Intrathecal Pain Pump

I have an appointment with pain management this week. After suffering with ongoing pain after TKR for sixteen years I would like to go this route of relieving my pain with less medication. How long did the recovery take after implanting the device?

@heisenberg34 Hold the phone. You got 4mgs. Of Dilaudid for your trial?! That’s massive. Did you dry out for 6 weeks before the trial? I did, cold turkey, it was the exact hell as sung by John Lennon. I got 250mcg. Of morphine. 25% of 1 mg. I was totally pain free for 5 hours. An hour after injection, I was up and dancing and singing in the hallway with my cane, like gene Kelly singing in the rain. I definitely need to switch.
I wish you a blessed Christmas and a new year with pain managed effectively! Godspeed 🙏🏼

@heisenberg34 Hold the phone. You got 4mgs. Of Dilaudid for your trial?! That’s massive. Did you dry out for 6 weeks before the trial? I did, cold turkey, it was the exact hell as sung by John Lennon. I got 250mcg. Of morphine. 25% of 1 mg. I was totally pain free for 5 hours. An hour after injection, I was up and dancing and singing in the hallway with my cane, like gene Kelly singing in the rain. I definitely need to switch.
I wish you a blessed Christmas and a new year with pain managed effectively! Godspeed 🙏🏼

@bilt4pain The only way I know it was 4 mg was that I called the office and called them. I remember how great it felt go have less pain. Later that evening I threw up six or seven times. Maybe that was the result of having such a high dose. This was all after my first test with morphine. I got zero relief from that, but I also threw up pretty much the same later on.
Your contact with me has meant so much. Blessed days ahead, amigo.

@bilt4pain Sorry, I meant to say that I didn’t do any special preparation prior to the trial. I figure that looking at my pain profile along with the meds I was on, the high dosage was appropriate.

@heisenberg34 we are both in the brotherhood of the Invisible Pain Society. Thank you for the kind words, I often wonder why I I was chosen to endure this life, my Mom said it was part of Gods plan and its purpose would reveal itself. Maybe that’s it.

@heisenberg34 What meds were you on before the pump? Let me tell you mine. 225 mcg. Fentanyl patch, 6, 30mg. Oxycodone, 2, 8 Dilaudid per day. If they they tried to lateral me like you, they would have needed 20ml. of morphine. This resets the pain receptors and why I was pain free on 250mcg. of morphine. 1/4 of a ml. Going cold turkey was hell.

@dcanada54 just had my second pump implanted. The first was a bit more discomfort as they had to run the catheter from my abdomen to my back. Entire waist was 2x the size from swelling. Incision pain was minimal, handled by Motrin 800mgs. Just had first pump replaced. Although this went deeper, underneath the scar tissue pocket from the first pump, again, discomfort from poor drainage and swelling. I’ve got to say the stitches looked pretty good, but have left the nastiest scar I’ve ever gotten. And I’ve had 20 surgeries in 19 years.

@bilt4pain I often feel the same way. I am reluctant to share my pain with others because they cannot really comprehend what it's like to be in such agony nearly 24/7 unless they have endured something similar. God's Word tells us that the "present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed", (Romans 8:18).

@bilt4pain 50 mg Tramadol, 3x/day. 50 mg Diclofenac K, 2x/day. More recently, 150 mg Pregablin, 3x/day. That was to replace the 600 mg of Gabapentin, 3x/day. Of course, let's throw in the 2.3 mg Dilaudid continuous via the pain pump. I will say that since my pain doc increased the dosage to its present level and gave me six boluses daily, each successive bolus seems to take the edge off my pain ever so slightly. Are you now off the pain meds? What is your current pain level? If I don't hear back from you, have a Merry and blessed Christmas!