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  • help please

    I worked cleaning today and moving heavy furnture. for about 6 hours. I seriosly can hardly even move I feel like I am going to split in two. Terrible pain.. I know when I waitress I am going to be in so much pain. I am back to the pain managment dr on thurs. I need to be honest and tell him I need pain meds or I cant do this. I dont know what would kill the pain and that I could funtion on.. oxycontic? hydocodone?
    I have never taken anything like this at all. Morphine oral?
    is their such a thing as a numbing agent they can inject me with for the pain ? Help please !

  • #2
    hi gtucker
    sorry to hear that you are in such pain!

    since you will be working, i would suggest asking pain doctor for mild pain pills...definitely NOT starting with morphine, which is one of strongest! (i throw up from oral morphine!...took it twice and left the rest in my drawer!) i personally find oxycontin too exhausting...i sure would not be able to work with it, let alone waitress!
    i take hydrocodone...but that is just me...i took it while i worked 2 jobs in Manhattan before i retired due to pain...but everyone reacts differently to medication!
    why not see what the doctor suggests...he/she has the expertise about pharmaceuticals....

    also...i do not recommend lifting, carrying or moving ANYTHING HEAVY..regardless of how necessary...if it is required by your job, i dont know how on earth you could even expect to do that!...if you continue, you will continue to hurt like heck!! seriously!!


    jess

    Comment


    • #3
      I feel sick that anyone can be expected to work with such pain, requiring powerful medication. I wish I had some answers for you gtucker. It just doesn't seem right.
      Surgery March 3, 2009 at almost 58, now 63.
      Dr. Askin, Brisbane, Australia
      T4-Pelvis, Posterior only
      Osteotomies and Laminectomies
      Was 68 degrees, now 22 and pain free

      Comment


      • #4
        Well said Jennifer and Jess! Sickening. It's terrible to be forced to do work that in turn forces you to take narcotics. jtucker you need to realize a lot more about these meds and your back.

        About narcotic pain killers. They aren't a cure all They carry their own very heavy side effects. They all make you sleepy to varying degrees, give you (serious) constipation, affect your coordination and brain chemistry. (My memory was shot 'til I quit) You also build up a tolerance - means you need more and more, even to get the effect you started at. Often, you have to periodically "detox" (quit them) to be allowed to continue them. This is hell .

        The "merry go round of addiction" can be the beginning of a downward spiral that will make you wish you "only" had back pain. Google around for sites using words like "intractable pain" "tolerance" "detoxification" etc. You'll see how dangerous they are, and how much suffering there is, once people get "hooked." Most of them began after back surgery or accidents.

        I wasn't able to sleep more than a few hours the first month when I detoxed . This is common after a major detox. I'm stressing extreme effects of extreme doses since you need to realize they are NOT a solution - only a temporary crutch.

        The problem needs to be addressed at source.

        If you have to, think of injections and nerve blocks, but the bottom line is your back is a mechanical part and it won't hold you up if it's broken. Repetitive stress breaks it. You can't keep acting as if you didn't have this problem. It will only get worse.

        What you're doing is like breaking your arm and getting it put into a cast over and over. Then you want to know what to do about having a broken arm. You have to stop breaking it!

        The serious, painful surgery many here have, takes a year to recover from and sometimes doesn't even work at relieving pain. It's one of many risks of the surgery. Afterward, there is no heavy lifting ever again. None. If you want to have a prayer of avoiding it, take care of what spinal health remains to you. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a public nursing home in a wheelchair. This is one of my personal worst fears. It's all too realistic for both of us. Get a social worker to help you explore your options.

        S/he can help you look into alternate work or else apply for disability payments. You might be able to begin receiving social security payments and Medicare early if you qualify.

        Sorry to be so blunt, but you need help understanding your health problem. Temporarily deadening the pain. is no solution, if you keep doing work that makes your back more "broken". If you keep "breaking your back " your pain and disability will cripple you more and more.

        Best of luck coping with this terrible problem!
        Last edited by Back-out; 05-29-2010, 10:41 PM.
        Not all diagnosed (still having tests and consults) but so far:
        Ehler-Danlos (hyper-mobility) syndrome, 69 - somehow,
        main curve L Cobb 60, compensating T curve ~ 30
        Flat back, marked lumbar kyphosis (grade?) Spondilolisthesis - everyone gives this a different grade too. Cervical stenosis op'd 3-07, minimally invasive

        Comment


        • #5
          numbing would have to be local, by injection...you could ask the pain doctor if he would try injections to the most painful area or that would effect that area...plus oral pain meds!

          i stopped trying to do anything physical the last years of my jobs...was lucky i didnt really have to...also i had a union!

          i hope the pain doctor can help you!

          jess

          Comment


          • #6
            I agree with the others, esp. Back-out. Pain meds miss the point and have problematical side effects.

