We Are Borg

[LAC]

Great news MB. I know you mentioned you had back problems previously but didn't know it was that bad. Maybe you can hook up with 7 of 9?

[Skean Dhude]

Only point is that the pain is there because of something. This may remove the pain but it also masks what is going on. So be careful when you book your nights at the disco and your days doing other things.

[Mortblanc]

Oh yes, the pain is there due to degenerative disk disease which has been present since 1988.

There is no cure and it has become progressively worse between each medical procedure.

I am past repair. I will not get better and there are no exercises, procedures, natural remedies, herbs or incantations of a shaman that will cure me.

All that can be done for me is pain management. I have the choice between this medical device and massive doses of pain killers which are addictive and becoming much more difficult to get script for in our present legal climate due to those that abuse them.

The problem I have had lately is that light pain killers simply do not touch the pain and the doctors will not prescribe heavier pain meds due to fear of losing their licenses for "over prescribing".

And yes, this masks the pain, that is exactly the purpose of the device with no apologies!

This is not pain one can "tough out" or deal with using meditation and visualization. This is "stick a butcher knife in your spine and have someone come along and kick it every 15-20 seconds" type pain.

It is present and it will remain present until the day I die, only managed by the advances in technology as they develop.

Right now I am on day 5 of the test and I am overjoyed with the results. I have not even taken an aspirin in the past 4 of those 5 days and normally I consume 2-4 naproxin, a half dozen IBprophin and a half dozen Tylonol daily, in addition to whatever other pain relief is prescribed, and the pain is still present.

[Skean Dhude]

Wasn't making a statement beyond what I said. Understand your situation. Just I have seen so many people then do silly things after masking pain.

Prescription drugs are just another facet of our nanny state and they way that they are restricted to those that need them because they can't control abuse is crazy but typical of our nanny state politicians.

[Straight Shooter]

Been telling wild thang about Mork "31 years of pain how awful how did he put up with it ? for so long......poor dab ! you make sure you tell him I send my love and best wishes" …...that was last night (Sunday) ……...went to bed as normal …...4.15 am got up to take a leak ….normal......got to the loo...... slight itch ...took a look see …...there strapped to my thigh was two triple A batteries one red wire one blue wire ….these disappeared into a small incision into my scrotum …………….she's up to something .

[Mortblanc]

Good Lord SS, did she find the old "erector set" you had been saving since childhood?

They declared the test a success and removed the leads from my back, which depressed me to some extent. I now must deal with the pain again for another 3 weeks until the scheduled time for the permanent implant.

There is a down side. I will not be allowed to ride the new bike for 6 weeks- two months after the surgery.

I already had several trips planned for the summer, and I might be back on the road by the end of June.

I am planning several history tours on the motorcycle, avoiding the major motorways and riding the routes the historic figures would have traveled.

In the UK you paved over the Roman roads and over here we paved over the buffalo traces, Indian war paths, and paved the foot paths between the river fords.

I was planning on a mix of camping and hotel stays as the mood struck me.

Planning for bike travel is almost as much fin as planning the old back packing trips I used to take. I do have the advantage of carrying a bit more weight on the bike than on my back, since this bike is built for this use.

[Straight Shooter]

Every time I turn around wild child is pointing a remote at me and pressing buttons like crazy ……..she must have gone through twenty remotes (even changing the batteries to make sure) .

The bike trips is a great idea MB ! …..we loved it ….top box , tank bag and side paniers loaded to the full , on a trip through France to Spain hammering down with rain we stopped off at a rest area …..under cover of a canopy out came the gas stove and kettle ,cups and teabags...….fellow travellers laughed at how organized we were "only the English! " NO NO WELSH ! we exclaimed …...Switzerland was the best ever trip …..wow..... and planning the trip IS all part of the fun …...when you get going on your trip you MUST log it and tell us all about it …..its most exciting ! ….wish we were coming with you pal .

[Mortblanc]

The deed is done, I have been implanted. The machine is not functioning yet because they can not charge up the batteries until I heal up a bit.

Having a bunch of staples holding you together sucks too! Those things itch like mad!

Now I face being on activity restrictions for 2 months. No lifting mire than 8 kilos, no bending to the floor, no stretching and especially no twisting at the hips. Something to do with allowing the electrodes to set in whatever type JB Weld they used in there.

And this is just as out weather has turned consistently nice. I am dying to get out for the first trip of the season, and I have two separate motorbike expeditions to ride. Nice little historic trips with good camping and many good sights to see and views to photograph. They will probably tell me not to try to ride the bike for longer than the two month period, since it is 200 kilos to pick up if it tips over.

Over here we have a "window" of good camping opportunity in the late spring, and again in the early fall, when the climate is perfect for outdoor activities. From the end of June until the end of September is usually too hot to breathe and humidity is 90%.

What to do,,,what to do,,,

I have contemplated this during my pain killer assisted delusional recovery time and decided that I will go camping anyway! I will plan my trips as if I were going backpacking, but use the auto as transport. I used to carry a pack that would keep me going for a week and only weighted 12 kilos and if any item in that pack had topped the 8 kilo limit set by my surgeon I would have discarded it immediately!

I can easily load up the gear, transport and set up camp without lifting anything over 8 kilos.

I have also used this as an excuse to buy a couple of new pieces of kit. They are still in transit, probably on a big boat somewhere off the coast of China, but I am assured they are on their way.

I ordered a new ultralight air bed and a new "jet boil" type butane stove. I actually got them to enhance my motorbike kit, since when in the car I can use my normal stove and airbed.

I am considering another exploit, a scooter expedition!

Over here scooter laws are different from yours, so are bike licensing requirements. One can drive a scooter up to 50cc on their normal driving license. No registration is required, neither is insurance. Basically, they are treated just like bicycles.

The scooter only weighs 90 kilos and I have never dropped the scooter in the history of the scooter. If it falls over I will simply stand there until some 10 year old little girl comes along and puts it back on the side-stand for me.

I have lost enough weight so that my little 50cc Chinese scooter will pull me down the road at an incredible 25 mph. It will hit 30 if forced and I had it up to 50 on the "big hill" going to the lake. That was a horrifying experience and I don't want to talk about it least I be accused of snow-flaking.

I said all of that to say that there is a nice State Park about 20 miles from my home and I can access all of it by backwoods country roads, hopefully without being run down like an old traffic cone. Good lake, good fishing, camping and good access roads.

I may be able to sneak in a couple of scooter trips before my restrictions are over. I can test my new gear, test my loading of the scooter, and transfer that new information to the big bike when I am released to use it.

[Skean Dhude]

Good luck and enjoy. Think how much better it will be when you are fully charged.

[Straight Shooter]

That's great news MB ! …...back in 69 hammering through country lanes on my LI 150 lambretta scooter , new fly screen 8 mirrors and back rack …..dropping it down on a left handed bend to get some sparks going off the stand as I banked low to achieve the wow factor ….I hit the gravel …..clearing the six foot hedgerow with ease ….but the scooter did not make....instead it decided to have intercourse with the hawthorn hedge ….which disgusted me the hawthorn turned into a animal and rampant foreplay destroyed my new fly screen and cracked six mirrors ….the front brake lever also snapped ……..I remember looking up at the sunny sky with cotton balls , dazed and confused ….I could not believe how quick things could change …...and all because I was concentrating on what I was going to do to wild child that evening …...at this point I can imagine Mary saying SS I have no sympathy for you at all ! you dirty little bugger ….serves you right.