Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

Posted by Kelsey Mohring @kelseydm, Apr 27, 2016

Welcome to the new Chronic Pain group.

I’m Kelsey and I’m the moderator of the group. I look forwarding to welcoming you and introducing you to other members. Feel free to browse the topics or start a new one.

Why not take a minute and introduce yourself.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

@boourbonman

I promised you all I would let you know when I got approved for Medical Marijuana. Judi and I did it. We then went down to Edgewater FL. and got two 500 mg bottles. $70 each. So we were suppose to start with 5 drops (each drop is a mg.) three times a day and slowly work up to 10 drops 3 times a day. Do the math. 16 days for $70. We are both at 5 drops 3 times a day and no relief. I sure hope it starts to ease our pain. Will Keep you posted.
Hoot

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What my friend gets doesn't have any THC at all. She says that it doesn't get her feeling stoned and that she can think clearly and walk fine--and she suffers from back pain and uses a cane to get around. She likes the kind that you can put under your tongue. She seems to use only a drop or two and says that that really helps a lot. She's also on pain meds but is, with her doctor's help, weaning herself off them. She says that the MM really calms down stressed-out muscles and is really pleased with the way it works.

Me, I've been losing my balance and falling over for most of my life! 🙂 I am a klutz. (I flunked elementary ballerina lessons when I was about 5 because I was so clumsy.) My primary care had sent me to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, some years back because she was concerned I might have multiple sclerosis. I didn't, but the docs said I should come back in a few years and be retested, just in case.

Speaking of klutziness: I was walking down the stairs from our house to the ground two weekends back when somehow my left sandal slipped off (they're the kind you have to grip with your toes; like Birkenstocks, but much cheaper), and somehow my toes got stomped under the rest of my foot. I've had problems with my left foot since 1968, when I had to have a benign tumor removed from a toe, and the foot's been operated on several times. My husband insisted that we go to a doc in the box--of course, these things always happen on the weekends--and by the time we got there, my toe was turning technicolors. Turns out that I'd broken it, but it wasn't a complete fracture. (This is only the second bone break I've had in my life. About a year ago, when our old dog was much friskier, she pulled me down the same stairs and into a post. That produced a hairline fracture in one of my ribs. Wow. I had no idea how much a rib fracture could hurt! If only one didn't need to breathe. . . . ) Anyway, the doc in the box suggested just taping that toe to the one next to it and keeping it elevated.

Hazel

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@hazelblumberg

I developed earaches in September 2016. My primary care found no ear or sinus infection and sent me to an ENT, who diagnosed TMJ pain. I went to my dentist for help. He gave me weekly anesthesia shots into trigger points (OUCH!) and exercises to do, including massaging the trigger points and opening my mouth as wide as I could numerous times in the shower while my face was warm and wet. (I have been wearing a night guard made by my dentist for over 20 years; he replaces them as they wear out.) The pain continued and only got worse; it was at the top of my head, in my ears, in my jaw, above my palate (as though I'd eaten hot food). My dentist sent me to an oral surgeon, who did 360-degree x-rays and found no joint damage. He told me I was therefore not a candidate for surgery (YAY!) and prescribed Flexeril, a muscle relaxer. The pain only got worse, and I continued to wake up in the night with horrific pain. Ibuprofen didn't even touch it.

My dentist then sent me to a physical therapist, who didn't listen to a word I said. I came in on a "good" pain day: my pain level was about a 5 out of 10 (10 being the worst). After his examination and showing me how to do various exercises, he triumphantly told me that my pain level was now reduced. I said "No. My pain level is now about 7.5." He said he didn't believe me. He attempted to push me to go to his outside clinic to get "magnet therapy," and he tried to push me to see a friend of his who is a naturopath. Two days after this session, I was still in excruciating pain and doubt I'd ever return to this physical therapist, although he had me schedule 4 more 1-hour sessions with him.

I called my dentist again, and he called in a prescription for Tylenol plus codeine, which I can take every 4 to 6 hours. My dentist seems to have no further solutions for me.

My primary care is currently out of town, but I will see her when she gets back (in August); she may be referring me to a pain management specialist, which my dentist recommended--however, my dentist refuses to give me a referral to such a specialist, even though the specialist will take referrals from dentists or doctors.

I have been treated for many years for clinical depression and panic/anxiety disorder by my psychiatrist, and the meds have helped me immensely. On Monday I see my psychiatrist for my usual 6-month med check, and I'm going to ask him for help with the terrible TMJ pain. I have also had fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome for a long time. The fibro pain has greatly lessened over time and hardly bothers me, but the CFS continues.

The TMJ pain makes it difficult to concentrate. I'm self-employed, and I enjoy my work. But pain gets in the way, as it does in every single situation: work or pastimes. My dentist mentioned massage therapy, but I'm in too much pain right now to try it. Another friend mentioned using a TENS unit. I feel as though I'm not living; to be in constant pain is hardly living, at least to me.

Any other suggestions? Would a TENS unit help? I'm more than willing to purchase one. I'll try just about anything to be pain free. Sometimes I am pain free. But I spend about 2 weeks out of every month in serious pain. I am feeling very discouraged.

