I don't remember where I left off. Then came my great University of California - San Diego system of absolutely the best specialist I have found in my life.
I spent 2013-14 with 9 months of treatments in El Centro from digestive problems to diarrhea for a month until I was sent to the UC Sand Diego system as a referral. My esonophil levels were so high both in upper and lower GI tracts that Dr Savides (UCSD)thought it was Crohn's to Cronkhite–Canada to several others diseases until Dr W. Sandborn tried a medication that helped. I was on Prenidsone which Dr Bridwell was against due to preventing fusion but Dr Savides said I will die if you I do not go on it. It was all caused by the stress to my system possibly the 11 hours surgery and recovery. So, after that, I concentrated on pain.
I went to see UC San Diego Dr. Garfin who had determined in one session using the old fashion xrays machine that my SI joints fusion needs to be taken out and he would review the states of the fusion from L10-L11 down. I had a scheduled date for revison but as it become closer I panic. He wanted to remove or replace my SI joints mechanisms and wait until he opened up to see a) to top fractured disc b) what had to be replaced and added. It was too iffy for me to accept, logical but scary.
I was not ready to thru another long surgery and recovery again specially when living in a small community in Baja California, Mexico with no hospital, clinics, nor reliable ambulance service 2.5 hours from the eastern border on the California border. I was going to work with a pain doctor as per Dr Bridwell (ST Louis Barnes-Jewish).
In El Centro, Ca (pop. of about 45k and eastern most city of California with border of Arizona and Calexico Mexico). I found one pain office with a practicing Anesthesiology whom I never saw but in charge was his Nurse practitioner, a retired colonel with the personality of a pencil. On the first day, my husband and I went to see him and asked about pain control. So he wrote a presciption for Fentanyl patch to try. I was amazed that he offered opioids first but now I understand that since it is a controlled substance I would be returning every month and his business would be secured. It was good and after a few months of adjustments we found the right dosis. At the same time, I was getting slightly depressed and started seeing a local psychiatrist who would see me for 10-15 minutes on the first visit then would send me off with a trust me. My depression was getting worse so I went to my primary physician who accepted to help but made sure I understood he was not a specialist. We played around with some antidepressant.
I asked him if by chance it would be the patches as the depression started at the same time. He totally said NO and his physician assistance told me he had used it in the operations room with no problems. Asked the pain clinic nurse and he said no complaints at all. I had to see him monthly due to Fentanyl being a controlled substance. My depression got worse after 6 months that my daughter suggested I log my moods on a daily chart.
I barely was living with lots of suicidal thoughts. Been isolated, my niece from California came for 4 days visit in tried to get me involved in painting (hobby) but all I did was sit and watch. I would not talk. I started staying at home. Leaving the house to visit I would feared for car breakdowns. Then, fear of being alone in the house to a point that required me to go or have a neighbor come to sit with me when my husband had to go to meetings. I would have constant anxiety attacks. Would not even drive out the house and cut off any social activities.
My husband do not understand about depression nor health issues and was in a panic. I would wake up with a stomach pain of dread until going to sleep but then darkness was OK while my husband slept I read. TV shows with some killing or tragic moments would upset me to no end. Finally, we opted to go to UC San Diego a 4+ hours drive to see a psych however I could not get an appointment for 6 months but my great physician who cured my GI problems, Dr Savides, helped shorten the wait by 1 month.
I went to see DR. Papp, psychiatrist, who after a couple of sessions was scratching his head and as last resort he suggested a DNA test that he had in the bottom of his shelves. Both my husband and I said "oh well". It cost $300 but Medicare would cover it but we were not on Medicare for another month or so. The results came back attesting that the FENTANYL was adverse to my genetic compostition. It was causing all my depressions for the past 10 months. Very scary!!
