See All
Preferences
My Communities
My Discussions
My Email Digests
~Joseph Campbell
1. Log in when you first come to our community pages or WebMD in general. This gives you access to more options and makes responding or bookmarking much easier.
2. To start a new discussion, hold your cursor over the orange Post Now button on the upper right and choose 'Discussion' from the drop down menu which appears. Fill in the subject line and body of the message (you can ignore the poll part if you wish) and Submit.
3. Please do not use ALL CAPS throughout your posts. It makes them harder to read and that may mean less responses. It also is considered shouting/rude on the Internet. (If you're using all-caps in order to see better, all you need to do is increase the font size instead. To do that, hold the Ctrl and plus sign keys down together. Do it enough times until it gets to a point that makes for easy reading. To decrease again, hold the Ctrl and minus sign keys down together.)
4. If your post is fairly long it really helps others if you divide your post up into paragraphs. To do that, just press Enter twice to create a line space.
Final note: Be sure to consult with your doctor/health professional about anything you decide to try after reading about it on this board or anywhere else on the Internet. Even well-meaning advice or researched content may not be appropriate in your situation.
We hope this helps.
View Thread~Joseph Campbell
It all started when I was in 8th grade. In April, five years ago, my left hand turned blue. (I know this sounds crazy.) It wasn't my entire hand, just my thumb and index finger and the area in between. After some labs, and seeing a doctor we discovered I had a severe case of strep that only infected my throat for a few days before moving on to my kidneys and hand. It's rare, but I was told it can happen. The doctor said it was an unusual manifestation of the infection, but that similar cases had been seen. Anyways, by the time I had been diagnosed my body had pretty much fought off the infection so I was never given antibiotics. Shortly after having this, a pain began in my chest. At first, I thought nothing of it.
But some time passed and I grew angry and irritable all the time because there was a constant dull ache in my chest. When I got upset, or stressed, or if I did strenuous activity where my heart rate and breathing increased the pain would go from a mild 4 to a horrific 10. After a couple months, my parents took me to the doctor. He said it was likely a pulled muscle, and prescribed maximum strength ibuprofen. Did nothing. No relief. So we went back. Same doctor gave me different medication naproxen. When that didn't work and I went back complaining of the pain he recommended I see a cardiologist. So I did. We discovered I had mitral valve prolapse and I had suffered minor regurgitation. The cardiologist gave me a beta-blocker suggesting it could relieve my pain. It didn't. By this time, two years had passed. I had a few x-rays done, and they of course found nothing.
So I was referred to a pulmonologist. I took a breathing testing and a methocholine(spelling?) challenge to check for asthma. Came back clean. By this time, I had given up entirely. A year later, I donated blood to discover I had inherited Hep C from my biological mother.
Last May the drug known as telaprevir was approved by the FDA and I started my treatment for my hepatitis. I endured six months of chemotherapy, finishing December 23rd, 2011 - all the while having this chest pain. I had a wonderful GI who treated me, and prescribed me hydrocodone for both the bone aches from my treatment and my chest pain. However, the hydrocodone did not relieve my chest pain.
I still suffer from this pain. I'm at a loss as to what to do. I've had multiple x-rays, a CT scan, I've seen a cardiologist, pulmonologist, as well as a massage therapist - and no one can offer relief or even an answer.
The pain is directly behind the heart and resonates to the front. It is a constant dull ache. When I inhale, the pain worsens. The deeper I inhale the worse it hurts. Any sort of physical exercise where my heart rate/breathing increases agitates the pain and it usually hurts worse for the rest of the day. At the very least, once a day when inhaling there is a strange cracking noise. My parents have heard it, my husband has heard it. Most days it happens 5+ times...but there are days where it only happens once.
I married my husband because he endured the challenge of being sick with me, he has helped me through difficult times in my life and he loves me as much as I love him. But this pain prevents me from enjoying physical intimacy with him. I can't be intimate for longer than 10 minutes with him, because shortly in my chest pain becomes worse and worse as I breathe harder.
I feel anxious and have been increasingly depressed about this pain. I just want help. I want it to stop. I appreciate all answers and any support offered. Thanks in advance.View Thread
I have both a medtronics stimulator and a pain pump. The stimulor was great until the pain got too bad for it, at which point the pain doc added the pump. FYI, my pain doc is great, I have the control to give myself extra bolus' and morphine pills, but they keep track of each pill, and it's a small amount.
