Chronic Pain Management Support Group

[Angela273]

Am I the only one left with pain???
I'm in sheer agony because I thought I knew better than before and did a round trip Timmies run.
I'm no better,I'm in agony and I need to cut back on my meds.

No Skippy, you are not the only one in pain. I just started my medical leave on June 29th. I'm 29wks pregnant, which has caused some additional difficulties on top of my pre-existing DVT and PE symptoms. My gp wanted me to go on medical leave 3wks earlier, but I wanted to finish out the school year if I could. I taught full-time from January to June and now do not plan on going back to teaching until this little boy is about a year old. The doctor figures that rest is the best thing I can do for the two of us.

[Abby5]

Oh Skippy...I am still in pain. Just trying to focus on other things. Trying to be positive and busy. No meds, no doctors. I am not sure what to do next?

[Andit]

Am I the only one left with pain???
I'm in sheer agony because I thought I knew better than before and did a round trip Timmies run.
I'm no better,I'm in agony and I need to cut back on my meds.

I did something just as silly - I've never in my life gone to a concert & danced in front of the stage. Guess what I did Friday night. 2 hours of fun, followed by lots of walking at a Canada Day festival on Saturday. Been in pain since yesterday, but I figure no matter what I do I`ll have some degree of pain, so I may as well enjoy myself.

Sending prayers your way - here`s to a pain-free (or at least less painful) week.

[$$avingmom]

Am I the only one left with pain???
I'm in sheer agony because I thought I knew better than before and did a round trip Timmies run.
I'm no better,I'm in agony and I need to cut back on my meds.

No Skippy, sadly you aren't! I must apologise for my lack of support for everyone on this thread lately as I have been going through a very rough patch with pain lately myself. I haven't been on SC much lately at all as it hurts me to sit upright for long periods of time (nerve pinches in my leg). I feel for you and what you are going through Skippy. The Dr's never seem to have any answers except another prescription for you to take. Most of the time, I find that the medications don't even help. I've went from the Gabapentin, which was helping with the nerve pain in my leg neck and arms. To a heavy duty muscle relaxer Baclofen. The gabapentin stopped working for me, and was causing weight gain. I'm trying to get my Dr to prescribe an additional pain medication (besides percocet, it knocks me out) and she just wants to keep upping the dosage of the muscle relaxers, which of course doesn't do anything for the constant pain in my spine (back, neck) or the nerve pain. She tells me to come back in a couple of weeks again and if the increased dosage of the muscle relaxer hasn't helped my pain levels, THEN she will prescribe me an additional pain medication . I really wish that we could trade places with the people that aren’t so willing to help us, just for a day. I bet they would be much more willing to help after they had to put up with only one day of chronic pain! Skippy I hope that you are able to find some relief soon, I know how frustrating it can be when the pain keeps coming and nothing seems to help to take it away. Hang in there; better days have to come soon! Despite all of the struggles I have had in the last 4 years since my automobile accident I still try to keep a positive attitude and think at some point this all has to come to an end and get better it can’t get much worse right?

[$$avingmom]

Oh Skippy...I am still in pain. Just trying to focus on other things. Trying to be positive and busy. No meds, no doctors. I am not sure what to do next?

Oh Abby that's terrible! No support for you! My Dr is saying the same thing to me lately, she's not sure what to do with me anymore. Have you tried doing your own research on medications to try and making suggestions to your Dr? I find that this is helpful, sometimes they are just out of ideas I think and need some suggestions. I reaserch the medication, make sure I can take it with the stuff that I'm already on then ask the Dr if I can try it to see if it may work to help with my pain, sometimes she says o.k it's worth a shot and other times she says she's not so sure it's a good idea. It never hurts to try! There has to be something out there that would help with your pain. There are many medications that are perscribed for pain as off label uses like: gabapentin, topamax, cymbalta, etc. Different pain medications work differently for everyone. I am currently taking Topamax (for the excrutiating headaches I get and occipital neuralgia) cymbalta (for pain, but I think it helps me more for the depression from being in pain), Baclofen (muscle relaxant that focuses specifically on the spine) oxycocet (still have a script that I filled from october, only take when I'm at home for the day, knocks me out). What I have found is that it often takes a combination of many different medications to obtain any kind of relief from chronic pain. I hope that this might help you in some way .

[$$avingmom]

I did something just as silly - I've never in my life gone to a concert & danced in front of the stage. Guess what I did Friday night. 2 hours of fun, followed by lots of walking at a Canada Day festival on Saturday. Been in pain since yesterday, but I figure no matter what I do I`ll have some degree of pain, so I may as well enjoy myself.

Sending prayers your way - here`s to a pain-free (or at least less painful) week.

Very true andit! I feel this way about doing things with my son, he is 9. He was 5 when I was in the accident that caused my pain and disabilities. I know that he will only be a kid once and that if I don't do things with him now that he will remember that for the rest of his life!

[Abby5]

Oh Abby that's terrible! No support for you! My Dr is saying the same thing to me lately, she's not sure what to do with me anymore. Have you tried doing your own research on medications to try and making suggestions to your Dr? I find that this is helpful, sometimes they are just out of ideas I think and need some suggestions. I reaserch the medication, make sure I can take it with the stuff that I'm already on then ask the Dr if I can try it to see if it may work to help with my pain, sometimes she says o.k it's worth a shot and other times she says she's not so sure it's a good idea. It never hurts to try! There has to be something out there that would help with your pain. There are many medications that are perscribed for pain as off label uses like: gabapentin, topamax, cymbalta, etc. Different pain medications work differently for everyone. I am currently taking Topamax (for the excrutiating headaches I get and occipital neuralgia) cymbalta (for pain, but I think it helps me more for the depression from being in pain), Baclofen (muscle relaxant that focuses specifically on the spine) oxycocet (still have a script that I filled from october, only take when I'm at home for the day, knocks me out). What I have found is that it often takes a combination of many different medications to obtain any kind of relief from chronic pain. I hope that this might help you in some way .

