Autopsy report on Tom Petty

[Dennis H]

My son is 49. Lifetime heavy user of prescription drugs due to severe psoriatic arthritis. Big time swollen knees, deformed hands, and lots more. Drugs for pain made him lose his teeth. Was 6’4”. Now 5 something. Pays a fortune for haircuts. Think the barber has to burn the building down when he leaves. Don’t know how he survives. Heartbreaking.

 

[moparedtn]

I have ten in a pill bottle, they've been in my medicine cabinet for three years... If my sciatica flares I may take one otherwise I choose to ignore them...

Doc has had me on Gabapentin for my sciatica and although it's not a painkiller and it doesn't take care of
all of the "flame trail" down the leg - it helps, considerably.

You know what else helps?
(AND I AM NOT ADVOCATING ANYONE ELSE DO THIS!!)
I also learned by experimentation that doing simple chiropractic-type lower
spine manipulation that I learned decades ago also helps take pressure off
the effed-up disc that is grinding away at my own sciatic nerve.
It literally "pops" like a bigger version of a knuckle in your hand popping
when I get it right and the relief is almost immediate.
I do those once a day, on the bed, both directions - and along with the Gaba,
I keep about half the fire put out in my right leg, which is enough for me to
tolerate it.
(AGAIN - I AM NOT ADVISING ANYONE ELSE DO THIS!)
Lord only knows what I'm messing with doing this, but the help is wonderful...

 

[moparedtn]

sciatica is the closest thing to a death sentence I’ve ever experienced.

Most intolerable type of pain/FIRE/inflammation for sure, agreed.
Seriously....damn near "check out time" intolerable over the long haul.
Thank God for Gabapentin for me...
As you might imagine though, that "death sentence" stuff means a little something different for me.

 

[moparedtn]

I had a bad accident back in 2011. I had 2 ruptured discs and 2 crushed vertebrae.
I had nearly severed the sciatic nerve down my left leg. I had 2 surgeries on my back and one on my left hip. I now have 3 titanium rods and 18 anchors in my back and L hip. I had 2 vertebrae removed from my lower back and replaced with titanium cages and cadaver bone. I had to wear a bone growth stimulator for 4 months. I was on Oxycodone and oxycontin for 9 years. I never took one pill out of the way they were prescribed, That doesn't mean that I wasn't hooked. It took me 6 months to get over the addiction, 6 weeks of hell of withdrawal symptoms. I've been off of them for 2 years now and every day I'm gracious for the strength to do it. They were taking their toll on my life and my health. Luckily I had enough sense to realize what was happening. I can't simply take Tylenol, Aspirin, or Ibuprofen for pain. I'm highly allergic to them all. I'm not as active as I used to be but I still feel better being off of the pills. I have learned to deal with the pain. Probably the hardest thing to do is to know your limits and not push yourself too far, The pain is much harder to control if you overdo it.

Damn brother, you got a good-sized one of these here "pain buckets" sounds like.
We're all toting them around at our ages, seems like - and some of them are garbage-can sized!

 

[moparedtn]

I don't know about that. Most of us on this here forum are old former druggies.

I gotta disagree with that one, sorry. I sure as hell am not and I'm betting I'm not alone in that.

 

[Ron H]

I gotta disagree with that one, sorry. I sure as hell am not and I'm betting I'm not alone in that.

My age old vices have been beer and smokes. A good buddy at one time I got to know in tech school was a Vietnam vet about a decade older than me. He had said he got snagged on drugs when in the service. Geezuz he loved his weed and was reliant on the stuff long as I knew him and previously had been into harder drugs. We were close until we parted company; he had developed the memory span of a dog getting him onto hot water at work. Some of his friends were pretty heavy into drugs and luckily I never got hooked; but tried it a couple of times at parties. Yeah, I inhaled. Was no thanks; I was fine drinking beer and on occasion cocktails.

 

[Ron H]

Actually, it was.

As I posted earlier, oxy was great and the nice part was I never felt dulled out by it. On the other hand, I didn’t take the stuff for all that long either…maybe for a couple weeks and later on only when pain kicked up enough to take one. But wow, getting hooked to the point of needing more dosage and such and the sad stories like posted here…lucky I never went there.
Have had scripts though like muscle relaxers that would put me in slow mo and ditched those quick.

