To My Regular Crew- (You know who you are my friends!)

The last time i jumped on for that quick SITREP (you know this term right?)I really didnt have the time to fill in all the blanks and whats been going on with the old Jarhead here, so its good to do it now everyone.

Shoot. What I should've done is gone back and looked at where I left off but gonna wing it from here folks. You all do know I found that TOTALLY awesome Retired Navy Commander who was the primary man who literally set up the original Wounded Warrior Care Program at both Walter Reed and Bethesda Hospitals right? It was back in 2003 and he was first Doc to start seeing all the troops coming in from Oraq, and later Aftghanny -literally with sand still in their wounds he said! He wrote the budget proposals for Congress for personnel and equipment, and worked day on stay on for months at a time! Fast Forward - now he Retired after a major firm in the Maryland area recruited him out offering who knows how much money to start a TRUE Pain Management Clinic in the Northern Virginia area! It was by pure chance my Primary Doc gave me his card since he himself didnt really know how to treat Combat wounds such as my TBI, Cervical Spine Damage and PTSD- so i was seeing VA for some (WHICH sucked so bad I don't use them for squat right now!) but when i met this Dr who is an Anesthesiologist by trade, it clicked the very first visit and has been over a year now guys and this is no ******** - I have felt the very first signs of pain relief in 11 years since the day of my IED Blast!! I can't even believe Im saying this either!

Trying to fast forward again for ya who have kind enough to have tracked this story with me ever since joining this Band of Brothers & Sisters! lol.
Ive had everything you can imagine done beforehand, with no success, and then this new Doc starts telling me his plan to start doing things like:

-Coolief Radiofrequency Ablations
-Facet Joint Injections
-Cervical Epidurals
-Stellate Ganglion Blocks (I think this was the best effect one!)
-Low Dose Ketamine Infusions
-And of course Trigger Point Injections every other week I think due to the unreal muscle tension from the twisted Cervical vertebrae rubbing nerves and bone and ****. I actually LOVE me some TPI immediately after since your whole head is NUMBBBBBBBBB!

So we did all of these things at least once and found some produced results with a tiny bit of relief, and some did nothing at all. Some were painful as ****, and some not. What i found good about this guy is that when he does all these he uses general Anesthesia and puts you out (and if he needs feedback from you while doing a RFA for instance he brings you out of it while facedown (On side with Coolief) and asks where i felt the pressure or pain while using the fluoroscope as well of course!
FYI- the Pain Doc i was seeing before him used to do these within 30 mins w ZERO anesthesia and let me get up and walk out n drive home after! (What a toolbag he was now that i see this way of doing it!)

The Ketamine was ok first time, but 2nd time he amped it up and I literally tripped for hours with some of the most unusual stuff Ive experienced since trip pin at the Grateful Dead when i was 16!
We are doing the High Dose in a few weeks which is a 6 hr infusion!
He stated that since we took so much time in between procedures it did not create the true effect it could if done all in succession as he used to do with the really wounded Troops at Walter Reed! Therefore, each week in December I have a surgical procedure scheduled on the books back to back and will surely be having one memorable Christmas this year!!

I came down from 30 mg Oxycontin to 10Mgs and to be honest never thought they did much for me when they were 30s! Some folks love those but i never got much out of them. I believe I told you folks that one of my best friends from the Vet Center I attend, and Vet Group, that i referred to this Doc was getting some great results too and seriously looking forward to her first Ketamine - and I was gonna drive her home. Talk about a Hardcore Female Marine!! She did a job overseas in both combat zones Id NEVER want as an MOS , and I was an Infantry First Sergeant!
She was in Mortuary Affairs that goes out and collects the dead US Troops, their body parts, and packages as much as humanly possible up for their trip home to be buried. She had wicked PTSD to say the least. My reason for bringing her up, was that she Overdosed on Oxy Jan 10th 2015 and I am still a total mess since we both made that pact with each other to reach out when things got BAD!! I miss her brutally and her parents gave me one of her last paintings (very talented) which i will attach too, among other pics of my Black Lab Service Dog Trained for TBI & PTSD Disabled Vets. (Yeah i know Im rambling-PTSD symptom dammit)

So thats the current SITREP for me and whats going on. Still have headaches but no where as bad. Still have suicidal ideations but not as bad, still NEED my meds and tolerance keeps climbing!
Anxious to see the end result of doing all these together because the next step after that would be found in one of my other Threads on the internal Stim Units / Pumps OR (what Id love to do if insurance covered it) would be the 5 Day Ketamine Coma as I read some here have done- and Id love to hear more from them BIGTIME! Like to know if the PAIN is totally gone afterward and you don't need pain meds anymore ya know? And what life is like when you come out of that! If anyone knows someone, could ya please have them PM me perhaps? Thanks !

