They are all around you - you probably work with a few. They are modest. They endure. Sometimes, you get a chance to get a glimpse of what their view of things is.
Last month our friend Chuck had an experience worth your time. Thank him for sharing his story so others may know what he and thousands of others deal with because we asked them to.
I have a pinched nerve in my thoracic vertebrae, part of the degenerative disk disease I apparently have (something to do with extreme trauma to the spine, like from landing on your head wearing 70 lbs of gear after sailing through the air.) The nerve cluster in T4,5, and 6 is affected. This nerve cluster sends pain signals that start at the spine just below the shoulder blades and radiate around the chest (the right side in my case) and terminate with a stabbing, sharp pain sensation in the chest cavity. This has been going on for almost a year, and I was being treated for it when I left Fort Leavenworth. Lately, it has been acting up, giving me mild to moderate pain; however when you know the source of the pain it makes it easier to ignore/deal with it. The biggest effect it was having on me was inability to sleep, other than from 12 AM-3AM, plus adding to my usual irritability.What follows is a 03:50 to ~08:00 the next day timeline.
It will make you wince, it will make you cheer, it will make you scream in anger. It might make you cry, and thats OK.
Read it all.
Chuck; Fullbore.
