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🥰 today's words of wisdom...

"I stopped looking for the light.
Decided to become it instead."
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Recently an online no insurance pharmacy service made a lot of generic drugs really affordable. They have 500 drugs on a list for an annual program and another 1000 on the list for the "plus" program. Several of my medications are on these lists and cost less than the insurance co-pays. There were some challenges getting the prescriptions to the pharmacy as my doctors didn't already have it on their list, but delivery was excellent with emails when you place an order and when it is shipped with tracking info. DirX Health is the name if you would like to price compare and see if your medications are on a list. I get 8 meds for just $99 a year, shipping included.
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Barb and Gershun, my experience breaking my 4th metatarsal may shed some light. Maybe 6 or 7 years ago (it’s 3:30am - brain fuzzy) I rolled my foot while hiking. (wearing shoes) It hurt, and I limped along for a few weeks. No break. Ligament strain. Most comfortable footwear was my skates (tight, no flex) until I took a puck off the same spot. That broke the bone(s). Ortho said I may be left with laxity in the area and read me the riot act about hiking in boots, laced snug around the ankle to prevent another roll, which could cause another break, ad infinitum. My foot was finicky for a year but is ok now. Obviously my injury was simpler than yours Gershun. I hope you heal soon and thoroughly.
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Thx Barb! I will for sure. I did break my 4th and 5th metatarsals. I'm praying they healed cause otherwise I've heard they may need to rebreak them and start the process all over again. I honestly don't believe I could handle going through all that again. The boot, being immobile for 7 weeks or longer, muscles atrophying, starting physio from scratch again. Nope! Not for me!

If any of the above happens I'm going to find a tall mountain and ask God to take me now. Maybe I'll get a message from a burning bush or some such mystical occurrence.
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Gershun, your story triggered a memory from work 45 years ago.

One of the ladies I worked put her foot down wrong getting off the bus on a summer day that had turned cold and rainy with little warning. She was wearing sandals. She "did something" to her foot, it hurt the next day. She iced it, ace bandaged it. Put it up. Went to the doctor, no break.

6 months later, still in pain and still limping, she went back to the doctor
She had indeed broken one of her metatarsal bones; it hadn't shown up on the original x-ray. I can't recall if they had to do surgery, but make sure they look carefully at all those bones!

Feel better!
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Laura: I am so sorry for your losses. Deepest condolences.
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Gershun,

I hope your foot pain is easing up. Hugs!
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Laura,

I am so sorry for your losses. I have lost quite a few people in my life as well.

I’m touched by your dedication to help others. I’m sure that you are making a difference in others lives.

Hugs back to you. Take care.
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Laurabelle,
I remember you so well, and I am so thrilled to get this update and news from you. Alva
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Hi Everyone! I've been MIA for a while. The double blow of losing my Dad and then Mom a few years later kind of wiped me out. Then in quick succession, I lost my aunt and uncle ... took the last 2 years or so re-setting, going through personal intellectual, spiritual and self change ... different in some ways (mostly positive). After a lot of prayer and reflection, I left my previous profession as a corporate manager and decided to semi-retire, and work part time as a Bereavement Coordinator for Gilchrist Hospice. After powering through my life losses ( which included my grandparents and my husband earlier in my life), I am all too familiar with bereavement, grief counseling, etc. Decided to put the learning through pain to good use and now with some distance, try to help others find their way out of the abyss of grief. I will be helping the counselors with administrative duties, helping with workshops, remembrance ceremonies, etc. I also am volunteering at at a local center that helps kidsdirect who are grieving - Olivia's House- in York, PA. I feel God led me to these places to use my gifts ( I am a real empath, teacher, communicator, writer, etc.) to help others...that seems so much more important than some of my previous corporate career jobs. Very much looking forward to starting tomorrow and giving back in some small way to all the people and organizations that help pull me out of my "dark night of the soul". Among the folks that helped the most was this site - the members are loving, caring, SMART, God-touched people who take their pain and direct it to helping others who are walking the road after them. God bless each and every one of you. :) Hugs - Laura
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Thx for asking Barb & Golden.

So I had my phone appt. with the ortho doc. on Friday.

The first thing she said is that she sees nothing operative. Which is ortho speak for no surgery. Yay! That's what I was most concerned about. She seemed like a pro surgery person and so if she says it's not required? Good!

As for the thickening and fluid build up. She thinks it's tendonitis caused by my injury. I relayed to her all the physio I've been doing and how my ankle is getting stronger but it's still not translating to me walking normal. So she wants me to come in for another x-ray to see if possibly the metatarsals have not healed properly. She also wants to take another look at the ankle. Barb, I did mention a steroid shot and she said that could be a possibility and if so they can do that there when I see her. No appt. yet cause her booker hasn't phoned yet it being the weekend but I'm hoping to make one tomorrow.

I'm so hoping to get back to normal (whatever that is) soon. I've never been immobile for any reason in my life and want to nip this in the bud ASAP.

Thx again for asking and caring you guys!
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🥰 today's words of wisdom...

"I couldn't heal
because I kept pretending I wasn't hurt."
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Pam - glad to see you back!!! I know about the rural problems. When R is out at his friend's farm we can barely communicate.

