Problems,....Problems.....Problems

[Patsy]

Hello my Friends, as you probably remember I have been having problems since I fell. The pain came back and now my feet and legs are worse than ever! I feel constant pain in my lower back. Before I fell, the back pain was there only when I was on my feet for a longer time or while I was bending over a lot. To be exact, the back pain wasn’t constant like it is now. I tore the rotary cuff in my right shoulder and it is another pain to deal with. I fell because my right knee gave way on me and down I went. I injured my knee a few years ago and from that time I’ve been receiving injections in it. I’ve meeting for next injection in a couple of weeks. I must say my knee is very unstable and doctors said I need knee replacement surgery, but I’m still waiting until I manage my leg & foot pain and build up my leg muscles. I suffer pain at every step I make, but the biggest problem is my pain meds. I’ve prescribed one 15mg Oxycodone every 4 hours, but it barely do anything with the pain. What’s more, after Oxycodone my legs swell! Fluid pills don’t help, neither compression stocking what leads me to sleeping with my legs elevated. Swelling can be stopped only by putting off the oxycodone meds for several days. Despite I told my doctor about this swelling thing he still refuses to change my meds. He said that he doesn’t know what else he could give to me. So, now I take pain meds that doesn’t help too much and also cause other problems. I really don’t have strength to handle it longer and I’m looking for any solution. My pain Doctor said he could refer me to a surgeon who will put in pain pump implant, but I refused as I don’t want to mess in my spine again after stimulator that I expected to work for me showed up total disappointment. But as I read others opinions and others cases I think I should try this pain pump, so on my next visit I will ask my doctor to refer me for a pain pump. As I see it, that’s the only to do at my point.
Or maybe I should think about changing doctors? Sorry for such lung posts, but thanks to all of you on TB. Hugs for everyone...Patsy

[Joke]

Hi Patsy! I’m thinking what are we going to do with you?! It is hard to believe that your doctor is not changing your meds only because he doesn’t know that to prescribe. Actually, there are plenty of different pain meds to choose, as well as stronger than oxycodone. But anyway, from what you are posting I see that getting a second opinion can be good for you, so why not to try? However you have to think if you let them to change the programs on your SCS to see if it will help to decrease any other pain to don’t deal with all different types at the same time? I wish you finding the solution for your problems quickly.
I almost forget, how do you feel after your PT session the other day?

[Patsy]

Hello Joke. I feel like a ball as I am bounced between my doctors! Two different Neurologist’s say that the pain should be treated, but my doctors didn’t do anything to treat my pain yet. My pain doc said that he will not give any of his patients anything stronger than Lortab or something similar. What’s more he also added that if he had known I was taking such strong pain meds he would never had implanted the stimulator but refer me to pain pump instead. Really I don’t know why he says that as he knew what I was taking from the first visit.
As I said, I bounce from one doc to another. I was sent to my PC Doc by pain Doc to treat the pain, but he said doesn’t have qualifications to treat chronic pain like I suffer from. Believe me, it could be very frustrating. But as I see it I need to look for another Doctor and start from beginning. I am afraid that I may have to be put off any pain meds for a longer period of time and I’m sure I cannot take that Joke. I have worked with the rep twice for a couple of hours each time, but there is no improvement after what he does. I turn it on from time to time to see if maybe something changed and see if it suddenly starts helping like it was on my trial. Well that’s little thing I hope for.
Recently when my PC Doc was out of town I met a very nice Doctor in my surgery. He said that he doesn’t like to prescribe narcotics, but he said he clearly see I need them and I did everything right before such strong pain treatment. I’m not a drug seeker, I use the same Drug store to buy my meds, even the prescriptions are almost always from the same doctors and I’m not coming earlier for my meds. The problem is that this lovely Doc isn’t taking any new patients. Still I’m wondering why my Doctor can’t be like him? Thanks Joke for your support, hugs for you, my Canadian friend...

[Joke]

What you had written Patsy is terrible and you certainly should find another pain doc. It looks like he doesn’t bother to check your files and do some research on his patients. It seems like you’re nothing but number that he had to pass through. Sorry that your cannot get on with this other doc, maybe you should ask him once again to take you on. I can’t see any other option than changing your pain doc for now, if I come up with something creative and helpful I’ll post it. One more thing, maybe you should contact a case manager or as someone else said, going to the other clinic. I wish you great weekend.

