Broken Fin Fishing Fools

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

wow,.....fishing for health reason, I love it!!

What exactly is dystonia and how does it affect you?  Is treatment painful?

[PaparockArk]

Hi, LBH since my disease was first thought to be MS and now possibly some form of Polyneourpothy; I did some readying in field. I am sure fishfordollars will have a lot more facts but from my limited understanding "Dystonia" is a movement disorder which sometimes can be quite painful. It is great that they seem to have a handle on what you have fishfordollars and the positive attitude you have makes dealing with the disease a lot easier. Some of your symptoms seem similar to mine as I have random feelings of pain which can often be quite intense but mine are not real it's just that my brain interprets the signals as real. My nervous system in parts of my body is telling my brain there is pain but in fact there is not an actual physical cause so I have to be careful to verify I have not in fact injured myself. It is amazing what we can learn to adapt to live with isn't it fishfordollars? It sounds like you definitely qualify for the Broken Fin Fishing Fools so welcome and if at any time you need anything or even just to talk feel free to contact any of us. We support each other and have been there so you will not be bothering us. You have a sound strategy and a positive approach that is an inspiration to others. Thanks for sharing it.

[skillet]

 P_Rock always has a lot better way of getting thoughts into words than a lot of us ffd, so, what he said X2...

                                         As Ever,

                                          skillet

[fishfordollars]

LBH, P-Rock, dystonia is a muscle tone disease that may be inherited or caused from a major accident. The doctors are not sure. The treatment, is Botox injections at the muscle site(my injections are schelduled for Fri. Oct 26) every 90 days. You are also loaded with pain meds and all other types of meds like for seizures. About 25% have or develope head tremors. Thankfully I have not develpoed any. Actually I feel ok but when it gets close to injection time I know I need them as my head will start to get pulled down and to the left. The injections block the nerv sites that keep the neck muscles from pulling your head down. There is much more but I am going to quit here. Jack

[fishfordollars]

I have just finished reading most of the post in this section and have become aware that my condition is minor compared to some I have read. Especially when it pertains to a child or young adult. I will say a prayer for all and hope the next time something bad happens it can be someone like myself that has lived a good life instead of a younger one that has not had the chance at life I have had. Best wishes, Jack

[fishfordollars]

P-Rock. I picked up some material at a suport group the other evening that might help you understand more about what is possibly going on with your body. It covers the dystonia and lots of other functions that you may have. Get me your address and I will send the info to you if you are interested. Thanks, Jack

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I have just finished reading most of the post in this section and have become aware that my condition is minor compared to some I have read. Especially when it pertains to a child or young adult. I will say a prayer for all and hope the next time something bad happens it can be someone like myself that has lived a good life instead of a younger one that has not had the chance at life I have had. Best wishes, Jack

That's the great thing about this club, we don't "measure" ailments.  Whatever you have or are going through we are here to support you and give you a place to vent where there are no repercussions, just people who are willing to listen.

[W1-10]

It's well overdue but Thanks LBH and P-rock for your kind words. I deleted my post because most of the people on here are affected by something they could'nt control, or hand no hand in creating. My stuff is because of a choice that I made. I don't think that I qualify as much as most. You guys are top-shelf and I'm better for having joined up.

[fishbear]

W1-10,

It does not matter how you became afflicted or why.  Just know we are all here supporting you and each other no matter what.  No one judges you, we just support you and help in any way we can.

And we are all better off because you are here posting.

[PaparockArk]

W1-10,

It does not matter how you became afflicted or why. Just know we are all here supporting you and each other no matter what. No one judges you, we just support you and help in any way we can.

And we are all better off because you are here posting.

Right on Fishbear!!! Things happen, people make mistakes as we are all human. Why one of the guys I grew up with went through some of the worst combat the Marines saw in Vietnam without a scratch, came home to Arkansas and went squirrel hunting with a bunch of his cousins only to blow off one of his fingers due to careless gun handling. He suffered from a case of some serious down home ribbing after he was recovered. He was none the worst for ware except for a slight crimson color from time to time when one of us would chime in together let's go squirrel hunting. You don't have to say what happened, just as Fishbear said we support each other for we have all walked a mile in those shoes. So just join in, W1-10 as you are more than welcome in the Broken Fin Fishing Fools.

