no intention of starting now. Maybe it makes sense as some sort of "thank you" after a procedure, but paying upfront? No way.
Right now, they're prioritizing regular patients who had their checkups back in 2002. Does that mean I'm looking at spring? Even though my condition has actually gotten quite a bit worse lately. 🙂
And really, isn't this just part of the larger conversation regarding doctors and money?🙂

Is our lives really in their hands??



Just two examples of doctors vs. us.

Mrs. X had abdominal surgery, and everything seemed fine with the
procedure.
The surgery was technically a success, but... the patient felt pain every single time she sat down, especially while driving.

The professor—one of the top specialists—told her it wasn't a big deal; some patients just have a lower pain tolerance. This dragged on for about 16 months.

But this woman knows exactly what her pain threshold is.
Eventually, she switched primary care physicians and DEMANDED an X-ray.

And what do you think happened?

A 7-inch surgical instrument had already started healing inside her body.
The professor who performed the surgery claimed they count every instrument used, but insisted they'd never leave something that large behind—not even an idiot would do that.

Mrs. X can drive without pain now... she isn't hypersensitive.

Second case!

Another patient saw a leading specialist, a Neurologist. The symptoms were hard to describe, so the experienced Neurologist diagnosed them with Multiple Sclerosis.

The patient asked if it might be wise to get a second opinion or an X-ray.
About five or six years later, after moving and switching primary care doctors, the patient was referred to a new specialist.
The new doctor, just to be safe, ordered a spinal MRI.

BINGO... the patient had a massive growth—a cyst—that was crushing their nerves. If they had just had surgery 2 to 4 years earlier, they’d likely be walking and healthy today.

P.S. For any serious diagnosis, I always seek at least two opinions. If it involves the spine, I'll go as far as three or four specialists.

Until next time... there are plenty of stories like this. I don't mean to shame doctors over minor things, but the errors that leave people disabled are much harder to stomach.


🙄

🙂 😉 😎

Is there anything worse than losing an entire post?😁

To recap:

A quick update on my health struggles, specifically regarding my recent surgery.

Before the procedure, I was warned not to get my hopes up. They told me there might be little to no improvement, or that I could even end up in a wheelchair. This was my second attempt at this, following a failed L5 / S1 Laminectomy back in 1972 that left a 30 cm incision.

After the surgery, I was actually quite pleased. The incision was only about 15 cm for two levels. In my case, it wasn't a disc issue, but rather spinal stenosis narrowing the canal and compressing the nerves through the foramina.
So, I had a laminectomy at L5/L4 and L4/L3. I started walking
with minimal pain for over a kilometer... and then, nothing. It just stopped. I'm right back to my pre-surgery symptoms and limited mobility.

I went back to a new Neurologist—my old one isn't practicing anymore. I told him something had gone drastically wrong, but he seemed more concerned with saving money. He insisted on a standard X-ray first. I argued that since it's serious, an X-ray wouldn't show much, but
I had to go through with the X-ray. Because he was so busy, I couldn't see him again for eight weeks. Looking at the X-ray myself, I could already see changes at the L5 level, though it doesn't show the nerves.

During the visit, we bumped heads a bit over the X-ray. I stood my ground and gave my usual opinion: I needed an MRI order immediately.
It’s been ten weeks now. My appointment is on December 6th, and I already know the MRI results: the L5 foramina are pinching the nerve.

I don't believe I'll go in for more surgeries unless I start losing bladder or bowel control.

I'm having a very hard time managing all the pills I've been taking for decades. My stomach issues and dizziness are getting worse. I'm looking at about 25 pills a day, and that's without any Narcotics.

I actually quit all Narcotics about two months ago. I'm in pain, but honestly, they weren't helping anyway.

I ran all my medications through an American program. There isn't a single pill that doesn't interact with another, creating a chain reaction of side effects—mostly constant dizziness, stomach problems, and allergies. It took me a long time to compile a list of all the medication names used here in the US. I know a fair amount about pharmacology, and I know the same drug can have 50 different names depending on the manufacturer. For example, a company like Pfizer might have their own brand for what is essentially Diazepam.

Once I entered everything, I ended up with a 15-page report detailing every single interaction between every drug. Every combination is accounted for.
Each individual drug report is only about ten lines long.

