Misc The Pain Management Mega Thread version 3.0

[tricomb]

^Congratulations on reaching Bluelighter status Stacianica! The server should update your profile very very soon.

 

[Stacianica]

Thanks, Tricomb! I'm so super excited about it! Then, honestly, a little sad cuz it still says I'm a greenlighter. Well, at least I have something to look forward to!

 

[tricomb]

yeah it takes a sec for it to change all of your permissions, including giving you full access to our private messaging system!!! Woohooo!!!

I suggest you log out and then log back in, that might speed up the transition --> bluelighter.

 

[ErgicMergic]

Well, it's time for another Kratom order! I can get up to the equivalent of 20mg hydrocodone in terms of opioid activity from Bali Kratom from a 6g dose, and it only costs me a sixth of the street price of a 10mg norco. I set my personal cap at 6g Kratom, and with DXM to control tolerance, 5-10mg of hydrocodone with the kratom, and 50mg tramadol, I get by, but the pain is getting worse and worse as my knees and ankles deteriorate at such a young age. Fuck pain at such a young age (19-22), no one deserves to deal with that shit, and I'm getting tired of orthos not taking me seriously and sending me out the door with a painkiller/nsaid script.

On another note, I read what Cane2theLeft posted about his own personal struggles with pain, and wow... that describes me so perfectly. I went from being a varsity athlete, ripped and competitive, to not even being able walk for four months, and even after a couple of years, I can't even run or hike anymore, with each step I take with my torn meniscus damaging my knee cartlidge more and more, along with a serious talar dome lesion in the ankle. I am truly terrified of this knee and ankle damage, and can't even imagine how bad it will be in 10 years when I'm 32, let alone 42. It gets me so discouraged and depressed, that I just ignore the problem and hope it goes away, but it doesn't. I'm doing everything I can, losing weight by eating often and healthy to reduce weight on the joints, walking as much as my ankle allows, etc, but I need to make the orthos take me seriously, or else find someone else who does, preferably a sports medicine ortho for the local university football team, someone who understands that young people can mess up their joints just as bad as old people during serious injuries.

Oh well, you can't turn back time, and I am missing out on the present by constantly worrying about the future. It's time to seriously take care of my injuries, get whatever surgeries are required while I'm still under my parent's insurance, and move on already. These are supposed to be the best years of my life, but they're currently my darkest. Fuck this depression shit, this suicidal hopelessness; it's time to change that, and learning CBT and mindfulness will hopefully help deal with the chronic pain.

Yes! I like the way you think, BiggDirty! At my last pain center ppointment, they were gonna give me it. Then, the boss lady came in and nixed that. Only offering me Tramadol and Nucynta (Tapentadol). I mentioned that tramadol was useless for me and Nucynta was out of my financial reach at $600 per month. She averred that those were my choices, I repeated myself, she repeated herself, I showed her the letter I received that day telling me I have no insurance, she reiterated that those were my only options. I pointed to the list that the other doctor wrote up with methadone on it. She said no. I explained how I never buse my Rxs, never fill early, try to make them last longer than one month at a time, she angrily repeated no. I subsequently told her to stick it up her ass. She dismissed me as a patient and wrote a nice little blurb to blacklist me from future pain centers. Mind you, I was at a 9, was at the appointment for 3 1/2 hours of painful neuro tests, jumped though all of their fucking hoops and then just fucking had enough. I've been polite every month for the three years I've seen her and I make one bad choice and I manage to fuck myself. I made a bad choice. But, I still think tht doctor is a cunt. So, who knows how the holy quest for future methadone will go for me. Hey, does methadone have more analgesic properties than subutex, bupenorphine withOUT the Naloxone? Yes? It's full vs partial agonist, right?

Ugh, this is the kind of shit that makes me reluctant to seeking out a formal pain management clinic. I would much rather use light opioids like hydro, tramadol, and tapentadol prescribed intermittedly by my regular ortho doctor, who knows how to properly treat pain and treats me like a human being, instead of jumping through hoops and sign pain contracts and pee in cups. I don't use any illegal/non-prescribed drugs at the moment, but I do smoke weed, and from what I understand, some PM clinics in Los Angeles won't allow Medical Marijuana? That's bullshit, considering how many people here smoke.

