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Living with Neuropathy - Welcome to the group
Neuropathy | Last Active: Oct 27 5:51pm | Replies (6152)Comment receiving replies
@jimhd
I do not have any signs of autonomic neuropathy. Four people in my family (uncle, brother, sister, me) have peripheral neuropathy and none of them have autonomic neuropathy. Thank God for that.
No medications have helped my neuropathy and the doctors have tried all they could think of. The only thing that has worked is pain pills and I've been on them for four years. Started with Hydrocodone, went to Morphine and now I'm on Methadone. Methadone has the least side effects for me and lasts the longest. The Methadone controlled the pain but I still couldn't stand or walk for more than 2 minutes. So, I was surprised when the nerve block and this trial took care of most of the pain and I could stand and walk for over 30 minutes. (I might have to return my handicap placard.)
The pain management doctors I have had wanted to get me off of opioids, so they pushed some type of neuro stimulator. My old insurance would not cover a spinal cord stimulator but my new insurance would cover it or this localized neuro stimulator. My current pain management doctor said that installing a neuro stimuatlor in the lower leg is new procedure and few doctors are certified to do it.
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@fredjan2016
Doctors wanting their patients off opioids are stupid. But don't quote me on that. If morphine is so bad, why did they prescribe them for us. How is it that they have treated pain for centuries and now the bureaucracy rewrites history and opioids do nothing for pain. Sorry. The whole thing angers me.
My prescription for morphine was 30mg 3 times a day, when I decided to taper off, then I only went up to 15mg 3 times a day. That was a mistake. Now he announced to me that he won't raise my dose. The PC thing is that my body has gotten used to it and if he raises it once I'll just keep needing more.
So, I've been making myself take only two a day and at the same time getting the prescription filled on time each month. There are days when 2 is definitely not enough. Sometimes I just push through, but sometimes I take 2 at night because I'm in so much pain. You know that feeling, don't you.
If something else stopped the pain, I'd be all over it, and would willingly stop the morphine. But I've tried everything that all of my doctors could offer, and nothing has helped. I shouldn't say "nothing", because Lyrica was beginning to relieve the pain, until I ended up in the ER, incoherent, couldn't walk, no memory. I couldn't live with those reactions just so my feet wouldn't hurt. I've forgotten how to cry. I would be in tears every night and every day.
After I told my doctor (not my current one - I lived in another place) that I was attempting suicide he was considerate and allowed me to make arrangements for others to do my work and I self admitted to a suicide failure facility. The normal stay there was 3 days. I stayed for 6 weeks because I knew that I would do it right the next time, as soon as I got home.
Sorry. You didn't need to hear all that. I retired at 55 on Social Security disability and Medicare became my health insurance, and they approved the SCS implant. There's very little that they have declined. Even then, a letter from the doctor gets things approved.
I wish that I had taken the advice from a man in this forum, to do a lot of research before signing on with the surgeon. As in research about the doctor. He did the procedure fine, but I have never to this day laid eyes on him except in surgery.
Well, I seem to have lived up to my usual record, and written way more than necessary. What's stopping me now is that my dog is pestering me to let her out.
Thanks for listening.
Jim