Man receives constant pain signals from his brain
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Man receives constant pain signals from his brain
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Re: Man receives constant pain signals from his brain
#2My Father has suffered with full body RSD/CRPS like the patient in this article. Even the slightest breeze can cause him excruciating pain. He has a morphine pump in his abdomen that provides a constant drip of dilaudid on his spine, its the only thing that lets him manage his pain.
There is some hope. Last year some scientists in Italy discovered a break through treatment that has had good success...though only tested on patients that have recently developed CRPS. The FDA is currently evaluating it for treatment in the US. (http://www.rsdhope.org/neridronate---new-medication-for-crps...)
Re: Man receives constant pain signals from his brain
#3As a foreigner, how does the insurance industry deal with illnesses like this? Bedridden for 9 years, with loads of heavy sedatives a day + whatever else there might be of tests and whatnot... From the article, it seems the family is entirely alone with this (apart from some potential community support).
Re: Man receives constant pain signals from his brain
#4Re: Man receives constant pain signals from his brain
#5I used to think that something like this wasn't possible. I always assumed that if you were in constant pain or something you would somehow grow used to it over time in the same way that being subjected to cold temperatures raises the bodies resistance to cold temperatures.
Another example would be drugs and chemical receptors in the brain. Correct me if I'm wrong but shouldn't it be the same as with drugs, the more pain you get the more neurotransmitters are being used and the more are required to make a stronger response? Shouldn't you then technically feel less pain over time if it's constant?
Re: Man receives constant pain signals from his brain
#6My Father has suffered with full body RSD/CRPS like the patient in this article. Even the slightest breeze can cause him excruciating pain. He has a morphine pump in his abdomen that provides a constant drip of dilaudid on his spine, its the only thing that lets him manage his pain. There is some hope. Last year some scientists in Italy discovered a break through treatment that has had good success...though only test…
I ask this with all respect for the suffering your father goes through but I am genuinely curious... Has he tried THC in any form (smoke a joint, pill extract)? I have heard of great pain relief from other diseases, and wonder if there would be any relief provided by medicinal marijuana?
Re: Man receives constant pain signals from his brain
#7I used to think that something like this wasn't possible. I always assumed that if you were in constant pain or something you would somehow grow used to it over time in the same way that being subjected to cold temperatures raises the bodies resistance to cold temperatures. Another example would be drugs and chemical receptors in the brain. Correct me if I'm wrong but shouldn't it be the same as with drugs, the more…
That's the funny thing about assumptions...
In truth, what can happen is exactly the opposite: constant firing of pain signals can end up recruiting _more_ cells to transmit pain, thereby lowering the threshold need to signal pain, and amplifying the effect overall.
cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_pain#Pathophysiology
Re: Man receives constant pain signals from his brain
#8As a foreigner, how does the insurance industry deal with illnesses like this? Bedridden for 9 years, with loads of heavy sedatives a day + whatever else there might be of tests and whatnot... From the article, it seems the family is entirely alone with this (apart from some potential community support).
If "Obamacare" did nothing else right, it ended the idea of lifetime maximum output by the insurance company, but it has just taken effect. This story is one where they were likely dropped from insurance after they reached their plan's maximum output and they're now left to fend for themselves.
Re: Man receives constant pain signals from his brain
#9As a foreigner, how does the insurance industry deal with illnesses like this? Bedridden for 9 years, with loads of heavy sedatives a day + whatever else there might be of tests and whatnot... From the article, it seems the family is entirely alone with this (apart from some potential community support).
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Re: Man receives constant pain signals from his brain
#10As a foreigner, how does the insurance industry deal with illnesses like this? Bedridden for 9 years, with loads of heavy sedatives a day + whatever else there might be of tests and whatnot... From the article, it seems the family is entirely alone with this (apart from some potential community support).
The answer is: don't get sick in the U.S.
Breaking Bad is accurate in terms of what happens when you're sick in this country. (I don't know of any who became meth kingpins, but people doing stupid stuff due to medical-cost desperation is common.) Health insurance won't cover everything. It won't cover most things it's supposed to cover. Its purpose is to collect premiums when you are young and healthy but when you are sick or old it has no interest in serving you. You're just a problem customer in their portfolio.
Also, if you get seriously ill in the U.S., the payment/insurance aspect of it (and all the compromises you have to make to avoid unreasonable costs) will often add PTSD into the recovery process. I know people who have been essentially broken by the financial fallout (and the emotional drama around abandonment or, if they landed in debt, being pursued) of a serious illness. This is common, but few talk about it.