what happened to our support group!!!!!!

Hey everyone, I am sorry it took me so long to respond but after Oprah changed the site I couldn't figure out how to find our group. A lot has happened since I posted last. I had my lung biopsy. The doctor called to inform me I do for sure have lung cancer. Then they did a mammogram and it came back as abnormal as well, but I haven't heard what they want to do about that yet. Then on Monday I was having some pain in my left shoulder and they did an x-ray and now they think I have bone cancer as well in my shoulder and possibly in other bones. I go in for an MRI and Bone scan on Monday and should find out the results by Thursday. My lung surgery is scheduled for October 22 but if I have bone cancer then they will have to put off the lung surgery and start me on chemo and radiation and once the spot has shrunk then they would do surgery on my shoulder to remove the bone. It would either need amputated or they will replace the bone with a metal peice. Once that is done I will have the lung surgery and then chemo again. Needless to say, I am going a little crazy right now. I have had to stop smoking which isn't helping the stress at all. I am not sleeping at all and have lost over 30 pounds. Anyhow, If I do end up having the surgery on the 22nd I won't be able to post for a while, but I promise as soon as I can I will get back on the computer. I have an early doctor appointment so I have to run, but I am so excited that I have finally found out group again. Hope everyone is doing well. I haven' had a chance to read the posting, but I will later today. Sherry

Hi Lynette,

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get on the Ogroup site. I had my surgery on the 22nd of October and came home on the 29th and the very next morning I had to be rushed by ambulance back to the hospital and remained in ICU until a few days ago. I am recovering nicely at my mothers home. The surgeon said this surgery has the longest recovery time of any surgery done. He said it would take nine months to 2 and a half years to recover fully. I still need help sometimes getting out of bed or getting out of a chair. The pain at times is anywhere from a six to a nine depending on how much I do that day. I try to push myself to do a little more each day. My surgeon said I was a lot better than he ever expected. I am going to try to go home this weekend. I won't be able to do much but at least I will be able to sleep in my own bed. I will write more later. Oh, I am doing great with the pain medicine. I had a plan in action before I went in to the hospital and it has worked out great. Talk more soon.

Sherry

I would like to join in your support group. You sound like a very courageous person. I am so sorry for all that you're going through. If you'd like a friend to e-mail, how do I set this up so we can communicate back and forth. Your story has inspired me to be grateful for what I have. I don't have much experience on-line, but would like to know more.

HI SHERRY,

THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I HAVE TRIED TO POST A MESSAGE TO YOU. I PRAY THAT YOU GOT MY POST. HOW ARE YOU FEELING? THERE IS NOT ONE DAY I DO NOT THINK ABOUT YOU. WE ARE SO CONNECTED IN SPRIT AND WE HAVE NEVER SEEN EACH OTHER. YOU HAVE REALLY MADE MY CHRISTMAS COMPLETE. I WILL TRY TO POST ANOTHER MESSAGE TO YOU TOMORROW. REMEMBER KEEP A POSITIVE FAITH AND HOPE ALIVE AND YOU WILL WEATHER THE STORM. I HAVE BEEN WHERE YOU ARE AND IT IS NOT A GOOD FEELING BUT YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS STORM. I AM SO BLESSED THAT I FOUND MY LONG LOST FRIEND. I WILL CHECK THE BOARD EVERYDAY TO SEE IF YOU HAVE POSTED. I HOPE THAT EVERYONE IN OUR SUPPORT GROUP IS DOING WELL I AM SO GLAD THAT I TOOK TIME OUT TODAY TO GO TO THE MESSAGE BOARD. YOU HAVE MADE MY CHRISTMAS COMPLETE. UNTIL THE NEXT TIME KEEP FAITH AND HOPE ALIVE.
LOVE,
LYNETTE RUFFIN GOODE

hi sherry,
when i go to post a message on the board sometimes it works and then sometime it doesn't work. how are you doing? it has been about two weeks since i last posted a message for you. i have not heard from you. please let one of your family members post a message for you to let me know that you are okay. i think about you often. i finally finished my book. now i am working on my non-profit organization. the name of my organization is called deon-intervention inc. that stands for drug,education,obesity & nutrition for the youth and young adults ages 10-22. Girl having a business is a lot of work but it certainly worth everything that i have in me. i pray that you had a good christmas and new year. i will try to check the board daily to see if you have posted. to all the people that are in our support group always keep faith and hope alive.
love,
lynette ruffin goode

