I fought like crazy for pain management

Yes, I fought forever for good pain management and now that I had it I am removing myself. Actually have w/drawn from neurontin and from the methadone. That said I take methadone PRN. Last three days not good at site of old back fracture. Need to rest reclined more and take tylenol regularly to help get under control.

It feels kinda like I am shooting self in foot but here is the thing.s

1. When I take meds as prescribed and have some intense new pain such as the sciatica when it got unbearable a few months back I had to use the ER which I detest. I detest that 10 plus pain even more. So the hope is to have meds enough on hand to kick the pain w/out hospital.

2. I am tired of being vulnerable to doc's whims and moods. One doc told me to double on meds and primary would not give more after fall bout so I ended up needing to miss doses.

3. The combination of all the meds has made me gain a LOT of weight despite my terrible habit of not eating.

4. I feel sharper now.

I am doing herbs and vits and am drinking a lot of water and am even starting to eat at least 2x per day. It is funny that now that I have been eating, about 5 days, I feel hunger and I never have felt hunger much. Think I turned that off as a child.

I had a car accident in summer, totalled vehicle and it was due to sleepiness. I feel more alert now.

Pain in my back is coming back, it's been four hours since last methadone. But pain seems more bearable to me, even if it's a 6 now I am not worried because I know I can take whatever I need to to make it stop. Make sense?

I wish I had money for accupuncture and massage. Bummer.

Makes a lot of sense.

I wish some kind patron would set up a resort for us all so we could get massage and acupuncture and other help. Yummy meals too.

oh hon I hate the pain! I would give anything to be painfree for even a day! I feel for you hon.

I can commiserate...I can hardly remember what it was like to be pain free...maybe highschool. So very long ago...God, if I could only feel that way again! I am here, and daily my body throbs and feels like my body is one giant nerve...like a tooth needing a root canal. mel

Yes, pain can be so disabling. I guess I feel like I am complaining and then not cooperating with physicians. Actually, they do not know I am doing this. I will let them know when the time is right.

I have no pain today. I am high from the drugs as I had to take a handful, and I have no pain. Happy dance. Can't keep my eyes open eithar but it's good once in a while.

i wish i had meds to do that. i have been stressing more and more the past two days and my body effectively shutting down and crying foul with every movement, the screeching of my muscles and joints and head and eyes and left side of brain feels like it is gonna ooze out of my eye and ear and and and...the more pain the more depression the more self pity and self hatred and it is just a vicious circle huh?? When can I get off the merry-go-round? When? How? Oh well, it is another day that was filled with good intentions thrown to the wayside...melanie

(((WW))) DO NOT DO THIS BY YOURSELF! Please, call your doctor and tell him you want off the medication, and allow the MD to help wean you off. Self dosing methadone, rather than taking it on a regular basis is NOT the way to do good pain management, sorry.

The plasma elimination half-life of methadone is 8 to 59 hours. I suspect that you still need it for pain management, because it's working so well.

You may need an antiinflamatory and physical therapy when the sciatica acts up. That is nerve pain to the severest level, and pain meds often don't help it, just zone someone out.

I hope your birthday was a good one!

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Thanks Sky, yes I have been careless last three days but I have been off methadone almost totally exclusively for 2 months. I will not be careless anymore. On the dose I was on, 5 mg 3x daily plus 3600 of neurontin I was still constantly in pain. I am starting P.t again on 1st and getting new tens then. So I am getting help. I have not been responsible with methadone for three days but I think I also have not caused a danger zone.

Thanks for the birthday wishes. It was a fine birthday. Better then most.

consulting with state's best palliative care physician today. I used to share clients with her. However, her message to me earlier was not promising but I have a long story. This chronic pain from sciatica is unbearable and I need a firm place to start from. I am doing a lot of herbs and natural remedies. I am tired of side-effects. (narcotics) and tired of them not working well. I need to feel free from pain!!!!!!

Okay, this has been a long journey for me. I think that very few doctors are good at pain management. They are afraid and they want an X ray or something to guide them in treating patients. They are reluctant to treat pain properly for a variety of reasons.

I believe that one needs a pain management doc and a regular Doc. I also think that we need a whole lot more pain management specialists.

Chronic pain has no place in the E.R. Docs are so afraid to adequately treat pain that we end up there just as we are most unable to advocate for ourselves.

I hate being dependent on rotten docs. Or even good docs. I want to know how to treat my own pain. I want to know when to start and how far to go.

I want to never have to depend on a doctor for pain management.

