I'd also been diagnosed by three doctors, including out at a Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles, that I had fibromyalgia. Somehow I just never really believed it. All those symptoms are gone, just gone. One has to wonder what those meds do.

Sharon may: I am Marield65, God bless you. You are still so young, and have gone through so much. Do you ever complain and feel cheated ? How do you stay up? What are the answers? I have been through so many surgeries and pain and I have a low immune system and now feel like crap with some kind of bug but it is very hard for me to stay positive when all I want to do is live a peaceful life, not this "why me " life. I feel so selfish at times. Then I say "why not me". I am 72. Do you have any words of wisdom you would like to give us people who live in chronic pain when you, your self lives like us, in chronic pain?

Jen, this is Marield65. I just got operated on for a cyst on my spine at L5 and I was supposed to go home the same day, but again, had a reaction to the meds and went home the 3rd day. But the operation was not such a big deal, it's all the meds they throw at you that is the worst thing. That was just one of my 5 back surgeries. I have one more back surgery to go and I am so afraid of the anesthesia and the pain meds. This surgery will be another fusion of L3 to L 4 & 5. I am trying to put it off as long as I can. First I have to have shots to L5 where I have a pinched nerve. I read that the benzodiazepines are the worst kind of medicine to interact with pain medication. Have you heard that?

Hi Marie,
What kind of cyst in your spine did you have? I'm curious because I have perinural/Tarlov cyst at S1-2. I've been told to leave it alone. It's so low down that I don't feel it unless I sit on a bicycle seat or something.

My Drs are talking about some type of surgery in my cervical spine C4-7, One doctor says three fusions and I'm waiting to see the other doctor to see what he says. They do disc replacement but I can't find many people who have done this. A three level fusion in my neck does not sound like something I want.

I guess I'm lucky as the pain meds, and anesthesia don't bother me. Right now I'm recovering from an epidural in my C3-C6 that they did today.

Hi I'm Mike. I've had 17 back and neck surgeries from 1975 to last year when I broke my neck twice. I developed fibromyalgia after the fifth surgery. The fibromyalgia got worse each surgery.

I found that some medications like hydrocodone, all hydro...s , tramadol and synthetic forms of codeine cause problems like agitation, nervousness and itching. I've had chronic pain for many years. The only medication that relieves my pain is morphine. Thanks to all the fear of opioid addiction it's been difficult to get a prescription.. I only use it when extremely necessary. I use less than the prescribed dosage.

I was a Chemical Dependence counselor and later Executive Director of inpatient and outpatient treatment centers. I taught at one of the major universities on how to manage private nonprofit organizations. So I'm aware of the problems inherent in misuse of drugs.

The problem isn't with you, it's with the physicians. You have to communicate every reaction to the medications and anesthesia directly and forcibly to them!!

I didn't answer about the benzo's. Yes I've taken them when nothing else was helping the pain. I don't want to be hooked on them so I'm tapering off in right now. I've had no bad reaction with them but I've been extremely careful with what I take. I really don't think I need them so my doctor told me some people have trouble getting off of them and some people don't. So far I don't feel like I do. I'm not sure the best thing to be taking pain medicine.

I've been taking Clonazepam for 11+ years, and have tried all kinds of pain meds. I started morphine sulfate contin a few years ago, and the pain specialist added Cymbalta around the same time. I finished getting off the Cymbalta yesterday, and I'm down to half the amount of morphine I have been taking. I never noticed a problem combining Clonazepam and other pain medication. My therapist told me last week to hold steady on the dosages until I'm through the current stress, so I guess I'll stay with the dosage of morphine I'm on for awhile.

Jim

Jen I had just a regular cyst caused by the 2 discs that were fused several years ago. The neurosurgeon wants to fuse another disc but is putting it off because he is afraid it might cause another cyst from the pressure of the fusion. But the cyst had to be scraped from my spine in such a way that he had to leave a little pinhole in my spine to get it all. I was leaking a little spinal fluid so I had to stay laying on my back for 24 hours which caused me to stay in the hospital an extra 2 days. But it all came out well. That was last December. This past April I had a left knee replacement. That was painful. Marield65

They want to fuse three of my cervical vertebrae, you're kind of complications are what I'm afraid of. I don't need anymore problems, but the way I am now is non-functional, so I don't know what the answer is.

Sorry you're going through so much. I know all of it is a challenge for each one of us in different ways. Hang in there Marie, Jennifer

i also have many, many cysts even one inside my eye causing sight loss. and all over my body. the little that i know now is there is no preventative, only repair of existing ones (when you can find them). some investigating in this area might help.