Misc The Pain Management Mega Thread v. 7

[Melancholy Hill]

OK, so when I was 17 I was in a head-on collision. I was driving an old, little 92 Toyota Corolla and smashed head-on with a 2007 Honda SUV. My car was COMPLETELY totaled (it literally looked like a balled up piece of metal) so I am extremely lucky to be alive. However, my injuries were so severe I had to be airlifted to the nearest trauma hospital. I suffered from a broken femur bone (was broken completely in half and popping out of my skin). The doctors and nurses there said it was one of the most severe fractures they had ever seen. I also had a broken humerus bone and my right lung collapsed (they had to drill a hole into my side and insert a chest tube right on the scene of the accident).

Then, when I was 25 I was crossing the highway (as a pedestrian) and was hit by a van going approximately 50mph. I broke all of my ribs, my jaw, had 4 teeth knocked out, separated my shoulder, and had a traumatic brain injury (a subdural hematoma, which is just when your brain bleeds pretty severely).

Anyway, I am 27 now and it seems like the older I get, the worse the pain gets. I don't have full range of motion in either of my arms. For example: After I get out of the shower I can barely dry my back because my arms have pretty severe pain when in that position. It also hurts pretty badly if I sleep on it wrong and I lose a lot of sleep because of it.

The thing is; I don't have medical insurance and I know how expensive pain management is because I went once and literally got 20 5mg Norcos to last me all month. I really don't know what to do because I have chronic pain every day but every doctor I see doesn't really seem to take it seriously or won't prescribe me pain medication.

Any suggestions? I have been to the local health department a few times and the Doctor there prescribed me 60 Tylenol 3s, but she said they don't do long-term pain management so she won't prescribe me anymore. I just don't have the money right now to afford pain management so I am kinda stuck in a hole.

Any suggestions/advice/help would be greatly appreciated because I feel like I am way too young to be in pain everyday. It's literally hard to function and I can't even complete normal, daily tasks because of it.

 

[SKR]

Well Mel.Hill if anyone deserved continuous and ever increasing dosages of opiates and opioids it is you. Unfortunately you WILL end up addicted physically and mentally and end up in the ADDICT pile. For me, I don't care what people think in that regard because the pain is always there as a reminder that I need help, it is also there to remind me how many thousands of dollars I spent seeing specialists and doing physio exercises after seeing them for up to but usually 30mins of deep tissue massage...fuck that! I can get that for half the price from a pro masseuse.

Take care M.Hill, No doubt we'll chat about your pain. You are likely to have Lyrica rammed down your throat and anti-inflammatories until your liver and kidneys fail.

skr

 

[Melancholy Hill]

Well Mel.Hill if anyone deserved continuous and ever increasing dosages of opiates and opioids it is you. Unfortunately you WILL end up addicted physically and mentally and end up in the ADDICT pile. For me, I don't care what people think in that regard because the pain is always there as a reminder that I need help and my wife is there to remind me how many thousands of dollars I spent seeing specialists and doing physio exercises after seeing them for up to but usually 30mins of deep tissue massage...fuck that! I can get that for half the price from a pro masseuse.

Take care M.Hill, No doubt we'll chat about your pain. You are likely to have Lyrica rammed down your throat and anti-inflammatories until your liver and kidneys fail.

skr

Thanks for the response, man. And you're right, I know I will end up getting physically and mentally addicted to them which is why I have stayed off of them for so long (I only take them occasionally). I've just been trying to deal with the pain/tolerate it, but like I said, it seems to be getting worse as I age. Since my funds aren't very sufficient right now and pain management takes a big chuck out of your wallet, the black market kind of only really seems like my only option at the moment. But I would much rather do things right/legally.

 

[Runtoparadise]

Thanks for the response, man. And you're right, I know I will end up getting physically and mentally addicted to them which is why I have stayed off of them for so long (I only take them occasionally). I've just been trying to deal with the pain/tolerate it, but like I said, it seems to be getting worse as I age. Since my funds aren't very sufficient right now and pain management takes a big chuck out of your wallet, the black market kind of only really seems like my only option at the moment. But I would much rather do things right/legally.

lol SKR, & welcome Melhill, don't forget the drs will also fuck with your serotonin/noradrenaline levels also before prescribing opies,- particularly in someone who is viewed as 'young', (haha, as I still am in the medical world)!.

