Miss J

I suffer from chronic, severe low back pain. At its worst, it radiates across my lower back, to my hips and around to the front of my hips. I have tried injections. They didn't work. Acupuncture worked but I can no longer afford it. I do self-acupressure and it helps but isn't enough when the pain is at its worst. My doctor just keeps telling me to take pain pills but I hate taking them and being tired and loopy. I have friends that suffer from chronic pain and smoke medical marijuana and it helps them. I would qualify for my medical marijuana permit but hate how I feel when I smoke it. I've heard there are other forms that are effective but do not know what they are. Hoping to hear from others who have used one that was effective.

Leaving for a camping trip and ordered all gear ahead of time. To my dismay, I ordered the wrong charger. I accidentally ordered one for the Acer Chromebook and it doesn't fit. Need to find one fast!

Setting out on a road trip. Will be in the northeastern states for a few months, then to the southeastern states, and will make stops in the central and western states before returning home. We enjoy nature. Planning to visit mountains, waterfalls, caves, etc. Prefer to spend most of our time in areas of less (or little) tourism. What places have you been that you recommend and how can we find them?

I inherited an old Briggs and Stratton Dynamow, model 329 with the house I recently bought. I don't know how old it is but from what I see, I'd guess at least 30 years, possibly older. I'm guessing it was built either in the 60's or early 70's. It seems to be in decent shape but would like to know if it has any value before I decide what to do with it.

Due to my very poor credit, I do not qualify for bank loans, MSHDA, HUD, or Rural Development loans. I am a home owner in a rural county with no other services. I put all my savings into fixing one major problem only to immediately have a second major problem which revealed a third major problem. If anything exists for disabled homeowners with credit scores under 500, please share. Thank you.

I have a Chromebook with Windows 8. There are only 2 USB ports and I now need more if possible. If it is possible, what do I need to purchase and what do I need to do. I am not tech savvy so please explain it to me like you're explaining it to a child. Thanks in advance.

My neighbor has recently lost everything and our community is trying to help the family get back on their feet. Someone was able to give the family an older car to get by in our rural area until they can get back on their feet. She is the only driver in the family, is quite large and discovered the seat belt does not fit around her. She had to drive today with no seat belt on and I wondered what would happen if she were pulled over. Would she still get a ticket? Or would a ticket be a matter of discrimination in this case? Please do not reply with rude comments about weight. She is ill, with a disabled husband at home, and children and the medication she must be on to save her life is known to cause weight gain. So, let's not let this be the issue. I am concerned about this from a legal standpoint and hope to receive some guidance on that. I would hate to see this too be another burden for this family to bare.

I am considering purchasing a travel trailer and spending some time traveling. The only RV parks/camps that I have seen (which aren't many), the RVs and travel trailers have been closely squeezed in side by side. I have two rescue dogs who would not do well in that environment and I am wondering if parks/camps exist that you can rent a larger site with more privacy. I would be traveling throughout the US so any state is appropriate. If you are aware of such a park/camp, please share the name of it, the city and state it is in and website if you have it. Thank you!

I've had this pigtail palm plant (miniature tree) for many years. It has no flowers and has never attracted any kind of bug. Since I'm in Michigan, I keep it indoors through the cold season and put it outdoors for the warm season. I put it outdoors last week but then it turned cold so I moved it back indoors. Today, I put it out on my front porch and about an hour later I went out to do something and notice little black things sitting on the leaves. As I went closer, I saw they were some kind of small bee/hornet/wasp? and they swarmed as I approached. There were hundreds of the little buggers! Does anyone know why all of a sudden I have these and how I can get rid of them without harming my plant? I'm terribly allergic to bee stings and having them just outside my front door is not at all good.

I have a rescue dog who is a lab/hound mix. Due to his physique and personality, I have been convinced that the hound in him is Saluki. However, he can also be intensely fierce, which Saluki's are not known for. His favorite "game" is to claim possession over some favorite thing (bone, toy, stick) and guard it fiercely. He will engage you to try to touch it but gets so intense he seems to forget its play and becomes extremely aggressive, to the point of biting if he feels you're to close. He also guards his kennel, home, and people fiercely. Is there a breed of hound that is known for this "guarding"? I'd like to learn more in case I've been wrong about him being lab/Saluki. Understanding the breed(s) of a dog can help tremendously with training and choosing appropriate play.

