Accepting work at the present.

[sammy the blade]

I just got used to it, standing on concrete floors for 42 years guess I'm not supposed to feel good.

[NorthCarolinaDude]

I can relate.

I fractured my C1 in a motorcycle wreck (my 1968 Triumph 650) but luckily was able to fully heal (no paralysis) but it also worsened some of my lower lumber which led to a Degenerative Disc diagnosis on 3 of the lower lumbar (they were likely already worn from years of dirt bike riding and other assorted activities). Surgery is 50-50 they tell me. It's been 20 years since the accident this October. The protocol I'm following is to let the discs grind away the cartilage and subsequently fuse together which should resolve much of the pain. The spinal guy said I should be there in a few more years. They give me a monthly prescription of Oxy, Medrol and Meloxicam. And if I have a flare I can fill them and use as needed. I took Oxy "therapeutically" for years but these days it works best when used as needed due to tolerance issues, to say the least.

But when a flare occurs it can be so bad that my old lady needs to pull me up out of a seated position, and the pain is blinding. It can be brought about from lifting something heavy or just picking a dropped pen off the floor. It's insidious.

So God Bless anyone dealing with such an ailment. I know it's a hell I wouldn't wish on anyone!

P.S. I fully restored the Triumph to show quality, so it survived too! Thankfully, as my father bought that bike new in 1968!

[JulesVane]

*

[sammy the blade]

Hi Bill, if your back is causing you pain look into PEA, which is short for palmitoylethanolamide.
It's a completely natural compound that works truly fantastic, among others as a painkiller without any side effects and also no known interaction with pharmaceutical medication.

I have been using it for years as a neuroprotectant for my eyes, and i also recommended it a friend of mine who has serious back problems due to several crushed discs (plus a full titanium support structure screwed to his spine).
He was on large doses of fentanyl (morphine) each day for years, and was able to make a complete switch to PEA and he no longer needs any fentanyl.
He is over the moon.

I have found PEA to work best for me if i start the first week with 6 x 400 mg a day, then lower the dose to 4 or 3 x 400 mg each day.
My friend does the same.

This link leads to medical reading material about PEA on Pubmed:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=P ... hanolamide

See what you think of it.

Where do you get this stuff, I wouldn't ming giving it a shot. Around these parts pain meds that actually work, narcotics, are extremely hard to get.

[kwackster]

I buy my PEA here in the Netherlands from a local drugstore, which is within walking distance from my home.
I pay 30 Euro for 180 tablets of 400 milligram each.
Did a quick check, and it seems i can also order it from Amazon, but prices there seem to vary quite a bit.

According to various research on Pubmed it is best to get what is known as "micronized" or "ultra-micronized" PEA, which seems to have a noticeable higher bioavailability.
But both me and my friend with back problems use the simplest non-micronized PEA, and so far this also works.

[dark2023]

Well I guess this is a good place for me to chime in as a former pharm school student. However, I dropped out due to costs/life and never earned my PharmD, so please take my info with a grain of salt. I'll try my best to use common English terminology wherever I can, so I'm not overloading anybody with too much pharmaco-jargon.

I actually had to look this compound up, because I'm used to the acronym PEA standing for Phenethylamine. Which is a fundamental building block for many neurotransmitters, pharmaceutical medications, and drugs of abuse (eg: Dopamine, Norepinephrine/ antidepressants, decongestants/ stimulants, hallucinogens, etc).

However, it looks like this PEA is purely positive without an equivalent dark side. I'm always very skeptical of newer supplements, especially ones with so many difficult to believe claims, but after an extensive deep-dive I'm actually pleasantly surprised. Basically it appears to be similar to an endorphin, but without triggering cannabinoid receptors. It reduces inflammation and pain without the mind altering effects of actual cannabinoid, and without the risks of addiction/dependency opioids carry. It does seem to occur naturally in many plants and animals, including humans. There's even evidence that some cases of total pain-insensitivity from birth may be caused by abnormally high levels of naturally occurring PEA. Apparently the part about it not causing significant drug interactions with most other medications is also true. Theoretically, it probably interacts with fibrate class drugs used to treat certain types of cholesterol and high triglycerides, so avoid mixing it with Gemfibrozil or anything that ends in X-fibrate, and I'd avoid mixing it with MAOIs too, just to be safe (as those interact with practically everything including many foods). It appears to be readily available online, and in some vitamin shops, as a supplement, so be careful about sources/brand (because they aren't regulated like actual pharmaceuticals). It's also probably safe to combine with other pain management therapies/medications, but please consult a real pain-managment physician &/or pharmacist before doing that (not a just any general Dr, the difference is literally years of pharm specific study & drug specific continuing education requirements vs just a semester or 2 on the topic at med school).

Definitely a novel compound which may be worth some consideration or personal research. Much more promising and likely safer than the standard internet suggestion of "Kratom" (which is just an unregulated plant containing naturally occurring opioids, which still carries all of the risks & side-effects of any other opioid medication, basically equivalent to organic Tramadol/Codeine)

Best wishes Bill, I'm also hoping for a speedy recovery. You were always around and often offered me great answers/insights back when I was a new auto-knife collector just starting to dabble in the collecting hobby.

[Bill DeShivs]

Steroids seem to be wearing off. Pain is getting worse. I have an appointment with the surgeon in a month.
I expect I'll be scheduling surgery.

[easy_rider]

Bill I made post about a Sicilian I’d like to get repaired
Lmk if you or know anyone who could repair black part

Appears mircata is split or something in aga blade