We're here to support you, although things are a little different in the states ?

Rtp xx

 

[Melancholy Hill]

lol SKR, & welcome Melhill, don't forget the drs will also fuck with your serotonin/noradrenaline levels also before prescribing opies,- particularly in someone who is viewed as 'young', (haha, as I still am in the medical world)!.

We're here to support you, although things are a little different in the states 

Rtp xx

The doctors have already fucked with/tried to fuck with my serotonin levels. Currently I am prescribed Zoloft 150mg once a day, Xanax 2mg (3 times day), and Restoril 30mg at bedtime. Those are all pretty high doses...

And thanks for the support.

By the way, I live in Florida (the so-called pill mill capital) if that makes a difference.

 

[Runtoparadise]

^Lol, I dunno does it??

Are the costs comparable in going to a 'pill mill' or through a PM dr?

You're pain has originated from two car accidents. Is their no type of govt insurance that covers your medical costs if you are injured on the roads in Florida/U.S.?

Here in OZ, anyone who uses our roads has such included in their registration which they must pay annually. (though I often hear how our medical system works so much better, maybe our traffic scheme also does).

I spent years paying private drs/specialists with my original musculoskeletal CP, (& still do, to some extent), but the damage to
my arm/hand etc is covered by the traffic accident commission. Specialists, physio, psychs,tests, imaging,travel to my capital city are paid for.

You mentioned that you went to a local healthcare provider, but they stated they do not do long term PM. Can they refer you further to a public program? You might have to wait some time to be seen, but, (once again over here, you'll get in to see one of those exxy private Drs for free).

That's if you want to go the legitimate way...

Rtp xx

 

[Melancholy Hill]

^Lol, I dunno does it?

Are the costs comparable in going to a 'pill mill' or through a PM dr?

Well they actually recently "cracked down" on the pill mills quite some time ago here in FL so I would have no choice but to go see a PM Dr. But like I previously stated; I have no medical insurance so I would have to pay out of pocket and I am currently broke and unemployed right now (I just graduated college and haven't found a job yet).

You're pain has originated from two car accidents. Is their no type of govt insurance that covers your medical costs if you are injured on the roads in Florida/U.S.?

This is am not sure about. How would I find out?

I mean I got some money from the car insurance company, but over $20,000 went to get my teeth fixed because like I said -- 4 of them got knocked out when I was hit by that van and I definitely didn't want dentures so I payed the extra money for dental implants. It was $15,000 just for the surgery and then another $5,300 for the actual implants. The rest of my money pretty much went to hospital bills and my numerous dentist visits.

Here in OZ, anyone who uses our roads has such included in their registration which they must pay annually. (though I often hear how our medical system works so much better, maybe our traffic scheme also does).

I spent years paying private drs/specialists with my original musculoskeletal CP, (& still do, to some extent), but the damage to
my arm/hand etc is covered by the traffic accident commission. Specialists, physio, psychs,tests, imaging,travel to my capital city are paid for.

You mentioned that you went to a local healthcare provider, but they stated they do not do long term PM. Can they refer you further to a public program? You might have to wait some time to be seen, but, (once again over here, you'll get in to see one of those exxy private Drs for free).

They actually did refer my to a PM specialist, but like I said -- I couldn't afford it at the time. It was like 300 bucks just to be seen. I definitely need to look into this whole "free" thing though. Hopefully I will qualify... Do you have any advice/suggestions?

Any one more thing: which medication do you think would be suitable for me? I mean, the pain isn't really TOO excruciating, though it can get pretty bad at times and it IS chronic (I hurt every day).

I mean, I broke all of my ribs (which is 24 bones right there), my jaw, my femur bone AND my humerus bone (which I had rod placement surgery for both so now I have a titanium rod in my thigh and my arm). So that's literally 27 bones I have broken. My left shoulder is also separated from my collar bone (see pic below).