            I had awful back pain myself years ago after carrying boxes while moving. Professional massage helped a lot short-term. I felt much better in a week. Eventually I strengthened my back and was able to move again with minimal discomfort.

            See if you can find a local physical therapist who works with orthopedics patients and understands scoliosis. A physical therapist specializing in the Schroth method helped long-term. See other posts about Schroth on this forum for more.

            You might have pulled a muscle, or more than one. There are a lot of quite small muscles in the back and a big piece of furniture can strain them if the lifting wasn't done right.

            The whole matter of back pain is so complex that one specialist may not get to the basis or bases of your particular problem, so you might try a couple different approaches. Good luck!

            Comment


            • #7
              pain meds have helped me for years...i have stopped them a week or two at a time (long story i wont go into here) i had no withdrawal..and am not addicted...(but i may be rare)...when i stop, the only effect i have is intensified pain...i have also been getting various injections in my back for years...some help, some havent...

              i would never advise anyone not to take pain meds, especially when you clearly explained how much you need this job...it sounds like a terrible job for a person with your back problems, and i really feel for you that you seem to be stuck with it for now...suggest you explain that to the pain doctor..you might want to write down what you want to talk about...i usually forget stuff at my doctor's office if i dont

              i think that if you need immediate help, oral pain meds are the way to start for relief right NOW! (i am not a doctor...that is just a suggestion from personal experience)... i suggest you request another appointment (soon as you can get one) for whatever kind of injection the doctor thinks might help you...
              it sounds as if you need something to get you out from under the pain quickly...to me, there are no physical therapies that work quickly to relieve pain...
              i think the most important thing right now is immediate pain relief!! it's easier to explore other options when you're not in agony!! financial help is often related to how much/how long one has worked...you said your work is seasonal...i wonder if that would limit the possibility of help...

              best of luck...

              jess
              Last edited by jrnyc; 05-30-2010, 02:19 AM.

              Comment


              • #8
                Hello All: having had surgery Mar 1st, I currently still take 2 Hydrocodone with my OJ in the morning just to get my day going. Give it about 20 min and I feel much better and pretty much ready to tackle my day. I go to work full-time and I do pretty well until usually around 3-4:00 in the afternoon at which time, depending on the pain, I take 1 or 2 more Hydrocodone and on a normal day I'm okay then till I go to bed. And, I usually don't have too much trouble sleeping after the initial shock of laying down. Hurts a lot when I first lay down, but, lots of time I even fall asleep laying on my back. Never done that before surgery. So, for me, Hydrocodone works well and I am able to work full-time with it. I still manage to take my aftgernoon naps on the weekends, which Dr. Lenke said this past week at my first postop appt is just fine. Hope this helps.
                Rita Thompson
                Age 46
                Milwaukee Brace wearer for 3 years in childhood
                Surgery Mar 1st - 95 degree thoracic curve
                Surgery by Dr. Lenke, St. Louis, MO
                Post-surgery curve 25-30 degree

                Comment


                • #9
                  I agree, you need help now. However, for a word of caution read my thread on help getting off of long term narcotics. I am going through a major detox right now and I can tell you it is NO FUN. These meds really mess with your short term memory, something you NEED for the job you are doing, so please be careful. Just for example, I was helping set up a lunch where everyone brings something and there was a table for main dishes, one for salads, and one for desserts. I was told to put the salads on one table and the main dishes on the other... I did just the opposite of what I was told. It was really embarrassing! That's what these meds will do to you. I will need them for the rest of my life, but I'm getting off the "heavy" stuff and am going to treat each episode as it comes. So if you get the short term relief, which it sounds like you need, don't forget to treat the underlying problem so you don't need to continue on it. For me, surgery is not an option right now so I have to wait. My doctors have differing opinions on whether they think it will help me. But when it came down to it, the surgeon had the final say, so I'm stuck doing what I can, on my own (and with my other doctors that can only prescribe meds), to manage the pain. I hope you aren't in the same predicament. That's why I forrage this topic (non-surgical). I want to find out what else is out there to manage this terrible disease. Best wishes.
                  Be happy!
                  We don't know what tomorrow brings,
                  but we are alive today!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Rita,

                    May I ask what dose hydrocodone you take - per pill?

                    Everyone seems to think the name of the medicine is self explanatory but actually it only tells the active (opiate) ingredient. Hydrocodone comes in many different mgs. and the APAP dosage (Tylenol) also varies.

                    Just for reference, believe it or not, I was up to a daily dose of over 120 mg./day hydrocodone and 20+ mg oxycodone/night. At this level, my hearing was going (some go deaf) and I also had cardiac symptoms.

                    My pills were specially compounded by a kind pharmacist who jumped through hoops to do the paperwork. That way I was able to eliminate the Tylenol. I didn't know for a long time about the risks of combined opiates with alcohol (referring to the liver effect here). Sometimes, I used to swallow Norco with my daily glass of red wine (good for you, you know? Resveratrol ).

