Weekend open thread
Sparks has been asking for an open thread since this morning. So here you go, buddy. But this had better last you all weekend. I’ve got a stack of books to read that have been piling up since last Spring, so I’m going to start reading them. Maybe take a trip to the IHOP in Winchester and stock up on some Dunkin’ Donuts while I’m there.
Category: Administrative
Have you ever seen a deer on the side of the road, all smashed up, bones sticking out every where?
That is what my lower back feels like.
Been flat on my back all week.
The VA did another MRI and they recommend oxycodone for the pain.
Well it that not just friggin’ dandy.
I can have pain for the rest of my life and an addiction to oxycodone all at the same time.
I said NO … And I am going make them fix my back.
That is all!
Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer is free this weekend on Steam.
MCPO…….Good choice on the oxycodone, had surgery a couple of years ago. I ended up flushing that stuff down the shitter. Scary stuff.
Good luck with your back.
Hey thank you Jonn! Well I have have stated elsewhere and many of you know about and have posted regarding this. I am going in Monday at 6AM for the right knee replacement. I’ll be in the hospital till Thursday, if like last time. As soon as I get home if my head is clear enough Friday I will let you all know on that weekends “Open Thread”, (hint, hint, Jonn!) how it went and how I am doing. I do appreciate all the positive comments and feedback I have received from you ladies and gentlemen. Your thoughts, prayers and well wishes are greatly needed and appreciated. I will be around here until Sunday night, so I have until then. Early to bed that night so I am up and at ’em and ready to go. Thank you all again and God Speed to each and every one of you. My problem will get fixed. I am very aware however, that there are those of you out there truly suffering, in silence, with health issues and pain every day. I never forget that truth, or each of you in that regard. I do pray each day for all of my TAH family. Some, individually if I know about your troubles and the rest as a whole. I don’t need to know the names, God does. Thank you all again, AND for all this time you have “endured me” and my sometimes, off the wall, silly posts while on pain medicine. But I will still be on lighter pain medicine when I get home so…beware…he’ll be loose again! God bless you all!
@1.
Make sure you have a qualified and specialized MD.
Knowing some VAs, they would assign a Gynecologist for the procedure.
@1 Master Chief, I am sorry to hear about your back. You will be in my prayers sir. I am with you about the Oxycodone. I would not take it either when offered. I don’t even like the Hydrocodone I am taking and I am very wary of its use. Can’t wait until the point in recovery when I am free of those for good!
@5 Green Thumb…Roger that! I’d be very aware of who the VA lets touch my back.
Sparks,
I feel ya brother. I had major reconstruction done on my left knee a few years ago, will soon have to go for a full replacement. The up side is I know when the weather is going to change, the down side is there are days it hurts like a mother.
If you need anything let us know.
@8 Enigma4you Thank you very much.
#5: My Prostate Cancer Doc at Walter Reed was the head of the Prostate Cancer Research Center. He is famous. His office was full of pictures of famous people that he had done prostate surgery on (e.g., Bob Dole, Colin Powell, Ted Stevens, etc.) He’s seen some famous dicks. VA wouldn’t take his opinion. Made me go to a Doc in the Box at a derelict strip mall in EBF Havelock NC. This genius’s medical opinion was more valuable than an 06 Surgeon at Walter Reed.
Sparks…..good luck and Gods speed with your pending surgery.
On a lighter note, have considered since your going to be in the hospital anyway getting that lobotomy and male enhancement as package? (Smile)
I left GEN Schwarzkopf of that list of dicks.
Phildo takes it in the ass.
Hey Sparks, wishing you a quick recovery. I’ll take over the list of who is type male and who is type female while you are out and I will update it with changes if any. Hopefully by the time you get back Alex will have a wonderful sammich made for you.
Master Chief sorry to hear about your pain. Bernath was sighted with a MCPO Voodoo doll and some stick pins. Hope you keep your sense of humor and recover speedily.
Master Chief, I hope you feel better soon.
I wanted to thank you for the well done you left on the Stolen Valor Article. I know you are a man of few words and those were important. Thanks
Sparks and Master Chief: prayers. Airborne! Hooah! You gents are at the top of my list of the many reasons that I waste so much time on TAH.
Master Chief, good luck with the back. I’ve got a ruptured disc in my lower back, the doc prescribed Hydrocodone for the pain. I took a few, but it didn’t do anything, no relief, no feeling weird, nothing. Arthritis Strength Tylenol works just as good, at least for me. I just don’t take a lot of it.
Sparks, good luck on the procedure. Prayers for you guys.
MCPO, hang tough, sailor!
All best to you and yours, Sparks.
Laughing my butt off here!
@11 3/17aircav yea I was thinking it was time to think about having “hydraulics put in”. 😀
@14 GDContractor Thank you sir.
@16 SJ Thank you as well sir.
@17 UpNorth I appreciate it brother.
@19 OWB Thank you m’lady. I think I got it right this time! 😀
I should have said “spend” rather than “waste”. Nary a moment here is wasted.