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Marie @marield65, one time I had to stop a med, clomipramine, cold turkey, thus the incoherence. The hospital couldn't give it to me IV, and I wasn't supposed to take anything by mouth. It took 6 people to get me into restraints. It lasted several days. Another time, I reacted to Morphine IV, thought all the tubes and wires were snakes crawling on me. That wasn't as bad as the other.

Jim

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@boourbonman

I promised you all I would let you know when I got approved for Medical Marijuana. Judi and I did it. We then went down to Edgewater FL. and got two 500 mg bottles. $70 each. So we were suppose to start with 5 drops (each drop is a mg.) three times a day and slowly work up to 10 drops 3 times a day. Do the math. 16 days for $70. We are both at 5 drops 3 times a day and no relief. I sure hope it starts to ease our pain. Will Keep you posted.
Hoot

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I would have to read the Florida Statutes regarding this matter. I haven't done so. I'm sure the statutes vary from state to state, as they do on just about anything else.

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@boourbonman

I promised you all I would let you know when I got approved for Medical Marijuana. Judi and I did it. We then went down to Edgewater FL. and got two 500 mg bottles. $70 each. So we were suppose to start with 5 drops (each drop is a mg.) three times a day and slowly work up to 10 drops 3 times a day. Do the math. 16 days for $70. We are both at 5 drops 3 times a day and no relief. I sure hope it starts to ease our pain. Will Keep you posted.
Hoot

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Isn't this utterly absurd? The feds say no. The states, or at least many of them, say yes. The War on Drugs is so bogus. It should have been/should be concentrating on dangerous instrumentalities. But instead, we lock up far too much of the population over marijuana. Do we lock up people for possession of booze? (Well, OK, in some states, you can't have it out in the street unless it's wrapped in a brown paper bag. What puritanical nonsense.)

Idiocy.

Hazel

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@boourbonman

I promised you all I would let you know when I got approved for Medical Marijuana. Judi and I did it. We then went down to Edgewater FL. and got two 500 mg bottles. $70 each. So we were suppose to start with 5 drops (each drop is a mg.) three times a day and slowly work up to 10 drops 3 times a day. Do the math. 16 days for $70. We are both at 5 drops 3 times a day and no relief. I sure hope it starts to ease our pain. Will Keep you posted.
Hoot

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Thanks so much for this, John! I haven't even started researching MM in Florida. What utter craziness. I wonder who does the "full physical examination and assessment of medical history"? I get a complete physical every year from my primary care, and my psychiatrist is someone I've been seeing for umpteen years. But I'm sure none of that is good enough. Again, I suspect that it all boils down to $$$: BigPharma owns most of our legislators, and BigPharma doesn't stand to make money off MM, so it tells legislators how to vote. With enough money stuffed into their pockets, the legislators bow down and do BigPharma's bidding. (My husband's an attorney/bill drafter for the Florida House of Representatives, so I get to hear plenty about the making of bills, which is far nastier than making any kind of sausage you can think of, and I'm an attorney, albeit a nonpracticing one. Through choice and not through disbarment. 😉 )

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In the whole long list of physicians who are "approved" in Tallahassee, I found a grand total of five. This is our state capital. Granted, it's not a huge city, but still.

You can bet that our legislators get all the drugs they want when they come to town. It was hilarious: when we first moved here, and print newspapers were more important, before the legislative session started, the ads for "escorts" and "masseuses" (as opposed to licensed massage therapists, who are completely legit) and "nude dancers" would SKYROCKET.

Any number of legislators would get picked up for driving under the influence of something or other. And then they'd get a little light slap on the wrist. (Football players also driving under the influence were usually just let go without even a wrist slap. Football Is God in Tallahassee. It is why Florida State University exists. Apparently.) Your average Joe or Jane got much worse than that.

I went to a meeting of the Tallahassee Bar Association a number of years back. To say that over 90 percent of the attendees got completely plastered before they drove home is to put it mildly. One attorney I knew had totaled her car twice after attending Tallahassee Bar Association get-togethers. I feel very cynical. Can you tell?

Hazel

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@boourbonman

I promised you all I would let you know when I got approved for Medical Marijuana. Judi and I did it. We then went down to Edgewater FL. and got two 500 mg bottles. $70 each. So we were suppose to start with 5 drops (each drop is a mg.) three times a day and slowly work up to 10 drops 3 times a day. Do the math. 16 days for $70. We are both at 5 drops 3 times a day and no relief. I sure hope it starts to ease our pain. Will Keep you posted.
Hoot

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I think chocolate helps EVERYTHING! 🙂

Hazel

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@hazelblumberg

In the whole long list of physicians who are "approved" in Tallahassee, I found a grand total of five. This is our state capital. Granted, it's not a huge city, but still.

You can bet that our legislators get all the drugs they want when they come to town. It was hilarious: when we first moved here, and print newspapers were more important, before the legislative session started, the ads for "escorts" and "masseuses" (as opposed to licensed massage therapists, who are completely legit) and "nude dancers" would SKYROCKET.

