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.

lioness | @lioness | Jul 15, 2018
In reply to @mdmo "Hi, I'm a female 60 years old. I've lived with chronic pain since I was 27..." + (show)
@mdmo

Hi, I'm a female 60 years old. I've lived with chronic pain since I was 27 years old. I was working with disabled children at the time and I was performing a "safety hold" on a child so he wouldn't injure himself or the other children until we could get him to the area where he could vent his anger in a safe place. Anyway he thrusted so hard he caused my back to twist and I ended up with 3 discs herniated in my lumbar area. Since then I've had 4 spine surgeries, hardware, spinal cord stimulator and a implanted intrathecal morphine pain pump. I've had racz catheter procedures done to get the steroid medication through spinal scar tissue. Epidural steroid injections ( more than what is medically recommended) I've had Radiofrequency ablation procedures on my SI joints to burn the nerves, physical therapy, aqua therapy, so......I now have Arachnoditis due to the dura space being penetrated by needles requiring blood patches because my spinal fluid was leaking out.
In 2013 I was diagnosed at the hospital after having a Adrenal crisis. I was rushed to the ER and told after 2 tests that i had Addison's disease. Due to having all those epidural, trigger point, and other steroid injections my adrenal glands had stopped producing the hormones that are needed to live. Now I have to take daily steroids, Hydrocortisone 15 mg in divided doses each day. Also I have to take a medication to keep my fluids in balance. My blood pressure can bottom out if i dont take it and eat lots of salty things. Usually i just take salt tablets.
I have had pretty good results with the intrathecal morphine pain pump. But like everything else it stops working after a few years. I've had mine 5 years. I'm weaning down my dose by 15% weekly. At this rate I'll be off the pump in about 9 weeks not having to incur any withdrawal symptoms.
In the mean time they are giving me Tramadol 50 mg 3 times a day and Baclofen 10 mg 4 times a day for the terrible spasticity that I have each day.
My Faith and classical music is what makes each day bearable. So enough about me...... 🙂

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@sandytoes As I'm reading this I have my Tens unit on.I read up on Baclofen
in I'm going to talk to Dr about this .My newest thing I have is a bulging disc.

REPLY
mdmo | @mdmo | Jul 15, 2018
In reply to @mdmo "Hi, I'm a female 60 years old. I've lived with chronic pain since I was 27..." + (show)
@mdmo

Hi, I'm a female 60 years old. I've lived with chronic pain since I was 27 years old. I was working with disabled children at the time and I was performing a "safety hold" on a child so he wouldn't injure himself or the other children until we could get him to the area where he could vent his anger in a safe place. Anyway he thrusted so hard he caused my back to twist and I ended up with 3 discs herniated in my lumbar area. Since then I've had 4 spine surgeries, hardware, spinal cord stimulator and a implanted intrathecal morphine pain pump. I've had racz catheter procedures done to get the steroid medication through spinal scar tissue. Epidural steroid injections ( more than what is medically recommended) I've had Radiofrequency ablation procedures on my SI joints to burn the nerves, physical therapy, aqua therapy, so......I now have Arachnoditis due to the dura space being penetrated by needles requiring blood patches because my spinal fluid was leaking out.
In 2013 I was diagnosed at the hospital after having a Adrenal crisis. I was rushed to the ER and told after 2 tests that i had Addison's disease. Due to having all those epidural, trigger point, and other steroid injections my adrenal glands had stopped producing the hormones that are needed to live. Now I have to take daily steroids, Hydrocortisone 15 mg in divided doses each day. Also I have to take a medication to keep my fluids in balance. My blood pressure can bottom out if i dont take it and eat lots of salty things. Usually i just take salt tablets.
I have had pretty good results with the intrathecal morphine pain pump. But like everything else it stops working after a few years. I've had mine 5 years. I'm weaning down my dose by 15% weekly. At this rate I'll be off the pump in about 9 weeks not having to incur any withdrawal symptoms.
In the mean time they are giving me Tramadol 50 mg 3 times a day and Baclofen 10 mg 4 times a day for the terrible spasticity that I have each day.
My Faith and classical music is what makes each day bearable. So enough about me...... 🙂

