Narcotic pain med poll

hello everyone,

I dont see anything wrong with taking a extra pill here or there, if their situation calls for it. I mean sometimes when the holidays came, I would want to stay up and talk and play along with the kids. I consider that worthy of a off schedualed pill. The thought here is I only have so many pills per day, so if I did take an off schedual dose I would lose It for that day, instead of randomly going to the bottle over and over and just loosing to yourself at the end of the script. Luckly I have a fantastic PCP working with me (same pcp 20 years) along with all my pain doctors and specialtists. Anyway I have told him that I will borrow a daily pill once in a while, just like I told You all and he had no problem with it, and said he understands that sometimes it can be worst than others, and sometimes it's a little better, so as long as it works out. It definatly helps out using the seven day pill box. Just fill it up once a week and you dont have to have all those pill bottles around anymore. And also you will never have to think "did i take that one yet?or i forgot to take that one yesterday!" We being the CP people will always have an uphill battle, because we are the ones that are in pain.

Oh Well at least I will be up to make breakfast for the kids today. My little guy turns the BIG 9 years old today. Hope I can help him make it special. (it just might be a extra dose type of day!)

Hope everyone has a great and pain free as posible day!

                              mike

anyway, I figured I would chime in, I voted with the graph as well....

                            

                                 Take care everyone, thanks for so much chat!

                                                             

Agreed, Gramps - rainy days do come in many forms, and unexpectedly as others can attest to. My cousin is a pharmacist and when I told her I have built up a very small stash of extras - the occasional day i don't need the max. dose - she supported this. In my area, there's only one pm left who prescribes opiates; all others just do the high tech procedures (as you've discussed on another thread) and the D.A. hovers over all our local doctors. So I want to be prepared if I'm cut off abruptly through no fault of my own, until I can find a new MD. Sad but true. I guess I do take my meds as prescribed, though, as they're prescribed "prn" every 4-6 hours. On really bad days, though, waiting those 4 hours can be tough!

after diverticulitus ruptured my large and small intestine and left me with peritonitis and also damaged all of my pelvic organs as well as my abdomen, i also discovered endometriosis and fibroids throughout my abdomen and attaching my ovaries to my tubes and to my small intestine.

since then i have daily pain when i eat, or before and after bm. I have lost 55 pounds in 3 yrs and have negative zero appetite. I take marinol to try to build an appetite, but a boost and a yogurt is the most i eat during the day and I get full from water.

I get pain inside my abdomen (cramps, spasms, burning, sharp knots)everyday, whenever i eat anything, before i go and after for at least an hour. on good days the meds work and I can function and be productive, on bad days my meds don't work fully and i need either more or to go home and try to lay still or yoga stretches, which really doesn't help.

i have been on ultram for 3 yrs since this happened, i have also had 4 surgeries since trying to clear the scar tissue and the infection from inside.

I sometimes take vicodin in the evenings if my ultram is not helping once i have eaten. I have also been prescribed klonopin for the knotted burning pain and flexiril for muscle spasms before or after going.


between all of my meds - marinol, ultram, vicodin, klonopin and flexiril, the one i take regularly and consisitently is ultram. I get very happy and excited when i don't need the full daily does of ultram nor anything in addition for breakthrough pain.

dr tried to get me on ultram er, which is extended release and all day, but on those good days when i don't want or need as much as i usually do, i don't want to have to take the normal amount, i like to be able to not take as much is i don't need it, which is about 2 days a week maybe....

I also use alternative therapies.

 - I get acupuncture once a week(stopped the herbs, bothering my belly too)

 - trigger point injections with lydocaine and novacaine injected into the points(most painful procedure ever, but after a few days works very well for months)

 - yoga, when i can, usually with the ball

 - moxification(moxa stick burning over the pain, acupuncturist)

 - horizontal therapy, cupping

 - music therapy

 - massage therapy

 - animal therapy(cuddling with dogs help soo much)

 

Post Edited (lunadaze) : 2/12/2008 1:26:31 PM (GMT-7)

I found this thread interesting. I was searching tonight to find what chronic pain sufferers do. I have yet to be able to find a Dr. in my area that will treat me, and I have been to many; almost to the point I feel as if Im Dr. shopping.  I am not, I am only trying to find some relief, a good nights sleep, a day that I can enjoy.  I had back surgery almost 2 years ago L5-S1, initially I saw improvement, but no longer.  In addition I suffer from Migraines at least one per week.  The Drs. in my area look at me like I'm seeking drugs, I explain I don't care what they prescribe as long as I am able to function.  I have had epidurals for my back, none worked.  I have since given up on that route after 5 failed times.  I could return to my Neurosurgeon who may help, but visits to his office are $485.00 which is not affordable since I no longer have health insurance.  Due to the fact I am in so much pain with my back, and Migraines I was more or less forced to quit my job, which leaves one without insurance.  I understand there are people out there trying to get by Drs and get drugs to use recreationally, but not all of us.  I am a 58 year old female but I feel I am still looked at as someone trying to get drugs.  I have finally given up and have been living in pain everyday for months. I see no relief in sight.  For those of you who are fortunate enough to have compassionate Drs treating your pain and writing scripts for you I understand if you have to take one every once in a while to help you through a difficult time, but please if you have to do it often, talk to your Dr. let him/her know it isnt working as you feel it should.  Maybe it will help those of us out here who cant get any relief at all to be able to find a Dr. who will finally listen to us and not be judged. I live in a small town with access to Orlando, Fl. a large area and still can not find a Dr to treat me, all they want to do is the Epidurals.  Does one have to be 95 years old to be heard and treated like an adult.  Im glad most of you have found a Dr. who is compassionate and does treat you, you are very fortunate.  Most nights I lie in bed, crying finally finding sleep from pure exhaustion. 

