WTF is wrong with old people

Personally, I have some pain in my left foot. I think it's a plantar fasciitis thing, but it's not too bad right now.

Didn't lose my vote so not everyone.  

Despite the counterculture still lots of conservatives in that sample, like Weir's songwriting buddy.

In 2016  50+ voters roughly 53% Trump, 44% Clinton.  That's about 33 million olds voting Democratic. Without that voting block the Democratic coalition is doomed.

Democrats always win when the coalition shows up.  

Let's talk about voter turnout among the youngs next, shall we?

"Voter turnout also increased as age, educational attainment and income increased. Voter turnout was highest among those ages 65 to 74 at 76.0%, while the percentage was lowest among those ages 18 to 24 at 51.4%."

WTF is wrong with people who view everything through a political lens?

WTF is wrong with people who view everything through a political lens?<<<

With a documented insurrection that appears to be continuing full force; along with evidence of espionage of our nation's top secrets, how would it not be a dereliction of duty as a citizen NOT to look at the political side of things as a potential solution? 

I voted by telephone. The nice young man who called me said it would be easier and it was! 

You did not see this coming during the era of the Yuppie? Telegraphed from way back then 

I'll tell you what's wrong with old people. They wake up at 4:00 AM to pee, and as they enter the bathroom, a sudden sneeze violently erupts from them that causes them to lose their footing on a throw rug on the tile floor, which gets them all twisted up just before they come crashing down hard with their lower back slamming into the edge of the bathtub.

I blame the Repuglicans.

Now your patrons have all left you in the red
Your low-rent friends are dead
 

Old People is a huge group of people. As an Old Person, I don't want to be lumped together with a bunch of people who may be doing reprehensible things like voting for Republicans or worse.

But it should be a band name.

I was sure the was a Raz thread lololol

I ate what i believe to be a second gummy because i can't remember if  i actually ate one, or i just think i ate one. 

Wisdom 

I'm cold, my body has aches and those DAMN KIDS ARE ON MY LAWN AGAIN!!!

dude you haven't lived until you're checking out 50-some-year-old hippie chicks at the local Whole Foods cause they're younger than you

disclaimer - I wouldn't know as I'm happily married and would never do that, never

Seniors turn out big my polling  was like a Geriatric singles bar...Very nice..

Doctor's have em all gooked up on all manor of prescription drugs these days. That shit can't be good for cognitive function.

I bet they're all fuckin repub doctor's

(new conspiracy theory)

Ras, if by "all gooked up" you mean keeping me alive and relatively pain-free, then yes, I'm all gooked up.

I don't know how my docs swing politically. Not sure I want to either.

.....they smell, drive slow, have no control with flatulence, can't remember from one minute to the next and eat dinner at 4pm.

Oh, that's just me.

Not sure where you luve but here here's so many geriatrics causing so much trouble (car accidents, etc.) , all gooked up. They set out for the polls and end up at a casino.

Yeah sorry brother mikee, but all you old pathetic brainwashed saps supporting big pharma should all just be Soylent fuckin Green'd.

Need meds to keep going = You had a nice run but your time is up.

Here's the injection of your choice,  now into the green machine ya go.

Take some initiative, make better choices,  heal yourself.

Fuck You, Ras.

Talks about Jesus.  Acts like a bag of dicks.  Doesn't understand the apostrophe.

LOL you boring humorless assholes, nice to know the shoe fits.

The Zone,,,  just like shootin fish in a barrel.

Hey mikee, what gives,,,,  don't you grow yer own pain meds ? Watch that mixing shit up.

Gooked up doesn't seem like the preferred nomenclature 

I do grow my own, Ras, but unfortunately, the pots only provide very limited relief from nerve pain and rheumatoid arthritis, whereas gabapentin and prednisone have returned me to near-normal function. Too bad they're physically addicting though.

I won't opt for the soylent solution though. I'm having too much fun hanging around and doling out shit to nudniks like you.

humorless assholes?... I thought we were friends. What about when I took you fishing, despite what Bluesnote and everyone said about you.

Sitting on the dock, just the two of us, yappin about the Zone.... I even have a pic of you after you fell in and climbed back up on the dock. 

