@wsh66
Wow, that sounds like something I need to look into. The only pain med that has ever worked for me is Dilaudid. I was taking 32 mg extended release Dilaudid plus rescue pills. This year the insurance company sent me a letter that I was taking over the “new limit” of 8 mg ER. I have worked myself down yo 16 mg but my pain is more debilitating than it has been in years (and I have 2 spinal stimulators, which do help but not on all my pain as I have pain all over my body in every joint).

I think I am going to get signed up for med marijuana on my next visit so I can see if it works on my pain at all.

I’ll research the pain pump idea as an alternate.

Thanks,
Carl

This was suggested by my former Pain Specialist, but she moved away. The Pain Specialist I have now hasn't suggested it. Maybe because of my age. I am 82 now. The pain stimulator didn't help me at all. Finally had it removed. I am so glad this is working for you. Thanks for sharing. Gives me hope!

@cbrackle

Keep us posted, if you would, about how the marijuana works, Carl. I think that if I had the level of pain you have, I would be pursuing the pump like wsh67 has, especially since Dilaudid works for you. Having the pump would circumvent the new 8mg maximum, which is ridiculous.

If my pain were to become unmanageable, I think I'd have a talk with my pain specialist about the pump. It sounds like a great solution.

To each his own best solution.

Jim

Get new insurance. No insurance company has the right to being to get between you and your doctor in your meds. 8 milligrams a day is a joke. Even with the pain pump I take 16 mg a day.

I was tested for the neurostimulator but it didn't work. I used a TENS unit for years but all it did was Rock the skin underneath the pads. I hope it works for somebody it seemed to me to be another one of those Hoops you have to jump through before you get narcotics.

Hello. My name is Michael. I have been following this thread for about a year. I have spinal stenosis. Pain is total back - CTL. Most pain is upper and lower back. Worst pain is in shoulders. Doctor keeps pushing the St. Jude's burst stimulator. Almost all the posts about the stimulator have been negative except for a few who were helped with foot pain. The posts have scared me into cancelling my trial until I get new MRIs. Now using opiates and medical marijuana. Would appreciate new thoughts. Thank you all.

Hi Michael,
I went through the trial with a nerve stimulator in October. My doctors concluded that I wasn’t getting as much pain relief as they were hoping. They recommended not going through with the final implant. If I were you I would not cancel your trial. It is a relatively small procedure. Everybody is different as you know. You may discover that YOU ARE THE ONE that it works for!

Hello Michael....welcome. You sound like me...a bit leery. My current situation is the result of too many structural surgeries (13) with multiple joint replacements. I light up the machines in airport security pretty well. I have been using medical marijuana for 2 years now. It does require moving slowly to find a regimen that works for you. Mine is a combination edibles, tinctures, topicals and vaping. The folks in this industry are very compassionate and helpful. Unfortunately...right now all products are going through regulatory review since the law in California opened to recreational this January. And so I have to start over and learn again. I was cautioned not to use alcohol with marijuana. Does that hold true for opioids?

It was suggested to me by my neurologist I was seeing at the time to get a neuro simulator as a last ditch effort to stop my head and neck pain. I have spinal stenosis in my upper cervical. I had tried neck traction, muscle simulator similar to a tens unit, different cervical and nerve blocks, nerve ablation on both sides of my c4 and several different medications and muscle relaxers to stop the pain. None of those things worked and I seriously considered the implant but I decided against it and made an appointment at Mayo. They Started me on botox around my head, neck, and shoulders and I started using a Cefly device. I know that is different from you but is it possible to get botox injections in your upper back? It has worked well for me. I have other pain and issues and one of the meds I use is oxycotin, which is one of the only meds that helps my pain. I don't think med marijuana is legal in my state but after reading some of these posts I begining to wish it was. I do have a friend who after several back surgeries and years of pain has decided to try it. It's such a tough l

Those of us in pain, will try most anything. I have had 3 surgeries, so many injections that I can't remember them all. I had a pain stimulator implanted, that didn't work either. I had it removed in order to have a MRI, it showed that the complete spine was not in very good shape. I have a lot of degeneration, spurs, bulging, compression fractures, from the lumbar, thoracic, to the cervical. Right now it is the thoracic and neck that are bothering me the most. I don't want to give up on finding something other then pain meds.. I hate to take them and then feel spaced out, but what else is there? I am 81 and realize that I am not a spring chicken, but do I have to hurt all the time?