I did that all the time. But I am out of meds. I have taken everyone with every combo over the last 6 yrs. I am waiting for a lumbar puncture. Hoping that will give me some answers. I was on Topamax for over a yr I was taking 15 pills of that with 9 gabs and still nothing. I have done Botox and nerve block therapy. Lyrica,cymbalta,morphine,steroids and 10 pages more. I have had seizures,weight gain,weight loss, hair loss, vomiting blood,hives,rashes,splitting pain, stroke like symptoms,speech problems,brain fog,depression and many more from medications. And none of them did anything for my headache..not even for a second
I feel like a big b*tch. Or like I could crawl into a hole. I push my self every day. I am just so tired. I need a break from pain. My son was six when I got my headache now he is 13 and he hates me most days. My husband says this is not what he married and wants out but says he could not throw me to the streets cause I am the mother of his only child. My older ds blames me for his failure in life (he is 19 no job and no plans for the future) his father has had nothing to do with him in 5 yrs. and my dh now hates him. I have not worked since march 2011 and I was denied LTD and have been appealing for months. So no money.

I always thought suicide was so selfish but I totally get it now.

[Tweetybird999]

On June 6 I took transit home. I usually drive, but decided not to. Bus was in an accident with a truck. I got jostled. Nobody else but myself and driver were hurt. It's taken nearly a month for me to get back to my usual self. Really hard to explain that a bit of a jolt will send my back into spasms for weeks. I was actually crying at physio. But suddenly it stopped and now just on my usual Celebrex, Cymbalta, and alternative meds. Glad I could stop the percocet, as it has awful side effects.

[Tweetybird999]

Saw the pain specialist today and he was very helpful. He signed my Health Canada forms so I can legally use alternative medicine soon. He said it was appropriate in my situation. Also he booked cortisone shot and bone scan. Gave me new type of painkiller to try. He was so very helpful and nice.

[$$avingmom]

Glad to hear you are doing better Tweety! Sorry to hear that you suffered a jolt though, it doesn't seem to take much to set us back in a huge way when we are living with chronic pain . It's nice to hear that someone found a pain specialist that was very helpful! The only one that I have saw to date was only interested in the pending lawsuit that I have against the driver that hit me and caused my injuries . I hope that the new meds he gave you help with your pain. Percocets do stink, with all of their side effects! I don't understand why it seems to be the first drug that Dr's prescribe. I'm trying to get my Dr to let me try something else for my pain, that hopefully doesn't have as many side effects as the percocet does.

[couponcrzy]

No you are not the only one but between my depression and the back pain I feel at my wits end. My dr lately has felt like the most useless thing ever. Her intern was better then she was the last time I was in. She sent me for full blood work and found out I have high cholosterol. Could not believe it. On top of everything I have that to contend with ugh.

I am thinking of asking for a referral to see a physiatrist so then maybe she can help me with the depression part and a referral for a pain management specialist. Then I might get somewhere who knows

[$$avingmom]

No you are not the only one but between my depression and the back pain I feel at my wits end. My dr lately has felt like the most useless thing ever. Her intern was better then she was the last time I was in. She sent me for full blood work and found out I have high cholosterol. Could not believe it. On top of everything I have that to contend with ugh.

I am thinking of asking for a referral to see a physiatrist so then maybe she can help me with the depression part and a referral for a pain management specialist. Then I might get somewhere who knows

Unfortunately depression is a big part of the chronic pain picture. I tried not taking my cymbalta for a month; I was originally put on it for pain. I soon discovered that I needed it much more for my mood and to help with depression much more than anything else! I thought I was going to go crazy with out it. I am not recommending any certain drug to you but, I would recommend you look into some kind of anti-depressant if your back pain is chronic. I know that it is a hard thing to admit that our pain is making us depressed; no one wants to admit we are in a depressed mood. I would have thought that an anti-depressant would have been the first thing your GP would have recommended for your chronic pain management. Good luck, I hope you get your referral and that it doesn't take you too long to get into see a specialist. In the mean time I would suggest to your GP that she let you try an anti-depressant to see if it helps with your mood and maybe even your pain a little bit. It can't hurt right?

[Tweetybird999]

The new pain killer is Nucynta or Tapentadol. Works similar to Tramadol, but stronger. Not the horrid side effects of Percocet for me although it is a triplicate prescription. Apparently it's been in Canada about a year.

Saw the pain specialist today and he was very helpful. He signed my Health Canada forms so I can legally use alternative medicine soon. He said it was appropriate in my situation. Also he booked cortisone shot and bone scan. Gave me new type of painkiller to try. He was so very helpful and nice.

[$$avingmom]

Hmm . I was just reading about that particular drug the other day, researching alternatives to percocet for myself. I wasn't sure that nucynta was available in Canada yet though. Good to know, that it is!! Is it working well for you to control the pain so far Tweetybird999?? I was on tramadol several years ago and it worked for a short while for me for pain management then eventually it appeared to not be strong enough.

[Tweetybird999]

It is a strange drug. It generally seems to work for me, although not 100% of the time. Sometimes I feel nicely warm and have reduced pain. Other times I lose the pain and don't feel anything else. There is a both short and long acting type pill. I am on the short acting. I find it too short, so would recommend the long acting. But I do not get the nodding, sweating, nausea, constipation, dizziness, shaking, etc. as I do from Percs. So I think its worth a try. It does not have Tylenol in it, so if your doc wanted, you could add Tylenol. (Tylenol does nothing for me.)