foot pain coming back hard as a taper off Oxycodone.. HELP!

Hi, Melinda,
Welcome to the forum. Why are you decreasing the oxycodone - is it under your doc's supervision and recommendation? And what's the cause of your foot pain? I have numbness/tingling in both feet and take neurontin to help, but also take percocet because of back and leg pain.

Yes, chronic pain certainly limits our activities, and that means it affects our sociai life, friendships, etc. Lots of grieving to do. It can be helpful to have a therapist to talk with, along with good pain management.

There's a lot of good support here. I don't know if anyone else has the kind of foot pain you have, but perhaps others will respond.

Take care,

PaLady

Melinda: I have it all . Osteoperosis , Osteoarthritis, 3 ruptured upper disks, pinched nerve, lower back degenerative arthritis, knee problems and of couse any thing else that happens to come myway. Within the last six weeks Iv'e had 6 operations on my feet. Three the first time then two weeks later two more. Just wanted to get some releaf after being in pain for so many years. I had a bone spur removed probablly about eleven years ago. So it was time to work on the rest. next it will be the knees. Hoping for an alternative to surgery. Have any questions ?. I may be able to help. I can't take anything for pain but they insisted I take it for two days after surgeris at least. I'm allergic to Oxycodone . I do take gabapentin (neuronton) It helps some...
I am ususally around reading the posts after midnight. june

Hi Meinda

I post here very infrequently but do read the posts from time to time and felt I had to respond to yours as I can so relate to what you say. I have neuropathic pain in both my feet (diagnosis was Transverse myelitis). The neuropathic pain is waist down but it all started in both my feet (and went up to my waist) and my feet are by far the worst pain area. I have pain all the time but it is made worse by standing or walking. Like Muz my pain is burning (or freezing) pain stabbing electric shocks and the deep aching throbbing pain starts the moment I put my feet on the ground when I get up in the morning. I vibrate and pulsate from the waist down all the time but this is worse when I am tired. I fall over a lot too! But by far the worst aspect of all this is the debilitating pain in my feet which restricts my mobility so much. It is hard to explain to someone who has not experienced this, what it is like to have to plan everything around the pain and not being able to walk far or stand for long. This is very isolating (chronic pain is anyway) but the inability to “join in” because the foot pain is so limiting is just another “thing" to have to deal with. I tried to pretend that I was Ok but this just made me miserable, Then I avoided going out anywhere and that made me even more miserable.

It has taken me a long time to come to terms with this and how it affects my lifestyle. Before I got this condition my partner and I were keen backpackers and walkers, we would sail in a small dingy and do sports together. As I have balance problems I had to use a stick right from the start but over time I also came to accept that I had a choice - stay in and be depressed or use a wheelchair - sometimes, but not always.

But the hardest bit was admitting to myself that I had mobility limitations and then summoning up the courage to tell other people that I couldn’t walk far instead of bottling it all up and ending up upset and depressed. Once I did that all the tension between me and my partner became to evaporate and now if I say I might find something difficult cos of the walking he is the one who checks out that I will be able to use my chair wherever it is we are planning to go visit.

I am not suggesting that using a chair is something you would want or need to do, I am really just saying that for me anyway really coming to terms with and accepting my limitations and sharing this with my friends was a really freeing experience and I get a lot less distressed about it now than I did. After all its not like we asked for this to happen to us and other people should try and understand and accommodate our needs - if they don't try and do this then I usually come to the conclusion that I don't want people like that in my life anyway, it their loss not mine!

Fortunately I have fantastic Drs and after trying various combos of medication I now take Lyrica 600 mg and tramadol 400 mg every day. I am allowed to be flexible with my medication and take a dose of 20mg cxycontin in the morning (the slow release one) when I need it for times I know that I want to do something which will involve walking. The oxycontin really helps with the pain but my brain turns to mush so I tend to use it in place of tramadol for times when I need my physical pain to be relieved but I don’t have to have my brain in working order! You should try and work with your dr if you can to find a medication regime that will maximise your ability to stay mobile and get the pain levels down as far as possible, there is a combination out there that will work for you

Anyway I wanted to say that I do understand and it will get easier.

Keep it real and stay positive!

Melinda, Robinhood and Fribster........welcome to the forum. Thanks for all joining in and thank you Melinda for posting your thread. You have gotten a lot of interesting and informational responses. You will find that among these wonderful members. They all care!

I have had foot pain from fibromyalgia for about six years and I can tell you it is no picnic. It is mostly on the tops of my feet and it feels like I have broken bones all over. I take Percocet 10/650 every four hours for the pain. It helps me tremendously. I am pretty used to it now, so my brain doesn't feel like "mush" like you say, but it makes me tired sometimes, I'll admit.

I too, use a wheelchair whenever I have to go somewhere that requires a lot of walking. My wonderful son in law just bought me one and it has been a Godsend and has allowed me to go places I had given up on before.

I hope you contact your doctor with the wonderful suggestions the others have posted about trying other methods while you are coming off the oxycodone. Particuarly, I agree with Freya and hope you find a therapist to talk to about coping with your pain. That is an excellent suggestion.

Good luck, sweetheart and please keep us posted on how you are doing.

Warm Hugs,

Lindaloo