Remember I retired with the sandbox wars going full-bore. And a most of the injuries were ARMY versus the other branches. The bar for "disabled" was pretty high for an army retiree! That said even without combat injuries a very high percentage of retirees are living on Motrin from years of nursing injuries from bad shoulders, knees, backs, etc. and the multiple surgeries they needed to correct them over the years. Other than missing half my stomach, my gall bladder, (and some lower intestine) tinnitus,/hearing loss and social/psychological/cognitive mental impairment, I'm pretty damned healthy (knock on wood!) and working hard to stay injury-free but still train hard physically. Luckily my local VA system is top-notch compared to some areas and only 1/2 hour away.
I checked. New enrollment at VA La Jolla is only Mon-Fri 6am-4pm. They stop letting new people in line at 3:15 pm.
Got an appointment to talk to a stomach doc, and probably get scoped out in the future. The omeprazole has left me with hives despite not taking it since Monday and while that pressure in my chest is gone and I do feel genuinely hungry at the times I normally eat, it still feels like a chore to finish a meal. I actually struggled to finish off McDonalds today....McDonald's! ....yeah, I lnow, I probably shouldn't have eaten that.
Is feeling anything weird kicking your body into stress mode? You feel a weird leg, then you have an anxious reaction?
[ I don't think so. once my heart was cleared, the worst of the anxiety went away. The only consistent pain that's come back in the last week and a half is the one on in my left shin. That one's mostly in the evening gown and sleeping with a propped pillow kinda helps. Aside from relative minor headache/pressure I had driving home and heartburn, this is the most normal I've felt since labor day. Although, I still feel too full from the regular portions I'm used to eating.
Oh, and this word thing where my left fingers want to stay curled up that was happening a few weeks ago, went away, and now it's starting to happen again. Yeah, I don't think it's just anxiety anymore.
Could be a Vitamin D/Calcium or potassium deficiency. All three of those things can cause muscle cramps or spasms. It couldn't hurt to scarf down some multi-vitamins for a few days and see if that helps any. BTW, lots of caffeine can cause your body to leech calcium at a higher than normal rate, so even if you're eating dairy products, you could still be losing calcium if your also gulping coffee and Red Bull like certain posters are known to do with booze.
At most, I have a cup of coffee in the morning and a soda with lunch, That shouldn't be enough to fuck up someone?
Nope, but if your diet is low in calcium/potassium rich foods, you might not be getting enough even if you don't drink caffeine. A clear sign you're not getting enough calcium (but you've got to have a massive deficit for this to appear) is that you grind your teeth while you sleep.
Your left fingers? GYPSY CURSE! Wait, I jumped the gun here - your right fingers means a gypsy curse - what the hell was I thinking? That said it would be cool as shit if I could claim a gypsy curse for a VA disability claim. THen again they might try to say it was a "pre-existing condition".
From the weird thing with the fingers, combined with the other tingling/numb sensations, I'm thinking you should try a trip to a chiropractor fr a quick evaluation. Sometimes it's a back problem pinching nerves. The digestive problems might be a result of anxiety coupled to the whole mess, or it might be that your gut bugs flora are upset/out of kilter, perhaps from a round of antibiotics.
Hmm. I can't remember the last time I've needed antibiotics...certainly not while in the Navy. The pinched nerve this may be something cuz I've had shoulder pains that feel like I've been shot with a needle, and they do coincide with afternoon driving.
Hmmm...good call! There could be multiple problems from multiple causes at play here. Sadly this could lead to a misdiagnosis. Anna I would say keep documenting everything to give all your potential doctors feedback that could end up helping you over time.
Hmmm......shoulder impingement? I'd had that many years ago. Once I was doing push ups and POW! a sharp stabbing pain in my left shoulder. I had to go to the doctor to get it diagnosed and treated.
That sounds like it. A pinched nerve often tightens the back muscles, pinching more nerves and causing numbness in extremities that comes and goes, along with all sorts of other weirdness. A chiropractor can probably fix it in about half an hour, after about a half hour of checks and possibly an X-ray to have a look at the vertebra. Then he'll recommend some daily stretching and bending exercises. Lot's of people think they're quacks, and state requirements vary widely, but there's a good reason chiropractor clinics are about as common as soft-serve yogurt places. If it's a pinched nerve or misalignment then what they do is like a freakin' miracle.
Yup. I once had a disc in my neck hit a nerve; for the next three months I had pins and needles like numbness of my entire left arm and could only sleep at night withe it propped up on a mound of pillows well above my head until. it resolved itself
So last night, I decided to try the muscle relaxer, and have felt the best I've felt in a month. Pressure is mostly gone from my head, no pain around my eyes, and the shin pain is only a fraction of what it's been. I haven't felt the odd nerve pains, either, which probably suggests there some nerve being pinched somewhere. I also didn't need to take the heartburn meds this morning. My appetite could be stronger, but I didn't feel stuffed from eating the tiny can of Healthy Choice soup I'd forgotten was in my desk, and had room enough for a kit Kat Still seeing the doc about that, though.
I bought In n Out and ate that without being too full or getting sick! I consider that a win. As was the virtually non existent traffic today to and from and having five appointments set, with four of those folks calling me back or picking up when I called, and one because no one was on the sales floor to pick up the phone. but I digress.
Too good to be true - it's all a dream, and bigfoot in a Sideshow Mel outfit will appear shortly. Or option B Rod Serling because you are in The Twilight Zone.
Haven't had time to get up there. I live almost 40 minutes away from La Jolla, and traffic is pretty shit even at 5:30 in the morning.
Go on your next day off on a weekday because you will get better care including specialist care plus the VA has a lot of programs, I mean a lot of programs, to help vets with just about any need. So sign up and talk to them and maybe ask to speak to a navagator/social worker because you would be surprised at how many free services they offer including ones which pay you money or pay for education/job retraining. It is all abobe and beyond the G. I. Bill. When I started volunteering at St. Vinnie's I started talking to some of the VA reps and I was surprised just how much was available and they even offered to help me sign up for some of them. Free healthcare is just the beginning.