ANYWAY, back to my question, I am having alot of pain where the pump is. When it was put in, I did get an infection in the form of a seroma, and was hospitalized for a week on IV Vancomyocin. But that was a good year ago. It was fine, now it's always causing pain. I don't want to mention that to my great pain doc (and there are few that even manage/work with pumps) I don't want him to take it out; he wouldn't want to take it out either, but I alot of other metal in me that he also wouldn't want to jeparodize....
So does anyone else have pain around the pump? It's warm there too. When it's refilled, it hurts horribly for a couple days. Is this normal?
Thank you~
MaireView Thread
I'm a new member and was drawn to this site because I see some ppeople that are in the same boat that I was. In 2008 I had a very severe episode pain take over my body and crippled me for 3 years. In the first 6 months I went through diagnostic after diagnostic. And then I realized my body was experiencing the pain directly through my thoughts. One night I was having horrible back pain and decided to try some visualization. This may sound odd for some of you but I wanted to create a back spasm to counter act the sharp shooting sensation I was having in my body. After much concentration I felt a spasm in my back which made me reaize how much power the mind has over the body. I then started to utilize certain mind techniques that did away with all the major pain for good. Anyway, I can walk normal again and have much more power over any pain that come through my body whether it be psychosomatic or not. My heart goes out to anybody that has been suffering with intense pain for sometime. It really puts a damper on a person's life when it is the primary focus. Anyway, I'm glad to be here and anxious to chat with some of you.View Thread
I'm a new member and was drawn to this site because I see some ppeople that are in the same boat that I was. In 2008 I had a very severe episode pain take over my body and crippled me for 3 years. In the first 6 months I went through diagnostic after diagnostic. And then I realized my body was experiencing the pain directly through my thoughts. One night I was having horrible back pain and decided to try some visualization. This may sound odd for some of you but I wanted to create a back spasm to counter act the sharp shooting sensation I was having in my body. After much concentration I felt a spasm in my back which made me reaize how much power the mind has over the body. I then started to utilize certain mind techniques that did away with all the major pain for good. Anyway, I can walk normal again and have much more power over any pain that come through my body whether it be psychosomatic or not. My heart goes out to anybody that has been suffering with intense pain for sometime. It really puts a damper on a person's life when it is the primary focus. Anyway, I'm glad to be here and anxious to chat with some of you.View Thread
~Joseph Campbell
Have you been in that position and how did you go about finding someone to be part of your life? Are you honest about what you deal with right from the start or do you ease into that slowly? If you've not been in this position yourself, what advice would you give to those who are?View Thread
~Joseph Campbell
I am 56, I was a Registered Nurse, graduated in 1977. But I had the misfortune of being in other driver's fault auto accidents since then that have put me out of nursing for 9 months to 5years at a time in the very serious ones 4 times &close to 2 doz other bizarre car accidents (one on the way home from PT.) In the 1986 accident I suffered a closed head injury (TBI) that was not diagnosed for almost 6 years. The accident end of May, 2002 fit the perfect description of causes of Fibromyalgia - (a trifecta of crisis)recent new promotion & a routine State Inspection going on & sister in hospice w/family providing care when a car pulled into my lane/my car hitting me 3 times. Within days, I had severe fatigue, severe pain, unable to concentrate & several other Fibromyalgia symptoms. On Med Leave by the end of July, discharged in Oct. NO income & lawsuit netted $46.00 (too many accidents even though I completed therapy & deemed fine & had been working). The Dr. I saw was a pain specialist & was terrific & when my Ins. changed (Med Assistance) he referred me to another excellent Pain Mgmt specialist in 2004 who gave me the official diagnosis of Chronic Unremitting Pain, Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue. I also have PTSD, depression & general anxiety disorder. I had a chance to try many meds by samples until finding THE ONES. Meds include MS Contin 30mg every 12 hours, Topamax for migraine prevention, Amrix 15mg at night for control of muscle spasms (with Flexeril then Skelaxin for breakthrough spasms.Maxalt for both aura& non-aura migraines Xanax for anxiety as needed. Other treatments are ice packs, warm packs, back knobber, "China Gel cream",light exercises, NUCCA chiropractic which worked wonders to finally literally get my head on straight by realigning the first vertebra with the axis, the base of the skull. (I have the xrays to prove it), straighten my spine by allowing the muscles to realign so that Migraines dropped from 4-5 days long 4 X/mo to easily controlled with Maxalt & maybe 1 day in bed a month, pain 8-10 to 3-5 or less, & no limp. Also take Vit D 10,000IU Calcium Citrate wZinc &Mg 500mg 3Xday, Lovaza 2caps2xday which all help lower muscle pain & Vit D helps concentration & fine finger feeling. Also use Alpha Stim 100 ear clips & probes (allergy to patches) & Lidoderm patches. Armour Thyroid & other meds, too.On SSDI 2006(applied 2003) & Medicare. Had to give up TH, live in subsidized Sec 8 apt. Do volunteer with a Fibromyalgia Support group & with Friends of the Library. I came in with some education but I've learned a lot along the way. I get frustrated & depressed but I keep going. I keep helping others to learn & cope with their symptoms & share my knowledge so that really helps me to feel I have something worthwhile to give back to the world.View Thread
Thanks very much
CandaceView Thread

I am very thankful to have a wonderful mother-in-law.
