"Melody? Maybe you should have Alan checked out for this Diverticulitis?"

Alan, during his last colonoscopy, was told he had diverticulitis and not to eat anything with seeds. He has NEVER had any kind of problem with this disorder. His stomach is fine. And he's back to normal.

He has bad PN days but I asked him "do you ever want to go back on pain meds?" His answer is always the same: 'Not if you paid me'.

He had a hard time way back when, with the consipation and then with getting off of the fentanyl. He had to go into rehab and after one day, when they could not find any drugs in his system (he walked in wearing a fentanyl pain patch), and he had to kick it all by himself. Took 5 days. Like a really really bad flu. He says he never wants to go through that again.

The reason they couldn't find any drugs in his system (he was told this, I have no idea if this is true), is that they need a special test to test for fentanyl. They just tested for pot and coke, etc.

He tried to explain that he walked in wearing the patch, they knew he had it on, but the stupid people who ran the rehab (out of the hospital), well, something to do with his insurance, I don't know.

But that was 8 years ago, and Dr. Theirl got him to tritate down from the 125 every two days. That's right EVERY TWO DAYS. Not 3 days like most people. And vicodin for breakthrough pain.

I'll never forget that time in his life. He says it was like a miracle the first time he put that patch on. All the pain left. But then he had to keep increasing it and when he hit 125, the doctor told him. "we can't go any higher". So we found Dr. Theirl and he did his thing, and the rest is history.

Alan manages with massage and his vibrating thing that he puts on his thigh and the blood goes down into his feet.

He does as best he can.

Melody