Hi Lynette,

I am so sorry I didn't get back to you sooner than now. I have been sick almost non-stop since I came home from the hospital. Last week I had the worst gastritis pain in my life. I was doubled over crying out in pain. This week I have strip throat. I have an appointment to have a cat scan on January 30th to see if the cancer has come back. I won't find out the results until the 4th of February. I get checked every three months. I will be holding my breath each time. I still have no energy and overall feel like crap. The doctor said it could take as long as two years to feel back to normal. I am running out of patience. My head has all the energy in the world, but my body thinks just the opposite. Well, it is almost 2:00 am so I better try to get some sleep. The painter will be here at 8:00 am and I don't want him to see me with bed hair. It means so much to me that you still have me on your mind. It is nice having a friend to talk to out there in cyber space. Take care.

Sherry

Hello,

My story must be a lot like everyone else's. Before I share my tale, I am addicted to prescription pain meds. I am trying to get information on what detox is like. Secondly, I've been wondering if the reason I don't feel well almost all of the time is due to my health complications or the pain meds. I've been on them for about 3 years. I haven't increased my overall usage in that time, I just keep refilling my prescription about every month. I am wondering how I will feel when I finally get all off of them. I know it has to be a good thing but I've heard that I won't feel like I did before. Who out there has done the detox by themselves? Any pointers? Thanks! LT

I can only tell you that I was addicted to opiates for years. I took more than was perscribed. I doctor shopped. I did detox bymyself,but I went thru AA. I would strongly recommend you going through your doctor. Yes,you will feel much better after you are off the pills. It also depends on what you are taking them for.

Hi Lt,

Back when I was using, I was sick all the time. I was in horrible pain every day. I was in the hospital at least twice a month from all the pain. I have crohns disease, and I just assumed it was causing my pain. My doctors kept trying to explain to me that the pain medicine was causing me to be in more pain. They said your mind craves the medicine because you are addicted to it, and your body is used to having it every day. When you don't take any, your body/mind creates the pain. I don't understand it, but they were right. When I first quit, I did experience pretty severe pain, but after a few days, my pain almost completely went away. I recommend going to a doctor to help you detox. Some medicines are very dangerous to come off by yourself. When I first came off the pills, I felt like I had the flu really bad. It took about five days to feel normal again. The pain went away in approx. two weeks. I promise you that you will feel better once you are off the meds. Try to find a good addiction doctor to help you with this. Good luck!

Sherry

hi sherry,
i am so sorry that you are not feeling well. this week has been a very difficult week for me because i have been in meetings and doctor appointments the entire week. getting your business off the ground is very hard especially being a female and a black female. you have to always be on top of your game and this week it wore me slam out. when you are in pain all the time it is not a good feeling i have been where you are. i remember sitting in my family room and asking god to just relieve the pain for 30 seconds but it never came until about three years ago when i detoxed. everyday that i wake up i am in chronic pain some days i deal with it better than other days. what has helped me is that i am so busy now that it doesn't allow me time to really dwell on the pain that's a good thing. when i finally started back driving and being independent again to a certain extent that has helped tremulously also. sherry you just don't have a friend in cyperspace, you have a human real friend. shortly my web page will be up and you will be able to see a real person. sherry, what i would like for you to do is to think positive about your situation because when you say that your cancer maybe back then you are putting that into your sprit. i know it is hard to think that way but i promise you it works. do you know why oprah is so successful? one day she put in her mind this is what i want to and thats what she did. she probably had a lot of failures but she continued towards her dream and now her dream is a reality. the old saying no pain no gain that folk tale is true. sherry, i will always be your friend and not to many people hold that title with lynette ruffin good. keep a positive attitude and everything else will work out until the next time be blessed.
love,
lynette ruffin goode