 

[chtampa]

I can hear the convicts yelling, "Sciatica, Sciatica".

 

[Ron H]

My youngest son died the fall of 2020 from long term drug use... He was 36.. Opioids and what ever else for close to 20 years....
What you don't read about is long term drug usage destroys your internal organs.. So even if you clean up, you are not going to shake the damage to your organs.... He was found dead lying on the floor of his apartment with his dog laying next to him.. Dr said his heart wore out....
You don't see many OLD druggies........

Very sorry pard to hear of losing your son. I've read the nightmare stories of addictions and the hell it puts loved ones through and the needless death to those otherwise that should have a long future ahead.

 

[Ron H]

Most intolerable type of pain/FIRE/inflammation for sure, agreed.
Seriously....damn near "check out time" intolerable over the long haul.
Thank God for Gabapentin for me...
As you might imagine though, that "death sentence" stuff means a little something different for me.

Tell ya, I sure got religion on this. I’d hear stories about people suffering from back pain thinking ok, it’s painful; but I hurt my back a number of times over the years. Sure it hurt for a while; but geez thought some might have a lower pain threshold I didn’t have. Well WDF hey! Blow a disk stabbing into the sciatic nerve – talk about hurt! Oly chit. No doubt there are other injuries and illnesses that are as painful or more...just never been there and hope I won't.

 

[Ceedawg]

I keep a good supply of Oxy, Hydro, Soma, Predisone, Meloxicam, morphen and aspirin in the medicine cabinet, some I've had for 25 years. The severity of the pain (can’t walk or sit just lay down on floor) 4 bad disc in the back for 40 years, bad falls, cracked ribs, smashed fingers, knees determines what pill I take. Might go months and not need any, I can walk away from them anytime I want. Never an urge to pop em for the heck of it and they all put me to sleep like a baby. Now I think I have RA so new trip coming for that. But I feel bad for people who do get addicted to these pills.

 

[Kern Dog]

I don't know about that. Most of us on this here forum are old former druggies.

Most?
Not even close.

 

[themechanic]

Most?
Not even close.

Former not currently using. Like he said above, there was a time when guys who went to High School in the 60s and 70s partied a lot.

 

[Outlawd]

It may have just been time for Tom; he may have been called home, job well done

Perfect quote^^^^^
Tom Petty gave us great rock-n-roll music and I love good music. We all got our own thing, our own problems, who the hell cares if he died from an accident or drugs.... you didn't live his life, you didn't have his problems, none of us can judge.....

 

[moparedtn]

As I posted earlier, oxy was great and the nice part was I never felt dulled out by it. On the other hand, I didn’t take the stuff for all that long either…maybe for a couple weeks and later on only when pain kicked up enough to take one. But wow, getting hooked to the point of needing more dosage and such and the sad stories like posted here…lucky I never went there.
Have had scripts though like muscle relaxers that would put me in slow mo and ditched those quick.

Goody powders, generic Advil, generic Aleve - those are all I'll take. Wish I didn't have to mess with any of 'em,
but none of those are addictive.
Not terribly effective either, but they help little bits...

 

[moparedtn]

Former not currently using. Like he said above, there was a time when

SOME

guys who went to High School in the 60s and 70s partied a lot.

Fixed that for you.

 

[Ceedawg]

SOME
Fixed that for you.

Im proud to say I have never in 72 years taken any rec drug.!

 

[Ron H]

Goody powders, generic Advil, generic Aleve - those are all I'll take. Wish I didn't have to mess with any of 'em,
but none of those are addictive.
Not terribly effective either, but they help little bits...

I take ibuprofen maybe two-three times a week; but this stuff as I've read isn't good for you either especially if one enjoys a few beers or drinks. Who knows, some people I know take it all the time and seem to be doing fine yet...I think.

 

[YY1]

There is a lifetime maximum acceptable intake limit for acetaminophen (tylenol). Lifetime!

There is also one for ibuprofin, but it is much greater.

I'm an aspirin guy first, but ibuprofin is second choice.

Those who are popping 2-3 tylenols a couple of times a day should look into it.

 

[Dennis H]

Reserved for special occasions.