1. < Chronic Pain

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.

Gail, Alumni Mentor | @baxtersmom | Jan 10, 2018
In reply to @phob "I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about..." + (show)
@phob

I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about 10 years. It started after a severe fall which left me in chronic thoracic pain and a loss of 2" in 1 year. I was crying in pain all the time. What made it worse is nothing showed up on x-ray or MRI. Frustrating when you know something is wrong and they can't find it to attempt to fix it. After being on Percocet and needing more and more, the pain MD put me on long acting morphine plus quick acting morphine for breakthrough pain. I didn't have pain before the fall. Now, about 15 years later I have had both knees replaced, both shoulders replaced and now have spondylolisthesis in L5S1 which is very painful. Right after a cortisone shot in my low back, I can walk for about 1-2 months, gradually it wears off and I prefer to lie in bed or be in a chair. Walking is near impossible until the next cortisone injections. I used to be on a lot of morphine but have decreased my dose to 15 mg 2x/day which still helps. What I want is to switch to CBD with a little THC. It's been 8 months since I started using marijuana and I have yet to find that "sweet spot" you seem to talk about. I take 1/2 dropperful or .5 cc of CBD 2x/day. I also have a ittle edible THC. Perhaps I started the CBD dose a little high? I never did start off small and raise it until it was effective. How do you do that? Do you start with one drop for 2 weeks to see if there's any effect then go to 2 drops etc. I found .5 cc is not that many drops. Perhaps 3? Getting off the morphine is my primary objective. Doing it with the help of CBD would be ideal. Thank you for accepting me into this group. Any advice is appreciated.

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Hi @phob, Just curious as to whether your pain doctor has any opinion about CBD. I was taking it and found it to be helpful in my mood and how I felt about my pain (it seemed to distract me from it) but did not really change it if I was to focus on it. But I felt it was helpful in my mood and so built it up in my system by starting with two 25 mg capsules of CBD a day along with some tincture under the tongue. I built up to 4 capsules a day. At that point it showed up in small amounts in my drug test which I do when I visit my pain doctor since I am taking Norco (10-325). While they knew it was small amounts and what it was from, they said I needed to stop taking the CBD because they could not prescribe the opiods for me if I was having CBD show up in my urinalysis. They were very sympathetic and said they wished they didn't have to have me make this choice. I had to stop the CBD because the benefits of the opiods far outweigh the benefits of the CBD for me. I have stenosis, scoliosis and a whole lot of other things going on in my lower back. So I just wondered if you have to do drug tests and if you have had CBD show up. If so, is your pain doctor making you choose between the two? I had been told the CBD would not show up in my tests but it did. Luckily I have been going to this pain doctor for many many years and he trusts me with my pain meds so he understood my trying the CBD. He has seen my MRIs and knows the pain I am in. Just wondered if anyone else had had their pain doctor mention that they can't or won't prescribe pain meds if the CBD shows in their tests.

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lioness | @lioness | Jan 10, 2018
In reply to @phob "I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about..." + (show)
@phob

I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about 10 years. It started after a severe fall which left me in chronic thoracic pain and a loss of 2" in 1 year. I was crying in pain all the time. What made it worse is nothing showed up on x-ray or MRI. Frustrating when you know something is wrong and they can't find it to attempt to fix it. After being on Percocet and needing more and more, the pain MD put me on long acting morphine plus quick acting morphine for breakthrough pain. I didn't have pain before the fall. Now, about 15 years later I have had both knees replaced, both shoulders replaced and now have spondylolisthesis in L5S1 which is very painful. Right after a cortisone shot in my low back, I can walk for about 1-2 months, gradually it wears off and I prefer to lie in bed or be in a chair. Walking is near impossible until the next cortisone injections. I used to be on a lot of morphine but have decreased my dose to 15 mg 2x/day which still helps. What I want is to switch to CBD with a little THC. It's been 8 months since I started using marijuana and I have yet to find that "sweet spot" you seem to talk about. I take 1/2 dropperful or .5 cc of CBD 2x/day. I also have a ittle edible THC. Perhaps I started the CBD dose a little high? I never did start off small and raise it until it was effective. How do you do that? Do you start with one drop for 2 weeks to see if there's any effect then go to 2 drops etc. I found .5 cc is not that many drops. Perhaps 3? Getting off the morphine is my primary objective. Doing it with the help of CBD would be ideal. Thank you for accepting me into this group. Any advice is appreciated.

