>If you factor in trouble with spine, oestrogen controlled prostate cancer sapping residues of testosterone backed willpower and some of the control kids learn before school as well as trouble with 3rd set of teeth making even eating unenjoyable every third month on top of the realization that most of the time memory won't come up again... Or to say it with the stones: what a drag it is getting old - overdosed 8 years ago with nonprescription and prescription pain killers - not as a suicide attempt, but just to relieve some of the physical pain nagging from nearly everywhere.
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>I certainly understand the desire to relieve debilitating pain. Until last year I used to be very active - played tennis, skied, worked out for 2-3 hours a day . Now I have such terrible pain in my legs that some days I can barely walk. Like you say - what a drag it is getting old.

Anecdote is not data - but if the pain in the legs correlates with stenosis of the spine pressing on some nerves, micro-chirurgic widening of the canal was one thing tried only after lots of less intruding measures that helped in a particular case. In hindsight should have been tried sooner here, even if no problems stemmed from operation. IAC best wishes to get better / at least over that hump next year.

regards

thomas