So thats it everyone. Me and Russell are still plugging away and he keeps a keen eye on me for sure! Gonna attach some pics of him sitting on my lap in the hospital Pre-Op and he sure didnt like it when they came to take me away to the sterile Operating Room without him! Only wife can be with him per Org rules and all. But there he is in Post Op when i wake up licking my face! Gotta tell you folks. A Service Dog is a HUGE commitment and all but the rewards are so unreal if they receive the REAL DEAL training, not some DIY stuff. Got mine from Puppies Behind Bars and guess what? I actually went up to the Fishkill Prison in upstate NY to see where he was raised (He knew IMMEDIATELY!) and spoke with 25 inmates who each had pups from 8 weeks old to 18 months doing the training w Lead Trainer of PBB and it was AWESOME for the dogs who chased each other around the yard, the inmates who picked my brain on commands that work best and how touched they were when i told them my stories and how well Russell worked for me, and it was good for me to talk about Iraq and those i killed, and the IED etc. Sorry. Rambling.

I shall drop back into this thread to report my findings and pain in December for you all and until then - Stay Safe & Stealthy, Treat yourself well first, and thanks to all those who help others here because you folks are Angels for sure! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving with family & friends and hit me up if need be ok? Love ya all.

Semper Fidelis,

Gunny

PICS- Tessa and her artwork, Marine Martial arts, Me in Pre-Op
(ONLY 5 PIC MAX??)

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Figured Id give ya some more pics!

Couldnt get any inside the Prison which sucked!

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Hi Gunny,

First of all, condolences for the loss of Tessa, doubly tragic when one so young survives so much to succumb to inner Demons.

As for you, my friend, it is a pleasure to read anything and everything positive in your treatment and your daily life. You clearly have a trusting partnership with your Dr and that, along with positive results from treatment, has radically changed how you project here. You seem excited to move forward with different regimens, rather than being resigned and disillusioned. It is wonderful to get that vibe from you, even though I lnow you still have the serious issues you talk about. Yet, even your attitude there seems very much to have changed.

I enjoyed reading your ramblings, always remember you have an audience here for your words. The tail (haa!) of Russell's training origin and both of your triumphant return to the Prison makes excellent reading. I have seen a tv prog about the training of Service Dogs by Prisoners and the profound effect it has on sometimes lost souls, what better way to re-integrate into society?

All in all, I hope you and your Dr (and Russell) keep working to improve every aspect of your life and I look forward to the Post where you say the Ideation has passed completely.

Dave.

All I could say when I read your posts and looked at your pictures was: WOW

How awesome for you ! I also love reading your posts. This one for sure is so very positive and heartwarming to read.

I said a little prayer for your dear friend. May her soul finally be at peace.

Your doctor sounds like a great person as well as a great doctor. So happy that you two have come together.

Please keep us posted and have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Our family is heading to the North Georgia Mountains tomorrow for the Thanksgiving week. We lost my husband, their dad and Bubba (grandfather) on Aug 30th of this year. None of us wanted to be home for the Holidays this year

You thread lifted me up and I hope to keep those feeling going all day long. Thank you Gunny !

Debi from Georgia

Hi Dave-

Buddy you know how much i value your input and opinion my friend! To hear (actually see=read) these comments from you about how you truly can tell a difference in my tone actually interests me Dave! I guess its true, though i do refer to some dark and deep emotional challenges at times. However, others who have known me for years have said the same type of thing which I seriously don't even notice my friend. Hmmm.

I thank you for pointing this out to me, and would like to thank you for all the motivation within ALL my threads and posts that you notice. You are for sure a man to call ones friend here, even though Im sure you have not met near half of them, and yet do so many of us justice with mere words from you (not meant to sound derogatory at all Dave) But that just goes to show the power of words and how they can both raise and lower us from time to time. And VERY OFTEN get misconstrued and thought of in many ways that in my case have instigated arguments and email battles that were not meant to go that way ya know what i mean?

So thank you again, and I wish you (AND YOU ALL) a Happy Thanksgiving this Thursday-which happens to be my 21st Wedding Anniversary this year! And this Friday my 30th High School Reunion which should be odd seeing that so many of my old classmates know of my battles with PTSD and many other issues AND know of Russell too of course! Perhaps I will report back in on how things go on that eh? Until then my friends,

Semper Fidelis,

Gunny