For those of you who haven’t experienced crippling back pain, it is more intense than you can understand.
One time, I had to be dragged across the house on a blanket by my aging father to get to the power lift chair because I fell down trying to get out of bed.
Another time, I had a flare-up and had to lay in the bed of my truck while a friend drove me home because I couldn’t bend my leg to get in the car.
I’ve shit myself rather than try to get up and go to the bathroom because of the pain.
And yes, the insurance company tried to deny the epidural I received that probably ended up saving me from eventual suicide.
That one injection in my spine has kept the sciatica from affecting my legs and within 24 hours my life had changed.
And it took an extra 4 months because the insurance company at first denied it, then approved it, but only for a 2-day window so I couldn’t schedule the procedure, and I ended up having to go to the Board of Insurance twice.
4 months where I’d get flare-ups that made putting on pants an hour-long process. 4 months where I couldn’t visit friends because I didn’t want to risk getting stranded at their house unable to walk. 4 months where I could barely work because sitting at the computer was nearly impossible.
I hate violence, but if I’d have met one of the insurance company heads during those 4 months, I might have shot them.
I hurt my back doing construction. The company I sacrificed my back to wouldn’t cover the cost of my physical therapy. The pain has got me in trouble at other jobs too. I was in the lab and bent over to pick up something that fell on the ground only for my back pain to flare up again. The pain was so intense it took everything I had just to stand up again and then I could barely move. My coworkers and supervisor were very annoyed that I could barely move when there were criticals that I was working on.
Whenever I read about the US healthcare system I wonder why it’s CEOs are not gunned down every single day.
Well either federal government cancel their job with single player of some form or they will will keep getting gunned down. They literally radicalizing people every day and some of these people are smart and capable.
Boardrooms, not classrooms.
As someone with crippling migraines, I am never ever questioning how debilitating someone else’s pain is.
I’ve experienced migraines of all severity levels since I was a teenager. I have a top 5 list of the worst migraines I’ve ever experienced. Number 3 was the one where my husband found me sitting at the kitchen table with a spoon in my hand completely out of it. When he asked me what I was doing I told him I was considering gouging my eye out. Number 2 was the three days I lost to absence seizures. I actually called out of work twice within a few hours because my autopilot is strong and my brain was gone. I almost lost my job for that one. Number one was the time literally crawled through the house on my belly for the phone and gave up in the living room before passing out. All I can remember of that one was laying there feeling my heart beat in my fucking eyelashes for what felt like ages. That was the one that made me go see a neurologist. I would never ever not believe someone’s pain experience.
I get migraines - not as bad now, post menopause and on low dose daily HRT that seems to prevent most of them.
But absolutely the worst pain I’ve ever felt is migraine, and I’ve had unmedicated childbirth, broken bones, plenty of injuries, IUDs put in, nothing has even approached the pain level of a migraine. I used to not understand when the doctor would ask how bad it hurt on scale of 1-10 because it exists outside that scale.
Back pain I think is similar, but probably its own sort of hell because it immobilizes people.
That part about the pain scale is spot on. HRT and adequate anxiety and pain medication have made mine less common and intense too. I don’t know how or why though.
Imho the weirdest thing about migraines is when you’re 4 to 5 hours deep and suddenly your brain goes out in a bang. The pain subsides for a bit and you feel that weird euphoric feeling.
The third pain that can compare to that according to what I’ve heard is tooth ache. Although I’m blessed enough to never have had any issues in that department.
I used to get those too when I was younger. I don’t envy you a bit there. I haven’t had one in over 20 years and the memory of them still frightens me.
I’ve had exactly one migraine and at every spike of it I remembered those stories of people who shoot themselves because of pain and was sad in the moment (but happy after) that I didn’t have a gun cuz I’d have absolutely used it
I’m on your side, but I take issue with “give everyone everything”. Some people can’t give, and they deserve enough, but not everything. You gotta rank up to giver yourself first.
As long as you remember that you are one of those people too. And don’t forget this, when you start experiencing pains. Because you agree that the corporations are the ones that are allowed to decide, not you.
You’re all doing your hardest to paint me like an asshole. You don’t decide what I think is enough. Being in pain is not enough. Having granite countertops is more than enough. My point is that I don’t want my economic value leeched to buy your dog treats while I can’t afford my own dog’s treats, but everyone’s hospital trips should be covered.
Nobody is trying shit. If anything you’re playing a victim card and making yourself look like an idiot.
Who says you would buy anything for anyone, by the looks of it you don’t like sharing and I’m surprised you’d even buy treats for a dog. What a stupid thing to say.
Shared healthcare should be for everyone. Including yourself when you’d need it. But when that happens I trust you will grab that victim card again and start moaning about how nobody is helping you.
Hmm. That sure sounds like your saying some people deserve more than others.
Are you saying someone with downs syndrome only deserves ‘enough’ to survive even though it’s not their fault and can do nothing about it?
Fuck off with shit. That’s fascism through and through.
No, I think living with downs syndrome is hell and would want to die.
I’m saying that everyone should have enough that life isn’t shit, but you aren’t doing so much as me, so I get an Alfa and you get a Civic.
I dunno about you, but every person with Downs syndrome I’ve ever met was more satisfied with their lives than I will ever be. Most issues that Downs syndrome people suffer from are societal and financial issues
I sure am glad I’m not a bastard like you, would be hell and would want to die. /s
fyi - Mangione posted in July 2023 that the chronic pain he’d had for years had been eliminated by spinal fusion surgery, which he recommended highly. He said he was finally able to sit and do other things that had been very painful, and had not taken pain meds for days. Of course maybe the pain, which he had posted about frequently for years, came back and he didn’t think to mention it. The one and only time he mentioned insurance in all his tweets was to say Blue Cross had covered his tests for Irritable Bowel Syndrome a couple years ago.
I know after surgeries I’ve been elated at the seeming reduction in pain, and all I do is rave about how great it is, but then it always comes back and I’m depressed and I just stop talking about it. wouldn’t shock me if that was his case.
Remember, convicted felons can be president!
