@contentandwell, @barbvh, @pinkpain51: My pain doctor will not treat me if he finds marijuana in my drug test. He actually drug tested me at my last appointment--jerk. The first time in my life! I had already told him I wouldn't use it if that meant he couldn't treat me, but since its legal in California, I didn't understand why I couldn't use it. He said as long as it's illegal at the Federal level, he can't let me use it or he will be in big trouble and could lose his license. So, it's probably the same for you.

I have used marijuana cream, prior to being with the pain doctor, and it really works. It comes in different strengths and doesn't make you high. You can also get marijuana tincture that you drop under your tongue in different strengths that won't make you high. Edibles can make you really high, so you should research them if you are considering using marijuana for pain. The people at the marijuana shop will be very helpful in telling you which types of relief you can get and what to try first. I found them pleasant and educational. When I used marijuana previously, it worked! I just needed stronger/different medication with my spinal cord injury. Now that I'm better I'm considering tapering off the Tramadol 50mg 4x a day that I am still taking so I no longer have to see the pain doctor. I would begin using marijuana instead. The only problem I see is that I won't be able to use it in every state and country. We will be traveling a lot in the future, so I have to consider the consequences of switching. Now that Trump and Sessions are in office, I don't foresee a change at the Federal level that would make marijuana legal, so, I am rethinking my idea about changing off Tramadol.

I want to do the genetic testing for proper medication prescribing. That's a brilliant new thing! Thanks for the information.

Gail B Ledesma

@gailb I actually was kidding about asking my PCP, although he would keel over. I have nothing against its use but I have not enough pain to warrant using it myself, thankfully.

Frankly I think your doctor is wrong though. If it's legal in your state then I do not think there is any way he could lose his license for prescribing its use, unless he did it in such a way that a federal insurance would pay for it, since it is not legal at a federal level. I have heard it is quite costly too from people who did got it for their mother who was really suffering.
JK

I tried to reply to this post but keep getting notice that you have redirected my posts too many times etc. Don't get it. I rarely if ever post anything so what is this about??

Hello @goodtime376, I've had similar issues with redirected pages when using the Google Chrome web browser. I've been able to fix the problem by clicking on the three dots in the upper right corner of the window, then select More tools and clicking the Clear browsing data button. Hope this helps.

John

Hi @goodtime376,
We recently upgraded the website and some people are experiencing technical issues. If you are still having issues, please send me a private message by using this form: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/contact-a-community-moderator/

Please describe the issue you are having or what error message you are getting. The more details, the better. We'll get things straightened out for you. 🙂

Any experience with stem cell injection ? I went to a seminar last night . I am going for an evaluation today .

Hi, I have posted about my injuries before. I've been a chronic pain patient for many years, wiith multiple surgeries and broken bones and back problems from those injuries. I felt like what the government was doing was very scary, but I also hated being in a situation where I was clinging to my doctors office and wanted something different for myself. I went through a rapid detox at my request about three weeks ago. It is not easy, but it's quick and over with. And yes I did read up and talk to many doctors about it before I did it. The people I did it with are amazing. I have never felt so cared for and watched out for. I was there for four nights. After that it took about 2 1/2 weeks before I finally felt like I was coming back to myself. I no longer have any opiates in my body feels wonderful. Amazingly most of the pain has diminished significantly. After that I was referred to a very reputable Doctor who does do stem cell therapy. He does not prescribe pain pills, he does things in a natural way and only goes on to stem cell if epidurals with the medications he uses don't work. He's not a quack, he is a board certified anesthesiologist, also board-certified is pain specialist, and went to USC and UCLA where they specialize in stem cell therapy. If you read AARP magazine this month there's an article about stem cell therapy. They say UCLA is one of the top leaders in training board certified physicians in that area. Don't go to your local plastic surgeon. Anyway, after about 2 1/2 weeks of not being on opiates my pain level is way down to almost manageable with just epidural injections once in a while. I am getting a new MRI of my neck, to try his type of medication. He uses a lot less Cortisone and other medications mixed with it. I will consider the stem cell therapy, if it seems needed in the future. This man has done a lot of it and knows what he's doing, you could tell by talking to him and reading about him. He also came highly recommended from the people that I was going to. I also figured out which was very strange, that I have been highly addicted to sugar. Before the detox and getting all this out of my system, all I wanted was sweet things. When you go through it you're sick to your stomach and you're not really wanting to eat a lot for a while. I had a headache for about two weeks and couldn't figure out why. Now sweets don't even taste good, headache broke. It's almost like the light of the world has opened up again. I can smell things, taste things in ways that I had forgotten were even possible. I think I partially did this because I was afraid of the Government, I also wanted to do it for myself. I do not believe they should be interfering and making things so difficult for people who do have chronic pain. It's their choice how they handle it.

