The Opioid Epidemic

[farjean2]

Could you clarify what exactly you are referring to?

Marijuana.

Yep. I thought everyone knew that, but I guess not.

I owe my life to marijuana. I was looking for the best way to commit suicide when I was in Vietnam when somebody turned me on to it.

[Libertarian666]

Marijuana.

Yep. I thought everyone knew that, but I guess not.

I owe my life to marijuana. I was looking for the best way to commit suicide when I was in Vietnam when somebody turned me on to it.

Well, pot is the worst way to commit suicide, so I guess you never got what you were looking for.

[Maddy]

Just curious, Farjean, what exactly did marijuana do for you? I would have assumed that a depressed state would simply be made worse by something that loosens your thinking and gets you rolling around inside your own head.

[Libertarian666]

Pot has a lot of medical uses: http://www.businessinsider.com/health-b ... ana-2014-4

And to get back to the original topic, http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-ne ... ds-n739301

[Libertarian666]

I owe my life to marijuana. I was looking for the best way to commit suicide when I was in Vietnam when somebody turned me on to it.

Wow. That's a pretty amazing statement.

By the way, it sounds as if ingesting, rather than smoking, is the preferred administration method these days ... is that true?

Vaping is probably the most controllable and safest method. Ingesting can be tricky for relative newbies who don't know how much they actually want or need.

[farjean2]

Just curious, Farjean, what exactly did marijuana do for you? I would have assumed that a depressed state would simply be made worse by something that loosens your thinking and gets you rolling around inside your own head.

I wouldn't say that I was depressed. Traumatized is more like it.

It puts you in a detached state of mind and everything just seems to slow down for me. I've never had the opportunity to use it for pain but I doubt that it actually relieves the pain like other medicines do. It's probably like "I have pain in my right arm. Oh that's really cool. Look at those clouds".

[Libertarian666]

Just curious, Farjean, what exactly did marijuana do for you? I would have assumed that a depressed state would simply be made worse by something that loosens your thinking and gets you rolling around inside your own head.

I wouldn't say that I was depressed. Traumatized is more like it.

It puts you in a detached state of mind and everything just seems to slow down for me. I've never had the opportunity to use it for pain but I doubt that it actually relieves the pain like other medicines do. It's probably like "I have pain in my right arm. Oh that's really cool. Look at those clouds".

Correct. It makes pain more interesting and less painful, if that makes any sense.

[Maddy]

I know some of you are going to snicker when I confess that I listen to Coast to Coast. (Many nights, it's the only thing that puts me to sleep, and George Noory has aired some pretty intriguing interviews of geopolitical figures lately.) Anyway, I noticed this preview of tonight's show (Thursday, June 15), which could turn out to be interesting:

Investigative journalist Cathryn Jakobson Ramin suffered back pain for decades and spent a small fortune on a panoply of treatments. When her discomfort only intensified, she searched for better solutions and eventually exposed a much bigger problem. She'll reveal how a $100 billion-a-year industry, spine medicine, is often ineffective and sometimes harmful and exemplifies the worst aspects of the US health care system. Followed by Open Lines in the latter half.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/

[Maddy]

I know some of you are going to snicker when I confess that I listen to Coast to Coast. (Many nights, it's the only thing that puts me to sleep, and George Noory has aired some pretty intriguing interviews of geopolitical figures lately.) Anyway, I noticed this preview of tonight's show (Thursday, June 15), which could turn out to be interesting:

Investigative journalist Cathryn Jakobson Ramin suffered back pain for decades and spent a small fortune on a panoply of treatments. When her discomfort only intensified, she searched for better solutions and eventually exposed a much bigger problem. She'll reveal how a $100 billion-a-year industry, spine medicine, is often ineffective and sometimes harmful and exemplifies the worst aspects of the US health care system. Followed by Open Lines in the latter half.

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/

Total waste of time.

[WiseOne]

Ya, back pain is one of those things that make surgeons wealthy and drive everyone else nuts. In most cases, it's a lifestyle issue. Bulging discs etc that get detected by back MRIs are just as common in people without back pain as with back pain, i.e. they're most likely unrelated.

The problem is that if you have back pain I won't tell you not to see a physician about it - because there are several serious things that can manifest as back pain. But for sure do not go anywhere with the label of "Spine Center". That's like going to a barber and asking if you need a haircut. Go to a good, competent general neurologist.

[farjean2]

But for sure do not go anywhere with the label of "Spine Center".

Geesh, I wish you had posted this before I made an appointment with the "Florida Spine Institute". With an MRI, two EMG's, and a session with an electrical stimulation machine called a BioWave they used up all the money for the year in our spending account on the diagnosis and now there's nothing left for any kind of treatment unless I pay for it myself.

