# Pain...and Accuracy



## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

(I have posted this question on a couple of other forums, so it may already be familiar to you.)

After a hiatus of almost an entire year, Jean has started shooting again. It amazes me, how well she remembers all that she had previously learned.
Since we had time and the sun was shining this past Friday, we set up a couple of targets and reviewed her technique.
Since I had also not been practicing as often as I should, I, too, made use of the targets.

Surprise! Jean outshot me. My wife the beginner shot the proverbial rings around me.
Not only that, but also my hands felt as if they'd been beaten with a sledge-hammer!

My arthritis affects me most just before a major weather change, and on Saturday evening, the rain came. Late Saturday evening, my hands felt just fine again. It was so sudden a change that it seemed as if by magic.
Although I hadn't realized it, I had been experiencing massive symptoms of my arthritis on Friday. The "sledge-hammer effect" was the last of them.

I don't always feel pain symptoms, that is until they interfere with some practical task I'm attempting to do. I was unaware of the pain I was feeling until I began shooting...and missing. Badly.
Had I been in a life-or-death defensive situation, I would have lost the fight. That's how strong the effect was.

I suggest that those of you with arthritis symptoms like mine need to explore ways of overcoming pain when it appears unexpectedly.
Pain makes your grip weak. It interferes with trigger control. It makes you miss.
The only solution that has occurred to me is to get closer to the target! I would have to charge at the bad guy, and hold my fire until when I was up close and personal. Get closer, and peripheral hits show up closer to the center of mass. (It's an angular problem.)

I'd like to hear from other arthritis sufferers: What do you do when the pain strikes and makes you miss? How do you get your hits?


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## Packard (Aug 24, 2010)

What kind of arthritis do you have? Some are more treatable than others.

I have psoriatic arthritis and it is treatable by suppressing the immune system. This does not require any pain medication. The immune system is attacking my joints in error. By suppressing the immune system we are able to stop the arthritis.

Not all types of arthritis can be addressed this way. But if yours is the type that can, it can mean leading an almost pain-free life.

The two types that I am aware of are rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. If your doctor is not specifying which type you are suffering from, then ask him to be specific.

Note: Embrel (taken along with methotrexate) is a very expensive treatment. Your insurance company may balk (or may find it cheaper to pay a hit man to kill you rather than pay for the meds). They may put pressure on the prescribing doctors not to suggest the treatment, and they may fight you over whether you qualify or not. Find a rheumatologist that has the balls to stand up to the insurance company.

The cost of the meds and the checkups with the doctor will exceed $30,000.00 per year. So you want the insurance company to pay for the treatments.


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## TedDeBearFrmHell (Jul 1, 2011)

while i am not arthritic, i too am coming to a point in my life where age and infirmity is turning the bulletproof man of my youth into a "less than" superhero. 

i have diabetes that is uncontrolled and has tried to kill me once already this year.... i was bedridden for 6 months already and have finally been released by my doctor to get up and around. i am gimpy but mobile now. i have neuropathy in my hands and feet .....and failing sight brought on by the diabetes. ( luckily i still have very good vision in my dominant left eye)

on occasion i have noticed my grip has weekened and one day i am sure that i will not be able to rack the slide of my p6 or my 92...... when that day comes i will sell them and i will start carrying a wheel gun. 

as for getting closer to the bad guy...... i was trained early on to "advance to the battle".... so i will be doing that anyway. 

youre not alone steve


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*Packard* and *Ted*;
Thanks for the support.
Evidently I suffer from osteoarthritis, which is, essentially, untreatable except for pain-alleviating medication. However, thanks to Jean having been a teacher who worked for a huge school system, we have, in retirement, excellent medical and prescription-medication insurance. Normally, Celebrex does the job, and at a reasonable cost, too.
But during the spring and the fall, when the weather is constantly changing, I frequently suffer agonizingly, as I described in my original post. Now that our rainy season has begun, I'll be OK because the weather won't change much or often.

My request for advice and dialog has to do with the agony I experience, occasioned by changing weather.

Let the conversation continue, please.

P.S.: *Ted*, make sure that you and your physician pay very close, continuing attention to your extremities. They have caused diabetic friends no end of serious difficulties.


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## TedDeBearFrmHell (Jul 1, 2011)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> P.S.: *Ted*, make sure that you and your physician pay very close, continuing attention to your extremities. They have caused diabetic friends no end of serious difficulties.


been a diabetic for about 20 years now and a toe infection nearly took my leg.... and that is with me doing daily inspections.... thanks for the comments tho , shows you pay attention to what information is given huh?


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## Packard (Aug 24, 2010)

TedDeBearFrmHell said:


> while i am not arthritic, i too am coming to a point in my life where age and infirmity is turning the bulletproof man of my youth into a "less than" superhero.
> 
> i have diabetes that is uncontrolled and has tried to kill me once already this year.... i was bedridden for 6 months already and have finally been released by my doctor to get up and around. i am gimpy but mobile now. i have neuropathy in my hands and feet .....and failing sight brought on by the diabetes. ( luckily i still have very good vision in my dominant left eye)
> 
> ...


An interesting story about diabetes.

I knew a guy who had diabetes, high blood pressure, and a problem with his gall bladder (and a huge weight issue too).

The doctors wanted to remove his gall bladder, but they first wanted to get his blood pressure and diabetes stabilized. They were not able to do so before removing the gall bladder became critical. So they went ahead with the operation.

