Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

Good evening @esperanza22.....you are not and never will be a bother. Meloxicam is for arthritis and is an NSAID if I recall correctly. What other prescription are they sending? Was it explained to you? The Duloxetine also called Cymbalta is just for anxiety, depression, and nerve pain. The Gabapentin is mostly for the tingles and needle-like nerve pain that seems to ramp up in the evening. I have replaced some with a THC rich Releaf Balm from P and B. (more info if you are interested) One of my decisions yet to be made is how to continue to reduce the needle-like discomfort without using medications with known side effects. Good luck you say. I agree.

May you have comfort and ease.
Chris

@faithwalker007

I'm not in your league when it comes to surgeries, but I've had my share, not many electives. I guess a deviated septum procedure might be labeled elective, but I could breathe freely for the first time in my life. Cataracts, gall bladder removal, emergency toxic mega colon, 80% removed, 45" small intestine resection, peptic ulcers, bowel obstructions, SCS implant, 2x right shoulder, torn menisci right knee, brostrom procedure and implant of an internal brace in left ankle, and the recent spinal stenosis surgery. Generally, I've been blessed with good health all my life, and everything I listed above is relatively minor. I do have a number of things that require attention, esophageal dysmotility, silent reflux, sleep apnea, diplopia, decreased taste and smell, numb fingertips, bladder and bowel problems, ED, pain that has progressed from the balls of my feet and moving up my legs. Most of these things are almost certainly related to autonomic neuropathy and idiopathic small fiber peripheral polyneuropathy. Knowing that only indicates a cause. But because neuropathy isn't curable, we can only treat the symptoms, and as you know, that's no simple matter.

I only mentioned the physical issues I deal with. I began treatment of major depression in 2003. Within 2 years, depression was severe, making it impossible to function in my job, so I retired at 55 on Social Security disability. In 2005 and 06, I attempted suicide a number of times, and I self admitted to a new, very nice facility for people who have attempted suicide, and stayed for 6 weeks (typical stay is 3 days). After that I started therapy and met with a psychiatrist weekly for several months, to assess my mental health and find meds to treat it. He told me that I had major depression (no surprise there), anxiety disorder, OCD, and PTSD. I'd lived with those things a long time, unaware that there were treatments for them, just thinking that it was normal.

So, having a duel diagnosis of physical and mental illnesses, it's been really hard to keep going. Pain control and therapy for depression et al, along with the other things that come my way are an ongoing challenge. Pain and depression exacerbate each other. When the pain gets bad, I'm more depressed. Called a vicious circle. And the presence of depression, anxiety and PTSD makes it really difficult for me to do things like what we've been discussing, becoming an active advocate for those of us who have severe chronic pain. Just dealing with the volume of messages in my inbox is more than I can do many days. For me, yard work and the care of our place is therapeutic, both for depression and for pain. Even that can be overwhelming. For now, I work to take life one day at a time.

I'm rambling on, but I've come to the end of my ability to articulate.

You're an amazing person.

Jim

@faithwalker007

I'm not in your league when it comes to surgeries, but I've had my share, not many electives. I guess a deviated septum procedure might be labeled elective, but I could breathe freely for the first time in my life. Cataracts, gall bladder removal, emergency toxic mega colon, 80% removed, 45" small intestine resection, peptic ulcers, bowel obstructions, SCS implant, 2x right shoulder, torn menisci right knee, brostrom procedure and implant of an internal brace in left ankle, and the recent spinal stenosis surgery. Generally, I've been blessed with good health all my life, and everything I listed above is relatively minor. I do have a number of things that require attention, esophageal dysmotility, silent reflux, sleep apnea, diplopia, decreased taste and smell, numb fingertips, bladder and bowel problems, ED, pain that has progressed from the balls of my feet and moving up my legs. Most of these things are almost certainly related to autonomic neuropathy and idiopathic small fiber peripheral polyneuropathy. Knowing that only indicates a cause. But because neuropathy isn't curable, we can only treat the symptoms, and as you know, that's no simple matter.

