Since I haven’t gotten older without being a quad I have nothing to judge this by. It’s been 26 ½ years for me, and I turned 78 on Tuesday. I have to agree with you Jeffrey that I don’t know if what I am feeling is what everyone else feels but I have learned to live with it. My head inching, sciatica burn, nose running and no way to wipe it, cold at night-hot at night-cold at night! Because I’m in a wheelchair I can still go as fast as I want to and not worry about stumbling and breaking a hip. On the other hand I can’t really wear hearing aids which I need, because I’m unable to adjust them even if I could afford them. I have learned to say pardon me, I didn’t hear what you said in many ways.
I was recently hospitalized for four days with blood clots and now I am on a blood thinner as well as a new filter. I had had an embolism two weeks after breaking my neck and they put a filter in, but I was never on blood thinners. But evidently the filter finally clogged so hence the emergency room for the first time in several years. I am so thankful for modern technology, even though I curse it so often when it does not do what I want it to do. I recently liberated myself from having to depend on someone else to restart my computer when it decides to go on strike by buying a large trackball that I can operate with my reading mouth stick. Yeah for small things that make me more independent. Now if I can just design something to push my pillow down to fluff it up at night! But as we do choose to live so we learn to live with each of our burdens. I’ve tried to remain positive, because there is no other way I can be a part of my children and grandchildren and great grandchildren lives if I am not here. Great discussion guys. Made me put on my thinking cap and be glad for what I have. From: Jeffrey Gaede [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 06 April, 2017 6:59 AM To: Bryce Willis <[email protected]>; [email protected] Subject: Re: Fwd: [QUAD-L] Getting Old I feel like I've been pretty blessed when I hear what you guys have been through; what you are currently going through. I used to wonder a lot about phantom pain. I didn't know if I was actually feeling what you're feeling and I have learned long ago to somehow just ignore what was taking place or that maybe I'm just not feeling what you are feeling. I am 38 years post injury and I can stop at any moment in the day and think about what I'm feeling throughout the paralyzed portion of my body. I can feel, at this moment, an intense tingling in my left calf, it feels like bumblebees living throughout my left leg, I've got this weird numb kind of hurt in my right leg, my gut and/or abdomen is just uncomfortable, both my feet and toes feel weird at the moment, with a somewhat intense tingling feeling. I could go on and on but I have no idea if I learned long ago to just ignore this for the most part and deal with life or if you guys are feeling something completely different. I've started having this "restless legs" situation just over the past couple months. I think it's actually been going on longer but it's gotten to the point where it causes dysreflexia, so that's not good. But I've been having one of my attendants exercise them some before she leaves and it helps. It didn't help much last night but it's been helping. I've got the same itchy scalp problem. In fact I've even got a couple small scabs on the back of my head where I rubbed it raw at times I really try to resist but obviously I haven't tried hard enough. I don't know, Dudes. Obviously, getting older affects everyone, paralyzed or not. And I agree that those first number of years were much easier in some ways and yet I went through a whole lot of learning the hard way about some things that I know to avoid now. No one said it was going to be easy, but you would think being paralyzed was enough and from there you could at least not be in pain, deal with sores, just be relaxed instead of stressed and not knowing which way to turn with what's going on with your body. Nope. Just doesn't work that way. For those of us who choose to live after becoming paralyzed, it's a hard road. But we must be getting something out of it to put up with all this crap! Jeff _____ From: Bryce Willis <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > To: "[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> " <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, April 6, 2017 6:42 AM Subject: Fwd: [QUAD-L] Getting Old Yep,I can identify with you guys. I have that same knife in my shoulder. My legs are so stiff and spastic I feel like I am planted in concrete. My stomach hurts like the devil every time I eat. And finally, burning mouth syndrome makes simple eating an ordeal. Oh, let's not forget the pressure sores on my hip and butt. I am just tired and wore out. L.Willis, age65, 46 years post. Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: Resent-From: <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > From: greg <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Date: April 5, 2017 at 11:50:58 PM EDT To: <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: [QUAD-L] Getting Old Yeah, I'm going on 35 years as a quad. The last 10 have gotten worse with pain, tightness, etc. And sometimes it's the stupid little things that make life harder. My head itching for one. I just got a pet glove brush, I'm cutting it out and Velcro on my headrest. Can't get the top of my head which is the worst, but the sides itch too. My “Phantom” pains on my butt are driving me nutz. My shoulder is my #1 pain now. After every test possible, still can't find the knife I know is stuck in there somewhere. I think I have a Gremlin playing games with a knife. He comes and goes, leaving no evidence. Xray, MRI, CAT-Scan, Nerve Test, Gallstones, Thyroid. Some days I just hold my arm and rock. Other days you can poke and prod and its perfect. Moving to AZ and “Bagging” my bowel routine are the 2 best things I ever did to help issues. Greg --- Yep, Greg all this weird stuff is part of a quads life I think....I'm going on twenty years as a quad, the 1st 10 years were much better for me, as I age-i'm now 60 things have slowly seemed to get worse and this rainy up and down temperatures here in Missouri cause me even more pains. I have a Syrinx and diabetes also that only makes matters worse....I usually do much better in Spring and Summer as long as i don't get too over-heated then. Dan H***