Hope this all makes sense. Best I can do for now.

Oh God yes I know how you feel!!!! I am afraid my old doctors resented me for researching things and asking about them and forcing tests...so this time around I am acting like I don't know medical terminology...the whole wide-eyed, poor innocent me routine when I want to scream I KNOW what I need and want but it don't matter. Dr's hate being told what is wanted and needed from a patient...so much for advocating for yourself...I don't know everything, not by a long shot, but I have lots of time and I research a lot. o n that's why e.r. department is avoided at all costs...last timei went for leg pain and cried for a week before breaking down and admitting I couldnt handle it anymore, I mean not even a sheet could touch my leg without me crying out. I was pumped full of demerol and morphine, one or the other every 1/2 hr for hours with no fluids or food since my sugars were 'high'...it didnt matter that I hadnt eaten in days cause of the pain and I ended up more ill than when i went in...oh well, can't win for losing....~melanie

WW nice and carefully, i am sorry you are hurting...i wish i could take it away from ya...

I'm lucky because my doctor has two nurse practioners who can prescribe too and they're much easier to talk to and have a broader view of things. I think my doctor is too hurried and wants "interesting" patients rather than chronic ones or ones that don't improve or have a different agenda from him (that would be me :-)

uggghhh, alas, something has to change and it may be my doctors. Wish I knew the path here. This stinks.

I spoke with my state's leading palliative Doctor the other night. Of course I had a bit of attitude by the time I got to speak with her. I apologized and asked her the questions I needed to ask. She didn't belittle me for my decisions. She suggested I start asap on the neurontin and keep a functional journal. How am I functioning today? Then bring it to my doc, either a new one or present one and discuss the use of pain meds and how I feel that the ER is no place to go for emergency pain management and that I want enough meds for crisis like this. She agreed with me about the ER. She said I could really choose if I wanted pain meds on a daily routine or PRN. It didn't matter much. She stated that I would need to find the right fit for me. Indeed, easier said then done. I have had bad time with sciatica and am starting P.T. tomorrow. I have had a horrible week and today is lower back spasm AND sciatica. I hate this!!!!! I have paperwork I was supposed to do for a friend and this laptop does not have the excel that I need to do it on. It is urgent and I am the only one who knows how to do it. It's so important and foolish too. Long story that one. But here I am again, I am using other methods too. I am using herbs and homeopathic remedies. Start chiropractic on Monday. I wish I knew how to win a lot of money and start a clinic with alternative care for anyone in need.

So back on the neurontin am I.

And just to rub salt in my wounds, my Jack Russell has fallen in love with spouse. She comes to my side of the be and I lift her up but then she goes and kisses him and sleeps by him. I told spouse I was getting more puppies and taking them, my two older dogs and moving into an extra room so he couldn't steal my dogs from me. ARRRGGGHHH

How was your reaction to physical therapy sessions? I hope you are feeling better now.

Wow, I have been doing pt for a while and yes it helps. Accupuncture seems to help a lot. Thanks for asking after my older thread here.

There is another drug that might help you - Lyrica. It is similar to Neurontin. I took Neurontin many years ago but due to side effects had to quit. I am now taking Lyrica for jaw pain, neck pain, and back pain. For me, it has less side effects. I also use tens therapy and lidocaine cream sometimes which helps numb pain.

I have 2 herniated discs and then had a new injury in Feb. Dr.s sent me to PT, which aggravating, not helping pain. I get 2 Vicodin a day. My pschyatrist (sp) says I should go to pain management as I also have fibro, OA, and degenerative, disc disease. I've tried Lyrica to no avail, am allergic to asprin and all NSAIDS (due to GI probs) but my GP won't give me a referral. Got siucidal last month so psych put me on Cymbalta which helps, but my GP just turned me down again yesterday for a referral to a spine slinic and won't even give me an RX for an XRay. I am enraged! Please help calm me down.
Sincerely, and tearfully,
lynn

Wisewoman, it might be a good idea to have your doctor refer you to a neurologist/surgeon to decide if lumbar epidural steroid injections would be beneficial. When I was first diagnosed with L-5,S-1, herniated/bulging disc, sciatica, stenosis, etc., I was given 3 injections. These injections were administered through a Pain Management Center. I was in excrutiating pain and could not sit or stand for over 10 minutes before the steroid injections. The injections did relieve the pain for a couple of months.

I believe a neurologist would be the specialist you should be seeing since the pain you are having is a bulging/herniated disc pushing against your spine (sciatica).

Let's keep in touch.