I have spent years working with my physician, physical therapist and podiatrist attempting to correct severe plantar fasciitis. It continued to worsen and the tendon further damaged. A couple days ago, it ruptured. It is extremely painful! Of course my podiatrist is pushing surgery but that is simply not an option for me right now as I am a full-time caregiver for my mother going through the process of a bone marrow transplant. I have heard there are ways to stabilize and let the tendon heal on it's own but am having difficulty finding out exactly how. I have been wearing a full-length boot that had been helping with pain at least. But, since the rupture it is not so effective. One of the problems is that it is heavy and when I pick up my foot, it pulls creating more pain. I'm sure there is a different kind of brace available that would better stabilize the ankle but don't know exactly what. Internet searching pulls up tons of different kinds. I do use acupressure to control inflammation as well as ice when I can sit down long enough. Unfortunately, staying off of it is not an option due to the caregiving situation. If you are a medical professional or an individual who has successfully recovered from a ruptured Achilles tendon without surgery, please share any information you can with me.

If you have had Extracorporeal Shock Therapy for Plantar Fasciitis, how did it work for you, were there any negative side effects, and, if you were happy with your results, where did you have it done? I am considering this treatment as an option instead of surgery and would like to hear from some people who've actually had it done, rather than ad testimonials.

One of my dogs started developing small lumps and bumps years ago. Until the last few months, they were small. It started with a mole on his back that grew. Vet said it was okay though. Then he developed a cyst about the size of a quarter on his belly. Vet said that was okay too, probably just a benign cyst. Then he developed another one on his belly. Vet said the same thing. Over the last few months he has developed two large lumps (size of a small fist) just to the side of his spine. He has shown no signs of pain or illness so I haven't felt a need to rush him to the vet. I am due to take both dogs in next month for vaccinations anyway so had planned to just have the vet recheck him then. However, this weekend I noticed two more large and one more small lump developing on his belly. It is the large ones that have me very concerned in addition to the fact that these are now developing rapidly. All of the lumps and bumps are hard, not soft or oozing anything. Both my canine companions are 8 years old now and with the new rapid growth and the size of the large lumps/bumps, I am scared to death that the vet may have been wrong early on and it may be cancer. (I've lost several pets over the years due to various types of cancer. Seems to be more common in domestic animals now.) Again, he shows no signs of discomfort at all. He remains his usual mischievous self with no lack of energy or motivation. If you have experience with a dog/dogs that have had similar lumps and bumps, I'd like to hear from you any other ailments that may cause these other than cancer. I want to prepare myself as much as possible (with education and emotionally) for the next vet appointment since it would seem she was wrong on this one. Are you familiar with any other canine conditions that could cause such growths?

I have relocated and need to find a new primary care physician. I prefer a female, can be an MD or DO, in Michigan, that incorporates holistic practices with western medicine. I am specifically looking for one that focuses on finding the root cause of problems, not just treating symptoms. Cities within a hour and a half drive from my location include Grand Rapids, Muskegon, Mt. Pleasant, and Big Rapids. If you are familiar with a physician meeting these preferences that you would recommend and is located in or near one of the areas listed, please reply with the physician's name and contact info. If there is a corresponding web page, that info. would be much appreciated as well.

I have been struggling with a condition for nearly three years now that no one seems how to treat effectively where I live and it continually grows worse. It started out with years of nickle to quarter shaped abscesses. My primary said it was because I am overweight. Then I got a huge one that had to be surgically drained. My primary didn't culture it and said I'm just not getting clean enough. A few months later another one became very large and again had to be surgically drained. I insisted my primary care physician culture the second one. She did and called to say I have a colon infection and there is no way to pinpoint the cause of the infection. She sent me to one surgeon who didn't feel she could help me. Then she sent me to a colo-rectal surgeon who also couldn't help me. After the first huge abscess, I started bleeding frequently from my rectum. It has increased in severity to the point that I bleed through my clothes. The colo-rectal surgeon's nurse, when I called the first time it was this severe, just said that is normal and it happens to a lot of people. (I find that hard to believe.) These abscesses make me very ill: fever, nausea, fatigue, severe diarrhea. My primary will prescribe antibiotics if I call her when I get an abscess. Unfortunately, the abscesses come in multiples now in various places on my body and come frequently. I stopped calling for antibiotics as every round of antibiotics made me horribly sick: nausea, fatigue and severe diarrhea and only helped for less than a week before abscesses started appearing again and then I'd be sick from the abscesses. I am sick most of the time now and can't seem to get any answers. I'm wondering if any licensed medical practitioners out there can give me any ideas of what I may possibly be dealing with and what measures I could take to find out, in layman's terms. I've tried doing my own research and see a lot of maybes but again, without any real way to find out. Between being incredibly sick most of the time, weak from dehydration and blood loss, and frustrated by my attempts to research on my own, I am desperate for some direction.