Hope Floats

My neck is a train wreck of Biblical proportions. It doesn’t bow, my jaw sticks out 55 millimeters than what it should. My jaw is also misaligned, TMD. The fulcrum of excruciating pain is located at the TMJ. The sterile inflammation and misalignment all conspire to wreak havoc on my left trigeminal nerve, which gives me my Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia.

I saw my chiropractor Monday night; he stated that my neck can be fixed. It will take a year of intense rehab and lots of $$$, but my neck will bow again, relieving the stress and pressure on my trigeminal nerve.

Needless to say I eagerly look forward to having my neck bow properly. No more chronic excruciating pain, let downs, taking excessive sick days, or restless nights. I can attend church regularly, return to singing, and not miss important functions anymore. God is good!

Lastly, maybe I can finally attend a Dolphin, Marlin, or Heat game on one of my trips down to my Miami.

Staggering Statistics

Here are some sobering numbers I heard last night, we need to stop the insanity that is Big Pharmacy! This is just another reason why I'm voting for Amendment 2 in November.

106,000 Americans die every year from prescription pain pills.

The US has 5% of the world's population, yet take 50% of the pain pills.

When you include the pills from the oxy family then the percentage jumps up to 90%!

Caramel Color Update

It has been nearly three weeks since I gave up drinking sodas with caramel color. I am happy to report that the intensity of my pain went down. It's highly manageable. I can tolerate the pain longer before taking OTC pills. I'm no longer awakening to pain, pain does return, but not until near midday. I'm cautiously optimistic because I know how my mutinous trigeminal nerve can adapt.

Be Happy! Keep Smiling!

New Migraine Trigger

I went from the heights of Mt. McKinley on Sunday to the depths of Death Valley in a mere 15 hours early this week. I attended my first church service in a month. I felt wonderful, the new diet is working. Sunday night I thought I would be good and continue it. I ordered a grilled chicken combo sans French Fries. I had a broccoli cheese baked potato instead and no soda with caramel color in it. I thought I was really doing good until 3AM Monday morning.

I awoke to the worst pain I had felt in nearly three years. My temples and forehead were on fire. I took two Excedrin Migraine pills. I rolled up a towel, rested my neck on it and went back to bed. It didn't work that well, pain never went away. It stayed home in my right temple and never went away despite my best efforts.

I took a walk in the park, that didn't work. I thought a hot shower would work, wrong. I ate tart cherries, nothing. The migraine stayed for a day. So, I'm adding that baked potato to my No No List, right next to Swiss cheese. Never again.

Amendment 2

Amendment 2 will allow medicinal marijuana to be legal in Florida. It's so popular with Floridians, over 80% approval rating, that the opposition is spewing propaganda (the photoshop photo) in an attempt to frighten people as if it were 1937.

I can say that medicinal marijuana let me sleep. It killed the intense stabbing pain behind my left eye or in my left ear. I didn't have the murderous dreams that I had while taking Gabapentin, Lunestra is just as bad or worse from what I've read.

It all leads me to ask why take these 'legal' drugs with all the adverse side effects when God created cannabis for us to use?

TN Badge of Courage

Caramel Color

Caramel color is the ingredient that gives Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Root beer, and other type sodas their color. It's also a major source of inflammation in the body. I'm trying a little experiment, I've weaned myself off Coca-Cola. I will give a future update on what effect it has on my pain.