Ultimately they decided that all I needed for now was physical therapy and after a few sessions I'm pretty well convinced that this is another medical scam. For the "manipulation" part I think you could just get a simple massage and it would be just as effective. And then there was the "exercise specialist" who taught me something called "myofascial release". It consists of pressing tennis balls against my pectoral muscles to release "trigger points" to help with my neck pain. Based on what I read online the science behind this is questionable but I'm still doing it even though I'm not sure it's doing me any good beyond a placebo effect.

One of the EMG's that cost over $500 apiece did reveal that I have something called "cubital tunnel syndrome" which I had never heard of but I wasn't surprised since my arm and elbow have been hurting like hell and I read a website where it was called "The Programmer's Nightmare". As for how to treat it, the physical therapist had never heard of it so I went on Youtube and found lots of suggestions for what to do and the exercises seem to be working.

[farjean2]

I owe my life to marijuana. I was looking for the best way to commit suicide when I was in Vietnam when somebody turned me on to it.

Wow. That's a pretty amazing statement.

And it's absolutely true. If it wasn't for marijuana I really don't think I would be alive today.

(And BTW, "Last Dance with Mary Jane" by Tom Petty is my favorite song of all time - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aowSGxim_O8. I wonder how many of you get the reference to the "Indiana Boys".)

[WiseOne]

And then there was the "exercise specialist" who taught me something called "myofascial release". It consists of pressing tennis balls against my pectoral muscles to release "trigger points" to help with my neck pain.

Use cold apples instead of tennis balls - even better! I did this for a couple of years after I injured my shoulder trying to open a stuck window. I went through the whole physical therapy rigmarole which did nothing, except annoy me because they guy tried to blame the injury on my cell phone use. After two years of constant pain and quite a bit of time combing the literature, I hit on a very simple solution that applies only to women - message me if you want to hear about it. The pain went away and I've not been bothered since. And I'm still using cell phones :-)

Which is to say, for most of these things figuring it out for yourself is the best and likely only solution. Also, a really good massage or physical therapist can sometimes give you very useful info (not the one I went to unfortunately).

[flyingpylon]

And it's absolutely true. If it wasn't for marijuana I really don't think I would be alive today.

(And BTW, "Last Dance with Mary Jane" by Tom Petty is my favorite song of all time - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aowSGxim_O8. I wonder how many of you get the reference to the "Indiana Boys".)

That's a song that can mean different things to different people. What is your interpretation of "Indiana Boys"?

[farjean2]

Regarding Petty and the "Indiana boys," I have to confess I don't get the reference at all ... please educate me.

I grew up in Ohio and it was well known there, or at least believed by many people, that hemp plants were abundant in Indiana and you could even find them growing in the wild along the highway. I knew people who claimed to have found them. I was still using it for a couple of years when I came back from Vietnam and I confess to driving along I-70 one night with some friends to look for it with a flashlight. We never did find any but then we probably wouldn't have known it if we saw it any way.

So I hope that sheds new light on the opening lyrics....

But she grew up tall and she grew up right
With them Indiana boys on an Indiana night
Well she moved down here at the age of eighteen
She blew the boys away, it was more than they'd seen
I was introduced and we both started groovin'


Or I could just be reading something into it that's not there like Peter, Paul and Mary claimed about "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Little Jackie Paper".

You be the judge.

[Libertarian666]

But for sure do not go anywhere with the label of "Spine Center".

Geesh, I wish you had posted this before I made an appointment with the "Florida Spine Institute". With an MRI, two EMG's, and a session with an electrical stimulation machine called a BioWave they used up all the money for the year in our spending account on the diagnosis and now there's nothing left for any kind of treatment unless I pay for it myself.

Ultimately they decided that all I needed for now was physical therapy and after a few sessions I'm pretty well convinced that this is another medical scam. For the "manipulation" part I think you could just get a simple massage and it would be just as effective. And then there was the "exercise specialist" who taught me something called "myofascial release". It consists of pressing tennis balls against my pectoral muscles to release "trigger points" to help with my neck pain. Based on what I read online the science behind this is questionable but I'm still doing it even though I'm not sure it's doing me any good beyond a placebo effect.

One of the EMG's that cost over $500 apiece did reveal that I have something called "cubital tunnel syndrome" which I had never heard of but I wasn't surprised since my arm and elbow have been hurting like hell and I read a website where it was called "The Programmer's Nightmare". As for how to treat it, the physical therapist had never heard of it so I went on Youtube and found lots of suggestions for what to do and the exercises seem to be working.

I was almost disabled a number of years ago due to pain in my hands, diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. I ended up having to use voice recognition software pretty much exclusively.

That isn't particularly good for programming, but it's better than being crippled. I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which is now up to version 15 I believe. They have recently changed their licensing model, so that you can install it on as many computers as you want with one license, so long as there is only one user. Which I think is good for an assistive technology that people who need REALLY need.

