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.

@jujubbb

Hi . I'm Judy -70 years old and diagnosed last November with an idiopathic thoracic spinal syrinx. I have suffered baffling pain symptoms most of my life and finally an MRI confirmed the condition. I have been grappling with chronic stabbing nerve pain and my neurologist /pain management doctor prescribed Gabapentin which I tried for 6 months with many side effects and little relief. I am now on 200 mg of Lyrica and hoping to get some sustained pain relief. I also get acupuncture, massage weekly and have gone to PT for 2 months! I would appreciate any input from members who may be familiar with this rare condition. Thanks

Jump to this post

My pain is central cord stabbing pain--- Lyrica helps a bit but I am considering cannibis at some point.

REPLY
@jujubbb

Hi . I'm Judy -70 years old and diagnosed last November with an idiopathic thoracic spinal syrinx. I have suffered baffling pain symptoms most of my life and finally an MRI confirmed the condition. I have been grappling with chronic stabbing nerve pain and my neurologist /pain management doctor prescribed Gabapentin which I tried for 6 months with many side effects and little relief. I am now on 200 mg of Lyrica and hoping to get some sustained pain relief. I also get acupuncture, massage weekly and have gone to PT for 2 months! I would appreciate any input from members who may be familiar with this rare condition. Thanks

Jump to this post

Judy @jujubbb

There have been many people on Mayo Connect who've been helped by cannabis. There has been quite a bit of conversation in a discussion group here in Chronic Pain. Is it legal where you live? I live in Oregon, where it is, but it's out of my budget range.

Jim

REPLY
@jujubbb

Hi . I'm Judy -70 years old and diagnosed last November with an idiopathic thoracic spinal syrinx. I have suffered baffling pain symptoms most of my life and finally an MRI confirmed the condition. I have been grappling with chronic stabbing nerve pain and my neurologist /pain management doctor prescribed Gabapentin which I tried for 6 months with many side effects and little relief. I am now on 200 mg of Lyrica and hoping to get some sustained pain relief. I also get acupuncture, massage weekly and have gone to PT for 2 months! I would appreciate any input from members who may be familiar with this rare condition. Thanks

Jump to this post

Good to hear that you have worked out a program using both conventional medication and Medical Marijuana. My program right now is exactly the same as yours for the same reasons. I appreciate the Medical Marijuana more and more especially because of the easy, non addictive way it soothes the pain and makes you feel like a living, breathing human being once again without any side effects.

REPLY
@jujubbb

Hi . I'm Judy -70 years old and diagnosed last November with an idiopathic thoracic spinal syrinx. I have suffered baffling pain symptoms most of my life and finally an MRI confirmed the condition. I have been grappling with chronic stabbing nerve pain and my neurologist /pain management doctor prescribed Gabapentin which I tried for 6 months with many side effects and little relief. I am now on 200 mg of Lyrica and hoping to get some sustained pain relief. I also get acupuncture, massage weekly and have gone to PT for 2 months! I would appreciate any input from members who may be familiar with this rare condition. Thanks

Jump to this post

For budget issues.....try learning to use a vape refill kit. Cuts the cost considerably. For me, a vape cartridge usually lasts a week and they are about $25 so that can be $3 per day. I have found a very pure hybrid called Cobra that even lasts longer than a week. On top of that I drop a Butterscotch Jolly Stoner in my coffee in the morning... $2 and discounts are available for frequent buyers and volume purchases. Add another $1 or so for a midday soother and we are at $6 per day. Would that help you?

REPLY
@jujubbb

Hi . I'm Judy -70 years old and diagnosed last November with an idiopathic thoracic spinal syrinx. I have suffered baffling pain symptoms most of my life and finally an MRI confirmed the condition. I have been grappling with chronic stabbing nerve pain and my neurologist /pain management doctor prescribed Gabapentin which I tried for 6 months with many side effects and little relief. I am now on 200 mg of Lyrica and hoping to get some sustained pain relief. I also get acupuncture, massage weekly and have gone to PT for 2 months! I would appreciate any input from members who may be familiar with this rare condition. Thanks

Jump to this post

@artscaping

Hi, Chris. All that you say is a foreign language. I've never smoked, and the only Marijuana I've had, I put in cannabutter and made brownies and cookies.

Do I find these things at the local dispensary?

