"You've got some nerve..."

[rickthecabbie]

"damage going on in your spine. I'm seeing a lot of degeneration, and we are going to have do some major surgery to repair that."

is what the neurosurgeon told me about 6 weeks ago. Long story short, I am now the proud owner of 14 screws, 2 titanium rods,

and a spinal fusion that covers 7 vertebrae. Needless to say, I have been off of work for about 20 days now, off of my feet for the past 16 days,
and off my head with painkillers for the past couple of months.

On the bright side, I can feel my toes again for the first time in years. so I've got that going for me, which is nice.

Anyway, this is a cigar forum, so let's get to the point. What Cuban cigar would you recommend for pairing with high power opioid painkillers ?
Last Tuesday I was able to stay awake all of the way through a fantastic Ramon Allones Small Club Corona, it may have been the pills,
but I would swear that the entire cigar had a fantastic floral note. I would really love to experience that again. Is floral common in the RASCC?
 

Where else might I find a consistent floral undertone?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Rick

P.S. I will not be posting pictures of the incision site, but I will be happy to share the x-ray if anyone is interested.

[dowjr1]

Oh yeah! I want to see that X-ray! We should do a new thread on X-rays.

[SloppyJ]

Careful with the tobacco and the painkillers. Easy way to throw up. 

[Sean3]

Back pain sucks...Good luck with your recovery.

[rickthecabbie]

33 minutes ago, dowjr1 said:

Oh yeah! I want to see that X-ray! We should do a new thread on X-rays.

Right then, here you go.

[BuzzArd]

Sincerely hope it helps.  Can be tough to nail down and eliminate back pain....  That is some nice looking hardware you have there.  

 Best of luck!!

[Habanos2000]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, but I sincerely hope that I'm never behind you at the TSA security check point at the airport!

[LordAnubis]

3 hours ago, dowjr1 said:

Oh yeah! I want to see that X-ray! We should do a new thread on X-rays.

You've seen my avatar right ?

[PapaDisco]

3 hours ago, rickthecabbie said:

What Cuban cigar would you recommend for pairing with high power opioid painkillers ?

Well . . . I'd like to start with, "That damn topic's been covered a hundred times, can't you be courteous enough to first do a search???"   But this one clearly sets a new standard for originality.  

Hmmm . . . opioid . . . hmmm . . . painkiller . . . I'm going to have to go with a 2009 Punch Punch tubo . . . . . . maybe a Lusi?

 

[CaptainQuintero]

Essh glad you're on the mend, sounds like that would be a bit sore!

I can't say much for recommendations apart from one of your favourite.

Maybe ask your doc about setting up a plan for your opioid withdrawal when you have reached the end of your medication. I fractured my sternum earlier this year and was on a high dose of codine phosphate, I think the withdrawal symptoms were genuinely worse than the pain before I took them! If you can get some kind of weening off planned with the doc that may be the biggest piece of advice i could give.

[Ethernut]

10 hours ago, rickthecabbie said:

 

Anyway, this is a cigar forum, so let's get to the point. What Cuban cigar would you recommend for pairing with high power opioid painkillers ?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Rick

P.S. I will not be posting pictures of the incision site, but I will be happy to share the x-ray if anyone is interested.

To answer your first question, my suggestion, is, and quite firmly, "..as many as possible!!" ?

Sounds like a rough journey mate, so glad you can feel your feet! Hang in there!

[rickthecabbie]

2 hours ago, CaptainQuintero said:

If you can get some kind of weening off planned with the doc that may be the biggest piece of advice i could give

I am already on it. The total time weening off these buggers is about 3 weeks. I am already pushing the time between doses out to the limit
of my Dr.s instructions. Having seen up close what opioid dependency can do to people and families, this was one of my top

fears when they told me I was going under the knife. I have a strong team of friends who are not going to let me slip into active addiction,
and a strong willed wife, who is keeping track of the pills, and my pain, so, no worries.
My G.P. is also keeping a sharp eye out for signs of trouble, so although the threat is real, I believe my team and I are up to the task.
I haven't spent the last 11+ years pulling myself out of an alcohol bottle, just to fall into a pill bottle.
All of that being said, thank you so much for your concern, rest assured that your warning does not fall on deaf ears.

[CaptainQuintero]

Great to hear it bro

I never had any mental or psychological cravings; how you imagine it, it was my body which went whacko when I started reducing the dose after just two weeks; muscle shakes, migraines, racing heartbeat, muscle cramps etc

It's really good to hear you have a good team to back you up and make sure your recovery is managed. Fingers crossed you don't get any symptoms, it seems like a crap shoot, but if you do don't worry about them or panic that they are suffering worse, stick with it keep your doc in the loop and they go away 

[Philc2001]

Not that this would have helped @rickthecabbie, but for anyone suffering from compression damage to their spine - please look into the Nubax Trio. 

For reference, I had chronic back pain for 15+ years before insisting on an MRI, which orthopedic surgeon used to confirm I had 3 herniated discs. After proclaiming I was "screwed", he then advised surgery to fuse my vertebrae together to prevent them from compressing any further. At that point I was barely able to walk, I couldn't stand for more than 5-10 minutes, and it would take me 2-3 minutes just to stand up from a sitting position. But I was not willing to submit to surgery before trying other options, and that's how I stumbled into the Nubax Trio.

This device should be standard equipment for people with chronic back aches. For the first 3 months I used it three times daily for 3 minutes each time, morning, noon and before bed time. After 3 months I was walking normal and almost completely pain free. I then scaled back to thrice a week for another 2 months, and the pain was completely gone. I now use it just once or twice a month as a tune up. But the difference has been incredible. Not just pain free and able to walk completely normal, but it allowed me to start jogging again two years ago and I can now run 5 miles non-stop at an average pace of 8-9 minutes per mile. Unfortunately, due to tarsal tunnel syndrome I only run every couple of weeks now, otherwise my feet go numb, so I do elliptical and treadmill running regularly. But if it wasn't for the Nubax, I really think I would have had the surgery by now.

I hope this helps some of you. I sure wish there was someone who had suggested it to me 20 years ago. Good luck.

[Johanski]

Noting like some oxycontin and a CORO! Plpc also goes well with opioids.

[rickthecabbie]

1 hour ago, Johanski said:

Noting like some oxycontin and a CORO! Plpc also goes well with opioids.

Good call Johanski I don't have any PC's but I have a box of PL Panatelas that I have been resting since May.
The caramel in still really light in these, but the overall flavor is really good, and it did help with displacing the bitterness left

behind by the medicine. 80/100
a few more months will probably improve that score, still, for the price, well worth the time.