I only mentioned the physical issues I deal with. I began treatment of major depression in 2003. Within 2 years, depression was severe, making it impossible to function in my job, so I retired at 55 on Social Security disability. In 2005 and 06, I attempted suicide a number of times, and I self admitted to a new, very nice facility for people who have attempted suicide, and stayed for 6 weeks (typical stay is 3 days). After that I started therapy and met with a psychiatrist weekly for several months, to assess my mental health and find meds to treat it. He told me that I had major depression (no surprise there), anxiety disorder, OCD, and PTSD. I'd lived with those things a long time, unaware that there were treatments for them, just thinking that it was normal.

So, having a duel diagnosis of physical and mental illnesses, it's been really hard to keep going. Pain control and therapy for depression et al, along with the other things that come my way are an ongoing challenge. Pain and depression exacerbate each other. When the pain gets bad, I'm more depressed. Called a vicious circle. And the presence of depression, anxiety and PTSD makes it really difficult for me to do things like what we've been discussing, becoming an active advocate for those of us who have severe chronic pain. Just dealing with the volume of messages in my inbox is more than I can do many days. For me, yard work and the care of our place is therapeutic, both for depression and for pain. Even that can be overwhelming. For now, I work to take life one day at a time.

I'm rambling on, but I've come to the end of my ability to articulate.

You're an amazing person.

Jim

Jim,
I understand, believe me. You can’t survive what we have without depression and PTSD playing a factor. I have nightmares and flash backs of them sawing my leg off.
You are not alone. I’ve had the barrel of my .38 at my temple more than once. All I can offer is Advocacy to give your life meaning as it has mine. Will you win all the time? Of course not. Uncle Sam is a power hungry beast who likes us right where he has us, but he also made a mistake... the ADA.
Read it, memorize it, and use it.

@faithwalker007

I've had only 3 negative encounters with people who didn't want my service dog to be with me, but I carry a copy of the ADA rules about access for service animals. I'm sure that if I were able to read minds, I'd have heard some nasty things. So I do know the rules relating to service dogs, but there's probably a lot of other stuff I don't know.

Jim

I do remember talking to you Lori! I have a suggestion about your DRG. I turned mine off (involuntarily, I put my cell phone too close to it and it shut off) for 5 days or longer. If it truly isn’t relieving any pain, you’ll know it. If it is helping AT ALL, you’ll find that out too.
Like you, I have had mine reprogrammed over and over since it was implanted and never have reached the level of relief at the trial. It has not even given me the level of relief I would say I could actually “feel” or rank.
I was actually thinking of getting my paddle leads changed out until I ran my accidental shut-off experiment. It was at that time I discovered the Stimulator does give me relief- about 20-30%. It is nothing compared to the trial but better than nothing and enough to not risk another surgery on my back.
I’ve has too many surgeries on my entire body from my eyes, ears, and nose to almost every large joint and my GI tract. I can’t have anymore elective surgeries without risking my CRPS to spread to more areas. It’s already spread too far already.
My overall pain relief goal is 50-60% and I’m close to achieving it. I’m right at 40% on a good day with the decrease to Percocet. Even on Dilaudid I only reached maybe 60 or 65% but I slept most of the day away.
Not exactly a good existence.
But I never have and still don’t know what to expect from this disease.

All I can see is onward! The sooner you turn off your SCS the sooner you know if it is working at all and how much.
Then y’all can adjust your SCS and know what you have for relief even if you don’t feel like. I had to do it.

@lorirenee1 @faithwalker007

I turned off my SCS for the month of March and felt no increase in pain. When I turned it back on a month later, there was no observable change. I turned it off another time for an MRI, and realized weeks later that I'd forgotten to turn it back on. Obviously, it's doing nothing at all for me. I leave it on, even though I know it's not treating my pain.

Jim