First of all, I see all the emoticons - and I have a mac - OSX (10.2.8).
You should see a turning , smiling face at the end of the sentence.
As for pain meds, I guess I was lucky to get docs that weren't frightened to prescribe narcoties, and who were willing to do so and didn't tell me my pain was all in my mind. A lot of docs today are scared of prescribing strong narcotics...with the war on drugs being aimed more and more at 'legal' drugs, they're under the microscope...for they often prescribe higher doses to chronic pain people than they do to the regular people.
I have a pain pump, and am very, very happy with it. Yes, I still have pain, but it's reduced bya bout 60% from what it used to be!
Scarred, I'm so proud of you for quitting! IF you should have any symptoms of copd, like shortness of breath, coughing, etc., imeediately go to your PCP and get a referral to a pulmonologist so you can start treatment early. I'm an x-smoker - quit in 2003, but unfortunately, due to smoking plus radiation to my right breast, GERD and other unknown irritants, I'm paying the price - instead of COPD, though, mine might be pulmonary fibrosis - a bit more serious (life-span is 5 years) and the only 'cure' is a lung transplant at this time.
Meezermom, I'm sooo sorry to hear what you're going through. By BC, do you mean breast cancer? I'm a 7 year survivor...you've made it through lung cancer and brain cancer...you can do it! As for pain control, I'd find another...do you have a major teaching hospital in your neck of the woods? That's how I found my pain control docs.
Scarred...everyday stuff? Well, I thankfully have my daughter to help - when she does...I have to push her a bit to do stuff - and she still hasn't done the dishes (its been a couple days now) and I'm getting to the point where I'm gonna do them. It's not pain now that prevents me from getting around and doing stuff (well, sometimes it's pain, when it's a particularly bad day and the pain goes down my legs) it's my lungs...I get really short of breath with the slightest provocation (see above). Seriously, you just need to take it one step at a time. I find that if I pick up stuff as I'm going from room to room (I have a 14x50' mobile home)...starting in the bedroom where my computer is, and just simply pick up stuff that's landed on the floor, take a bag with and pick up trash enroute then part of the stuff is done. Dishes, mopping and so on are different things that I just haven't had the oomph to do. Like a lot of you said, you just close your eyes and pray no one comes over!
(do you see the emeticon just to the left of this?)