Any number of legislators would get picked up for driving under the influence of something or other. And then they'd get a little light slap on the wrist. (Football players also driving under the influence were usually just let go without even a wrist slap. Football Is God in Tallahassee. It is why Florida State University exists. Apparently.) Your average Joe or Jane got much worse than that.

I went to a meeting of the Tallahassee Bar Association a number of years back. To say that over 90 percent of the attendees got completely plastered before they drove home is to put it mildly. One attorney I knew had totaled her car twice after attending Tallahassee Bar Association get-togethers. I feel very cynical. Can you tell?

Hazel

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It does pay to be cynical...not very much though ☺ (pay that is!)

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@hazelblumberg

I developed earaches in September 2016. My primary care found no ear or sinus infection and sent me to an ENT, who diagnosed TMJ pain. I went to my dentist for help. He gave me weekly anesthesia shots into trigger points (OUCH!) and exercises to do, including massaging the trigger points and opening my mouth as wide as I could numerous times in the shower while my face was warm and wet. (I have been wearing a night guard made by my dentist for over 20 years; he replaces them as they wear out.) The pain continued and only got worse; it was at the top of my head, in my ears, in my jaw, above my palate (as though I'd eaten hot food). My dentist sent me to an oral surgeon, who did 360-degree x-rays and found no joint damage. He told me I was therefore not a candidate for surgery (YAY!) and prescribed Flexeril, a muscle relaxer. The pain only got worse, and I continued to wake up in the night with horrific pain. Ibuprofen didn't even touch it.

My dentist then sent me to a physical therapist, who didn't listen to a word I said. I came in on a "good" pain day: my pain level was about a 5 out of 10 (10 being the worst). After his examination and showing me how to do various exercises, he triumphantly told me that my pain level was now reduced. I said "No. My pain level is now about 7.5." He said he didn't believe me. He attempted to push me to go to his outside clinic to get "magnet therapy," and he tried to push me to see a friend of his who is a naturopath. Two days after this session, I was still in excruciating pain and doubt I'd ever return to this physical therapist, although he had me schedule 4 more 1-hour sessions with him.

I called my dentist again, and he called in a prescription for Tylenol plus codeine, which I can take every 4 to 6 hours. My dentist seems to have no further solutions for me.

My primary care is currently out of town, but I will see her when she gets back (in August); she may be referring me to a pain management specialist, which my dentist recommended--however, my dentist refuses to give me a referral to such a specialist, even though the specialist will take referrals from dentists or doctors.

I have been treated for many years for clinical depression and panic/anxiety disorder by my psychiatrist, and the meds have helped me immensely. On Monday I see my psychiatrist for my usual 6-month med check, and I'm going to ask him for help with the terrible TMJ pain. I have also had fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome for a long time. The fibro pain has greatly lessened over time and hardly bothers me, but the CFS continues.

The TMJ pain makes it difficult to concentrate. I'm self-employed, and I enjoy my work. But pain gets in the way, as it does in every single situation: work or pastimes. My dentist mentioned massage therapy, but I'm in too much pain right now to try it. Another friend mentioned using a TENS unit. I feel as though I'm not living; to be in constant pain is hardly living, at least to me.

Any other suggestions? Would a TENS unit help? I'm more than willing to purchase one. I'll try just about anything to be pain free. Sometimes I am pain free. But I spend about 2 weeks out of every month in serious pain. I am feeling very discouraged.

Jump to this post

Jim, this sounds horrible!!!!!

I was on some heavy-duty pain medication when I came down with Bell's palsy. The pain in my ears felt as though someone were repeatedly shoving a sharply pointed instrument deep into my ears. Yikes! I was told that I could take one or two of the tablets. I wish I could remember now what they were. One was fine. However, when I took two, I started to hallucinate: I saw a computer screen floating in front of me, with my hand in it, writing away on a yellow legal pad. My husband found me trying to shove the "computer screen" out of the way and muttering, "Why do I need a computer if I'm writing all this out by hand?" I NEVER took two pain pills again after that!

Hazel

REPLY
@hazelblumberg

In the whole long list of physicians who are "approved" in Tallahassee, I found a grand total of five. This is our state capital. Granted, it's not a huge city, but still.

You can bet that our legislators get all the drugs they want when they come to town. It was hilarious: when we first moved here, and print newspapers were more important, before the legislative session started, the ads for "escorts" and "masseuses" (as opposed to licensed massage therapists, who are completely legit) and "nude dancers" would SKYROCKET.

Any number of legislators would get picked up for driving under the influence of something or other. And then they'd get a little light slap on the wrist. (Football players also driving under the influence were usually just let go without even a wrist slap. Football Is God in Tallahassee. It is why Florida State University exists. Apparently.) Your average Joe or Jane got much worse than that.

I went to a meeting of the Tallahassee Bar Association a number of years back. To say that over 90 percent of the attendees got completely plastered before they drove home is to put it mildly. One attorney I knew had totaled her car twice after attending Tallahassee Bar Association get-togethers. I feel very cynical. Can you tell?

Hazel

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If only I were paid for my cynicism, I'd be rich today!

Hazel

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