Jump to this post

Hi Jen and thanks for the welcome!
I had my Spinal Cord Stimulator put in May of 2006. (I'm working my way to the pump.. :-))
My stim worked real good until I started to degenerate further down. I'd say about 3 years of fairly good pain control but once the degeneration progressed further south it didnt work. It worked about 20% of the time I had it on. So the doctors put me on more oral pain meds. (Yuck) and I was in a wheelchair for a good while. Standing was unbearable. The lumbar ridiculopathy was nightmarish. Electric current flowing down both legs in the back. I had a bandaid surgery that for lack of medical terminology, carved away some of the vertebrae to allow room for the nerve so it wouldn't be rubbing against bone. It worked. I got out of the chair. I was so blessed, I felt normal for a few years. Then in 2013 my doctor decided to put the pump in. He said it would only require 1/300th of a oral dose of morphine targeted right where my pain was. No more nausea, no more constipation, no more feeling the medication. It was going to be much better for me. I had a difficult time with the implant surgery. It normally takes 2 or so hours, mine took 5. The doctor said he got it all hooked up and it wouldn't pump the saline. (Used before the morphine is added) So, he had to back up and find the kink in the catheter. He did and like I said it worked as expected.
It was nice not to have to carry pain meds with me or not to have to keep track of when is it time for my next dose. I felt more free. More pain free than ever.
I've had it 5 years. My doctor here thought my dose was severely high first time we met. I dont remember my exact dose it's something like 4.075 mg per day. Theres not a doctor alive that wont tell you that after a while you build up a tolerance to morphine. It required a little more, and a little more to get the same relief. I hope the trial works for you. Just ask lots of questions. I'm not sure if you read all of what I wrote but not many doctors, very few to be quite frank will fill another doctors pump. Remember this if you're planning to move or travel for a extended period.
Wishing you the best,
~M~

REPLY
joannemaisey | @joannemaisey | Jul 15, 2018

Hi I have constant facial/nose pain for 15 yrs which is getting worse. This happened after extensive sinus /nasal surgery. Has anyone been diagnosed with Empty nose Syndrome but have the major symptom of trigerminal pain.Thanks Joanne

REPLY
1 reply
Jen, Alumna Mentor | @sandytoes14 | Jul 15, 2018
In reply to @mdmo "Hi, I'm a female 60 years old. I've lived with chronic pain since I was 27..." + (show)
@mdmo

Hi, I'm a female 60 years old. I've lived with chronic pain since I was 27 years old. I was working with disabled children at the time and I was performing a "safety hold" on a child so he wouldn't injure himself or the other children until we could get him to the area where he could vent his anger in a safe place. Anyway he thrusted so hard he caused my back to twist and I ended up with 3 discs herniated in my lumbar area. Since then I've had 4 spine surgeries, hardware, spinal cord stimulator and a implanted intrathecal morphine pain pump. I've had racz catheter procedures done to get the steroid medication through spinal scar tissue. Epidural steroid injections ( more than what is medically recommended) I've had Radiofrequency ablation procedures on my SI joints to burn the nerves, physical therapy, aqua therapy, so......I now have Arachnoditis due to the dura space being penetrated by needles requiring blood patches because my spinal fluid was leaking out.
In 2013 I was diagnosed at the hospital after having a Adrenal crisis. I was rushed to the ER and told after 2 tests that i had Addison's disease. Due to having all those epidural, trigger point, and other steroid injections my adrenal glands had stopped producing the hormones that are needed to live. Now I have to take daily steroids, Hydrocortisone 15 mg in divided doses each day. Also I have to take a medication to keep my fluids in balance. My blood pressure can bottom out if i dont take it and eat lots of salty things. Usually i just take salt tablets.
I have had pretty good results with the intrathecal morphine pain pump. But like everything else it stops working after a few years. I've had mine 5 years. I'm weaning down my dose by 15% weekly. At this rate I'll be off the pump in about 9 weeks not having to incur any withdrawal symptoms.
In the mean time they are giving me Tramadol 50 mg 3 times a day and Baclofen 10 mg 4 times a day for the terrible spasticity that I have each day.
My Faith and classical music is what makes each day bearable. So enough about me...... 🙂

Jump to this post

@oregongirl I'm sorry you had such a bad ordeal coming off morphine.Thank goodness for the doctor who saved your life.