(I'm the dry guy in the hat.)

If you’re not a liberal when you’re 25, you have no heart.  If you’re not a conservative by the time you’re 40, you have no brain.’

If you're over 40 and think you have to choose between the two, you obviously have neither.

<< have turned into their fucking grand parents in old age. 

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOM LOL LMHSFAOOOLOLL

So the zone's nothing more than a loosly wrapped rag tag collection of geriatric pill poppers  

OMG that explains sooooooooo much

LOL LOL LOL LOLLLLLL

 whereas gabapentin and prednisone have returned me to near-normal function. Too bad they're physically addicting though.<<<

Hey Mike, have you ever suddenly stopped gabapentin and noticed any physical withdrawal symptoms?

I've been taking 225mg / day of Lyrica and forgot to take it entirely yesterday ... and wound up smoking some pot around 9:30pm that evening at someone's apartment and quickly was overcome by feeling lightheaded and nauseous.   Had to chill for at least an hour before being able to get up and leave.   Lights and sounds were totally making it worse.  Wound up throwing up when I got back home and woke up feeling a little better, but still affected in the same way. 

If you're over 12, and incessantly post rotten shit on message boards where no one likes you anyways, you have no life

and no friends either

> Hey Mike, have you ever suddenly stopped gabapentin and noticed any physical withdrawal symptoms?

Yes I have, Face, and I'll never do it again. About a year ago, I decided I was taking too many pills, and decided to stop taking my gabapentin. I was fine for most of that day, but then I started feeling strange. Like really strange. Burning hot and freezing cold. Hyper-sensitive to light and sounds. Nauseous. Bad GI cramps. And agitated. Really agitated. Like I couldn't sit down, and this went on for hours. I didn't understand what was going on. My mind was filled with anxious thoughts. I thought I was dying, and then wishing I would just die.

Looking back, I can see that what I was going through was not that different from the withdrawal scene in the film Trainspotting. This went on for about 20 hours before I had a moment of clarity and realized that my stopping the gabapentin might have something to do with what I was going through, so I took a dose. 60 minutes later, it felt like what I was going through was fading, and after about 90 minutes, I was straight as an arrow again.

Prednisone is also physically addicting. My RA doc tried to taper me off that one earlier this year, but he did it too quickly, and I found myself headed into a withdrawal episode again. This time though I knew what was happening and took another dose before things got too hairy.

The irony here is that I quit drinking and doing hard drugs 30 years ago, and now I'm (legally) addicted to two pharmaceuticals. I never let those scripts run low, and never miss a dose by more than an hour or so. I honestly think I'd kill myself if I had to go through another experience like that first one again.

^^Might as well just start smoking some blues.

So 1st off, how bad are you mike, and other fuckers ? 

Please don't tell me you use one'a those day of the week am pm pill popper reminder boxes ! 

OMG do you ? 

WTF am I asking you for, you don't remember. Does your pet zone ? Get him on the line for me.

Just to be safe I'll help to keep you zombies juiced up - Time To Take Your Meds!!

Ras, I'm wondering if you think you're humorous?

Is lack of compassion and empathy something  about people whose handles start with Ra?

Those of us who need pills to survive put them in any box that works, starting at whatever age we need them. I'm glad to be alive. And that I have pills that help keep me that way.

Oh! There's the alarm on my phone that reminds me to take the pill I take to keep my cancer at bay. It's in a white pill box, today's is in the Saturday compartment. Because of it's ingredients it has to be in its own box - just another thing to keep going.

> Hey Mike, have you ever suddenly stopped gabapentin and noticed any physical withdrawal symptoms?

Yes I have, Face, and I'll never do it again. About a year ago, I decided I was taking too many pills, and decided to stop taking my gabapentin. I was fine for most of that day, but then I started feeling strange. Like really strange. Burning hot and freezing cold. Hyper-sensitive to light and sounds. Nauseous. Bad GI cramps. And agitated. Really agitated. Like I couldn't sit down, and this went on for hours. I didn't understand what was going on. My mind was filled with anxious thoughts. I thought I was dying, and then wishing I would just die.

