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Reply: Head injury/trauma

Hi there. I am so sorry to hear this has happened to you. The only thing I can say is...

Posted by shadowsmom42

2 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Head injury/trauma Hi there. I am so sorry to hear this has happened to you. The only thing I can say is...

Reply: anesthesia for endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery

My husband and I both had this procedure. (I've had many, many surgeries...yes.)...

Posted by shadowsmom42

2 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:anesthesia for endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery My husband and I both had this procedure. (I've had many, many surgeries...yes.)...

Reply: Back pain

First, let me say thank you for serving our country!! Second, whatever you do, do not...

Posted by shadowsmom42

First, let me say thank you for serving our country!!

Second, whatever you do, do not use the patches. I can not believe they would start you off with Fetanyl patches. Didn't they start you off with regular strength Vicodin at least? Even then, from my own experience with almost the exact same problems you're having, try not going down that path. Over ten years ago I was given regular strength Vicodin and have worked right on up to HIGH, HIGH doses of Oxycontin and Oxy IR (all legal, of course, through pain management). You build up a tolerance and the doses have to be increased over time. My tolerance to narcotics now is that of a horse. I kid you not.....

I have L5-S1 Radiculopathy with most, but not all, of the same symptoms you're experiencing. I was a bodybuilder prior to a car accident when I was 29 where I was at a dead stop on the freeway and the person behind me didn't notice all 4 lanes had stopped, and she hit me at 70 mph. From that point on it was all downhill with doctor after doctor, going to pain mgmt, having injections, and even doing Bi-Lateral RF Lesioning which basically is done under fluoroscopy where the doctor 'burns' the nerve ending going to the pain area. It can work wonders for some people. It helped me for only one week....I also had a spinal cord stimulator put in that never did work for the pain. It was removed last year so I could have an MRI since it wasn't working anyhow. (If you get a spinal cord stimulator, or anything like that, you can NOT have MRI's and then you're stuck having CT Myelogram. NOT FUN AND VERY PAINFUL. They do not sedate for it, either.)

All I can suggest is to try to get a good pain mgmt doctor, do NOT use the Fetanyl patches if you don't have to (because they're highly addictive and you'll end up down the same path as I have) and ask about another updated MRI, especially now that you're having some more problems.

The type of pain you're describing, at least some of it, sounds like nerve impingement at the L5-S1, yes. Ask about a prescription for Neurontin (generic is gabapentin and is inexpensive). At least it's non-narcotic and will help for nerve pain/damage. There's also anti-inflammatories. If you have to use a narcotic pain reliever, start low with a low dose of Vicodin. There's a newer nerve pain medication out called Lyrica, too.........

Of course all of this is suggestion only from my own experience. Always follow your doctors orders but at the same time, don't be afraid to speak up and ask about other treatments, medications, etc.. Mainly, try to get to pain mgmt. Pain mgmt may start from the very beginning and take time but at least they can get to what is the cause of your pain (most of the time but not all the time) etc.. For me, though, MRI's show NOTHING. I'm now 48, have been on disability for 10 yrs and haven't been able to work since the accident. There's been another accident, 2010, where I got t-boned. I live off of pain medication now. I would just hate to see anyone have to go down the pain medication 'road' I have. There is always the possibility that you will have no answers and have to learn to live with the pain as I have. I hope this does not happen with you. You may have a herniating disc that needs surgery and that may help 100%. You just never know....

Thank you, again, for serving our country and I wish the best for you. I wish the medical care our veterans get would improve. Right now it just plain stinks.......Keep me posted, ok?View Thread

Posted byshadowsmom42

2 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Back pain First, let me say thank you for serving our country!! Second, whatever you do, do not...

Reply: Depression

Taking a SSRI type antidepressant like citalopram with a SNRI type antidepressant...

Posted by shadowsmom42

2 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Depression Taking a SSRI type antidepressant like citalopram with a SNRI type antidepressant...

Reply: My mother's crying pain!!!

I can only give some suggestions as I've been dealing with chronic pain for almost 20...

Posted by shadowsmom42

I can only give some suggestions as I've been dealing with chronic pain for almost 20 years and have also been run through the 'gammit' of everything out there and every type of doctor. (My chronic pain started with a major car accident 20 years ago, being rear ended at a dead stop, at 70 MPH). However, you didn't give much information. You had mentioned that she has proof with medical paperwork but didn't mention proof of what. You mention therapy but not what the therapy was for or what type of therapy she had. You also mentioned that she had back surgery but didn't mention what she had back surgery for. And, what type of medications is she on...
I have also sat in here in so much pain that I will cry, as your mom does. It can be not so much from the pain, but from the actual FRUSTRATION of not getting any answers from these doctors now-a-days.....but also from the pain, LOL.
I really, really want to give you and your mom some suggestions but I was wondering if you could give me/us some more history as I mentioned above.....what back surgery did she have; what type of therapy is she doing or has she done; what treatments has she already had; what medications has she already tried; what area of the back; etc., etc..
Like I said, I've been dealing with chronic back pain, chronic bursitis (side of the upper thigh/hip area), I've had Bi-Lateral RF Lesioning at the L5-S1, I've even tried a Spinal Cord Stimulator; I've had numerous steroid injections for the pain, and I've been on the strongest narcotic pain medication for almost 12 years now, etc., etc., etc.. So, if you would/could give a little more information, I would LOVE to try to give you both some suggestions as there might be something your moms doctors are missing or haven't tried.
(This is the time I wish I could somehow give you my email address without the whole world getting it, LOL.)
Anyhow, please post again with a bit more info and I'll keep checking my inbox. I'll post again as soon as I read your updated post, ok?
Please take care of yourself and your mom. BTW, how old is mom, if you don't mind me asking?
Sincerely,
TerryView Thread