[Marion]

Oh dear! I can’t imagine why they don’t have to try other meds just to find out if something may actually helps you! From what you are writing I understand that the problem is not your PM doc, but this another one, am I right? Couldn’t you meet your pain management doctor a little bit faster concerning latest events? I also had rotator cuff surgery last month and it wasn’t really bad at all! Docs said recovery may last about 6 weeks, but I recovered much faster and did my own PT at home. So believe me it isn’t as bad as you may hear, go get it fixed and get some relief on the main problem. My surgery was outpatient so it worked out pretty good. I also had the arthritis scraped out of my shoulder socket and part of my collar bone cut off and the tendons/ligaments re-attached so there was a lot going on during that surgery, but recovery was piece of cake and it was worth it, so do not be afraid and fix it, relieve of that pain is really great! Take care and I wish you best with your docs, I hope you will see your PM earlier. Marion

[Ster]

It’s terrible that you are in so pain and your doc doesn’t help you at all!
I hope that pain pump will help you with that pain. For me it is worth to try, because you will never know until you try it. If something may get you some relief – try it.
Also you should get that benedryl as well. I’m wondering if that swelling is just a side effect of your pain meds. And if benedryl works then, well you will have right that oxycodone is messing you up, but if not, then your doc have to help you with that swelling, if he cannot, try other one until you find some doc that could really help you.
Love and big hugs!

[sos1]

Hello Patsy, I’m really sorry to hear you’re dealing with such problems and that SCS isn’t working for you. Have you asked their rep to see if there’s anything that can be done? It’s terrible to have it implanted in your body and know that it doesn’t helping at all. I can’t imagine why your doctor doesn’t want to change your meds, especially when your legs swelling. I’m wondering what his opinion is about this swelling. I can’t think about him as a doctor, why he won’t address the problem? I can’t get it. And what about this pain pump, what made you to change your mind about it? I hope you had read about it, as there are a lot of things to be taken into consideration, and the pump itself is often mentioned as a last resort option. I’m waiting for my surgery and I can hardly wait. Remember that it’s not a magic thing that will take off your pain completely. My docs said to me that I’d need to take a short acting oral meds like Percocet as well. And it’s really hard to say if I’ll be able to put off Oxycontin completely or if I would have to take some smaller doses. It needs a long while and several dose increases for you to attain a therapeutic pain pump med level. What needs a lot of patience as well. Anyway, I hope you’ll get your relief and for me it’s clear you should get another doctor, the one that could actually helps you, or maybe another PM. Take care about yourself.

[Patsy]

Hello Sos, you are right about my Docs. I’m looking for new ones, but to be honest what Doctor will take on patient with big label ‘chronic pain’ on the face? Here in West Virginia they really vanish when they hear the key world – pain. Pain pump is result of poorly managed pain, well if I could say it is managed... I’m not pushing my Doc for more help, because I’m afraid he will stop refilling my current meds. Now it is 15mg Oxycodone every 4 hours, and it hardly works, but anyway it touches the pain. I understand there may be no solution to stop the pain, but I just want to decrease its level to that I could live with. I can’t understand why my PC doc refuses to do anything more to improve my situation. What’s more my pain Doc refuses to take over my pain management! It’s just crazy and I don’t know what to do, they act like I’m some kind of freak that no-one want to touch. Today I’m trying to put away my meds, but I’m afraid the pain is too bad to go like this more 24hrs. But it’s the only solution that takes swelling out of my legs. It’s really crazy. Hugs... Patsy

[Azor]

Hello Patsy, I don’t know what else to say, but you were always supporting and I just wanted you to know I wish you best and I hope that everything will turn out better for you.

[Patsy]

Hi Azor.
Thanks even for few words of support dear. It really means a lot to me that my friends think about me. Now I am in a lot of pain, as I’m trying to get the swelling out of my legs, but I think I’m going to break up and take one pill. Thanks for your understanding. Hugs for you Azor. Patsy