Is there a new pandemic centered in Jersey nobody else has heard of? That was me five years ago, laying in the hallway right across from a quarantine room for three hours, just to have a doctor come along and tell me everything is normal without any type of exam.

 

Out of the blue, I woke up with severe back pain. The previous day, I was working at the farm, not doing anything that was stressful. But as soon as I woke up the next day, I had lower back pain with sciatica. That was Thursday.

By Friday morning, the pain was so bad, I was actually in tears. So Leslie had two clients that day, the second one was the groom's mother, so I kicked her out - let her do her work. But when she got back from the salon, I ended up calling 911 to get a stretcher ride to the ER. Trying to sit in the car would’ve been excruciating.

So we’re at the hospital, went through the routine getting scanned to see if there were any herniated discs; there weren’t any. It was just the muscles spasming out badly, and I got a muscle relaxer and intravenous anti-inflammatory.

The hospital experience was no different than a year ago when I had to take Leslie twice to the emergency room for her gallbladder issues. The second time was because they forgot to check to see if she had any gallstones in her duct.

There are six hospitals within a 25-mile radius, but this is one of the top hospitals in New Jersey and a very large one. It’s hard to believe that they expanded the emergency room not too long ago, but still, so many people come there that people are in the hallways of the ER. And you can be in the hallway for two days waiting for a room. This hospital is that busy!

Unfortunately, with that type of traffic, it takes forever to get anything done. Once I was cleared to go home, it took over two hours to get out of the ER. Next to me was a 98-year-old veteran who was cleared to go back to the assisted living facility at 5:30, but he was still there by 9:30.

Part of that problem was with the hospital, but most were at assisted living facilities. Doesn’t do anything to get their residence back home. This was the facility that my mother was in for nine years. And if I weren’t there all the time to advocate for her, and when she was in the hospital, she would’ve had a similar fate. Our healthcare system for the elderly absolutely sucks.

But now I’m home, still mostly in bed. I am waiting for Leslie to return from her salon and pick up my anti-inflammatory and muscle-relaxing scripts from the pharmacy. Then, I should be able to start moving around again and get my muscles to relax. I’m unique with this because of my Levaquin reaction in 2016. The way Levaquin works is it goes into the mitochondria in the cells and screws with the DNA. That’s great if you’re trying to kill bacteria, not so great if you’re trying to be human.

Because of that I have to take magnesium every day in large quantities or else my muscles cramp, and my nerves start to short-circuit. This really complicates my back muscles once they start to spasm. And I may have initiated this because in hindsight, I forgot to take my magnesium the day prior to the back spasm.

 

I took Levaquin 20 years ago for a minor prostate infection. Had a couple refills that I used down the road for sinus infections. It worked really well. I guess you're just one of the lucky ones Jack. Get some rest. Don't know what we'd do without you.

On a side note - If anyone who has taken Levaquin is genetically modified, I guess there's no point for us to spend the money on organics.

 

I had a temporary Doctor who thought Levaquin and Cipro were the greatest antibiotics in the world. He gave me three courses of them within a year, one for 30 days. During the second 30-day dose of Cipro, I started to get leg cramps, but I didn’t realize what was going on or the implications of Fluoroquinolones. My next doctor said he would never have given those to me for what I had. There are some doctors who still don’t realize the implications of fluoroquinolones, my rheumatologist for one. He usually has a smirk and tells me antibiotics can’t hurt you whenever the subject comes up.

So many stories:

https://www.drugwatch.com/beyond-sid...ff-in-my-body/

https://ncmedsoc.org/do-you-know-wha...your-patients/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2vm458n0yo

I went from walking over 4 miles a day to not being able to go down my steps. In the one article, the guy says he thought he was going to die, and I felt like that. I was to the point where I wrote up on my computer everything Leslie would need to do. My balance is still off; I have vertigo anytime I’m horizontal. It makes working under a vehicle interesting. It should be an absolute last resort drug, which it is in Europe.

My view for the day has changed, but still looking at my feet. The bathroom is not puke green, though.

 

Then he's either an idiot or bought and paid for by the pharmaceutical industry. Either way he wouldn't be my doctor anymore. Probably says vaccines can't hurt you either.

 

He’s an idiot. But in this area it is so hard to find a new doctor. All the good ones are not taking new patients, and if they are, it’s a 9-10 month waiting list for an opening. Talking to the PA who took care of me in the hospital said the same when I brought it up yesterday, She said,”My mother and I am in the same situation, and I work in he healthcare industry”.

I see him once a year; renew my script, and I’m on my way.

 

Hope you do better soon.

 

Thanks, already am. Muscle relaxers are a wonderful thing.

 

Hello Jack. I had a very similar problem a few years ago, my feet where swolloen to about a size20+ because of the sciatica, my Dr.finally did a nerve ablation and that has worked wonders for me. He told me the nerves could heal but it would take a long time and now it has been over 14 years with almost no back pain. Good luck.

 

Thanks. Moving around a bit now, can sit. Deciding if I’ll call my orthopedic on Monday for an eval and possible PT. That went well last December when I had another issue.

 

Great to hear Jack! Hoping for a speedy recovery...

 

Thanks, Scott. Unfortunately, as several of us know, back pain can be one of the most debilitating things we have. I hate when this happens.

 

I wish you a speedy recovery Jack!



I also had some unplanned time off. I have a herniated disc in the 1st and 2nd vertebrae (I hope I wrote that correctly). If we hadn't had crutches at home, my wife would have had to call an ambulance. With crutches, I was at least able to get to the car to be driven to the doctors.



We all get older...

 

Thanks, Hartwig.

Unfortunately, every day.

 

Wondering what my favorite motorheads have to say about this:

5 Trucks Mechanics Say Will Survive Any Grid Collapse