I am also very thankful that my wonderful wife Fayrda is a great mother to our two sons, Russell and Geordan.
I posted a tribute to my mother in another message board and want to share it here:
My mother passed away on September 22, 2000 from heart failure at age 82. She was12 years older than my dad.
My mother was a 4' 11" strong woman. Her parents and 3 of her 5 sisters immigrated from Poland in the early 1910's, several years prior to her birth in Buffalo, NY. My grandparents never learned English and I vividly remember the family having conversations that I never understood.
As with many people, the fondest memories I have of my mother are in the kitchen. She was an excellent cook and baker, and delighted in having lots of family over and feeding them. Christmas cookies were the highlight of the year for her. She started making doughs in September and produced more cookies than any bakery I know. The cookies were given as gifts each year and tasted better than those from any gourmet shop. My mother made at least 20 or 30 varieties - cut-outs (dark ginger and regular sugar), bars, drop cookies, thumb-prints, etc. At Christmas time each year I get a strong craving for cut-out cookies. I've searched and just can't find the taste I grew up with. What I have now realized is that I am craving my mother's cut-out cookies.
Every Saturday night we would have steak, salad with thousand island dressing, french fries (crinkle cut, of course) and butterflake biscuits. My mother would use her two large cast-iron frying pans to render the steak fat and fry the steaks while a third was in use to deep-fry the french fries.
My mother taught me many things. She taught me to use both hands when doing tasks because that's why God gave me two hands. She taught me to never give up. She taught me to persevere through any trial. My mother had severe arthritis throughout her body and especially her spine. She baked all those cookies and cooked those fabulous meals despite high levels of chronic pain. Finally in her 70's she gave up baking and gave me all of her cookie cutters. Those are a treasure stored in our cabinet now, and each one has a special memory.
My mother never graduated from high school, but did go to cooking school for a few years. Even without a diploma I considered my mother to be a genius. She had more common sense and clarity of mind than many folks with doctorate degrees.
I do my best in life to emulate many of the qualities my mother had. Unfortunately, I inherited the high levels of chronic pain due to arthritis and serious spine problems, but I try to rise above circumstances and survive just as my mother did.
My mother shared all of her values with me, taught me to cook and taught me to be use common sense. Most of all, my mother taught me to become the adult that I am and I will always be thankful for that.View Thread
Let me begin. I had a knee replacement in 2007. After the surgery, my ppain level three months out was way above what the normal recovery level. My surgeon finally told me he could not treat my pain any longer and he thought I had RSD. HMMMM? "What is RSD?", I thought? He said I needed to seek a pain physician to help with this chronic pain condition. He offered no assistance in finding said pain physician...so I was on my own.
Fast forward to today. I have been to hell and back with this disease. I feel I am now in stage III. I have been treated with a gambit of medications and therapies. Most hurtful, however, is the attitude of most physicians toward this disease. I have been through about six pain doctors now. Is it my imagination or when they fail to help or become preplexed, they make YOU feel so bad about yourself that you leave the practice. Or the other game...they become very, very indignant (I am putting it in the best terms possible), and you never want to go back. Or one physician just sent a letter and said he could no longer treat me. What?
