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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@blindeyepug and @hazelblumberg

Chocolate is my drug of choice - when I'm not feeling well I give chocolate a try before anything else. Sometimes it works!

Teresa

PS By the way, for a number of years I worked for attorneys - many kindred spirits here!

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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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@ hazelblumberg. Hardly get winter here at all. I live in Texas. Summers are killer, but rest of the year very pleasant. I kinda miss winter (originally from Missouri), especially at Christmas.

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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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@jim. Wow, that was a very bad reaction to medication. So sorry you went through that. Must have been very scary. I became suicidal after being put on Clonazepam. Also had severe panic attacks when on Wellibutrune. Needless to say I don't take those meds any more! Different people can have really different reactions to different medications. That's why it is so important for the doctor or their office to call and check on you when you start a new medication.

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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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@blindeyepug

I became extremely suicidal after 6 weeks on one antidepressant. I finally landed on Wellbutrin ten years ago. It doesn't do the whole job, but I think it helps. I've never tried going off it to see if I felt any different. I might try it when I feel safe enough, but right now isn't the best time. Back when I experienced suicidal thoughts on the trial medication, it was the first time I had had those thoughts. It was a couple of years later that I started attempting. I had been taking Effexor for awhile, but I don't think that's what triggered the wish to die. Clonazepam is one of the meds that make me drowsy, which is a good thing, but it's mostly for anxiety. I only take 1mg, with the option of taking a second chance one, which I rarely do.

Having the doctor call after starting a new med? That's never happened to me. My doctors must have all missed that class.

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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correct me i am wrong but it should be dark chocolate. also delicious.

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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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No, I get a lot of messages, too. I tried just reading the digest, but then I got totally confused about where to find the most recent comments. So, I continue to go through the separate messages. See John's comment below; that'll help you to stop receiving the large number of emails.

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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Really, it does! But now that, as the natives say, "our blood has thinned out," 19 F is cold to us. I grew up in the snow belt of NYState, lived in Indiana, Minnesota, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, so I was used to COLD. The first year we lived here, we laughed when people wore down jackets in winter. Now we're wearing them, too; we saved them from our Minnesota days, just in case. It's a very damp cold, which makes things ultra unpleasant. And the humidity and heat in the summer are more than I can stand. For me, summer brings on cabin fever. I would really rather be back in the Land o' Snow. Loved being back in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, for a visit in the winter! We sat in a wonderful coffee shop, looking out the window at the swirling snow around us. Our then dog, Joe, who passed away about five years ago (and whom we still miss greatly), came with us and was totally freaked when snowflakes landed on him.

My husband just saw a job opening in Indianapolis, and he's going to apply for it. We don't have any expectations at all. It'd be nice if he got an interview, of course. Then he could visit friends in Indy and Bloomington. He still has family (his brother and sister-in-law) in Ft. Wayne, we'd love to be closer to them, and we would love to live in Indy, where there's so much more to do than there is in Tallahassee. And it would be a lot closer to a lot of other places in the US. However, we would miss our relative closeness to the beach. Less than a two hour drive gets us to such pristine, beautiful, snow-white-sand beaches nowadays. Not that we get down to the northern Gulf of Mexico often enough.

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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Barbara, you have made my day!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!

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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Artscaping, I totally understand. Of course you want to be sure to be strong enough to care for a pet. If you decide that you are, perhaps you can find a neighborhood person who'd be interested in doing some dog walking for you?

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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Hey, Peach, you're doing fine! I am about as old school as you can get, and I'm less than thrilled with computers. And when I go into my credit union and find that all work must cease because the computers are down, I have to admit it makes me laugh.

Where I put my foot down is smartphones. I have NO interest in owning one. My husband, who's a few years younger than I am, is utterly addicted to his. I went without a cell phone for the longest time. Then I finally caved in and bought a flip phone (yep, they're still being made), so that I can have one in case my car breaks down and I need to call my insurance to send out a tow truck. After staring at my computer screen all day long for work, the last thing I want to do is stare at yet another screen. And besides, where I live, out in the boonies, our cell phone reception is almost nonexistent anyway.

I really don't feel that I have to look up the meanings of words, show a bajillion photos of my animals to people, or play Bejeweled Blitz every second of my spare time. I do NOT do Twitter. I wouldn't even do Facebook if I weren't interested in sharing animals, particularly special-needs ones, who desperately need to be adopted. And I admit that I have met some wonderful people on FB, many of whom I've actually met in person, which has been terrific. But there are truly times that I think that living off the grid would be terrific.

Peach, I'm 16 years younger than you are, and you don't seem to have ANY problems with the computer era at all, as far as I can see. (But don't you miss dial phones? I sure do!)

Hazel

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