[fishfordollars]

P_Rock, one of my buddies came home on a Thursday from Nam. A bunch of us went out drinking that night. Several of us crawled out of his 67 Chevelle about 2:00am and watched him roll it over about 60 yards from us. Threw him out the driver's window and we burried him on that Monday. Not a scratch in Nam. Do not know why we were not involved either. Just the luck of the draw.

[fishfordollars]

LBH, you asked me the other day if treatment is painful for my dystonia. I had my botox injections this morning. It involved injecting each muscle in several locations from up behind each ear all the way down both sides of my neck and out through the top of my rt. shoulder.Not sure how many times they stuck me but the bad part is when they inject the fluid. You must fire each muscle so they do not hit an artery or deep vein. The side effects are possibly not being able to swallow until the shot wears off(usually 3 months), flu like systems for several days, increased pain, dry mouth, and I forgot to mention a chance of death. So far I have not had any real bad side effects except the dry mouth. Can't turn my head for a couple of days also. The pain sucks but hopefully it will get better. I am just going to suck it up and try to fish by Monday. They also asked me if they could inject the rt. shoulder joint. Said it was expermintal and that they had not done anyone in Texas. She has been injecting some pro bull rider's knee and it had worked well for him. I let her do it, not sure if it will work but there is no pain now.

[PaparockArk]

You never know. Some guy will take every precaution he perceivably can and sniper round ricochets off three different surfaces through a gun slit and smacks him right in the temple, boom dead. While another guy walks around like he has not a care in the world, ignores the fact that everyone in the world and his dog is shooting at him and he never gets touched; go figure. Such is life. Some believe when it is your time it is your time but I believe there are definite ways of shortening your possibilities like playing soccer in a mine field. I always try to practice due diligence and after that I let God watch over me. He has done more than I could have ever asked or expected as I am still walking around. I never went in country Vietnam although I had orders to do so a couple of times on missions from my unit on Okinawa; those that did go did not come back and are still MIA (presumed dead). Events outside my control at the last minute changed my orders preventing me from being one of the ones deployed both times. You never know why such things happen to you. Perhaps it was my guardian angel working overtime to keep me alive. All any of us can do is live life the best we know how.

I hope you are feeling better. Don't you just love when "they" tell you they want to try something to see if it helps? I got a degree in psychology in college and now I really have empathy for those lab rats we used in experiments. Maybe that is why I keep craving cheese.

[fishfordollars]

Amen. I guess that's why they call it practicing medicine.

[W1-10]

Well, I don't recall exactly what my first post said but basically this is me, I apologize for it wordiness:

It was in response to the post made by chug bug. He and I are similar in our stories with some subtle differences. I'm also a cop in a major metropolitan area. I love my job, but I work in a s#it-hole area. I don't know exactly how many calls or situations I've been on, but it's in the thousands. I've not been on long, but I am considered a veteren. I don't have the symptoms of self- medication but rather just a series of struggles as a result. I don't think that I can ever explain what it's like to do the job, all I can say is that there is a war here and there are a group of people who are a part of it everyday. My job is to take away the freedom of another in some cases and they will fight to keep it without regard for my safety. I've made the conscious decision to kill another person with my hands (justified), and was in the process of, when other officers arrived to help me. I work 8pm to 6am and that makes having a regular life hard. I've been there with 4 people at the moment they died a violent death. I've been a part of 46 scenes of violent death. I've carried dead babies to an ambulance. These things don't make me cooler, or tougher, or more of a man. I wish that I'd never done them. But they do stay with me, and sometimes I struggle with being "regular" when I'm not at work.

I live for the opportunities that only we get. I loathe the things that only we have to do. I don't know that I'm worse off now than I've ever been, but I cannot say that I'm the same. 8 people on my department have been shot this year, and I thank somebody (because I think that God sometimes sits one out now and then) that I'm not one of them. The rest of you folks have been dealt a bad hand. My things are experiences I've had because of something I felt like I should or could do.

This is for our people who never got home in the morning. This is for chugbug:

I have been where you fear to be.

I have seen what you fear to see.