Last night I read about withdrawals from sugar and again it was in the AARP magazine. Reading the symptoms was amazing it said like withdrawing from drugs a second time. Now that I have all of that out of my system, I still have neck pain but my headaches and neck pain have diminished tremendously as has my back pain. Not saying it's a miracle, my injuries are still there, but the chronic opioid's made it worse.

I myself had gotten to the point where they had stopped my whole digestive system. I had gotten to where things not move through very well. I would eat a meal and four hours later throw it up. It just had nowhere to go. Nothing I used worked to fix this problem. That really was one of my biggest reasons I couldn't live like that, and I wanted to see if I would feel better off of the opioid medicines. Although I wasn't withdrawing from the opioids, it still took me a while to get through the headache phase and feel my strength coming back. Every day I feel better and better. Not only do I intend to go to this doctor that does the natural medication for the epidurals, and trying to limit my use of steroids, if he thinks from the MRI that the stem cells could make a more permanent improvement, I am willing to try it in my worst areas. The areas where I had the worst broken bones,and bad discs. In the article it doesn't say that stem cell therapy is bad, it says to go to a reputable doctor that is trained in it and has done a lot of it. It also says, which this doctor told me, that it is most beneficial at this point in orthopedic type injuries, or certain cancers. Like old fractures that are bothering me, and neck and back problems like discs. He also made no promises. He said it was at 50% to 70% rate of improvement after the stem cell therapy. He's done a lot of it and he's very well-trained. He was also very honest. I felt like he was really being straight with me and wasn't pushing the procedure. Even though a seminar would be informative, that's not where I would go to find a doctor I wanted to go for the procedure. I would get referrals from Dr.s you trust the way I did. I don't know what state you are in, I'm in Southern California. I'm very close to Los Angeles/UCLA med school where they do the training for these doctors, I'm sure there are other universities that do the same, you might call them. You could also call UCLA and see if they can refer you to someone. The other thing is I think they're gonna want you off all opiate medications, this doctor did. He said stem cells were not a magic bullet, but it has helped a lot of people that he has as patients. He impressed my husband and I most because he wasn't pushing it. It isn't paid for by insurance because it's considered experimental, and it's not cheap. He felt like it should be considered only when nothing else worked.

That was my most recent experience. If you see my past posts, you'll see how much pain I have been in, a lot! I'm actually quite amazed right now with my own bodies and ability. Don't missunderstand me though, this was a very difficult procedure to go through and recover from, but I feel like I see the light at the end of the tunnel which I never thought I would see. Sorry for being so lengthy, Jen

@powerl2017 I would like to know more since one problem I have is no cartilage left in my only knee. Also I have various back and hip problems which I have yet to explore fully. I need to know more on how it works and the cost and if medicare will cover any of it? Thanks 19lin

My understanding from the reading, and from questioning this doctor, is that the stem cells actually regenerate and create the missing either disk or parts in the joint that are no longer there. I am no expert and I would strongly suggest you read as much as you possibly can.

One of my personal issues was a broken humorous in my left shoulder that went on to a non-union of the bone. The stem cell is injected between the two ends of the bones and the bones reconnect with your own cells and it creates new bone of your own. This is directly explained on his website. I also spoke directly to him about that. They use this stem cell procedure for that problem now. When I did it in 2008 I had to go through two open shoulder surgeries, including plates screws etc., and three more surgeries for all of the parts that were torn, damaged etc. I went through five surgeries to get my broken shoulder back together. That I did talk to him about and he said it would not be handled in the same way today as it was in 2008. For your specific problem or you, I would have to find a doctor that is an expert in this field and ask them about your specific issue. I know from talking to him that I would've tried this way before I tried what I had to go through. I know for torn Rotator cuff's it can work, it even is mentioned in the literature that it can help with diabetic neuropathy pain and regeneration of those nerves. Again I haven't tried it I'm just reiterating what I've read and asked. I am no expert on any of this. I strongly suggest speaking to the schools that I mentioned, our googling pain doctors in Southern California at that do these procedures. I'm not sure it's OK to mention his name. If I get the OK from other people that run this list I'll be happy to. You may not want to come all the way out here but you could find out reputable people in your area. I hope that helps, Jen

I don't think anything pays for this, and the only quotes I've seen is about $5000 but I haven't completely investigated the costs. My guess is it depends on the doctor. I'm not sure if the $5000 is one treatment or more than one treatment, I think they harvest enough stem cells to be used more than once. What they do is they suctioned fat from areas of your body that would be appropriate, they immediately spin it down and harvest the stem cells from it, then they re-inject it into the area of your body that I have the issues. Again my understanding is that one harvest can produce enough stem cells to treat more than one area or treat that area multiple times. It is not paid for by insurance or Medicare is because it is still considered by the FDA as experimental. Jennifer