@faithwalker007

Hi, Renee. I'm in a semi-dark place right now because of pain and pain treatment. The neurologist tried to set up a consult appointment to discuss a pain pump implant, but after I sent him a note asking him to expedite the process, he called the doctor he had referred me to, and discovered that no one in central Oregon manages pain pumps. Getting the implant is no problem locally, but the doctors who manage the medication in the pump are 150 miles away. And my wife has voiced her objection to the pain pump implant.

Back to what you said about having a doctor trying to taper you off opioid. I used to take 30mg tid, but after tapering off completely, I only went up to 15mg tid. I've pretty consistently been taking it only bid, to build up a backup supply. This summer my prescription was cancelled 4 months, because the supplement insurance wanted prior authorization. So much for the backup. I know that when I take 30mg, it reduces the pain noticeably. A while back my pcp told me that he wouldn't increase my dose because of tolerance. If I can't get the pump implant, I know that I'm going to need more mscontin.

Did you get the pain specialist to back off and give you the prescription you needed? Can you tell me how much you were taking that prompted the doctor to tell you that?

I guess I need to get an appointment with my pcp and ask him to increase my dose. I'm going to use some of the things you've posted in the conversation.

Thank you for all you're doing.

Jim