 

[Thanatos]

^ keep your head up ergicmind! Im in a very similar boat: we are both in our early 20's and have the joint problems. I highly suggest seeing a sports specific ortho if you were athletic before your injuries, they treat us with a lot more compassion, but on the other hand will expect you to make a ton of progress in pt and be tough. A sports med specialist will get you back in fighting shape quicker though.

I'm also afraid to explore pain management. In the Midwest US there is no medical marijuana legislation so all the drug testing would probably turn out bad. I don't smoke much, but all of my friends do. I like to partake at least once every week or two. And I hear PM is expensive, and it's not going to make any physiological improvement like surgery or injections could. Honestly I need you guys to help me weigh the options. I see my surgeon on Thursday, *fingers crossed* I'm not down for another knee surgery at 20.

 

[BiggDirty01]

Yeah. Wait, what do you mean exactly??

Just that I think they left a msg to bring my bottles of medicine since he does write 15 and 30 day scripts even though i see him every 2 or 4 weeks, leaving some "extras" if script is taken precisely. I don't know...I've never been asked to bring,,,,

But they never asked for anything while I was there so its a bit confusing.

 

[BiggDirty01]

Oh yeah absolutely more analgesia that any bupe-centered medication. I was given methadone IV along with dilaudid post-op from my spinal fusions. It worked well IV and also orally.

The only issue with methadone via a drug treatment clinic is that your dose will be once a day which is not optimal for pain patients. I have to take 20mg every 6-8 hours but once you start taking it regularly it will build up more and more in your plasma which makes it great for pain but an issue once you want to go off it. But if price is an issue and pain relief is more important than anything, methadone is a useful and reliable medication for moderate to severe pain.

Luckily I also take Oxy IR which in combo works well with the methadone. But even methadone alone in a multi-dose administration each day can probably help alot.

Thanks Stanci A!! My mom really wants me to pick pain management in med school. I am not sure but maybe I should become a PM guy, I know my sympathy and empathy will be much more personal with patients who have or who are enduring the hardship of chronic pain. Who knowss?? Hmmmm hhaahahaa

Mike

 

[michael]

reading these PM threads make me glad my doctor treats me the way he does. he is popular in the neighborhood, but he is not pill happy at all - but he trusts me and knows that i am not full or shit about my pain as i have taken every recommendation that he has made for non-drug intervention. i have also never asked for my dose/meds to be upped over the 2.5 years i have seen him.

 

[*samsonite*]

You are definitely fortunate. Mine is great too but I only see him every 3 months and the nurse in between. She's horrible and uneducated about pain meds. For example, when I had GI issues with the new Opana, she argued with me saying that nothing had changed so what I was saying didn't "make sense". I requested my doc at the next appt and told him about it, saying she shouldn't work with pain patients when she clearly doesn't know about current changes in opiates and argues with patients about their side effects. Grrr...back on topic..

I'm surprised you haven't needed a med/mg change in 2.5 yrs! Do you take opiates for your pain? And if so, do you take them regularly or as needed?

Welcome, fellow pain inflicted friend!

 

[michael]

i am scripted for vicodin. i take them as needed but i am scripted 1/day. i probably take one 4-5 times a week, often i split the dose over a couple hours.

i actually only see the doctor once every 6 months or so, the rest of the time i see the NP or just call for refills.

 

[Coraline]

Good day Chronic Pain Patients!!

I hope everyone is good spirits and had their pain under control.

Today mine is. I got plenty of rest. The humidity is down. My meds are working and I have energy.

Sleep plays a big role in healing, pain levels, and your emotional state. I hope everyone gets plenty of rest today and tonight.

I'm thinking of looking for work in a pain clinic or Hospic type setting. I really wanna help people who are suffering.