 

[Braley41]

Hey there! I've been seeing my pain management Dr for several months. On my last visit he saw where I had took a methadone, which was not prescribed to me. He let me off with a warning. Well, they do our drug test a month behind so when I took my urine test last month, I had taken a xanax so I'm pretty sure that will show up, and also, the night before I was in so much back pain I went to ER, and they gave me a shot of morphine, but I have the hospital to back that up. My question is about the Xanax. My primary Dr had me on xanax over a year ago before switching me to klonopin. Do you think my PM Dr would believe me if I said I had a couple left over from the last script of xanax, and I only took it as an emergency cause my panic attacks are really bad? Which they really are. Please! I need all the advice I can get. My appointment is tomorrow.

 

[Melancholy Hill]

Hey there! I've been seeing my pain management Dr for several months. On my last visit he saw where I had took a methadone, which was not prescribed to me. He let me off with a warning. Well, they do our drug test a month behind so when I took my urine test last month, I had taken a xanax so I'm pretty sure that will show up, and also, the night before I was in so much back pain I went to ER, and they gave me a shot of morphine, but I have the hospital to back that up. My question is about the Xanax. My primary Dr had me on xanax over a year ago before switching me to klonopin. Do you think my PM Dr would believe me if I said I had a couple left over from the last script of xanax, and I only took it as an emergency cause my panic attacks are really bad? Which they really are. Please! I need all the advice I can get. My appointment is tomorrow.

Hmm... I would think that would really be more subjective and up to your Dr. on what to do about it.

But I do know that they have strict rules at PM, especially when it comes to drug testing, so if you already tested positive for methadone once (which like you said -- was not prescribed to you) and he let you off with a warning (which in my opinion, you got pretty lucky) and you come in again and test positive for Xanax, that could most definitely raise a red flag.

What kind of drug tests do they give you? A 5-panel or a 10-panel? Because benzos don't show up in a 5-panel, just the 10-panel ones. And unless they test for certain benzos (like specially for Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, Ativan, etc.) there is really no way to tell which benzo you did, so he would not be able to tell whether you did Xanax OR Klonopin. You will just simply test positive for benzos and all you would have to do is just show him your more recent bottle of Klonopin and you should be fine. Because I really doubt he is going to believe that a script of Xanax lasted someone over a year. Not trying to burst your bubble, man, just trying to be as honest as possible because I know how strict PM can be.

 

[Braley41]

I'm not sure if its a 5 or 10 panel. How can I tell? They just give me a bottle to pee in.

 

[Melancholy Hill]

I'm not sure if its a 5 or 10 panel. How can I tell? They just give me a bottle to pee in.

Well I don't think you can actually tell, unless you specifically ask the see the results.

 

[Runtoparadise]

Chill, it'll just show benzos. Since ur scripted them it'll be fine.

Highly doubt anyone wld go furthèr, the time & cost just isn't worth it. Unless they wanna keep losing patients, which most practices don't!!

Rtp

 

[Melancholy Hill]

Chill, it'll just show benzos. Since ur scripted them it'll be fine.

Highly doubt anyone wld go furthèr, the time & cost just isn't worth it. Unless they wanna keep losing patients, which most practices don't!!

Rtp

You're right: doctors definitely want their money, especially at pain clinics because business is usually "booming".

But I was actually unsuccessfully discharged from PM once when I was 18 for failing a drug test. I had taken DXM a couple days before my appointment and tested positive for Phencyclidine (PCP). I have never even seen that shit it my life, let alone actually TRY it. I wouldn't even have any idea where to get that from. I have literally never even touched that shit in my life.

I was always aware that DXM can show false positives, but it was just not something I was expecting to actually happen to me.

 

[Braley41]

Hey guys! I went to my appointment this morning, and it went great. He didn't mention the xanax so I guest it does just show up as benzos. I was just worried about that because I am actually prescribed konopin, but I did take a couple xanax before my drug test. What really surprises me is that he didn't even mention the morphine because the night before I had went to ER for back pain, and they gave me a shot of morphine and ketamine. So I think I'm gonna stick to just taking MY own meds from now on so I don't worry myself crazy right before my next appointment.