Break Break: turns out I need to be in Lenoir for a few weeks starting next week. My future father-in-law’s residence is a baseball’s throw from the Maison Church. Said gent likes to frequent area diners like the Blue Moose Coffee Lodge for breakfast and dinner.
Damn, I forgot to mention that said gent is a USAF Master Sergeant that has more time in VN than I, an Army 82nd/101 guy. He is a bad ass but none of his family knows it because he doesn’t talk about it. What a strange concept. My fiance is amazed when he and I talk about stuff. She had never heard any of this. To be clear, nothing secret squirrel…just tow bubbas doing what they were trained to do. Ribbon racks for both are ho hum.
Memo to self: hit the Class VI store on the way to Lenoir so I can pry more of of the REAL story from said USAF Master Sergeant.
Might be a fun few weeks. We’ll do nothing threatening or illegal. Just hand out some wanted posters. I’m guessing that the Church’s will go into hull defilade. As a courtesy, I’ll advise when we clear the AO.
But then, the Church’s might just decide to do what others have suggested and get this behind them. If they would like for me to be the intermediary, send a note to Jonn. At age 71, I’m not an offensive threat (defensive is another matter). I believe in forgiveness. I’ll be glad to meet Mr Church at the road side and receive his paraphernalia without comment. I think I’ve been here long enough to be objective. Hell, I even back channeled Jonn earlier that I thought we were going too far. I was wrong. Won’t make that mistake again.
Master Chief, find a chiropractor who uses this type of equipment: http://activatorgun.com/
and go twice a week for about a month.
Ask for a copy of your MRI scan/x-rays. Also, find a reiki practitioner or a good acupuncturist. Try the methods not traditional in western medicine.
Some of the side effects of oxycodone include the following:
Psychiatric adverse effects reported include paranoia, psychosis, and hallucinations
Here’s a link to the entire list of side effects: http://www.drugs.com/sfx/oxycodone-side-effects.html
I wouldn’t take that crap even if I were desperate. The VA is far too quick to hand out pills and not really interested in doing anything else.
@21 SJ I hope your trip comes to some fruition. Safe travels sir.
the VA in its’ infinite wisdom has decided my dad’s left foot amputation next week qualifies as “out-patient” surgery. guess they still haven’t recovered from that hack that killed people a few years ago.
@24 korea95…you gotta be kidding me!!! But I know you’re not. I’m so sorry and all my best to your dad. That’s a true shame I tell you!
#24: that is BS.
Good luck to all of you-Sparks, MCPO, etc. you will all be in my prayers.
Well, I thankfully have nothing as severe as you guys, but I did manage to come down with the same virus that gives babies Croup. Since I’m not a baby, I got off with the devil’s own strain of bronchitis in my larynx, windpipe, etc. (it’s borderline pneumonia, it’s so deep). And this was my winter break, too, when I was planning to get ahead on all my AP coursework, get my sophomore research paper done, and some other long term projects, too. Dammit. Well, woe is sophomore monologue over. Get better all.
Well, apparently Ted Nugent called Obama a “subhuman mongrel” on a campaign stop with the wannabe Texas governor. I just stopped wondering why the GOP can’t win elections.
Trivia Question for all you (older) USAF types: Remember when there was (briefly) a WSSF? No one liked the name much, so it only lasted a few years. The career field remains, of course.
@22 EXPH2 and MCPO – YES! I never knew what that thing was called but I went to a chiropractor up in Anchorage that used one of those things every time I went to see him. I used to have terrible lower back pain in my mid 20’s and 30’s. One day about 13 years ago or so I simply realized that the pain was gone. It has stayed gone too. I have no explanation other than to say they the use of the activator gun worked in my case…swear to God. Before I found this particular chiropractor in Anchorage, I had been to others in Juneau, Ketchikan, etc. and I heard all sorts of BS from them including that one of my legs was longer than the other (speaking of Ilene…). Turned out, it was all BS. Now I am 50 and it is my shoulders that are killing me…..
Master Chief and Sparks…
Prayers to both of you that your pain leaves you swiftly and lands on those Pompous Pickle Poopyheads..Sending light and love to you and your families for a speedy recovery.
I have a rant that I really need to get off my chest and I figure that I need input from the members who have dealt with VA. I have a relative by marriage who served 8 years in the Navy, then was honorably discharged. I just found out he is getting 50% disability for a problem that is hereditary (father,aunts etc). He was not in any sort of hazardous duty that this could be attributed to. I do not wish him ill, however this really offends me since he is also living off the GI bill. Do I regret the perks someone has earned? Absolutely not! However this seems perilously close to welfare fraud to me. Am I wrong?
Please this is meant as an earnest inquiry, thanks.
I think that activator gun works the same way acupressure does: it hits certain nerves and muscles and increases blood flow, as well as releasing endorphins. My sister (teaches pre-med, no nonsense from her) said yes, acupressure and acupuncture do work.
