Oh, Sessy, I am SO sorry to hear this. You have such a good attitude though, and that can really go a long way in recovering. I'm glad you finally know what's really wrong. At least now you can plan and fight it.

Med mal cases in the US are extremely difficult (and extremely expensive) to win. One of the partners in my firm jokes (sarcastically) that you have to be dead in order to win a med mal case because of the highly prevalent "tort reform" mentality in jurors. Costs to prosecute the case can run into the tens of thousands of dollars, which is too much for regular people to pay, but hardly anything for a defendant hospital/doctor (backed by an insurance company) to pay.

So, while I haven't been there myself, I've seen lots of people in situations similar to yours, where there's no real recourse available. It's sad and very frustrating.

Wow--I'm a lawyer in the U.S. and they're pretty happy here if your English and legalese are good!
Although I can say, "Where is the bathroom?" in at least 4 languages, and a lot of really useful stuff like, "The cow is standing under the traffic light!" in Hebrew. Don't ask.

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

Hi Sessy,

I've studied German (native-language), Russian, English, French, Latin, Medical (yes, that is its own language, lol), and 2 others like it; but
you have a more varied command. Good for you!!!

in Deutschland, essen wir *Stollen*. Hast du es einmal gegessen, Sessy? Es schmeckt sehr gut! -
ja, und Apfelstrudel, und Kaesekuchen (yum) und Torte auch!!

Hi Sessy,
What does he mean by "REvalidation" therapy, do you know?
also,
you posted about your injured-leg, being alternately cold, & sensitive to touch, there's some clues right there. Can you talk about what you have found out about that?

Also, somewhere you posted about "meta-physics", so I am wondering if you have checked-into more un-conventional but more often successful kinds of healing-methods?, like (the more benign form of ME), and EFT, and especially hypnotherapy

Hi Sessy,
You also posted that you do not accept, or buy-into 'im'possible. -- This is very good as far as happiness, & exceptional-Health; meaning possibly you have yet to explore, do you agree?, some (more harmless), yet truly helpful means, for achieving your "Desired-outcomes", yes? - I wish you ALL the best!

Sk8lady - Now you HAVE to explain!

Sk8joyful -
Ja Stollen habe ich natürlich auch gegessen. Und Marmerkuchen usw. Aber das alles ist nicht nur Deutsch, sondern auch ein bischen Holländisch, und die Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte und Apfelstrudel sind ja wirklich Deutsch. Dabei, ich habe es immer gegessen als wir in die Ferien in Österreich oder in die Schweiz gefahren sind. Im Urlaub schmeckt alles besser, ne?!


I'd like to try them (alternative means, not the cake therapy - although I'd certainly *like* to try the cake therapy, lol!), but I'd like to go with whatever this doctor advises as conventional treatment first and only go unconventional if that doesn't work. Also I've been on Naproxen (it's over-the-counter here) and off the diclofenac ever since Ewdokia mentioned it may be pain-induced and I've got to say, naproxen seems to be working better than diclofenac - at least in the mornings right after waking up I don't feel like such a total wreck like I did before (I'm taking that as a measuring point because I'm assuming most the naproxen is out of my system by the morning). As for revalidation therapy, I'm not sure if I even translated it into English quite right, es heisst "Rehabilitation" auf Deutsch.

I'll PM you about the alternative methods, okay? But you can start by explaining ME and EFT - I've never heard of those! What are they?

[QUOTE=Sessy;385132]
I'd like to try them (alternative means, not the cake therapy - although I'd certainly *like* to try the cake therapy, lol!), but I'd like to go with whatever this doctor advises as conventional treatment first and only go unconventional if that doesn't work. Also I've been on Naproxen (it's over-the-counter here) and off the diclofenac ever since Ewdokia mentioned it may be pain-induced and I've got to say, naproxen seems to be working better than diclofenac - at least in the mornings right after waking up I don't feel like such a total wreck like I did before (I'm taking that as a measuring point because I'm assuming most the naproxen is out of my system by the morning). As for revalidation therapy, I'm not sure if I even translated it into English quite right, es heisst "Rehabilitation" auf Deutsch.
QUOTE]

I think cake therapy might be a wonderful idea! (At least it might make you feel good whilst you're eating the cake!).
As for the painkillers, diclofenac is an anti-inflammatory painkiller, so if there's inflamation it will help you, otherwise it won't. I'd also be careful how long you're on that and other stuff like ibuprofen and aspirin because they can cause stomach ulcers. With my recent whiplash, I started out on diclofenac and low dose codeine (with paracetomol /Advil). I didn't think the diclofenac did much for the pain but took it for the anti-inflammatory part of things. I found that for me codeine and the other opiates are better at killing severe pain. However, you've got to be careful about how you react to them. I tried one painkiller and felt really ill with it, although it sorted out the pain, so switched back to codiene. I now have different strengths of codiene which I take when I need.
The one thing I'd emphasise is to not be in pain with it. Pain really screws with your head (depression) and if it's a cause of your condition, then not being in pain will probably help.
Good luck with working out what helps your condition. I'm sure the doctors will have you sorted. And stay positive. Lots of little improvements will lead to big improvements.

