ASEPTIC NECROSIS of the BONE -- Age 55, Vietnam veteran first began having problems 13 yrs ago after a slight accident resulted in unexpected injuries. He states that the Veterans Administration denies that Agent Orange or other battlefield chemical exposures have caused this problem. "The doctors told me my bones were in trouble - the diagnosis was aseptic necrosis. They said my hips were in bad shape and that I would have to have surgery to replace them, which I did - both hips. What is happening is that the bones are losing mass, just wasting away. At the joint, the bones start getting fragile. The cartilage goes first, until the joints are just bone on bone.
"This is terribly painful. I can't tell you how bad the pain is. It's hard on my family - sometimes I'm really awful to be around. My kids are honor students but I think sometimes they make up excuses to stay late after school when I'm having a bad spell.
"I've had three back operations, L4, L5, L6 - and now three vertebra in neck my neck are dissolving - one is ruptured, two are bulging. The bone can't take the pressure of holding up my head. My elbows are going too.
"I gave up on the pain killers about seven years ago. They do bad stuff to your kidneys and liver - side effects were killing me - I guess they pull fluid out of your body, dry you out. I had insomnia, chronic constipation, plus the constant pain. I've been prescribed over thirty pain medications, including Tylenol 3, percodan, percocet, darvocet, propoxiph, hydroxyze, robaxin, oxycontin, ultram, and oxycod. They've given me Prozac, plus Halcion to help me sleep and relax. I've got Tagamet for my stomach since the other pills tear me up. And Celebrex for arthritis. Marijuana is the only drug I use now - I've got a box full of the other stuff.
"One guy up the road from me is a 70-year-old Korean War vet - he has a knee about the size of a basketball that's killing him. The VA has been giving him stuff but it's not doing him much good, either for his pain or his mood - he was always upset. This guy is so anti-marijuana you wouldn't believe it, just wouldn't ever believe it was any good for anything. Finally, last week I went up there, I said, "Here try this - inhale once and see how it does you..." Now you wouldn't believe it - he's happy, his pain is manageable - it's amazing how different he is. "It would destroy my life - my family's life - if I got arrested for using marijuana. It would kill me too - physically - if I couldn't use this, if I had to take prescription drugs. I already tried that - it doesn't work. Every morning I get up, anything can happen - my bones pop like Rice Krispies." Feb 2003