For those interested..

[Blaze]

Hello folks. I wanted to give a little update on why I have been away recently.

As many of you know and some of you may not, I broke my neck in 2007 and have suffered with chronic pain since then. Imagine a combination of toothache and severe cramp from back of skull down to shoulder. The only pain medication that worked made me almost a zombie, so I stopped taking it in favour of being able to function. My neck has deteriorated and pain worsened over the last year or so and I therefore had an X-Ray. The results have shown:

Degenerative changes C4/C5 with disc height reduction.
Bone spurs C4/C5, C5/C6, and C6/C7.

I have gone back on the zombie medication, but at a lower dose, and after almost 20 years of pain, it is like someone has flicked a switch. I still feel a bit trippy at times and my train of thought gets derailed occasionally, but at least I have an excuse for that now! 

Should be back to playing more regularly after a weekend away.

Love you guys and gals.

[jumper]

Take care of you bud.

[AbuXI]

Feel for you bros ....

[SnullerDk]

just take care Blaze

 

[Totty]

Take care mate

[NinjaBazZa]

You take care mate

[BlackRose]

have you looked into cbd creams and gummies?? no you dont get high. I use them daily with great succsess,, I dont have it as bad as you but its worth a try!!

[Blaze]

1 minute ago, BlackRose said:

have you looked into cbd creams and gummies?? no you dont get high. I use them daily with great succsess,, I dont have it as bad as you but its worth a try!!

I was going to request medicinal cannibis if the meds were no good this time around. Honestly, it would probably be the preferred option due to lack of negative side effects.

[BlackRose]

1 minute ago, Blaze said:

I was going to request medicinal cannibis if the meds were no good this time around. Honestly, it would probably be the preferred option due to lack of negative side effects.

if you can get the weed go for it

 

[TBB]

Take care  

[ROCKAPE]

Speedy recovery mate.

[Ruggerxi]

Take care buddy and I will be freezing you soon the servers. 

 

[RobMc]

On 7/15/2026 at 1:45 PM, Blaze said:

I still feel a bit trippy at times and my train of thought gets derailed occasionally, but at least I have an excuse for that now! 

That's why you fit in well my boy, sorry to hear your troubles, get well soon from Rob, who incidentally is also struggling at times.

[MikeB]

What meds are you on if i may ask.  I have had three cervical fusions and have chronic pain, nubness, etc.   Been down the same road.  Different pain meds. Med Mj too.  Nothing seems to help for long, or not at all.  

[Blaze]

23 hours ago, RobMc said:

That's why you fit in well my boy, sorry to hear your troubles, get well soon from Rob, who incidentally is also struggling at times.

Struggling in game or in life? Either way, shoot me a message if you want to chat. I think  I have put my number on here before, always available to talk to someone who needs an ear. 07891636426. 

[Blaze]

5 minutes ago, MikeB said:

What meds are you on if i may ask.  I have had three cervical fusions and have chronic pain, nubness, etc.   Been down the same road.  Different pain meds. Med Mj too.  Nothing seems to help for long, or not at all.  

Gabapentin. It's originally an epilepsy drug, but they found it helps with neuropathic pain. If you have pain from spinal injury/surgery, it might be right for you. It was genuinely like someone realised they had left the pain switch on and switched it off for me. I still get old man aches, but the chronic pain from a pinched nerve (is what I have always suspected was the cause) is just turned off.

[MikeB]

26 minutes ago, Blaze said:

Gabapentin. It's originally an epilepsy drug, but they found it helps with neuropathic pain. If you have pain from spinal injury/surgery, it might be right for you. It was genuinely like someone realised they had left the pain switch on and switched it off for me. I still get old man aches, but the chronic pain from a pinched nerve (is what I have always suspected was the cause) is just turned off.

Yep, the old Gabapentin (generic name) or Neurontin.  Was on 800mg three times a day for years.  Ive been on Vicodin, Gabapentin, Hydromorphone, etc..    Spent 20 plus like you on different meds.  I went off Gabapentin years ago due to same side effects as you.    Vicodin helped for years too, but you build up a tolerance to it.  Went off all for years like you, but the older I get the worse it has become.  Now Im having lower back issues. L4,5,6 and S1 are fubar.  They want to fuse that area, but I do not want to.  I have experienced the bad side of fusions with my neck results.  And at my age, I do not think my results will be good.   Shots in the lower back help, but are not a long term fix.  I go in next week for two shots in the back.  I may ask my pain Dr. to put me back on Gabapentin to see if it helps.  

[Blaze]

25 minutes ago, MikeB said:

Yep, the old Gabapentin (generic name) or Neurontin.  Was on 800mg three times a day for years.  Ive been on Vicodin, Gabapentin, Hydromorphone, etc..    Spent 20 plus like you on different meds.  I went off Gabapentin years ago due to same side effects as you.    Vicodin helped for years too, but you build up a tolerance to it.  Went off all for years like you, but the older I get the worse it has become.  Now Im having lower back issues. L4,5,6 and S1 are fubar.  They want to fuse that area, but I do not want to.  I have experienced the bad side of fusions with my neck results.  And at my age, I do not think my results will be good.   Shots in the lower back help, but are not a long term fix.  I go in next week for two shots in the back.  I may ask my pain Dr. to put me back on Gabapentin to see if it helps.  

So a combo of gabapentin and 500mg naproxen and I am fucking golden! Feel like a fresh teenager again!

[RobMc]

This is absolutely true:-

Spent a month in intensive care and another 5 months in 3 other hospitals. In the normal hospitals I was in there was always a druggy or alco on the ward, 6 beds. They were JEALOUS of the drugs I was on for pain ffs, the strongest morphine 3 times a day, Gabapentin, Naproxen , another I can't remember and even Paracetamol, I loved hospital , came off them all when discharged and I just put up with it.

Anyway to the point, they decided some or all of the pain was in the mind and assigned me a psychologist. My God she was to die for, drop dead gorgeous, sat beside me and held my hand, thought I was in heaven.

First session, told me to close my eyes (a shame) and put on some soothing music, told me I was in a wood with flowers, bees and bears, imagine strolling through it.

Second day she held my hand, on goes the music and I'm back in the woods with the bunnies and squirrels, can you see the bears she says?, no I replied. Are you sure she says?, absolutely I reply, why is that she says?, because I shot them yesterday, music goes off and she drops my hand.

Third day, we'll try again, music goes on and I'm walking through the woods, what animals do you see she asks, none I reply they're running away. Running away?? she asks, are they scared? you'll bet they are I said, got the first deer with a double lung shot at 100 yards, swapped to the 12 gauge and got both the hares. OMG you're not supposed to kill them????????????

What a fool am I ??? never saw her again