I have no idea, and as it was probably nearly forty years ago, I expect they have made huge advances in prosthetic therapy since then. I do know he kept his legs in his skates in a locker, and would arrive on his motorcycle, change legs, and be on the ice before anybody else had opened their skate bags!

As I understand it, there are permissible exceptions if you can prove you really need these drugs and have been prescribed them by your doctor; you can get forms that you and your doctors have to fill in, and then you can compete. It's if you try to compete without declaring them that you have problems!

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Mrs Redboots
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I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

I know, I'm on omeprazol though and I'm conscious of the symptoms of digestive tract bleeds so I think I'll be fine.
Also the reason I picked naproxen is because I have the least stomach problems with it and respond to it the best of all the over-the-counter medicines. Anyway the MRI is next week, I'll see the doctor the week after that and I'll make sure to ask for a prescription - personally I have a preference for injections anyway, I find they work faster and with less digestive tract side-effects and I only have to think about placing an injection once, instead of forgetting to take my pills on time etc. If he'd give me codeine, I'd be all for it - I had great experiences with it in the past.

Ok, and anyone bored may wanna check out my newest 2 creative projects, german-english song translations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVISw-TqVxE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydXkJhuU0Y0

Can you not buy codeine OTC in the Netherlands? You certainly can over here (maybe you need to do a quick dash to London by train and stock up - the best brand is called Solpadeine), and I think you can in France, too. It might well be worth going and having a chat with your local pharmacist (Apoteke, isn't it, in Dutch?) to see what they can recommend for you.

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Mrs Redboots
~~~~~~~~
I love my computer because my friends live in it!
Ice dancers have lovely big curves!

Sessy, I'm sorry to hear of all your troubles. I hope you can get to the bottom of it all and then start healing!

Ich glaube, wir allen habe eine "Suess-Zahn"!! (there's my bad German) Mm, cheesecake, apple strudel, Sachertorte!

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"Go wash an elephant if you wanna do something big." -Baby Gramps

Apotheek.

No, you can't. At least I've never seen it - or actually, I have once but there were really only like 5 mg of it to a pill of like 500 mg of paracetamol, and paracetamol is heavy on the stomach for me. I've heard the name sophadeine, but I think that may've been in Belgium or Germany (I've lived off and on in both countries for a few months).

But again, as I've said, I'm seeing the doctor in 2 weeks. I've waited 2 years I can wait 2 weeks and I'm pretty sure at this point I can get just about any prescription from doctors cuz they're a little jittery around the crutches. If I'd known crutches had such an effect on making doctors accomodating - I'd have gotten them muuuuch sooner!
It's not like the pain is unbearable or anything as long as I'm at home - and I don't have anything to do outside the home right now anyway, not much anyway - so I'm really more worried about the long term events.

If you are chatting with the doctors about prescriptions and are thinking about the codeine there are two ways they make it (that I've found). They do it mixed in with paracetamol (as like the 5mg over counter type) and I've had it in doses from 10mg, 20mg and 30mg (they might do stronger). And they also do it without the paracetamol (similar strengths and even stronger still). I found that with the whiplash I was getting to the point where I was terrified of overdosing on paracetamol despite being within codeine dosing levels. I finally got a doctor who prescribed it without the paracetamol and it's a lot easier to keep track of what I've taken now, as I only worry about my painkilling dose and not the random added extra of paracetamol. Oh and be aware if you go onto the codeine it does strange things to your insides, so its best to start a diet of figs otherwise you'll end up feeling even worse whilst your body adapts to it.

(And I think you're right about not buying any codeine over the counter. I wanted to get some when I was living in Germany and they didn't sell it there and when I asked at the Dutch pharmacy - I was living close to the border - they sold me caffeine instead!).

I hope the MRI goes well.

Thanks for the tips!

Yeah it's a weird country. You're free to smoke pot and grow (up to 4 plants) marijuana plants, you can even get it medicinally prescribed, you can get your xtc tested for cleanness by police at all sorts of parties... But codeine, or even something like penicillin-group for that gazillionth bladder infection or an anti-spasm medicine like nospa or something, that you can't get. *rolleyes*