Looking back, I can see that what I was going through was not that different from the withdrawal scene in the film Trainspotting. This went on for about 20 hours before I had a moment of clarity and realized that my stopping the gabapentin might have something to do with what I was going through, so I took a dose. 60 minutes later, it felt like what I was going through was fading, and after about 90 minutes, I was straight as an arrow again.<<<<

Thanks for sharing Mike.   With the exception of anxiety, it sounds very similar.  I forgot I also had cold / hot flashes with sweats.  I suspect I made it far worse with the bong hit, but clearly this classification of drugs is not intended for an abrupt cessation.   I'm actually very intuitive about knowing whether I need to taper something and knew this about Lyrica (and Gabapentin), but just totally spaced it and wasn't cognizant just how bad a withdrawal it'd be for me even just within the 24 hour window.   Yeah, I don't EVER want to go through that again!  Unless I'm an outlier, it really makes me question whether this class of drugs has less baggage than opiates?   There are some weird psychoactive effects I noticed apart from withdrawal that I imagine could really make someone flip out who's not cognizant of this potential.

Have you ever tried Lyrica or Lyrica ES?  I tried Gabapentin prior and it was effective for nerve pain, but the "deal breaker" (at dosages >= 300mg) was that it exacerbated some unrelated issues to my back / leg pain involving shortness / tightness of breath.   Even though I found it more effective, the other negative baggage I noticed was how it spun my mind up into a darker space.  I found Lyrica to have less of this effect.

My pill pusher ex doc tried to give me that gaba shit but I did my research. No FUCKING thank you.

I take more supplements than meds, but still take a couple. And I use a box to be organized about it.

Oh, and fuck off asshole. christian garbage. How about you take a break from here and learn what jesus taught?

Face, I take gabapentin for nerve pain that results from a bulging disc in my neck (L4-5), and stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal canal. The pain, which runs from my shoulder down to the tips of my fingers, is excruciating and completely debilitating. I had an epidural for it at one point, but got no relief. 300 mg of gabapentin three times a day, plus methocarbamol, which is a muscle relaxer, give me 100% relief.

I've not tried Lyrica, and I've not noticed any psychoactive effects from the gabapentin, or any side effects at all from it, and I'm no stranger to side effects. Almost everything my rheumatologist has prescribed me for my RA, like 5-6 drugs in the last year or so, has given me side effects, ranging from swollen feet and ankles to anxiety attacks. That's where the prednisone comes in. A maintenance dose of 5 mg a day gives me about 90-95% relief, and hasn't given me any side effects after more than a year on it.

> lack of compassion and empathy

I think it's a lot less than those advanced forms of understanding, judit; it's a simple lack of foresight. I think Ras will come to regret saying these things once he has to come to grips with his own mortality, or that of his loved ones. Ignorance is bliss, ya know?

And Racket just seems to think it's cool to be a badass in what is increasingly becoming a geriatric ward. He's beyond redemption in my book.

As we are, someday you will be.

Deal with it.

Raz, why do you like shooting at us like fish in a barrel?

What's that like anyway? Is there water in the barrel?

Mike, that's a lot of gabapentin per day, but totally get how one is able to ramp up the dosage to that level.  It's interesting to see how other ailments can have much lower dosage levels.  Glad you found the right combo that helps.   As much as I'm not a fan of the side effects I've experienced, I have noticed a significant efficacy in both drugs' ability to mute nerve pain.  In fact, I was extremely skeptical while being exclusively on oxycodone until I tried gabapentin (before Lyrica) and noticed a significant improvement.

Glad you've found a regimen that provides relief and that you're not experiencing any of the side effects I described.   However, one thing I noticed is that it's only upon starting, stopping or switching over from one to the other did I more fully detect the psychoactive nature of these substances.   None of these effects are over the top, but the "darker tone" of gabapentin was noticable.  Once I'm on them at the target dosage for a little bit, I'm mostly unaware in a "frog boiling in water" sort of way - for either lyrica and gabapentin.