 

[Mercc96]

Have any UK CPP ever receieved a script for carisoma as its named in the UK - Soma as its known in the US? Recently received a good amount of the carisoma brand ( not precribed but ordered). Experienced a very measureable drop in muscle spasm, aches and general pain - especially in the back area. I've only just woken from the sofa having had what I hope to be a nice refreshing uneventful sleep - seeing as I can't remember going to sleep. For that I blame mixing it with temazepam. I have heard that it is a great potentiatior of opiods, does anyone have any idea how much I would have to cut my dose of say Oxycontin. I am super excited about being able to make the pain meds I procure last a little longer - economics here.

Had been trying to procure real carisopradol for a very long time and I knew it would work, now to convince my doc of this. I will succumb to CBT just so I can shut them up - got to try everything once right?

 

[Thanatos]

I'm going to the orthopedic surgeon early tomorrow morning. I'm getting a bit nervous, I cant have surgery during the school year!

 

[tricomb]

Good luck mate!!

 

[*samsonite*]

I'm going to the orthopedic surgeon early tomorrow morning. I'm getting a bit nervous, I cant have surgery during the school year!

Good Luck!

<complaint of the day> Called my dr to check my appt time for tomorrow and they said my appt isn't until the 4th! Whaaa?? I checked my dates and called back to tell em that's way late which doesn't work when you're opiate dependent!! They rescheduled me but now I have to see the hag nurse that I can't stand. So much for discussing new med options. 4 months of not seeing my drs face doesn't work for me. <end complaint>

 

[Bluefrogger]

Mercc96, be carefiul with them benzo's.

Zoey - that would be great for you, you are so sweet, the people would love you in either work environment.
Keep sleeping well. It does make a huge difference!

Entheo, good luck with you're visit!

*Samsonite*, lock the witch in the closet!!! ( as you're leaving, of course!!)

 

[*samsonite*]

Haha right?! This is going to be oh so fun... She's the only one that makes me UA too, of course.

 

[Hazey420]

Good Luck!

<complaint of the day> Called my dr to check my appt time for tomorrow and they said my appt isn't until the 4th! Whaaa?? I checked my dates and called back to tell em that's way late which doesn't work when you're opiate dependent!! They rescheduled me but now I have to see the hag nurse that I can't stand. So much for discussing new med options. 4 months of not seeing my drs face doesn't work for me. <end complaint>

I can totally relate to that, do you have a Rheumatologist? If not then try to get one I have been seeing him for 9 years now so they know me but they have screwed me out of a few appointments so I know that feeling and being opiate dependent and trying to make the meds last long enough till the next month, they tried to charge me for the appointments that they screwed up on I told them to fuck off, its not happening I can barley afford my meds much less the gas it takes to get there, its like 30 miles away from me and we only have one car now, but A normal Dr will not give out pain meds you need a specialist for that, that is how it works out here. So try to hook that up and see how its gets you just get a referral from your dr, look in the phone book for a specialist before you see him and ask for the referral to see one, it will do wonders for you and you will have meds all month long and a better supply of them also. Hope this works for you feel better ~*Peace*~

 

[Coraline]

Good Luck!

<complaint of the day> Called my dr to check my appt time for tomorrow and they said my appt isn't until the 4th! Whaaa?? I checked my dates and called back to tell em that's way late which doesn't work when you're opiate dependent!! They rescheduled me but now I have to see the hag nurse that I can't stand. So much for discussing new med options. 4 months of not seeing my drs face doesn't work for me. <end complaint>

Aweeee..... I hate dealing with people like that. They are suppose to be professionals. I think this nurse needs to find a new hobby besides making CPP feel worst for have to take medications that help. Maybe you could make her a pie and add some "happy pills" to it. Drop it off hrs before your appt time. Then tell her to eat one slice 1 hr before your the appt time but not more than 2 slices a day. And see how it goes. Lol!!

But in all seriousness, I hope things go well for you.

@Entheo Good luck today!

 

[Aphex747]

^lol omg that is soooooooooooooooooooooooo funny!

yea doctors suck. quack quack