 

[LucidSDreamr]

Hey there! I've been seeing my pain management Dr for several months. On my last visit he saw where I had took a methadone, which was not prescribed to me. He let me off with a warning. Well, they do our drug test a month behind so when I took my urine test last month, I had taken a xanax so I'm pretty sure that will show up, and also, the night before I was in so much back pain I went to ER, and they gave me a shot of morphine, but I have the hospital to back that up. My question is about the Xanax. My primary Dr had me on xanax over a year ago before switching me to klonopin. Do you think my PM Dr would believe me if I said I had a couple left over from the last script of xanax, and I only took it as an emergency cause my panic attacks are really bad? Which they really are. Please! I need all the advice I can get. My appointment is tomorrow.

they gave your morphine in the ER for back pain? are u in the US? thats pretty shocking to me, they usually just call you a junky and charge you 2000 dollars in the ER if you tell them you have back pain

 

[Slow_Mobius]

People who actually deal with back pain seem to get pretty much ignored by docs unless they have some crazy physical malformations. It's ridiculous. I once went to an urgent care clinic and asked if I could lay down because sitting was really painful, and literally right after I asked she made me do a bunch of completely pointless standing and stretching exercises. Sadistic bitch. I nearly walked out, but I seriously needed help!

 

[SKR]

Well They actually did refer my to a PM specialist, but like I said -- I couldn't afford it at the time. It was like 300 bucks just to be seen. I definitely need to look into this whole "free" thing though. Hopefully I will qualify... Do you have any advice/suggestions?

Any one more thing: which medication do you think would be suitable for me? I mean, the pain isn't really TOO excruciating, though it can get pretty bad at times and it IS chronic (I hurt every day).

Over here in Oz with private health insurance even full cover you can't avoid the $300 consult fee 'All my procedures are free (and fail at which point you have to go back for another consult to discuss the failure and next free failure((numbing nerves and nerve beds, nerve ablation etc))) Bastards.

Morphine will be less noticeable as you will likely be given MS Contin of which upto 70% of the drug will not be bioavailable so a 30mg pill will mean you get about 10mgs of the drug unless you change your ROA to properly filtering and then IV method or no filter and taken as a crushed pill liquid suppository. Oxycodone and OxyContin give a terrifically beautiful euphoria which sucks you in to an addiction and damaging relationship with the drug not too dissimilar to a Heroin habit but you only have to crush and eat the Oxy for close to IV effects as this drug is bioavailable in the 90+% region...too easy to chase whether that way inclined or not....pain is still an acceptable excuse by many to be drug addicted/dependent so less shame which has its good and bad.

Oh yeah, thanks for the snap 'Ya gotta keep 'em separated!'

 

[CharMorris23]

I feel for you brother. I was struck for the first time with cluster head aches a few years ago. I didnt know what it was. All i knew is that from the time i woke up until the time i went to bed all of sudden my head was splitting wide open. Over the course of two months i checked into mental hospitals 5 times. And then finally one day it stopped. Who could think that a simple 'head ache" could have such an impact on your life. Best of luck bro.

 

[Runtoparadise]

Melhill, if your pain isn't excruciating every single day, I'd try to persuade the dr for a low dose long acting opi & also a quick acting one.

As SKR hinted, try to stay away from oxy. Jurnista, a so called untapperable ER, (even my dr says it's foolproof, I disagree, I know it's easily IVd, not that we want to go there), extended release dilaudid is likely more effective & less addictive.

Your dr will likely go for MS Contin or oxy. Commonly prescribed & unfortunately you cannot ask for a certain drug. Red flag all over!!

*Charmorris, I once had cluster headaches too! In a rural setting ended up at ED most nights for a pethidine i/m.

Suffered a year or so, then also,- no head/face pain any longer. I feel you?

Rtp

 

[BlueJess]

Recently my mother went to the doctor (finally) because of the chronic pain. The doctor prescribed Demerol (I wasn't there). Before I went to the pharmacy to buy the meds, I've started some research, I know, google isn't the best friend when it comes to medical assistance. I also found a lot of threads on this forum that treat about Demerol. At first I was sceptic, because a lot of prescribed drugs can be abused,
I came across this article demerol effects and I am scared! Other opinions on the internet also made me anxious. Am I paranoid and making a mountain out of a molehill? I also have to mention that my mother had problem with small addiction during her life and that is why I want to make sure that this won't be dangerous to her.
Should I contact the doctor? Scheduling an appointment with him is very difficult. Maybe I should just go to another doctor?