REPLY
lioness | @lioness | Jul 15, 2018
In reply to @mdmo "Hi, I'm a female 60 years old. I've lived with chronic pain since I was 27..." + (show)
@mdmo

Hi, I'm a female 60 years old. I've lived with chronic pain since I was 27 years old. I was working with disabled children at the time and I was performing a "safety hold" on a child so he wouldn't injure himself or the other children until we could get him to the area where he could vent his anger in a safe place. Anyway he thrusted so hard he caused my back to twist and I ended up with 3 discs herniated in my lumbar area. Since then I've had 4 spine surgeries, hardware, spinal cord stimulator and a implanted intrathecal morphine pain pump. I've had racz catheter procedures done to get the steroid medication through spinal scar tissue. Epidural steroid injections ( more than what is medically recommended) I've had Radiofrequency ablation procedures on my SI joints to burn the nerves, physical therapy, aqua therapy, so......I now have Arachnoditis due to the dura space being penetrated by needles requiring blood patches because my spinal fluid was leaking out.
In 2013 I was diagnosed at the hospital after having a Adrenal crisis. I was rushed to the ER and told after 2 tests that i had Addison's disease. Due to having all those epidural, trigger point, and other steroid injections my adrenal glands had stopped producing the hormones that are needed to live. Now I have to take daily steroids, Hydrocortisone 15 mg in divided doses each day. Also I have to take a medication to keep my fluids in balance. My blood pressure can bottom out if i dont take it and eat lots of salty things. Usually i just take salt tablets.
I have had pretty good results with the intrathecal morphine pain pump. But like everything else it stops working after a few years. I've had mine 5 years. I'm weaning down my dose by 15% weekly. At this rate I'll be off the pump in about 9 weeks not having to incur any withdrawal symptoms.
In the mean time they are giving me Tramadol 50 mg 3 times a day and Baclofen 10 mg 4 times a day for the terrible spasticity that I have each day.
My Faith and classical music is what makes each day bearable. So enough about me...... 🙂

Jump to this post

Jen what do you do about your bulging disc I,be Ben in pain all day did you find some relief from it?Linda

REPLY
ursweetpam | @ursweetpam | Jul 15, 2018
In reply to @ursweetpam "Hi, I'm Pam. I am 3 years 3 months past my failed Laminectomy/ microdiscectomy. I herniated..." + (show)
@ursweetpam

Hi, I'm Pam. I am 3 years 3 months past my failed Laminectomy/ microdiscectomy. I herniated my L5-S1 but was labeled as a pill seeker until my Dr decided she was sick of seeing me and sent me for the MRI. I suffered for so many years, barely able to get out of bed some days and I had a job that required heavy lifting. Anyway, while I was in surgery, the surgeon said he found I had many arachnoid scars and a large arachnoid cyst that needed drained and that the damage was dar qorse than showed up on the MRI. He said my bones were grey and brittle and that my nerve roots were smashed, glued together and frayed.
I have been suffering from horrible pain in my left leg, all the way to my toes from nerve damage and I have back pain still. I had a spinal cord stimulator put in October of 2015. That required another laminectomy to my thoratic spine and it didn't give me the relief I had been hoping for. Hoping i can chat with others who have been through similar situations as I have and maybe get some answers to some annoying and sometimes painful problems. Thanks.

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Thanks @nmo2016. I'll take all the prayers you can give. I try not to get discouraged especially when I know others are suffering much worse than I am. Some days are better than others. Keeping you in my prayers too.

REPLY
ursweetpam | @ursweetpam | Jul 15, 2018
In reply to @ursweetpam "Hi, I'm Pam. I am 3 years 3 months past my failed Laminectomy/ microdiscectomy. I herniated..." + (show)
@ursweetpam

Hi, I'm Pam. I am 3 years 3 months past my failed Laminectomy/ microdiscectomy. I herniated my L5-S1 but was labeled as a pill seeker until my Dr decided she was sick of seeing me and sent me for the MRI. I suffered for so many years, barely able to get out of bed some days and I had a job that required heavy lifting. Anyway, while I was in surgery, the surgeon said he found I had many arachnoid scars and a large arachnoid cyst that needed drained and that the damage was dar qorse than showed up on the MRI. He said my bones were grey and brittle and that my nerve roots were smashed, glued together and frayed.
I have been suffering from horrible pain in my left leg, all the way to my toes from nerve damage and I have back pain still. I had a spinal cord stimulator put in October of 2015. That required another laminectomy to my thoratic spine and it didn't give me the relief I had been hoping for. Hoping i can chat with others who have been through similar situations as I have and maybe get some answers to some annoying and sometimes painful problems. Thanks.

