[Jewels]

however...am not new ta pc...been here for a while now, an dwell mostly in a couple different forums...what i want ta ask is this: how do u cope with chronic, severe pain that doesn't relent to any meds? my dr says I have Degenerative Disc Disease further hindered by spinal stenosis, Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, and MS. Now just one of these problems is nuf for one person but I was the "lucky" one to have all of them. On top of that I have migraines that are excruciating. Much of my time is spent in my recliner, or on the couch, or in bed. The pain relievers that my pain doc gave me just work a bit of the time, and then I am back ta square one with the pain...my shoulders r very painful where the pressure points are...an i just don't know how much more i can take...i am on ms contin, zanaflex, Elavil, Lyrica an Rebif (for my MS). I dont know if I should ask him why I am in so much pain even with the pain meds I am on. The Lyrica is only 150 mg 3 times a day, so I could go up on that, the ms contin is 15 mg 3 times a day, and I tried going up on the Elavil but it made me so groggy I couldn't function the next day. So i went back down to 100 mg and it seems to work ok. Not the best, but then I don't think anything works well for me. Should I go to the dr and ask him to raise me after explaining to him that the pain just doesn't go away at all? Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

abbi of Jewels

[(JD)]

YES! Keep talking and working with the doctor until you have less pain. He/She doesn't know how much pain you are in, and will assume the meds you have a working for you unless you tell!

My pain meds are taken regularly, but I get the larger dose tablets with the half mark on them and split them. It's cheaper that way, plus the doctors don't mind it as much as prescribing you "twice" as many pills for some reason (DOH!) Find out the half life's of your meds. This is when they begin to decrease their effectiveness... Mine is at 1 1/2 hours, so if I only took them every 6 hours as most prescribe them, I would not be managing my pain. The more educatedly you can speak with your doctor about this, the less fear they will have of giving you what you truly need.

[anna342]

Yes I think you should return to your doctor... I have joint problems too and doctors always tell me that I should put up with the pain. They don't seem to realise how much it actually effects their patient's lives, and also the fact that it's easy for them to say it's ok, they don't have to live with it.

I hope they give you something that helps. Maybe see if you can get an appointment with a pain management team. I'm not sure how it all works, but they should know what they are doing!

[Crew]

Hi Jewels,

I would like to invite you to Chronic Pain chat on Sundays @ 6:00pm EDT . You sound like me except I take 30mg MS Contin 1tablet 3X a day/1mg 4X daily of XanaX/ 150mg of Lyrica and alittle bit more.
Definitly work with your doctor! I am so you have the amount of pain that you have to deal with. I hope you find some types of relaxation to do. I have many, many medical issues as well so I do as well understand. There are lots of other things you can do that are veryhelpful. We all go over them at the Chronic Pain Chat Groups. Maybe we'll see you there. In Grounding Skills were going to do a few small "guided imageries." That is what I do for DID and my Extreme Chronic Pain.
Lots of Luck in dealing with your pains and please know we are thinking of you with healing thoughts. ThaCrew

[January]

Hello Abbi of Jewels,

By all means go talk to your Dr. He can't help you if he doesn't know how much pain you are experiencing. I sit in my recliner to help bring my pain levels down and I often use a heating pad on my back, but I have to be very careful not to use it for too long. I highly recommend one that automatically turns itself off so you can't get burned. I also roll up a towel and put it behind my neck. It provides much needed support and aligns my spine better. Maybe it will help you, too.

Again, please do call your Dr as soon as you can.

Jan

[nightbird]

That chat sounds good, and I'd like to go also...

(((jewel)))

sorry for your pains... I have then too, and it took me a few rows back and forth with Drs. to get that addressed.

please continue to address it, and make notes on when and where your pain is, the duration, etc... as they tend to listen to our notes, (;

Hope this resolves itself soon for you... meanwhile, the natural world has some supplementation that can help, like herbals and tinctures and a poltice and that always helpful warm bath...

Please see an herbalist or acupuncturist while this is being worked out... they can work wonders while you wait.

Peace and support,
Night
xoxo