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I never heard of going to the Dr.and having to take a drug test.As a retired nurse I use to give drug testing but to companies or organizations that requested it but not at Dr.,s office Suggestions:I have a fractured back ,2005, but still have discomfort if I don't lay down in afternoon for 30minutes I take Tramadol at first 3 a day now I'm down to 1a day Find Arnica tea it really helps with pain also Arnica cream brand NOW you have to order online1200 mg. magnesium (malete) there's a lot of diff.ones read up on them.

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Gail, Alumni Mentor | @baxtersmom | Jan 10, 2018
In reply to @phob "I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about..." + (show)
@phob

I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about 10 years. It started after a severe fall which left me in chronic thoracic pain and a loss of 2" in 1 year. I was crying in pain all the time. What made it worse is nothing showed up on x-ray or MRI. Frustrating when you know something is wrong and they can't find it to attempt to fix it. After being on Percocet and needing more and more, the pain MD put me on long acting morphine plus quick acting morphine for breakthrough pain. I didn't have pain before the fall. Now, about 15 years later I have had both knees replaced, both shoulders replaced and now have spondylolisthesis in L5S1 which is very painful. Right after a cortisone shot in my low back, I can walk for about 1-2 months, gradually it wears off and I prefer to lie in bed or be in a chair. Walking is near impossible until the next cortisone injections. I used to be on a lot of morphine but have decreased my dose to 15 mg 2x/day which still helps. What I want is to switch to CBD with a little THC. It's been 8 months since I started using marijuana and I have yet to find that "sweet spot" you seem to talk about. I take 1/2 dropperful or .5 cc of CBD 2x/day. I also have a ittle edible THC. Perhaps I started the CBD dose a little high? I never did start off small and raise it until it was effective. How do you do that? Do you start with one drop for 2 weeks to see if there's any effect then go to 2 drops etc. I found .5 cc is not that many drops. Perhaps 3? Getting off the morphine is my primary objective. Doing it with the help of CBD would be ideal. Thank you for accepting me into this group. Any advice is appreciated.

Jump to this post

Here in Texas if you take narcotics the doctors all do it on a regular basis. I thought it was required of them since they all do it. I don't think Tramadol is in the category where you would be tested for that even here. I never was tested when I took it but it didn't work for me. Everyone I know who takes any amount of opiates on a regular basis gets tested at their doctor. So it is really common. I use Arnica on my legs for the burning. Yes it does help some but I don't think it is the brand you mention.

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caligodgirl | @caligodgirl | Jan 10, 2018

Hi my name is Cindy! I’m very new to this group and wanted to start by saying “thank you” to everybody for sharing their stories. I have been living with chronic abdominal pain for almost 10 years now. Having 5 c-section, 5 laparoscopic surgeries, and a full hysterectomy has landed me almost completely bed ridden. My body produces an abnormal amount of scar tissue which has literally left me stuck together inside. Over the last 2 years th pain has gotten to where it’s never below an 8 on the pain scale and I have weird abdominal bruising from my pelvis all the way up past my belly button. My surgeon sent to a dermatologist thinking it wa some sort of skin n disorder and the dermatologist confirmed that it internal bruising! Every time I move I pull inside.
I don’t believe I was meant to be in pain medication the rest of my life but this is the conclusion the medical doctors have all told me.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!
God Bless! Cindy

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Mentor
Teresa, Volunteer Mentor | @hopeful33250 | Jan 10, 2018

@caligodgirl Hello Cindy and welcome to Mayo Connect.

I am so sorry to hear of this difficult pain and internal bruising from scar tissue. Having lived with this for 5 years sounds so hard.

Do any of the doctors you have seen offer you any suggestions for this scar tissue problem?

Often large medical centers have a plethora of specialists who can help with severe problems like you have reported. Have you considered a second opinion from a large medical center like Mayo (they have locations in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona) or perhaps a large medical universtiy in your area?

We look forward to getting to know you and supporting you.

