Pain pump, I have one, how about one for you?

Posted by Stephen @wsh66, Nov 9, 2018

I have had an implanted pain pump in my abdomen for about 18 months. It is a miracle. I get a total of 4.764 mgs. of Dilaudid, If I administer all of the 10 extra micro does I can have in 24 hours. If I don't use those extra doses I get 2.74 mgs. over 24 hours. The effect is 300 times more effective than if I took the same dose orally. I go to my doctors office every 3 months to have the pump refilled. I'm there for about 15 minutes. The actual process of refilling the pump takes no more than 5 minutes and is painless. No prescriptions to worry about, no one wondering if I'm misusing or selling my pain meds, no one making me feel like a drug addict or a criminal. In our current climate this is even more important than it was two years ago. Many Doctors want nothing to do with pain patients or writing scripts for pain meds. I know many of you have been there. This method is especially good for back issues as the drug is delivered via a catheter which runs up my spin. Yes, I still have pain but it's pain I can live with. If your Doctor doesn't know about this or doesn't want to do it contact a pain clinic. The Doctor who put mine in is a Neurosurgeon. If you have any questions please respond.

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jeffwill52 | @jeffwill52 | Mar 15 9:02pm

Can you have mri and c-scans with one. I have phantom pain and sensation. My foot that is not there any longer hurts really bad. I feel like I have a shoe on that’s a size too small and like I have an ingrown toenail on that foot. And besides that I have severe pain in that foot and leg . Don’t know if it would help this or not. I will try about anything. No one seems to know anything about this type of pain or how to stop it. Glad you found something that works. Thanks.

jthomas458 | @jthomas458 | Mar 16 11:48am

In reply to @carolynhughes75 "I would not use any pain management doctor who would consequently let a patient go through..." + (show)

Are you referring to pain doctors who require patients to wean off their oral meds before getting the pain pump? I have heard of this practice and thought it is cruel, but assumed it must provide some therapeutic value to the procedure.

carolynhughes75 | @carolynhughes75 | Mar 16 12:39pm

In reply to @jthomas458 "Are you referring to pain doctors who require patients to wean off their oral meds before..." + (show)

No. I saw a post where a pain doctor was going to lower a patient's pump by 50%, just to see if it was working. A decrease that drastic, would probably bring on withdrawal symptoms. I find that type of thing, as a bad practice. Weaning from any type of narcotic, should be more gradually.

jthomas458 | @jthomas458 | Mar 16 1:46pm

I see. So, the doctor thought s/he would know the pump was working if the patient experienced withdrawal symptoms from the medication reduction. That sounds cruel and reckless.

heisenberg34 | @heisenberg34 | Mar 17 10:05am

In reply to @morkat "Next year I will be receiving my third morphine pump. I can sing the praises of..." + (show)

Your third pain pump? Why so many? I've had my Medtronics pump for two years with no pain relief. I've three pumps? had the output increased more times than I can remember. I am now in the process of having it reduced so I can have it removed. What led you to having more than one pump?
Thanks