Quote:
Originally Posted by MandiePoo
Thanks for your input, everyone 
Just as reference - opiates, for me - are an EMERGENCY option for me EXTREMELY infrequently. As I mentioned before, I do have a low-dose codeine plan in place for the times where it's just not sensible, OR healthy to continue in that much pain (the last time I was in that much pain I also had to have my blood pressure medicated as it shot up from the stress - another issue I've had). But opiates on a regular basis are simply not an option at this time for me - I was an IV drug user. And a bad one - I almost died twice - all of this occurred due to me meeting a man when I was in a vulnerable space - and him turning out to also be an IV drug user. I started with pain pills and it severely escalated through reasons that were my own fault, and also for the prementioned reason - and also because my doctor ramped me up to 30mg of dilaudid a day in four months (which is insane, in ANY regard). That's another story for another time - but I just wanted to clarify that in an emergency - yes, I will take opiates - but the situation needs to be extremely controlled. Preferably, I pick up a single dose at a time or see my doc for an injection at the hospital she works at - the less time the drugs spend in my hands, the better.
As a gesture of honesty - mostly I use marijuana to resolve pain. This is because I can quite literally pick marijuana up and drop it at a moments notice - and also because when I smoke too much marijuana I literally feel sick lol. I'm in the process of getting my card with my doctor AND counselor agreement right now The way my doctor sees it is that the MAYBE half a joint I smoke a day OCCASIONALLY (Through a vaporizer, I might add - though I'm considering switching to cannabis oil eaten) is much better than the 90mg of dilaudid I was injecting, and I agree.
In effect - both of you are right But I'd really not want this to become a debate over opiates and pain patients - I value what both of you are saying and I agree with BOTH of your standpoints 
I have started doing morning mindfulness meditation again to calm myself - and no improvement yet but I plan to give it time. I have another doctors appointment next week - they are planning on doing an MRI, and more XRAYS - and now I have to have an ultrasound because I have a hard lump in my upper left abdomen ( could be spleen she thought, I thought maybe kidney as I've had issues with it before).
Just a lot going on. |
I think you are doing a lot of right things Mandie. I am not teasing you with information I keep talking about I just need to post some more so I can post some links. I will tell you one of the thing we know now about pain is that it comes from your brain ( i can link you to plenty of research and science that demonstrates this). Your back may be the "trigger" initially but chronic pain ( pain >6months) usually has very little to do with the initial source of your pain. One reason why this is important for you to know is that because your brain in the source of a lot of the pain your are feeling it becomes the part of your body that you need to retrain in order to improve your pain. This doesn't mean that you necessarily need psychotherapy, your brain is effected by everyday activities that you perform without you knowing it. One of the multiple reasons why I am against long term us of opiates, alcohol and marijuana is they impair some of your brain's functionality. This is one way that it probably helps relieve some of your pain, but it can also limit some of your ability to recover. So while I understand they you may need them from time to time to function short term controlled use is less likely to impair your ability to recover than long term. I understand that some people may need some long term use in order to function but the goal should remain to get off of these medications at some point. Again this is an opinion but it is one backed by a lot of research and science.
One bit on mediation and mindfulness. You don't have to necessarily take time out to do it. You can also perform mindful exercises during normal daily and activity such as eating, exercising or even reading a message board. Focus on all that is going on to make these activities possible and enjoyable. Appreciate how amazing your body and mind actually are and all the little things that need to happen in order to perform that simplest task. It can be very beneficial for your system to become just as (if not more) sensitive to positive stimuluses as it has become sensitive to those negative stimuluses.
-Chrain