Dr Papp immediately wrote a letter to Dr Stevens and told us to insist he read it. Of course the DR was not available and we saw his nurse asst. In the letter, DR Papp explained and suggested alternative. This guy lood at us and said: so you want what this dr suggested? and proceded to wirte a RX for it (I am in Brutans Patches). The reason to keep going to Dr Steven's nurse in El Centro was because of distance matters and I can't stand 4 hours+ sitting in the car. Plus, I am still very independent and did not want my husband to be driving. Now the Butrans patches are giving me less relief but terrible allergic itch under the patch.
So, I have decided to move on to UC San Diego to their Pain Clinic which required me to have a primary physician in the same network as their database is outstanding. I am giving up my mediocre primary physician who requires me to see him and have blood tests every quarter which is fine but they want me to take many stupid tests on different days in order to be able to charge insurance. I liked the convenience of having a primary close by in case of little ailments. But, driving 4+ hours to real world care is more important.
I did see a UCSD Pain doctor who gave me 2 shots in the hip joint area which lasted about 3-4 months. They also suggested Marijuana but becuase of COPD I can't smoke it.
I saw Dr. Bridwell in St Louis last September for my last check up becuase our daughter graduated from school with top honors and has joined UC San Diego in a lab that trains PhD doctors in having their own labs. Dr Bridwell took many xrays and found several problems. My top fusion above L10 is not fused, the crack, and my upper curve has been increasing. He would not operate again on my because the past operation was long and he did not think I would survive another one. However: if an Angel from Heaven came down and asked to him to do something he would answer: fix the lower curve. We left it at that.
I have started last week with the Pain doctor at UCSD who deals with the medicine side of pain without other intervention with shots or other instrumentations. I am on Gabatin 300mg and am taking Vicoden 10/325mg as needed. I am so scared of becoming an addict so I watch what I take. Hopefully, I will stop the opioids and deal with some other meds before going to the extreme.
Please: anyone using FENTANYL to be aware of it causing DEPRESSION!
I welcome individual emails if anyone needs any clarifications. Sorry for the length of this summary. Hello Ed and Linda!
May 2017 be a better year to all.
Gardenia
I spent 2013-14 with 9 months of treatments in El Centro from digestive problems to diarrhea for a month until I was sent to the UC Sand Diego system as a referral. My esonophil levels were so high both in upper and lower GI tracts that Dr Savides (UCSD)thought it was Crohn's to Cronkhite–Canada to several others diseases until Dr W. Sandborn tried a medication that helped. I was on Prenidsone which Dr Bridwell was against due to preventing fusion but Dr Savides said I will die if you I do not go on it. It was all caused by the stress to my system possibly the 11 hours surgery and recovery. So, after that, I concentrated on pain.
I went to see UC San Diego Dr. Garfin who had determined in one session using the old fashion xrays machine that my SI joints fusion needs to be taken out and he would review the states of the fusion from L10-L11 down. I had a scheduled date for revison but as it become closer I panic. He wanted to remove or replace my SI joints mechanisms and wait until he opened up to see a) to top fractured disc b) what had to be replaced and added. It was too iffy for me to accept, logical but scary.
I was not ready to thru another long surgery and recovery again specially when living in a small community in Baja California, Mexico with no hospital, clinics, nor reliable ambulance service 2.5 hours from the eastern border on the California border. I was going to work with a pain doctor as per Dr Bridwell (ST Louis Barnes-Jewish).
In El Centro, Ca (pop. of about 45k and eastern most city of California with border of Arizona and Calexico Mexico). I found one pain office with a practicing Anesthesiology whom I never saw but in charge was his Nurse practitioner, a retired colonel with the personality of a pencil. On the first day, my husband and I went to see him and asked about pain control. So he wrote a presciption for Fentanyl patch to try. I was amazed that he offered opioids first but now I understand that since it is a controlled substance I would be returning every month and his business would be secured. It was good and after a few months of adjustments we found the right dosis. At the same time, I was getting slightly depressed and started seeing a local psychiatrist who would see me for 10-15 minutes on the first visit then would send me off with a trust me. My depression was getting worse so I went to my primary physician who accepted to help but made sure I understood he was not a specialist. We played around with some antidepressant.