hi,
i read your story and to me there are some missing pieces to the puzzle missing. in my case i was on pain meds for about 8 years and the last two i was on was percocet and methadone at one time i was taking both matter of fact i was also on the durgescis patch. i had the gastric bypass in 1997 and due to the severe complications to the surgery i have had over 48 surgeries since then. i know you will feel better after coming off the drug. it is not easy detoxing to me it was the hardest thing i have done in my life. due to my history they put me in he hospital for 6 days and for the most part i was sedated but when i got home it hit me like a tone of bricks. first, you must want to come off the drugs because it will not work if really don't desire to be drug free. when you take opiates what it does is fill the receptors in the pain with the medication. receptors are simply little spaces in the pain that can be altered really by any drug that you take. narcotics are suppose to be used for a short period of time not long term but sometime they have to be used for a lond period of time. the risk that we take is that our body may become addicted to the medication. it is know different with someone that drinks coffee everyday and suddenly they stop, the body is going to say where is my cup of coffee the caffeine in the coffee is what the body will crave for. it is very dangerous to detox on your own, some people have done it but it is not safe. i don't know what state you live in but i reccomend that you go into this website: the colemaninstitute.com. he has 4 sites all over the world. he is my pain doctor and he understands because he use to be addicted to heoin. i just saw him yesterday in the state where i live and that is virginia. he has sites in va., nevada, california, and kentucky. he just told me yesterday that he has never seen anyone like me because i came off opiates and antidepressants and i am doing so well. i do volunteer my services to him if he has someone that is scared to detox because you would not believe the health challenges that i have but my mind is very powerful. when i was on opiates i had no quality of life absolutely none but now i do. it is not what i want it to be but it is so much better. i would also suggest that you keep posting to this wonderful group we have on oprah message board. don't be ashame we are not here to judge you but to help you along this journey. until the next time keep faith and hope alive and you will be alright.
love,
lynette ruffin goode

hi sherry,
how are you doing my friend? i think about you often. i hope you are feeling and doing better. i see you have not posted to the board for about a month now. i am very concerned about you and some other are also that belong to our group. i will continue to pray for you and your family. you will always have a special place in my heart. when you are able to post please do so i will know that you are okay an doing well. until the next time keep faith and hope alive.
love,
lynette ruffin goode

hi sherry,

how are you doing? it has been a while since you has posted a message on the message board. i just came out of the hospital for a 49th surgery. on my birthday they told me that i had a hernia that needed to come out. i had said that i would never have another surgery unless it was something that just had to be done. well, i had to have this hernia removed because it was hurting so bad and i will not be addicted to pain medication ever again and i can say that confidence i spent 4 day in the hospital last week and i am home now and it feels so good to be at home. this hospital visit was very different than any other visit because i was spiritually more fit than ever before. i have a lot of pain but i know it will not be forever.love you much and please check the message board to let your friend know you are okay.
love,
lynette ruffin goode

I am so happy I found this post. I too am addicted to pain meds. All due to a herniated disc in my neck. Well to make a long story short....I got up to 20 pills a day. I couldn't function without it. I started getting weaker and weaker. I started to research how to detox on your own, being that no one knew of my addiction. Well I started to taper off. For example, if you take 10 a day.....try 9 a day for a couple of days....then 8 for a week or two. PLEASE do it slowly or you will relapse. I am now on 3 a day and looking forward to being off them completely. Yes I am in pain but I would rather be in pain than addicted to those drugs. I understand that some people need to be on them. If you can control the amount then... GREAT! Most people start taking more and more just to keep going. I hope this will help someone who is trying to get off. Believe me it is possible. If you really want it. Just do it slowly. Pain meds give you energy to begin with ....then robs you completely of it. Best of Luck to anyone trying to get off. IT IS POSSIBLE!!!!!

I am new to the board, but I am concerned and have always been concerned abourt the amount of prescription drugs that people are on, my self included since being recently diagnoised with a brain tumor, I am on anxiety medicine, medicine to prevent seizures of which I have never had, medicine for the fluid around my brain, medicine to coat my stomach for taking so much medicine and the list goes on