Teresa

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19 replies
lioness | @lioness | Jan 10, 2018
In reply to @phob "I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about..." + (show)
@phob

I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about 10 years. It started after a severe fall which left me in chronic thoracic pain and a loss of 2" in 1 year. I was crying in pain all the time. What made it worse is nothing showed up on x-ray or MRI. Frustrating when you know something is wrong and they can't find it to attempt to fix it. After being on Percocet and needing more and more, the pain MD put me on long acting morphine plus quick acting morphine for breakthrough pain. I didn't have pain before the fall. Now, about 15 years later I have had both knees replaced, both shoulders replaced and now have spondylolisthesis in L5S1 which is very painful. Right after a cortisone shot in my low back, I can walk for about 1-2 months, gradually it wears off and I prefer to lie in bed or be in a chair. Walking is near impossible until the next cortisone injections. I used to be on a lot of morphine but have decreased my dose to 15 mg 2x/day which still helps. What I want is to switch to CBD with a little THC. It's been 8 months since I started using marijuana and I have yet to find that "sweet spot" you seem to talk about. I take 1/2 dropperful or .5 cc of CBD 2x/day. I also have a ittle edible THC. Perhaps I started the CBD dose a little high? I never did start off small and raise it until it was effective. How do you do that? Do you start with one drop for 2 weeks to see if there's any effect then go to 2 drops etc. I found .5 cc is not that many drops. Perhaps 3? Getting off the morphine is my primary objective. Doing it with the help of CBD would be ideal. Thank you for accepting me into this group. Any advice is appreciated.

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The Arnica tea is by Herbacil teas get in the body quicker then pills Maybe since so many opiates are in the USA as an epidemic that's why they test??

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Moderator
Justin McClanahan, Moderator | @JustinMcClanahan | Jan 10, 2018
In reply to @deedee46 "Not sure if I'm writing in the correct space. If not please correct me. I am..." + (show)
@deedee46

Not sure if I'm writing in the correct space. If not please correct me. I am a 71 yo female. I have chronic pain in my lower back (from an infection from surgery in 1984) and right knee. I also have fibromyalgia but since I went gluten free 4 years ago the fibro and Chrome are better. Yea!

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Hello @deedee46, and welcome to Connect. You did write in the correct space, thank you for introducing yourself. Here are a few conversations taking place on Mayo Clinic Connect that I think you may be interested in. Just click on the following links and you will be brought to a few different discussions taking place on the exact things you mentioned in your first post:

- Fibromyalgia pain, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/fibromyalgia-pain-28e002/
- What distracts you from the pain? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/what-distracts-you-from-the-pain/
- Chronic back pain for years, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chronic-pain-for-years/

If you are replying by email, I always suggest clicking the VIEW & REPLY button at the bottom so that you will be brought to the full discussion. It is easier to find your way and see who you are replying to in the conversations.

REPLY
Gail, Alumni Mentor | @baxtersmom | Jan 10, 2018
In reply to @phob "I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about..." + (show)
@phob

I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about 10 years. It started after a severe fall which left me in chronic thoracic pain and a loss of 2" in 1 year. I was crying in pain all the time. What made it worse is nothing showed up on x-ray or MRI. Frustrating when you know something is wrong and they can't find it to attempt to fix it. After being on Percocet and needing more and more, the pain MD put me on long acting morphine plus quick acting morphine for breakthrough pain. I didn't have pain before the fall. Now, about 15 years later I have had both knees replaced, both shoulders replaced and now have spondylolisthesis in L5S1 which is very painful. Right after a cortisone shot in my low back, I can walk for about 1-2 months, gradually it wears off and I prefer to lie in bed or be in a chair. Walking is near impossible until the next cortisone injections. I used to be on a lot of morphine but have decreased my dose to 15 mg 2x/day which still helps. What I want is to switch to CBD with a little THC. It's been 8 months since I started using marijuana and I have yet to find that "sweet spot" you seem to talk about. I take 1/2 dropperful or .5 cc of CBD 2x/day. I also have a ittle edible THC. Perhaps I started the CBD dose a little high? I never did start off small and raise it until it was effective. How do you do that? Do you start with one drop for 2 weeks to see if there's any effect then go to 2 drops etc. I found .5 cc is not that many drops. Perhaps 3? Getting off the morphine is my primary objective. Doing it with the help of CBD would be ideal. Thank you for accepting me into this group. Any advice is appreciated.