Jim

REPLY

Name geneo, was recently diagnosed with spinal stenosis in March 2017 at that time it got so bad I needed a walker then I went to a Charapractor for 8 weekly visits very little help at that time I was on a cane,finally decided to go to an Orthopedic surgeon who had a MRI was told that not much could be done other then try steroid shots but could not say it would help. I left the office still in pain went home and started my own treatment.Today I have very little pain only in the morning but I'm almost completely free of pain and can walk without any help it has been 6 months since I left the Doctors. I tried everything from scanning the internet to reading medical papers. What I finally did and it worked was
One spoonful of Tumeric mixed in juice
Lower back excersize in morning
20 minutes in my Jacuzzi
2 times a day using a cold laser I purchased off the Internet for $100.
Ice pack for 20 minutes a day
All I can say it works for me when I almost could not even walk without lower back and both legs pain

REPLY
@leslie324

I just found this site and am very relieved to feel less isolated. I am an active 75 yr old now slowed down by back and leg pain from spinal stenosis, arthritis, and scoliosis. In addition to surgery, I am looking at stem cell therapy or laser treatment. Added to the mix, I have fibromyalgia. I have tried a chiropractor, massage therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture and am now losing weight. Until recently, I was able to go to the Y for yoga, Zumba, weights and cardio. I welcome any suggestions to reduce pain that does not involve controlled drugs. Leslie324

Jump to this post

@leslie324 I was having back pain waiting for my laminectomy, and I tried acupuncture for pain relief. It didn't work for my back pain, but it did help my neck pain. The laminectomy on 12/22/16on my L5-S1 completely relieved my pain in my lower left lumbar and leg. I continued to have right side lumbar, leg, sciatic constant pain and was taking Baclofen 10mg, Gabapentin 300mg x2/day, and Tramadol 50mg 4x /day. I decided after 6 months to taper off both the Baclofen and Gabapentin one at a time. I did so effectively, and I discovered that the Gabapentin seemed to have added to my pain as I felt SO much better off it. I know through my research that Lyrica is the drug they changed slightly when Gabapentin became generically available. So they are very similar drugs.

The thing I have found that has almost completely relieved my chronic pain on my right lumbar, leg, sciatic regions, and relieved my newly developed pain in my right shoulder and upper back, is ART, Active Release Technique therapy that I use. I went through months of PT, and pain pills, and still had the same level of pain. Then I read about ART on Mayo Connect, and decided to try it. Thank goodness I tried it! I went to 6 sessions in 3 weeks, and now I see the Chiropractor 1 time a month. I can walk and go up and down steps without any pain now! I can hardly believe how great I feel now. I saw my pain doctor yesterday and we talked about me tapering off the Tramadol now over the next few weeks. I am SO HAPPY with the ART treatments. They don't involve manipulation of bones, but instead use deep muscle work at the same time the dr. moves your leg or arm or whatever limb is bothering you. It can be, and was often quite painful when manipulating the deep muscle, but it's worth it. This works by unbundling the muscles and nerves that have gotten bound together by some trauma over the years. I am definitely a believer in ART for chronic pain relief. Good luck in your search for relief. Gail B Ledesma

REPLY
@leslie324

I just found this site and am very relieved to feel less isolated. I am an active 75 yr old now slowed down by back and leg pain from spinal stenosis, arthritis, and scoliosis. In addition to surgery, I am looking at stem cell therapy or laser treatment. Added to the mix, I have fibromyalgia. I have tried a chiropractor, massage therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture and am now losing weight. Until recently, I was able to go to the Y for yoga, Zumba, weights and cardio. I welcome any suggestions to reduce pain that does not involve controlled drugs. Leslie324

Jump to this post

@leslie327 I forgot to mention that I still have pain in my right side lumbar,sciatic, leg, and knee at night. Each night it awakens me, and I have to get up and walk around for it to dissipate. After I awaken in the morning and am up and walking around, I'm fine for the rest of the day. Thanks, Gail B Ledesma

REPLY
@geneo

Name geneo, was recently diagnosed with spinal stenosis in March 2017 at that time it got so bad I needed a walker then I went to a Charapractor for 8 weekly visits very little help at that time I was on a cane,finally decided to go to an Orthopedic surgeon who had a MRI was told that not much could be done other then try steroid shots but could not say it would help. I left the office still in pain went home and started my own treatment.Today I have very little pain only in the morning but I'm almost completely free of pain and can walk without any help it has been 6 months since I left the Doctors. I tried everything from scanning the internet to reading medical papers. What I finally did and it worked was
One spoonful of Tumeric mixed in juice
Lower back excersize in morning
20 minutes in my Jacuzzi
2 times a day using a cold laser I purchased off the Internet for $100.
Ice pack for 20 minutes a day
All I can say it works for me when I almost could not even walk without lower back and both legs pain

Jump to this post

Hi, @geneo

Good work. Would that everyone could find pain relief as you have. Welcome to Connect, and thank you for telling us your success story. Have you shared your formula with anyone who has tried it and had the same great results?

Jim

REPLY
@leslie324

I just found this site and am very relieved to feel less isolated. I am an active 75 yr old now slowed down by back and leg pain from spinal stenosis, arthritis, and scoliosis. In addition to surgery, I am looking at stem cell therapy or laser treatment. Added to the mix, I have fibromyalgia. I have tried a chiropractor, massage therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture and am now losing weight. Until recently, I was able to go to the Y for yoga, Zumba, weights and cardio. I welcome any suggestions to reduce pain that does not involve controlled drugs. Leslie324

Jump to this post

Hi, Gail @gailfaith

What is Tramadol? I guess I could look it up. I've just noticed it showing up lately, and wonder if it's something that might help me, and might replace the Morphine sulfate.

Jim

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.