It's possible my brain is somewhat hypersensitive ... which also carries over into what one might find in the lot.   I'm very quick to point out how a particular item might be off a bit in such a such direction.    Similarly, if I use that item again and again from the same batch, it becomes "normalized" ... until I come across a new batch.

> Mike, that's a lot of gabapentin per day

I get that Face, but it does what it's supposed to do with no side effects, and it means I don't have to think about surgery on my spine, which freaks me the fuck out.

Jazfish, good points, thanks for raising them.

I've made peace with time, but the day i fart dust will be both entertaining and concerning. 

(((((((((( whatever gets you through the night )))))))))))

Poor Zoners - What a drag it is getting old

> Mike, that's a lot of gabapentin per day

I get that Face, but it does what it's supposed to do with no side effects, and it means I don't have to think about surgery on my spine, which freaks me the fuck out.<<<

I totally understand about not wanting surgery!   Even knowing what I know about how it affects me, I'd also still likely try the drug route first before surgery.  

Unfortunately, the muscle weakness / buckling of my leg is kinda forcing me to go the surgical route; and I now have a date set for Dec 13 for microdiscectomy and laminectomy at L3/L4.

I hope the surgery works out for you, Face. How long do you think you'll be hospitalized?

(Oh, and I don't know what I was thinking above when I put L4-5. my bulging disk is in my cervical spine; C4-5.)

Thanks Mike, I hope so too!   Unless something goes seriously wrong, the most I'd be hospitalized for is one night for observation.   With a microdiscectomy, there's essentially no "recovery" other than avoiding lifting anything over 10lbs for 6 weeks and not making any quick moves (twisting and such).   Supposedly, the pain / pressure on the nerve is instantly relieved, but nerve recovery (if it all) might be a long road.

Yeah, I knew you meant C4/C5.  I had an artificial disc replacement at C6/C7 in 2015 due to weakness in tricep, pectoral, and trapazoid.  I was very hesitant about the surgery and probably waited too long 5.5 months ... so nerve recovery wasn't 100%.   If it were just pain (it was excruciating as you've indicated), I'd likely also try whatever non-surgical treatments that worked. Having said that, I do think the artificial disc (if you're a candidate) is worth considering ... since it preserves the range of motion and might present as much potential for adjacent segment disorder (being less of a "fulcrum" point vs. fusion) ... which can cause issues with the disc at the level below.

Cheesy but kinda true.

https://youtu.be/F8wVyoJgvEU

Having reached my biblical quota of three score and ten I know I am squarely in the death zone.

Still, not that hard crawl out of bed, get the coffee, hit vape once or or twice, and not give a fuck.

If one is not old then The Reaper showed up early.

Poor Zoners - What a drag it is getting old<<<

Fascinating. 

Best of luck FOM. I hope all goes smoothly. 

Little Feat got it right... 

Off our rockers, actin' crazy

With the right medication we won't be lazy

Doin' the old folks boogie

Down on the farm

Wheelchairs, they was locked arm in arm

Paired off pacemakers with matchin' alarms

Gives us jus' one more chance

To spin one more yarn

And you know that you're over the hill

When your mind makes a promise that your body can't fill

Doin' the old folks boogie

And boogie we will

'Cause to us the thought's as good as a thrill

Back at the home,

No time is your own,

Facillities there, they're all out on loan

The bank forclose, and your bankruptcy shows

And your credit creeps to an all-time low

So you know, that you're over the hill

When your mind makes a promise that your body can't fill

Try and get a rise from an atrophied muscle,

And the nerves in your thigh just quivers and fizzles

So you know, that you're over the hill

When your mind makes a promise that your body can't fill

Yer like a broke down engine mama - Blind Mellon Chitlin

Also,,, WRONG !! 

The appropriate zoner responce to my Soylent Green post would go something like, " well that might just solve the world's overpopulation issue ",

unless of course you are an irritable tight ass,,, both pill poppin side effects bty.

Feel better fuckers !! Laugh, it'll help.

You insult and ridicule people then expect a jovial pat on the back?

>>>WTF is wrong with old people

I pulled a leg muscle tripping up the stairs at TABoose Saturday.

Also, questionable judgment attending a Goose show.

I'm told its because getting old.