Jump to this post

@lioness my mom used to use that on my brothers for growing pains! I remember her rubbing their legs when they played to hard and had leg pains at night. Mine isn't restless leg although I used to get that all the time. I had a b-12 deficiency and once started taking it that stopped. I can literally see my muscles jumping in my leg and if I move the wrong way, I get a weird kind of cramp from my thigh to my foot. Sometimes if I push really hard behind my knee, I can make it stop along with the stinging in my foot but it's only temporary and I can't sleep that way. My pain Dr had a cream compounded and shipped to me that helps some. I put it everywhere and then wait 10 minutes and follow with lidocaine cream. I'm not sure what exactly is in the first cream but I do know it has Gabapentin and some sort of muscle relaxer that is absorbed through the skin but they said it has something for pain in it as well. I may have to look up Arnica cream though.

REPLY
ursweetpam | @ursweetpam | Jul 15, 2018
In reply to @lioness "@jjwest this sounds similar to a tens unit but the wires are inserted ,do you wear..." + (show)
@lioness

@jjwest this sounds similar to a tens unit but the wires are inserted ,do you wear on the outside a power box or something like this

Jump to this post

@lioness it sort of is like a tens but no one else can feel it if they touch you and it doesn't really feel the same. The wires (paddles in my case) are implanted between the spine and the vertebrate and the wires are funneled under the skin to a battery under the skin either in the butt, back or like mine, the belly. Its sort of like what they use for people who have pacemakers. Similar battery
You use a hand held device to adjust the amount of buzz, intensity and to switch between programs. I have to charge mine every 3 or 4 days but some come with a non rechargeable battery.

REPLY
nmo2016Aliana | @nmo2016 | Jul 15, 2018
In reply to @ursweetpam "Hi, I'm Pam. I am 3 years 3 months past my failed Laminectomy/ microdiscectomy. I herniated..." + (show)
@ursweetpam

Hi, I'm Pam. I am 3 years 3 months past my failed Laminectomy/ microdiscectomy. I herniated my L5-S1 but was labeled as a pill seeker until my Dr decided she was sick of seeing me and sent me for the MRI. I suffered for so many years, barely able to get out of bed some days and I had a job that required heavy lifting. Anyway, while I was in surgery, the surgeon said he found I had many arachnoid scars and a large arachnoid cyst that needed drained and that the damage was dar qorse than showed up on the MRI. He said my bones were grey and brittle and that my nerve roots were smashed, glued together and frayed.
I have been suffering from horrible pain in my left leg, all the way to my toes from nerve damage and I have back pain still. I had a spinal cord stimulator put in October of 2015. That required another laminectomy to my thoratic spine and it didn't give me the relief I had been hoping for. Hoping i can chat with others who have been through similar situations as I have and maybe get some answers to some annoying and sometimes painful problems. Thanks.

Jump to this post

Thank you so much and I just got finished telling my mother about people hurt much more than I do.

REPLY
ursweetpam | @ursweetpam | Jul 15, 2018
In reply to @hosta "Hosta here, Has anyone tried the Drug Delivery Therapy? I went to a seminar on this..." + (show)
@hosta

Hosta here, Has anyone tried the Drug Delivery Therapy? I went to a seminar on this type of pain management! I want to look into this. Input would be appreciated.

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@mdmo thanks for the info about the pain pump. My pain Dr keeps pushing me to have one but I've been dragging my feet with it mostly because I didn't want another surgery. I have a neighbor who has one and he likes his but he never goes anywhere. Most of my family live a great many miles from me, one daughter lives in Germany. I usually spend a month at a time there. Knowing that I may have trouble getting my medication helps me to decide.

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