                    Luckily, it seems my liver is still OK.

                    I wouldn't have been able to take this much (not with a legal script!), if I hadn't learned about compounding pharmacists.
                    Not all diagnosed (still having tests and consults) but so far:
                    Ehler-Danlos (hyper-mobility) syndrome, 69 - somehow,
                    main curve L Cobb 60, compensating T curve ~ 30
                    Flat back, marked lumbar kyphosis (grade?) Spondilolisthesis - everyone gives this a different grade too. Cervical stenosis op'd 3-07, minimally invasive

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Back-out View Post
                      Rita,

                      May I ask what dose hydrocodone you take - per pill?

                      Everyone seems to think the name of the medicine is self explanatory but actually it only tells the active (opiate) ingredient. Hydrocodone comes in many different mgs. and the APAP dosage (Tylenol) also varies.

                      Just for reference, believe it or not, I was up to a daily dose of over 120 mg./day hydrocodone and 20+ mg oxycodone/night. At this level, my hearing was going (some go deaf) and I also had cardiac symptoms.

                      My pills were specially compounded by a kind pharmacist who jumped through hoops to do the paperwork. That way I was able to eliminate the Tylenol. I didn't know for a long time about the risks of combined opiates with alcohol (referring to the liver effect here). Sometimes, I used to swallow Norco with my daily glass of red wine (good for you, you know? Resveratrol ).

                      Luckily, it seems my liver is still OK.

                      I wouldn't have been able to take this much (not with a legal script!), if I hadn't learned about compounding pharmacists.
                      That sounds really dangerous.
                      Be happy!
                      We don't know what tomorrow brings,
                      but we are alive today!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Don't know which part of the post you mean, but it was all really dangerous.

                        And the most dangerous of all was the self detox off it all! Had to do it quickly since I had guests coming in a week (below) and it was sheer hell. Incredibly irresponsible of my doc who cut my dose in half overnight, I knew I might as well be off completely as I'd suffer just as much. Read up on it, and after a few days of downward titration, went all the way off.

                        My son was coming with his girlfriend (she was flying in from Beirut Lebanon) just to - finally - help me get my house organized. We had the summer ahead of us. Completely shot!

                        Not being able to sleep for a month put kind of a damper on my ability to supervise them! I broke ribs falling down when I was unable to sleep and then later, when I had to take a powerful medicine to sleep. It had a major effect on my coordination. My insurance wouldn't pay for me to go to a center, and I had to do it myself.

                        I'd detoxed once before (then, I was mostly terribly depressed) from a much lower dose. This time, the insomnia is what killed me. And my poor son and Mary! They had so much wanted to help and I was a total wreck. Naturally! Came very close to accidental over-doses of anything I could find to help me sleep, to no avail.

                        This is why people need the support of a facility. Very few people online were coming off so much, and all said it was the hardest thing they'd every done EVEN WHEN THEY WENT TO A SPECIAL PROGRAM.

                        These meds are no joke. This is why I dread the meds (on and off) as much or more than the surgery itself.
                        Not all diagnosed (still having tests and consults) but so far:
                        Ehler-Danlos (hyper-mobility) syndrome, 69 - somehow,
                        main curve L Cobb 60, compensating T curve ~ 30
                        Flat back, marked lumbar kyphosis (grade?) Spondilolisthesis - everyone gives this a different grade too. Cervical stenosis op'd 3-07, minimally invasive

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          your insurance wouldnt pay for a detox or rehab? that doesnt sound right...depending on the meds, it can be very dangerous to go it alone...and insurance knows that quite well....

                          gtucker...please let folks on forum know how the appointment with your pain doctor goes...i hope he gives you a prescription, after thoroughly discussing different medication options, since you need to keep your job for now! i also hope he sets up another appointment quickly for an injection using medication placed where he believes it would most help relieve your pain!

                          jess
                          Last edited by jrnyc; 06-01-2010, 12:39 AM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by jrnyc View Post
                            your insurance wouldnt pay for a detox or rehab? that doesnt sound right...depending on the meds, it can be very dangerous to go it alone...and insurance knows that quite well....

                            jess
                            Forget about the insurance. The HOSPITAL won't even help people coming off of narcotics. They told me it wouldn't kill me, therefore they won't admit unless it will kill.

                            Just for your own awareness Gtucker, I'm not trying to hijack your thread. I'm posting this as part of the discussion so you are truly aware of just how dangerous these drugs are, and if you get into trouble with them you are pretty much on your own. Thankfully, I have a very caring doctor who is helping me get off of the drugs I am currently on. Please make sure that whoever prescribes for you is also willing to help you quit when the time comes. I truly hope you get the relief you need so desperately.
                            Be happy!
                            We don't know what tomorrow brings,
                            but we are alive today!

                            Comment

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