I have done what you fear to do.

All these things I've done for you.

I am the one you lean upon.

The one you cast your scorn upon.

The one you bring your troubles to,

All these people I've been for you.

The one you ask to stand apart.

The one you feel should have no heart.

The one you call the officer in blue.

But I am human, just like you.

And through the years I've come to see

That I am not what you ask of me.

So take this badge and take this gun.

Will you take it?

Will anyone?

And when you watch a person die,

And hear a battered baby cry.

Then so you think that you can be

All those things you ask of me?

[PaparockArk]

W1-10 not all wounds are visible to the naked eye but can be the deepest wounds of all. I spent most of my time on active duty in the US Army stationed in Okinawa in the first Drug Suppression unit formed there. There was no SOP on what to do and not to do so we were the ones that wrote the book by trial and error. Boy was there a lot of error.  The things you see stay with you, I know, we saw a lot also, like the dead junkies overdosed especially after the Viet Cong sent a batch of Red rock that they cut with strychnine onto the island. We put the word out on the street but not until we televised taking bodies out of buildings did the users believe us and death by strychnine is ugly. We had to deal with the drug dealers and defend our lives. It was not as much of a daily grind as a modern police officer goes through and you are to be honored because you chose to serve and protect your fellow man. Your profession is a most honorable one and there are few that have the strength of character and courage to make the sacrifices the profession takes on your life. I offer you my respect and honor you for your sacrifices. Your profession is hard on family life and limits your social life as well.  Two of my former brother-in-laws were Houston police officers, one cousin is a Texas Ranger, my ex-wife was a sheriff's deputy in Texas, and my wife now (when we married) was the first woman to command a full wing in the men's prison system in Colorado.  So I have some insight into your life. Know that we are here for you, support you, and anytime you want to, feel free to send me or any of us a personal message (PM).

[fishfordollars]

P_Rock, tried to fish today but did not last but 5 hrs. Not over the injections I guess. Your promised information is in the mail.

[fishfordollars]

Well I guess I am back from the half dead. Been in and out of the hosp after the injections. One good day three bad days. Hope everyone else is ok.

[PaparockArk]

Sorry to hear about the bad days. I'll pray the good days start out numbering the bad ones. Hope you catch a bunch on the days you are out there!   Let us hold up "fishfordollars" in our thoughts and prayers all you Broken Fin Fishing Fools." We have all been there and let's remember all that may have a need while we are at it. Some of us pray and some may not. You do not have to be religious to hold someone in your thoughts. We are all human and we all have needs at times and sometimes we just need to be needed.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Hang tough FFD, keeping you and all the other fools in my thoughts

(Great pic Papa)

[fishfordollars]

Thanks LBH, Ditto to the rest of your post

[PaparockArk]

Thanks LBH for the nice comment about the pic, I got that pick from an Israeli girl that works as a nurse in treating the worse injured you could think of. We all deal with that situation at times but we need to be as confident and as fearless as that cat in those times. That cat knows who is in control of the situation to the point it is willing to bet its life on who has that control.

I wish everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Don't Eat to Much

[fishbear]

Well guys, have not posted in awhile, but have been reading and praying for all.

My doc put me on Effexor for my panic attacks.  However, he upped my dose to quickly and it made things worse.  So he had me go back to a lighter dose.  This stuff really makes you feel strange.  I only hope it works.  

I am also going in for a CT scan of my left chest and abdomen, tomorrow.  I have been having pain in my ribs on that side for almost a year now, and finally got sick of it, doc thinks it is maybe my gall bladder or maybe a soft tissue problem between my ribs.  What ever it is, I know that I want it fixed, lol... tired of it.  Kind of like a tooth ache that finally gets bad enough you go to the dentist.

All this is minor in the big scope of things.  I found out over Thanksgiving my sisters cancer is back, it is in her pelvic bones.  Doc gives her 6 months, probably less.  They also found a new tumor in her neck.   I will get to see her at Christmas if she makes it that long.  

I ask that you all pray for her.  She is going to need it in the coming months.

I pray that all of you are well and doing good.

John

[PaparockArk]

You got them John! Prayers on the way.

[fishfordollars]

Here they come John.