Currently, I am looking for a new doctor to treat me. During my last appointment with my current pain physician my pain meds were cut in half. It was such production and obviously planned in advance because he brought his whole team in with him. When he told me this I tried to discuss the fact that I am not taking much medication. He raised his voice and said "this is not a debate". He then forced me into the hospital on a Ketamine drip for four days.He did this by only giving me 7 days worth of meds. So I had to report to his office in one week to be put in the hospital. What? I know Ketamine is used to put RSD into remission but I was getting no where near a theraputic dose. (Usually 20 mg and hour) I was getting 7.5 mg an hour. What a joke. What was the purpose.? After researching his name, I have found the same story over and over concerning him and his practice. I have been through so much with the practice I now am done and moving on. This is what I take now... 40 mg oxycotin x 2 per day and 15 mg oxycodone x 4 times per day for breakthrough. Since the cut I have been practically bedridden and can't function. I guess what I am asking is if anyone knows of a better treatment or if anyone can recommend a physician who treats RSD in Central Ohio? I want to finally find a provider that fits my needs and is perceptive and compassionate, not judgemental. I want a problem solving, patient, caregiver. I know pain isn't everything but it's how the pain effects your quality of life. I am so tired and just want someone to help me. I am at my limit with pain and now have to climb the tall mountain of finding another pain physician. First they have to trust you and you them. I have never ever abused the system or the drugs in any way. I'm completely honest with everyone involved in my care. I am 50 years old and want to be treated by a physician who is knowledgeable about this disease and treats me with dignity. I will welcome any assistance.View Thread
Mind you I am allergic to Tramadol...Lyrica, Neurontin and one other fibro med that I can not recall at current...
I am just looking for ideas. I have a Pain Management Appointment coming up and I am desperate for relief so I can be a better teacher. Any advice will be taken researched and considered..
THANK YOUView Thread
~Joseph Campbell
I don't just mean the relationships with you (though you can talk about that here too) but also just how it may have changed how good friends, family members and/or partners/spouses have been changed in how they think about the world and about pain, etc.
Briefly, I know it's impacted my best friend, for example, who cares deeply about me and has for over three decades. She often feels helpless and frustrated even though I tend to protect her from the day to day impact of pain on me. And it's impacted my now-grown sons... not all negatively but it's there.
How about those who care about you?View Thread
~Joseph Campbell
The area just below my breast line all the way around has large masses of cartilage sticking out (some as large as my hand). The left side is the worst with it starting to spread to my right side in the last few years. It also now extends to my back. You can see the masses with the naked eye.
It never goes down but will become painful sometimes 2 or 3 times a month for several days to a week at a shot. If I press on it, the pain will radiate down my arm/hand/fingers and up to my entire jaw line. It also causes tingling in my arm/fingers/jaw line, etc. It also causes weakness in my left arm. The symptoms are also the same if it is a regular bout not caused by me.
Activity and coughing doesn't start the pain but will worsen it if it is already acting up. I have put in a new floors and nothing happened but washing dishes could. Sometimes gardening is painful and sometimes not. There is no rhyme nor reason to it.
Several Dr's have diagnosed me with Costochondritis/Tietze Syndrome but it doesn't fit the description of being where the ribs/sternum meet. The pain can spread to there but doesn't start there. My last Dr said it was swollen nodes though I don't see how that can be possible considering where they are located??
Cold, heat, pain killers, nothing helps.
I have an appt with my Dr next week for other issues and will bring this up again. Just tired of the pain and deformity.View Thread
See Related Pain Management Communities
Women's Health Newsletter
Find out what women really need.
Featuring Experts
Helpful Tips
Helpful Resources
Related News
Report Problems to the
Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Other Pain Management Information
More Related Communities
The opinions expressed in WebMD User-generated content areas like communities, reviews, ratings, or blogs are solely those of the User, who may or may not have medical or scientific training. These opinions do not represent the opinions of WebMD. User-generated content areas are not reviewed by a WebMD physician or any member of the WebMD editorial staff for accuracy, balance, objectivity, or any other reason except for compliance with our Terms and Conditions. Some of these opinions may contain information about treatments or uses of drug products that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. WebMD does not endorse any specific product, service, or treatment.
Do not consider WebMD User-generated content as medical advice. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your care plan or treatment. WebMD understands that reading individual, real-life experiences can be a helpful resource, but it is never a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified health care provider. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or dial 911 immediately.
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
©2005-2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.