Way - wait till you buy your last car!!!! I swore the one I have now would be my last, unless I get really crazy and get that marigold yellow Jaguar convertible I've wanted for years. 😁

Ana- I have a few implants and one came out - chronic sinus infection which obviously affected the bone. I hated throwing that $$$$ sucker in the garbage

gershun - you and your foot and your appointment have been on my mind too. Update us when you can. (((((hugs)))))
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Gershun, any update on your foot issues?
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🥰 today's words of wisdom...

"I didn't realize who I was
until I stopped being who I wasn't."
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❤️

"Believe in yourself,
even if no one else does."
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Cwillie, I feel for you. I really do. My patch is holding so far... but I’m cautious about what I eat. So far chocolate hasn’t hurt it at all. 2 more weeks then prep for the crown. At least I don’t need another $$$$ implant. Good luck with yours.
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I know I’m getting old when I buy things ( like a new set of pots and pans ) and think to myself , I’ll never have to buy those again. 😄
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Well after a week without internet I am back on line! We are in a very rural area and our hughesnet went out, took a week to get it fixed. And our phones were wonkey too!
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Thank you Barb, about the traveling pain.
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Thanks Barb. I've been checking on line and some of the OTC dental fillings are basically beeswax, which I happen to have a lot of.
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My husband always has OTC dental glue thingies with him. His caps and fillings fall out frequently.
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gershun, hope your appointment goes well

barb -I had a couple of "boulders" in one eye after evac (from ash falling). They were excruciating! I went to an optometrist who took them out and gave me drops

cw - I had a temp fake tooth in front while waiting for another procedure. It became loose and fell out regularly, I used Poligrip ro keep it in. Wasn't great but good enough for the duration.
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Aaaand - the filling is gone. I called the dental office to see if it was OK to leave it until my appointment but got one of those maybe answers. I already paid for the temporary and then for another appointment to strategize my next steps, and since I'm going to be spending a fortune on the crown I'm really reluctant to spend any more on this tooth. Part of me wants to do like people on line and take the broken filling and reattach it with crazy glue (don't worry I won't).
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I think as I get older, I get better at advocating for better care for me. Woke up in the middle the night; I've been on antibiotic drops for conjunctivitis since Tuesday and I felt like a had a boulder in one of my eyes.

I called my eye doctor's service; I saw him early this am and now have steroid drops which are helping mightily.

I'm done with thinking the first thing is the cure. If it still hurts, speak up.
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Gershun, good luck and Godspeed today!

Send, nerve pain travels. I had terrible pain in my metatarsal, various toes had intermittent pain and occasional pain on the top of my foot.

The culprit seems to have been a neuroma (inflamed nerve endings) between my third and fourth toes. It showed up on an ultrasound of my foot, but not without some poking by the radiologist. A steroid injection has given me great relief.

It's NOT in your head. I think that we, as women, have been conned into thinking that if something isn't immediately obvious to the PCP, it's not "real".
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I think my temporary filling is failing, and my next dental appointment isn't until the end of June (my fault, I wanted to wait until after family wedding on the 11th).
Maybe I'm borrowing trouble and it won't fall out?
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Thank you for that, Cwillie.

I just read this:
"But medical and legal experts caution that oversimplified media coverage of the cases fail to capture the realities of the system – and warn that sensationalist coverage of a handful of “extreme” cases ignores a larger crisis in the country’s healthcare systems."
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Since you asked, here are the current guidelines for Medical Assistance in Dying eligibility

https://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/maid/#eligibility

Federal legislation creates a framework for medical assistance in dying across Canada, including establishing eligibility criteria. The eligibility requirements are that the patient must:

be eligible for publicly funded health care services in Canada (or in the applicable waiting period),
be 18 years of age or older,
be capable of making health care decisions,
have a grievous and irremediable medical condition, which means:
the patient has a serious and incurable illness, disease or disability, and
the patient is in an advanced state of irreversible decline in capabilities, and
the patient is enduring physical or psychological suffering, caused by the medical condition or the state of decline, that is intolerable to the person and cannot be relieved under conditions that they consider acceptable;
be making a voluntary request;
provide informed consent to medical assistance in dying, which means:
for a patient whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable, the patient provides consent after having been informed of the means that are available to relieve their suffering, including palliative care.
for a patient whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable, the patient provides consent:
after having been informed of other means available to them, including counselling, mental health supports, disability supports, community services and palliative care; and
after having been offered consultation with relevant professionals, as available and applicable; and
after having discussed these means with the medical or nurse practitioner and given serious consideration to these means.
If you are suffering solely from a mental illness (not in combination with another condition) you are not currently eligible for medical assistance in dying.
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Gershun,
Having doubts about the healthcare system in many countries lately.
Canada was on the news related to offering the homeless a suicide contract, but not for an illness. Just for being homeless. I hope this is just another lie from the news media.

So many people have researched their own particular condition and travelled to far away specialists, many with amazing results, imo.

You will find the right specialist soon, just keep trying. Have you tried sports tape? A PT can show you how to wrap it to support the instability while you heal.

@Barb
I have a similar pain and might ask my PCP for a referral to a podiatrist, or even an orthopedist. (pain since 2013, broken ankle). I am embarrassed because the pain travels, it flares up swollen and bright red, starts at the metatarsals, very painful to the touch, and cannot walk on it for several days to a week. It acts a bit like gout, and has settled this time in my middle toe, a bit red, and sometimes blue. It must be all in my head.
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