[John Rogers]

I was at the range yesterday working on powder loads for my latest slug gun and two spots to the left of me was a fellow shooting practice for the high power matches. He had a shooting mat laid out, very nice rifle that was in 6.5 and when he would get up from firing his string in the prone position he groaned so loud I could heat him over the other shooters!

So when we had a cease fire I asked him what was wrong and he said all his joints and muscles hurt very badly and with the moving around it got worse and worse! I told him that sounded like me but now that I am taking Lyrica the joint and muscle pain have just about gone away completely. I did say that my doctor checked on me every couple due to the pretty bad side effects that this med can have on some people and so far all was well and in fact so well I have won several of our muzzle loader matches this year.

He said he doesn't take meds for anything and I was really surprised! He said his religion was against that sort of thing and God wouldn't like it and so on. I did not get on his case about the religion but did say that the same God also made the people who developed the medicines (big pharmas aside in the end) and they had mostly good intentions for what they did. Of course those are my opinions I guess and told him I felt sorry he was having to suffer while enjoying what he wanted to do. He had been on the US Army shooting team many years ago and wanted to carry on and his Ranger training had made him "tough"! I said my Navy training had made me a wimp who could not stand pain and that gave him a good laugh. I doubt he'll change and I feel sorry he is making himself suffer like this.

What do you guys, especially old timers who use or do not use the meds to help you get through life think about this issue? Oh yeah, the pain I have is what made me sell the 914-6 vintage race car as I felt I was not safe any longer?