I am using it to dictate this response, as my hands are bothering me somewhat. Fortunately I no longer have to program all day, but finishing my book project was very hard on my hands until I wrote voice macros to do things like copying and pasting images.

I also use an ergonomic keyboard from the Kinesis Corporation, which allows the fingers to be in a more normal posture, with the middle finger slightly lower into the "bowl" where the keys are arranged.

[Jack Jones]

I also use an ergonomic keyboard from the Kinesis Corporation, which allows the fingers to be in a more normal posture, with the middle finger slightly lower into the "bowl" where the keys are arranged.

I also use a Kinesis! Expensive, but worth every penny.

[Libertarian666]

I also use an ergonomic keyboard from the Kinesis Corporation, which allows the fingers to be in a more normal posture, with the middle finger slightly lower into the "bowl" where the keys are arranged.

I also use a Kinesis! Expensive, but worth every penny.

I have three of them, of which two were purchased for me by employers.

[farjean2]

I was almost disabled a number of years ago due to pain in my hands, diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. I ended up having to use voice recognition software pretty much exclusively.

That isn't particularly good for programming, but it's better than being crippled. I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking, which is now up to version 15 I believe.

My hands were so bad around 20 years ago that I couldn't hold the cards in my hands while playing a card game. Tests for carpal tunnel and arthritis were negative so the M.D. just prescribed large doses of Ibuprofen for 30 days nonstop. That, along with limited computer activity for almost two years seemed to do the trick. When I went back to programming full time I was very careful to rest and do some stretching with my hands when I felt them getting tight and I never had the problem again.

Cubital tunnel syndrome, also called "ulnar nerve entrapment" is like carpal tunnel but on the other side of the arm. You feel it in the elbow and the two outer fingers. Now that I have the official diagnosis confirmed with an EMG ($$$) the next step was figuring out why. The doctor didn't seem to have any definitive answer. Strangely, it started getting worse after I retired and spent much less time in front of the computer. At this point I'm operating under the theory that it wasn't from computer use after all but from my lifelong habit of sleeping on my stomach which puts the arms in a very bad position with the elbows bent. Been trying to break that habit and I guess time will tell if my theory is right.

A fellow female programmer had carpal tunnel and she got the operation. She said the relief was instantaneous and she ended up wishing she had done it years earlier.

I've read that there is an operation also for cubital tunnel but it is more invasive and has a longer recovery time so I hope I won't have to go there.

[Maddy]

Nearly one in four people on Medicaid, the U.S. health program for the poor, received powerful and addictive opioid pain medicines in 2015, according to research by a drug-benefits management firm.

The analysis by Express Scripts Holding Co., one of the largest managers of Medicaid plans’ drug benefits for the past two decades, found that about 6 percent of all prescriptions in the program were for the pain pills. The report shows the extent to which the controversial class of narcotic pain medicines has penetrated the U.S.’s health-care safety net.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... tudy-finds

I can understand why a high percentage of Medicaid recipients would come in requesting pain pills, but it surprises me that their requests are being indulged. I mean, it's not like the doc is going to run into them at the next neighborhood cocktail party.

[farjean2]

I can understand why a high percentage of Medicaid recipients would come in requesting pain pills, but it surprises me that their requests are being indulged. I mean, it's not like the doc is going to run into them at the next neighborhood cocktail party.

Maybe he/she wants them to come back.

[Libertarian666]

I can understand why a high percentage of Medicaid recipients would come in requesting pain pills, but it surprises me that their requests are being indulged. I mean, it's not like the doc is going to run into them at the next neighborhood cocktail party.

Maybe he/she wants them to come back.

Since Medicaid patients have the same outcomes overall as patients with no insurance, maybe that's all they get out of it.

[farjean2]

When I got my opioid prescription at the "spine center" I had to submit to a drug test which, they informed me, was required by law. Presumably this was to prevent me from shopping around for new doctors willing to prescribe pills.

[Maddy]

It still seems awfully odd that large numbers of physicians would willingly put themselves under scrutiny, knowing that there are redundant systems for tracking prescribing patterns.

[Maddy]

It's a tough choice, but when it comes down to your license to practice medicine versus a single malt whiskey, there's only one thing to do. . .

Federal agents and police officers arrested Dr. David Taylor, 74, and two others for allegedly running a pill mill on Hylan Boulevard on Staten Island. The doctor diverted 4 million pills with a street value of $40 million to Staten Islanders, according to authorities.

The pain management specialist allegedly took money and goods, including single malt whiskey, for the prescriptions. The Feds said the doctor would write scripts for oxycodone and Xanax without an examination, MRIs, or medical records.

DEA Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt said: “It is alleged that millions of dollars’ worth of pain medication was diverted onto the streets of Staten Island, enabling addiction and overdoses on the borough. These arrests will impact Staten Island’s opioid market by shutting down an illicit pill distribution operation located at the heart of the borough."

http://www.fox5ny.com/news/263303206-story