I asked him if by chance it would be the patches as the depression started at the same time. He totally said NO and his physician assistance told me he had used it in the operations room with no problems. Asked the pain clinic nurse and he said no complaints at all. I had to see him monthly due to Fentanyl being a controlled substance. My depression got worse after 6 months that my daughter suggested I log my moods on a daily chart.
I barely was living with lots of suicidal thoughts. Been isolated, my niece from California came for 4 days visit in tried to get me involved in painting (hobby) but all I did was sit and watch. I would not talk. I started staying at home. Leaving the house to visit I would feared for car breakdowns. Then, fear of being alone in the house to a point that required me to go or have a neighbor come to sit with me when my husband had to go to meetings. I would have constant anxiety attacks. Would not even drive out the house and cut off any social activities.
My husband do not understand about depression nor health issues and was in a panic. I would wake up with a stomach pain of dread until going to sleep but then darkness was OK while my husband slept I read. TV shows with some killing or tragic moments would upset me to no end. Finally, we opted to go to UC San Diego a 4+ hours drive to see a psych however I could not get an appointment for 6 months but my great physician who cured my GI problems, Dr Savides, helped shorten the wait by 1 month.
I went to see DR. Papp, psychiatrist, who after a couple of sessions was scratching his head and as last resort he suggested a DNA test that he had in the bottom of his shelves. Both my husband and I said "oh well". It cost $300 but Medicare would cover it but we were not on Medicare for another month or so. The results came back attesting that the FENTANYL was adverse to my genetic compostition. It was causing all my depressions for the past 10 months. Very scary!!
Dr Papp immediately wrote a letter to Dr Stevens and told us to insist he read it. Of course the DR was not available and we saw his nurse asst. In the letter, DR Papp explained and suggested alternative. This guy lood at us and said: so you want what this dr suggested? and proceded to wirte a RX for it (I am in Brutans Patches). The reason to keep going to Dr Steven's nurse in El Centro was because of distance matters and I can't stand 4 hours+ sitting in the car. Plus, I am still very independent and did not want my husband to be driving. Now the Butrans patches are giving me less relief but terrible allergic itch under the patch.
So, I have decided to move on to UC San Diego to their Pain Clinic which required me to have a primary physician in the same network as their database is outstanding. I am giving up my mediocre primary physician who requires me to see him and have blood tests every quarter which is fine but they want me to take many stupid tests on different days in order to be able to charge insurance. I liked the convenience of having a primary close by in case of little ailments. But, driving 4+ hours to real world care is more important.
I did see a UCSD Pain doctor who gave me 2 shots in the hip joint area which lasted about 3-4 months. They also suggested Marijuana but becuase of COPD I can't smoke it.
I saw Dr. Bridwell in St Louis last September for my last check up becuase our daughter graduated from school with top honors and has joined UC San Diego in a lab that trains PhD doctors in having their own labs. Dr Bridwell took many xrays and found several problems. My top fusion above L10 is not fused, the crack, and my upper curve has been increasing. He would not operate again on my because the past operation was long and he did not think I would survive another one. However: if an Angel from Heaven came down and asked to him to do something he would answer: fix the lower curve. We left it at that.
I have started last week with the Pain doctor at UCSD who deals with the medicine side of pain without other intervention with shots or other instrumentations. I am on Gabatin 300mg and am taking Vicoden 10/325mg as needed. I am so scared of becoming an addict so I watch what I take. Hopefully, I will stop the opioids and deal with some other meds before going to the extreme.
Please: anyone using FENTANYL to be aware of it causing DEPRESSION!
I welcome individual emails if anyone needs any clarifications. Sorry for the length of this summary. Hello Ed and Linda!
May 2017 be a better year to all.
Gardenia
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