I'll leave the link here if anyone is interested:

DRUG INTERACTIONS

Best, Jamie Clark74,

🙂 😉 😎

6/12/04
Saw my neurosurgeon today. They’ve got this new MRI system where they pull the images directly onto a computer. It was my first time seeing it—you can actually rotate the scans to any angle you need to get a better look.

Not feeling great, which I honestly expected. My right nerve is pinched at L4 (I wrote L5 in my last post, my mistake).
Heading in for an X-ray guided nerve block soon. My neurologist isn't sure if it’ll actually do much, but we're going to try it just to be certain. They also suggested another surgery... but no more after that, please!

They confirmed the Meniere's diagnosis and suspect
I might have Fibromyalgia too. This is what I've been told before, but now I have yet another specialist to see—a Rheumatologist. That makes eight specialists total. I've been cycling through seven of them for years now.

The main thing is that it's not cancer. Anything else is manageable by comparison. Now I just need to add steroids to my pile of pills.

Money isn't everything... but when you're sick, you certainly need a lot more of it than when you're healthy.

🙂 😉 😎

I’ve been sitting here reading through everything you’ve posted, and I have to say, I’m a bit puzzled... how on earth are you even able to sit at a computer for any length of time?

And just one more thing, nothing too serious, just a trivial little question—what’s the deal with your sex life?
Are you still sexually active?

Sam Gonzalez67 said:I've been reading through everything you've written, and I have to ask... how on earth are you even able to sit at a computer?

Just one more thing—it might seem a little trivial, but how’s your sex life doing?
Is Josh always sexually active?

========
Sam Gonzalez67, I'll get back to you on that later. I've actually written quite a bit on health forums before regarding "everything about sex," including plenty of advice specifically for men.

We used to joke around about the Motel thing on that thread—I was actually the one making fun of myself!

I’m going to be completely honest here, even if there are a few trolls out there who find plenty of joy in being toxic.

My son and granddaughter just arrived. 249 miles Those two did it to themselves—she's only 2.5 years old.

Do slijedeceg pisanja!
👋 👋

Sam Gonzalez67 said:I’ve been reading through everything you’ve written, and I’m a little confused... how can you even manage to sit at a computer?

And one more thing, just a trivial question—what's the deal with your sex life?
Are you still sexually active?

=========

Sam Gonzalez67, first, let me explain how I live with all these issues from the last 12 years.
I take my prescribed medications regularly, about 25 to 28 days a month depending on the day. That doesn't include any extra pain meds—I've tried every kind of Narcotic out there and nothing works; even the Pain Clinic can't help me.

To give you some context, I started doing heavy physical labor when I was only seven years old. I grew up learning to push through pain, but everyone has their limit.
After my first back surgery back in 1972, I went back to work far too early because the social safety net wasn't really an option for me.

Since that surgery, my ability to bend has been severely limited. I can only lean forward slightly below my knees with my hands. Every basic movement—like sweeping a floor, brushing my teeth, or leaning over a table—causes pain. I've been living with constant pain since the 70s, often working 12 to 14-hour shifts of manual labor while hurting. I stayed on Narcotics which just left me feeling a bit foggy, but they never actually stopped the pain.

I learned to adapt to my limitations. If I couldn't bend, I worked in attics by kneeling or lying on my stomach. My stubbornness was legendary; nothing could stop me. I’d lift 50 to 70 pounds just to end up in even worse pain later.

My second surgery nine months ago left me in the same state as before—actually, it's worse now because I have a pinched nerve.
It’s my wife who pushes me to walk as much as possible so my other organs don't fail from inactivity. She's the one who bears the brunt of this; even though I'm not addicted to drugs, I'm constantly crying or talking about the pain.
That's just how I cope.

Most patients are advised to constantly change positions—sitting, lying down, standing, walking. For me, sitting at the computer is actually my way of resting. I take breaks, and that’s really my only interest right now. Even my psychiatrist suggested that since I can't do much physically anymore (which is what I miss most), I should focus on writing and internet research to make life a bit easier to handle.

I spent two years at a University a while back, but I struggle to concentrate, so it felt like a waste of time. Still, I learned a lot about my medications and
the fundamentals of my conditions. I still attend lectures occasionally when I'm invited.

So, that's me: a very frustrated person who has dealt with 34 years of chronic pain coming from multiple sources, not just my spine.
But I am proud of what I achieved up until 12 years ago, and I'm proud of how I'm handling things today.

In the next post, I'll answer your second question.

👋

Sam Gonzalez67 said:Just one more thing—it might seem like a trivial question, but how’s your sex life doing?
Is Josh always sexually active? [/B]

Senior Life:

Is there anything missing from your life?

