Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

Thank you kfc1. I never thought of the fact that you brought up. I agree, there is no way any doc in severe pain would take tylenol. It is inhumane to expect a patient in severe chronic pain to suffer.

I am hopeful that your surgery will go smoothly and be 100% successful. I am going for a long-overdue MRI today. My pain in lower back, buttocks, legs, ankles, feet has ramped up to a solid 8, making it almost impossible to walk any distance. Pain doc just manages pain pump, which has never helped in the year that I've had it. I decided to take the bull by the horns and start chasing my own medical help. Again, prayers for your recovery and greatly reduced pain.

Hi, my name is Barb. I have been seeing a pain management Dr for 3+ years. Had an SNS placed in lumbar spine from failed back surgery 15 years ago. I have Osteoarthritis up & down my spine. Also have had TKR's done 11 years ago for same issue. Also had ruptured Left quad tendon (3months post op) repaired twice which didn't work. Now having shoulder pain due to same issue. Had a scope of shoulder showing I shredded a biceps tendon & severe Osteoarthritis. Am scheduled for reverse total shoulder the end of October of 2024. Probably will need Right shoulder done in a short period of time for same problem. Try to stay on top of pain with Tramadol & Acetaminophen(as I can't take anything else). I feel like I'm falling apart with no end in site. I need some help & encouragement to keep on going. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

If your pain doc is only managing it with a pain pump and you haven't had an MRI. thank goodness you're finally getting one! I wish you the best of outcomes.

I understand this completely. Until I started taking Gabapentin for my pain- I was probably suicidal. Fifteen years of pain - surgery, then more pain. When I was waiting for the stimulator that is now implanted in my back I would just stand and cry and honestly believed that this just wasn't worth it any more. With the stimulator, 2 Gabapentin a day, and a few Motrin- I am now tolerating the pain I still have. Tylenol does absolutely nothing for pain - can't believe it even exists on the market. I have spacers between many discs, a 20 degree curve at the bottom of my spine, a cage around my spine just above the curve, and now arthritis that has set in because of the surgery. They went in through the front, and the back - about 35 stitchces total. Still have pain in the hip/pelvic area that nothing really seems to help- and no one can figure out why. Now I also have a heart condition, colitis, diverticulitis, and fluid build up in lower legs and feet from being pumped full of fluid during an abscess that broke in the diverticulitis. They didn't put any stockings or anything on my legs for the whole week I was in the hospital. I'm 70. This all happened in the last 3 years.

Hello James, PLEASE get another opinion, go to the best Spine surgeon!YOU CAN FIND BUT YOU MUST KNOW A LOT OF Research, I did not!
I was nieve, You would understand what the surgeon did to me.
He removed S-1 L-2 L-3 L-4 L-5 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! RUNED MY LIFE!! FUSION FAILED. I HAVE A PAIN PUMP IT WORKS!!
I can't sleep flat on my back, sides those days are over. Pain med. and pump helps me to sleep
Wishing you the very best!!!!!! Did you try a stimulater?

Goodness. Sounds like you've really had an awful experience. I'm sorry to hear that. I live in a major metropolitan area, and while there are three neurosurgery groups around here I'd trust, I picked someone who specializes in my particular issue at a neurological institute I know and trust. As far as what I've tried, I've had numerous trigger point injections and nerve ablation unsuccessfully. While I have not tried a stimulator, I do use a TENS unit that gives minimal temporary relief. I'm glad your pain pump works for you.

James again...I got a call from my surgeon's PA on Monday, and my surgery's scheduled for the first week in October. I'm meeting with the surgery group later this month to iron out the details, but besides cleaning up the mess my lumbar spine is in, they'll likely implant a rod to keep one of the vertebrae from shifting. All I have to do is enjoy the summer sitting on my butt (I'd rather be doing yard work or something...anything)! I'll be the second surgery of the day, so I feel like that's a good time for me while the doc is more awake and fresh rather than late in the day when he's done a bunch. It's on a Friday, so if all goes according to plan, I'll spend the weekend in the hospital and go home Monday after they take out the drain. I'll keep you apprised of the situation, but keeping my fingers, toes and eyes crossed. Thanks for the good thoughts, prayers or karma!

Hi my name is Mordy. I'm 44 yrs old. I have such terrible pain that I needed to have a Morphine pump installed under my skin delivering Morphine 24/7 since November 2022. I'm scared that at some point my body won't respond to the Morphine and I'll be in worse shape than I am now. Without the Morphine I can't get out of bed. I barely function as it is. I was this normal healthy active male until 2015 when my life started turning upside down. Pills stopped responding to my pain which is why It was decided to install this pump.

How do I go about properly introducing myself?
Martyman54