Master Chief’s predicament sounds somewhat like a pinched nerve in his lower back to me, or maybe a severe muscle spasm. Ice packs followed by heat, followed by ice packs. That works on racehorses, and it also works on humans. Increases blood flow, etc.
Could also be kidneys. That can make your back hurt like hell. Get it all checked.
HSSophomore: chicken soup, and hot and sour soup(chicken broth based) and sleep. And stop pounding on yourself about achievement, for pete’s sake. Take a break.
@29 OWB…must have been well before my time. I Googled and found a Command Chief Master Sergeant in Security and his WSSF service was the late ’88 to ’92. Unless it means something other than “Weapons System Security Flight”.
@27 HS Thank you very much.
@31 TC Thank you as well.
I always appreciate you folks’ thoughts and posts. The meaningful thing to me is that I know each and every one of you means what you write.
Again, to Master Chief. I have been blessed to never have back problems but have watched my wife suffer with them for years. Her lower back to her neck. After watching and helping her through those episodes you truly have my sympathies. Take care sir.
32 Candle~
If his condition was unknown to the Navy at time of enlistment and didn’t become known until during enlistment, then yes he could be entitled to DC. It would have had to be connected to his service however. It would not be conditioned if he was in a hazardous job or not.
If his illness/injury was exacerbated while in and the VA connected it to his service time, he would be eligible as long as there were medical records backing his claims while serving.
If his illness/ injury didn’t present until after his enlistment, the VA would still have to connect it to his service time to receive benefits.
In other words there would have to be medical records indicating that his condition became know while in service. If his condition became known after enlistment he would have had to prove that his condition was a direct result of his time in service.
MCPO: wondered why you’d been such a SOB recently. (smile)
Seriously, get well soon. And if you have decent insurance through spouse’s employment (or FEHB), I’d recommend you get a 2nd opinion. Some VA centers have decent surgeons; others, not so much.
Here’s your open thread comment: it’s fahkin cold in Greenland. The beard froze on my way to the DFAC this morning.
@39 TSO…Thank you for serving up there. I know you are cold as hell. Take care, keep warm as possible and above all, stay safe brother.
Thanks Coastie,
Not sure what to think about his “proof”. I doubt he has much but as I said, I wish him no ill, I just hate watching service members who truly deserve help bypassed for something like this.
@ Candle: There are a lot of variations upon what is supposed to be the same theme throughout the VA system. There is no rhyme or reason that any sane person can see, but what happens in one region just does not in another. Some good for vets, some not so good for vets.
For instance, I know a vet personally whose arm was twisted into signing up for benefits from a preexisting condition that he knows (and repeatedly told them) is not related to his military service. He was actually harassed until he finally signed the paperwork. Within two weeks he was getting a disability payment AND had been put up in a furnished apartment.
All just to say that your relative may not be scamming the system. If he went to the VA for something unrelated and answered the questions they asked, they may well have just decided for him that he should be paid for something which he might not even have known to ask for. You might be surprised to discover that there are a lot of guys getting benefits who did not ask for them.
OWB, thanks, I think you nailed the word I was looking for, sane. In any case thank y’all for responding. Be well.
Haven’t flushed a chunky John Giduck all day. Got all weekend now that this thread is open. Although pork rinds, fatback, and ass monkey might be more appropriate to produce a carbon copy, I’m making meatloaf to give this next Giduck impersonator ample weight.
That is all.
TSO: an in bed in Greenland? Is this a “hot”bed of insurgency? WTF? But, fellow El Cid guy…protect THE BEARD…unless you have been pussy whipped to shave it? No recent pix to my knowledge.
Cold? Hey, it got almost up to 80 here in my neck of the woods, and it quit raining!!
TSO–I almost believed in globall warming when I was driving home today and it was a THUNDERSTORM (complete with lightning and thunder) in NH in February. Couple that with the 3-plus feet of snow we’ve had in the last few weeks and the prediction of more…
And I got a very pleasant surprise from girlfriend’s father today. He sent a couple of lesser-known works of Herman Melville to me with a thoughtful note. Now I’d love to return the favor, but any ideas? I’d love to send him an autographed copy of “Living With Honor” or “Into The Fire” but I just don’t have that kind of pull. Oh well. We’ll see what BJ’s or Barnes and Noble has these days.
Master Chief–while I’ve found the pain pills are pretty much worthless on the back, muscle relaxers like Flexeril or even mild Valium do much more to help. Either way, get better soon.
My cocktail is Flexorol, Naprocen and Valium.
Oh … And two fingers of Baileys on the rocks!
BREAK
Did you see that 18 year old woman spank everyone tonight?
GO USA!
All right, you useless lower animals, I have a question direct from Ol’ Shep, from the Old Time Navy (before wimmins were stationed on ships, Master Chief).
He wants to know why there were no doors on the enlisted mens’ heads, but there WERE doors on the ossifers’ heads.
Any answers?