Question for the editor:
My wife and I are both in our early 60s. We haven't had sex in five years, and honestly, I just assumed neither of us had any desire left in us.
Now my wife is telling me she feels more like my sister than my partner, and she wants us to bring some "romance" back into our lives. Any advice on what I can do?

Response:

This is a common issue, one that most people just don't talk about openly.
It’s just a fact of life—our sex drive tends to taper off as we get older.
For some partners, it’s really not an issue; they're perfectly content with little to no sexual contact.
At the end of the day, what we’re all really searching for is intimacy, tenderness, and a life shared together. That’s worth so much more than just sex.
Partners really need to be on the same page. They should talk things through to decide if they actually want to be intimate, making sure both people are genuinely happy with the decision.
Some people just lose their drive entirely. The real issue arises when you love someone and try to go along with their wishes just to keep things stable. You don't want to rock the boat, but doing that can leave your partner feeling neglected or disconnected. In those moments, we really have to sit down and actually talk to them.

In both cases, the "romance" has vanished. It really shouldn't be that way.
Just because we’ve spent so many years together doesn't mean we can't keep the romance alive.
Maybe it’s time you started flirting with your wife again?
Sometimes we just need to be a little more careful with one another—and that goes for both husbands and wives.
Take a moment to really think about this: try surprising your partner with a little romance to spice things up. It’s worth talking openly about your sexual needs, too.

Here's the response, Sam Gonzalez67!

Patients and older folks experience those same sensations... regardless of their actual medical conditions.
Libido varies quite a bit, whether you're talking about healthy young adults or older folks.
My wife has never really dealt with the kind of needs I’ve had to manage. For her, things like affection play a huge role, along with how much stress or tension we're both carrying at the moment. Everyone is different in that regard.

It seems to me that we’re seeing more young people struggling with sexual dysfunction these days than those actually entering their later years.
I’m 63, and my wife is 67... we've never really had any issues.
My health issues have definitely made things complicated when it comes to medication—especially since certain antidepressants are notorious for that. I’ve switched to a different one now that doesn't cause impotence, but a few years back, I really struggled with that issue. At the time, I was using injections to manage it. It wasn't actually an issue with my wife; it was more about dealing with the sexual pain I was experiencing in my testicles.

We had a conversation about some uncomfortable stuff regarding my psychiatrist. It made my wife feel pretty awkward, but we managed to work through it together.
She explained to my wife how men and women differ—though, once again, not all women are the same, just like men aren't. It’s a sensitive situation because my wife has been dealing with chronic dermatitis in a very awkward spot for years. Because of the constant inflammation, she hasn't been able to enjoy any sexual intimacy, even oral, without it flaring up every single time.

Our doctor handed us a little booklet that outlines how to navigate life and still find some sense of fulfillment while dealing with various health struggles and setbacks.
I sleep in the other room because of my CPAP machine, but there are nights when we spend a few hours in Jen's room just enjoying some intimacy, cuddling, and having fun together.

I think the previous posts provided quite a bit of useful info regarding elderly patients or those dealing with chronic illness.
I could write more, but there isn't much point. You can read between the lines. Besides, I don't want to come across as "aggressive," as some people like to say.

It’s not easy writing about yourself, especially once you’ve put a name to the profile. It feels like everyone already knows who I am.

Best regards,
Jamie Clark74

🙂 😉 😎

The shortage of doctors here in America is getting out of hand, especially within the public hospital system.

Ever since my surgery back in January 2004, you can't find a single
neurologist at this facility... and this is a major hospital serving about 250,000 people. They've got three other neurosurgeons
covering outpatient cases, but they're only there for short stints. Most surgeries have been moved over to another large hospital nearby.

Right now, the waiting list for new patients is sitting at 12 to 18 months. As an existing patient, I’m looking at a 6 to 9-month wait.

If someone actually needs surgery, they're looking at anything from an urgent 12-month window up to two years.

Of course, if you have private insurance, you can usually get everything sorted within a few months.

I typically try to see specialists privately just to get a second opinion... but many specialists aren't interested in seeing patients in private practice unless they carry specific private hospital insurance.

So, my current plan is to try and track down a solid specialist who splits their time between private practice and the public hospital.

I don't necessarily think I'll need another surgery... but if I start having issues with bladder or bowel control, I won't have much choice in the matter.