Jump to this post

Thanks for the information about the tea. I will look into it. And I am sure that they are concerned regarding opiates. They want to make sure that you aren't getting it from more than one doctor as it is deemed that you have a contract with your doctor not to. I hope that people aren't judgmental of those who find that opiates do help them and who take them in a responsible way under the care of a pain management doctor. I am on the faculty at a major university and I know for certain that had I not been taking my pain meds over the last many years that I would not have been able to teach my classes. So many of us who take opiates are just trying to do what we can to keep our pain at a level where we can function while always looking for alternatives. So again, thank you for the information about the tea.

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Mentor
Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | Jan 10, 2018
In reply to @phob "I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about..." + (show)
@phob

I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about 10 years. It started after a severe fall which left me in chronic thoracic pain and a loss of 2" in 1 year. I was crying in pain all the time. What made it worse is nothing showed up on x-ray or MRI. Frustrating when you know something is wrong and they can't find it to attempt to fix it. After being on Percocet and needing more and more, the pain MD put me on long acting morphine plus quick acting morphine for breakthrough pain. I didn't have pain before the fall. Now, about 15 years later I have had both knees replaced, both shoulders replaced and now have spondylolisthesis in L5S1 which is very painful. Right after a cortisone shot in my low back, I can walk for about 1-2 months, gradually it wears off and I prefer to lie in bed or be in a chair. Walking is near impossible until the next cortisone injections. I used to be on a lot of morphine but have decreased my dose to 15 mg 2x/day which still helps. What I want is to switch to CBD with a little THC. It's been 8 months since I started using marijuana and I have yet to find that "sweet spot" you seem to talk about. I take 1/2 dropperful or .5 cc of CBD 2x/day. I also have a ittle edible THC. Perhaps I started the CBD dose a little high? I never did start off small and raise it until it was effective. How do you do that? Do you start with one drop for 2 weeks to see if there's any effect then go to 2 drops etc. I found .5 cc is not that many drops. Perhaps 3? Getting off the morphine is my primary objective. Doing it with the help of CBD would be ideal. Thank you for accepting me into this group. Any advice is appreciated.

Jump to this post

@phob

I don't have drug testing but my pcp, who prescribes my opiates under unreasonable limits by the hospital clinic he's with, but he told me that if I started taking any marijuana he would have to stop the opiates.

Jim

REPLY
fifi | @fifi | Jan 10, 2018
In reply to @phob "I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about..." + (show)
@phob

I am new to the group.My name is Pat. I have been taking morphine for about 10 years. It started after a severe fall which left me in chronic thoracic pain and a loss of 2" in 1 year. I was crying in pain all the time. What made it worse is nothing showed up on x-ray or MRI. Frustrating when you know something is wrong and they can't find it to attempt to fix it. After being on Percocet and needing more and more, the pain MD put me on long acting morphine plus quick acting morphine for breakthrough pain. I didn't have pain before the fall. Now, about 15 years later I have had both knees replaced, both shoulders replaced and now have spondylolisthesis in L5S1 which is very painful. Right after a cortisone shot in my low back, I can walk for about 1-2 months, gradually it wears off and I prefer to lie in bed or be in a chair. Walking is near impossible until the next cortisone injections. I used to be on a lot of morphine but have decreased my dose to 15 mg 2x/day which still helps. What I want is to switch to CBD with a little THC. It's been 8 months since I started using marijuana and I have yet to find that "sweet spot" you seem to talk about. I take 1/2 dropperful or .5 cc of CBD 2x/day. I also have a ittle edible THC. Perhaps I started the CBD dose a little high? I never did start off small and raise it until it was effective. How do you do that? Do you start with one drop for 2 weeks to see if there's any effect then go to 2 drops etc. I found .5 cc is not that many drops. Perhaps 3? Getting off the morphine is my primary objective. Doing it with the help of CBD would be ideal. Thank you for accepting me into this group. Any advice is appreciated.

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I must have missed something. I can't figure out what tea you are talking about. Do you mind to explain that? Thank you ahead.

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