Be honest with your Dr. If your meds arent working as they should, make an appt. right away and talk to them rather than taking more on your own. Those of us out here without pain control will thank you for it.

Its Not All In My Head, I feel the pain everyday.

Shortcake,

Thank you for the welcome :)  I would PM you if I knew how! LOL  Leave it to me not to see it here. :(

Maybe someone can clue me in :)

Am new to your forum but voted anyway! What a great topic as I am sure we all have at some point in tie ran out of meds and know how unfun that is. I think it coes with experience in some ways,we learn as we go.

I am on methadone and therefore too uch makes me a zombie and it has taken years to get it just right so I dont play much with it. I do have a BT med but rarely use it or feel the need,am lucky as I have a wonderful Doc and sorry for those undertreated and that also has been a experience learned.

I did however in the past with other meds go thru the trial and error of taking more and then suffering without.

I do however make my own dosing schedule and do not follow the directions as exactly written and this is a personal preference and it doesnt change the amount in daily numbers. I think we at some point in our treatment became aware far better then the companies,Docs and RPDs as to what works best for us as individuals and this is in no way saying it is alright to ignore any of those folks prescribing instructions,only what works best for you and your pain and how flexable and comfortable you and your Doc are with each other.

Thanks for allowing me to be a part of this your home and looking forward to getting to know each of you.

Thanks Mochiah for the welcome home and also for the heads up to the name thing as I have it covered and the name actually isnt mine but borrowed fro a very fine and courageous lady that I had the fortune to call friend most of my life and sadly she lost her long and difficult battle as a CPer this past summer so it is kind of a tribute to her! I hope I do her proud here.

As for this debate again it all comes to the end as a learning expereince sort of or at least to me. After years of being undertreated or not treated in alot of the years bringing withdrawls and Dr. Kevorkian weeks of pain(my name for those times when you have to briefly wonder what it?) Sorry if that offends anyone as well but I have to be brutally honest in this.

When the day comes that you wake up one morning and you realize for the 1st time that you actually have achieved some kind of relief with this med or this Doc and you know that you want nothing to interfere with that to send you back to the what if days right?

You go thru being afraid of running out and then the horror stories like already mentioned of Docs losing their ability to prescrib or being shut down by the DEA or the Doc actually being afraid to prescrib enough due to those ever watchful eyes of the governement that rules them( didnt say it was right) not to mention the times that the FDA has suspended prescribing of some meds due to the side effects or risks.

This life is spent jumping thru hoops most days just to assure that we dont go back to the Kevorkian syndrome.

And add fuel to the fire to those who are on the ever controversial meds such as Oxy and Methadone and the stigma of just that and there are days all you can do is shake your head isnt there?

I am saddened of all the deaths from these meds, I really am but to make those who need it and use it properly suffer for that? How about better treatment for those with addiction problems? How about some of the money spent each year ragging on the "drug wars" we open better and more affordable treatment centers for these folks and not 3 days of detox and sending them on their merry way but years of follow up and monitoring? How about trying to figure out why their lives are such that they feel the need to escape every minute of the day until the point they make the "big escape" becoming another death related to?

Well there went my soap box secret. Hehe sorry for the rant but while I am at let me mention better educated pain Docs? More PCPs with a better understanding of how pain effects daily living? And dont forget the healing processes of post OP here! How about backing off those Docs doing it the right way and following all the rules and still getting watched and rode for the prescribing methods?

OK I stop here and I have no problems with pain sufferers who have to take the extra here and there at all I have problems with why they should have to. If their pain was being adequately evaluated and treated I think no extras would be needed. I find if your regular meds work rescue meds are not needed and I will tell you why I think this.

If your regular pain becomes ore then it usually is and regular meds are not cutting it then I think you need to know WHY. I think your Doc needs to see you and be concerned enough to look for anything new going on. As pain med takers let e say that these meds block our perception of pain and not just our pain associated with our diseases and disorders but all pain and I have lost a few friends as well as patients that were on CP meds from emergency occurances where the pain from our regular meds blocked how much pain or how intense the pain really was from something going on unrelated to our normal disorders, i.e. heart attacks that didnt "feel" like a heart attack? Pain from a ruptutred appendics that didnt feel like more then a stomach ache or PMS.

Not trying to scare here but please take any new pain or any change in the intensity in pain seriously and make your Docs take it as so as well even if you have to be a pest about it.

Sorry for the length as if you couldnt tell I can sure ramble on cant I?