Posted byshadowsmom42

4 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:My mother's crying pain!!! I can only give some suggestions as I've been dealing with chronic pain for almost 20...

Reply: Severe pain following Lumbar MRI without contrast

(This is a second post as I don't think my first one went through because I hit a...

Posted by shadowsmom42

(This is a second post as I don't think my first one went through because I hit a wrong key. Please forgive if this is already posted....)
Hi there. First, let me say how sorry I am to hear that you're in chronic pain now. Without going into too much of MY history, I can totally relate to your pain and how you're feeling. After getting rear-ended on the freeway at 70 MPH, which was at a dead stop due to traffic, I have dealt with chronic, severe pain for almost 20 years now.......from the L5 all the way down.......

Anyhow, NO....MRI's do NOT cause pain. But, I can understand someone thinking that they do, especially when they're already dealing with chronic pain......let me explain and see if this makes any sense to you:

First, we're already in pain, right? Next, we're asked to lay down on a cold, rock-hard surface ON OUR BACK. Then, just in case that's not enough for those of us already in severe pain, we're shoved into what I like to refer to as an empty Tylenol/gel capsule.....this capsule isn't even big enough to shove a worm into let alone a human being! LOL. Next, we're told to 'relax'.....uh, yeah....right. Relax. Not a problem. LOL. And if all of that STILL isn't enough, we're then told that the MRI will take a minimum of 30 minutes! (Let me get this right: you want me to lay down on hard surface in a practically air-tight gel capsule, relax AND hold still for a minimum of 30 minutes??? ARE YOU CRAZY??)

LOL. Anyways, for me this all causes more pain because we're laying on not only the hard surface for an extended period of time, but we're laying on areas of our body that are already in pain. We're on a hard surface, holding still, and all that does is causes me, at least, to stiffen up which in turn causes more pain. As we're laying there on painful areas of our body, I have no doubt that nerves are getting 'pinched' so-to-speak, so then we try to get up after the MRI and find that we're in even more pain. This pain carries on, for me, for hours, if not days. Laying there like that, too, 'shifts' my low back (for lack of better words) so then I start with the knife-stabbing pain throughout the low back. (On the other hand, I LOVE MRI's only because when I'm in one, I get this surge of energy that I can not describe. It's a low 'buzz' feeling that makes me feel good. Now if I could just get rid of the physical pain.......)

I suggest you try to find a really, really good neurologist if you don't already have one. You may already have a doctor you're happy with, though. (I only suggest a neurologist as this is what helped me when my nerves were completely pinched in my neck and I needed surgery. Neurologists also handle back surgeries, etc.....Is your doctor a neurologist?)

I try to make light of all of this as laughing helps me with pain. But I also know how serious chronic pain is. I hope this helped you at least a little bit. If it didn't, maybe you were able to laugh a little.......?? LOL. Take care of yourself and keep us posted, ok?
TerryView Thread

Posted byshadowsmom42

1 Reply | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Severe pain following Lumbar MRI without contrast (This is a second post as I don't think my first one went through because I hit a...

Reply: Hip Bursitis

I'm almost 48 years of age now, female, and I've been dealing with bursitis for many,...

Posted by shadowsmom42

2 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Hip Bursitis I'm almost 48 years of age now, female, and I've been dealing with bursitis for many,...

Reply: HMS and Fibro?

Hi there. I don't feel that HMS and FMS go together, however, with that said, one can...

Posted by shadowsmom42

2 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:HMS and Fibro? Hi there. I don't feel that HMS and FMS go together, however, with that said, one can...

Reply: Rash

They gave you the prednisone and cream thinking it's hives. The picture looks a ...

Posted by shadowsmom42

3 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Rash They gave you the prednisone and cream thinking it's hives. The picture looks a ...

Reply: Swelling and Pain Increasing in the Foot

We live out in the dairy preserve area of Chino, CA, so we have a TON of spiders here....

Posted by shadowsmom42

4 Replies | Reply | Watch This DiscussionReport This| Share this:Swelling and Pain Increasing in the Foot We live out in the dairy preserve area of Chino, CA, so we have a TON of spiders here....

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