Post op: His blood pressure immediately stabilized and his diabetes was easily put under control.

Over the next several months his weight went down, he no longer needed his blood pressure meds, and eventually he was able to control the diabetes by diet alone.

The doctors tell him that the gall baldder has no effect on either blood pressure or diabetes. He claims otherwise.

No part of your body operates independant of the rest of your body. You never know when you might find the trigger that allows you to control your diabetes.

On the plus side of this conversation I was thinking of a new franchise opportunity: Hit men for medical insurance companies. I cost my insurance company something north of $30,000.00 per year. Based on a family history I can expect to live another 25 years or so. That would be $750,000.00 over my lifetime. So paying a hit man $30,000.00 or $60,000.00 would make sense from a yield on investment point of view. Two or three contracts a year would tide me over. (Of course they might want to have me make a hit on myself--a nasty proposition.)


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Packard said:


> ...No part of your body operates independant of the rest of your body...


Amen, brother!



Packard said:


> On the plus side of this conversation I was thinking of a new franchise opportunity: Hit men for medical insurance companies. I cost my insurance company something north of $30,000.00 per year. Based on a family history I can expect to live another 25 years or so. That would be $750,000.00 over my lifetime. So paying a hit man $30,000.00 or $60,000.00 would make sense from a yield on investment point of view. Two or three contracts a year would tide me over. (Of course they might want to have me make a hit on myself--a nasty proposition.)


:anim_lol: :anim_lol: :anim_lol:
If you work it out with a few insurers, please let me know.
I'm looking for useful part-time employment.
(Of course, they might ask us to make hits on each other...)


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

Steve feel for you, pain is no fun. As far as your pistol you may want to consider a Beretta .32 Tomcat with Corbon +p's or Fiocchi's or perhaps a .380 with the flip up barrel design. If it comes to a point you can't rack the slide w/o discomfort these are fine options. Perhaps a pistol with a lighter trigger pull may help likewise. I suppose Washington State's weather can reak havoc for those with chronic arthritis.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Actually, the problem is a pain-weakened grip and the resulting lack of recoil control.
Racking the slide isn't an issue, but the stiff DA trigger of my pocket piece certainly is. Maybe I'll need to carry a SA semi-auto, for instance one of my 1911s.


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

Well that's good news about the slide issue. I was first going to suggest a 1911 SA as well, at least you won't have the stiff trigger pull to contend with.


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## Packard (Aug 24, 2010)

These are all probably practice issues. In a real event, in all probability, your adrenaline will pump high and you won't notice the pain (until tomorrow).


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

A couple of other people on another forum suggested the same thing, Packard.
I hope that all of you are right.

Bee-sting therapy was also suggested, since it's a local-anesthetic solution to a local problem.
I'm going to speak to our physician about it.


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## jframe (Apr 3, 2009)

My doctor recommended Tylonel Arthritis. I must be cautious about what I take as there are so many other medications that conflict. I take it on the way to the range and have no ill effects after shooting. Usually have lots of pain after shooting small caliber guns.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Since I already take one NSAID (Celebrex), I have to be extremely careful when adding another medication, even for brief episodes.
Bad advice from a physician (not our present one, I hasten to add) on that very subject has already caused me abdominal surgery, since the "cocktail" of medications he thoughtlessly recommended caused sufficient corrosion to form a hole in my stomach.
I won't go that route again!


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## Packard (Aug 24, 2010)

I take up to three naproxen sodium tabs per day. Any more than that and I run the risk of bleeding ulcers. The stuff works pretty well. But mostly I am dealing with the damage to the joints that occured while my insurance company refused to approve the use of the immune surpresssing drugs. If the insurance company had not fought so long (8 months) to deprive me of the drugs I would likely be completely pain-free now.

My doctor says that they fight every time. If they can stall by 8 months they save about $24,000.00.

At any rate the naproxen sodium words well and is available over the counter. There are some risks using it, so I have to be careful not to over-dose.


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## rgrundy (Jul 16, 2011)

I've suffered from arthritis for years and have some severe problems with it. My elbows were repaired from damage to the tendons (the roughness cuased wear and swelling) and the medial nerves transplanted away from my funny bone. Cubital release with a medial nerve transplant. I still shoot master class in the steel shoot though. I had my hand spasm and could not control the 45 during a shoot and had to quit a few years ago and I've gone to a 9mm. I take naproxen for the pain and swelling. I still carry a 45 on the good days but I can always handle the 9mm because it doesn't hammer me and cause swelling. I just keep moving and exercising so I don't set up like slow drying cement. The doctors said years ago that I was just paying the price for the beating I took when I was young and immortal and I was tough enough to live for years so I'd better get used to it. Capsaisin cream helps too.


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## DanP_from_AZ (May 8, 2009)

rgrundy said:


> . . . The doctors said years ago that I was just paying the price for the beating I took when I was young and immortal and I was tough enough to live for years so I'd better get used to it. . .


Yep. Racing motorcycles is coming home to roost at age 69.
Enduros and hare scrambles from 1967 to 1980.
Motocross from 1972 to 1995.
It's not from all the "old broken bones" sites. 
It's just the expected "normal" wear and tear on all the abused and overloaded joints.
Humans are really only designed to last to age 30. Or until reproduction happens. Take your pick. :mrgreen:


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