19 year old/male, tramadol, still in pain

first off i wanna say thanks for looking at my long story, im only 19 years old and id really appreciate any incite anyone has to offer.

to start i have had a this horrible pain is my side for over a year now, i went to the ER twice when i was in pain but they found nothing wrong with me. i told the docter to feel my side because i felt a knot or lump. he didnt feel anything and i was basically told the pain was in my head. i was on the couch the other week and i was crying i was in so much pain. my mother came home and made me go to the ER, i waited for 3 hours and i just wanted to leave because i knew it would be the same outcome. so we did and i dealt with the pain.

the first ER visit the docter told me my case would be a to go to a docter and be an out patient, i finally got sick of being in pain so my mother set up a docters appointment. our family docter for years moved so this is my new docter and i love him. he seems like he actually cares and believes im in real pain. to give you some background i am a 19 years old male, i have back problems for no apparent reason and my right side main ligament has a knot or lump on it. when i do any activity that involves standing for more than 20 minutes, im down for the count for a few hours til the pain goes away. the only way it goes away is if i lay down, ive been laying around for a year now because of this pain. this is no way for a 19 year old to live, i shouldnt be having these problems at such a young age.

i went to my docter and to my relief he found my lump, i almost cried because i got some consolation. im having an ultrasound appointment set up next week. the first docters visit he didnt give me any pain medication because it was too soon, but he said if i was in pain to call him. altho he did feel a lump on my right ligament that goes from your leg up to your chest, i got blood work, x-rays, and a previous cat scan at the ER. i dont have cancer so that is good, i was worried about cancer because my dad died about 9 months ago from melanoma caner. it spread to his spinal cord and he was paralyized from the waist down. for this year i told myself to quit my *****ing because i could walk unlike my dad, he also took 25 pills a day. they wanted him to take 300mg of morphene a day but it was too much. he had no chance against the cancer, it was terminal and he was dead within 6 months after finding out.

a few days later i did the trash, washed the dishes, i went to go shave and by that time my side felt like it was going to explode. i called the docters office and i went there to see my docter. he asked me what the days had been like, i told him the same and he recommended an adominal binder. i bought it and my skinny body didnt form to it so that was out of the question. after he told me about the binder i said well doc, what about my pain. he told me we'd get me something for pain, he went and got 2 samples of untram ER. it is the 200mg extended release, i figured it should give me some relief but it didnt. i even split it in half today to see if it would kill the pain more and quicker, to no surprise its not any different. my docter told me he believes my claims because he looked up my ER records and my story has stayed the same, he knows this is real. so heres the problem, when i go see him and tell him tramadol didnt do anything, hes gonna have a hard time accepting that. i was reading about pain management and i cant get anything until i have a diagnoses right?

i need some real pain medication and my docter isnt going to give a 19 year old percocet or morphene, any opiod based drugs even tho tramadol is a non controlled synthetic pain killer. does anyone have any advice for me, what should i tell my docter...i dont wanna seem like a drug addict by saying 200mg of tramadol didnt do anything but it didnt. what am going to do, anybody please help me out...i need all the help i can get.

Dear Supercharged,
First, welcome to the HW chronic pain forum. I think you need to continue (with your Mom's help - can't hurt to have her along) pushing for tests and to get an accurate diagnosis. It's good there's no sign of cancer. Has the doctor suggested an MRI? Or physical therapy? Sometimes ligaments can be very difficult to heal; they're the closest thing we have to bone in our body. So I'm not sure if you did anything to stretch a ligament, but I do know from my physical therapist that it's very difficult to tighten ligaments again, and they can cause a lot of problems.

As far as pain management, I think you just need to tell your doctor the ultram is not working. But do not ever break your pills in half unless instructed by your doctor or pharmacist. I wonder what gave you that idea - considering it was an extended release tablet. That's what people do who abuse drugs, and if you've just heard that somewhere and decided to try it, it's not going to help you at all in getting future pain management because it's abusing the medication as it was prescribed by your doctor. You could make it very difficult to get anyone to prescribe. Have you tried things like heat and ice (alternating - you ned to get instructions for this from your doctor), even some OTC things like ibuprofen or tylenol? Remember to stay within the doses on the bottle, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. I think until your doctor has a diagnosis it may be difficult for him to prescribe stronger medications for you, but ask if physical therapy might help. Your activities might also be contributing to further injury. Even things that we think should be ok - lifting even 10 lbs - can cause more injury. So think about that, too. I know you may not want to stop things for awhile, but you might need to until you get a diagnosis.

Again, welcome. Others may come along and add more.

PaLady

ive gotten a ct scan, ultrasound, x-rays, and blood testing. i called the docters today and my doc relayed a message that i was being referred to some type of surgeon, im not sure what the receptionist was talking about. he also told me to keep taking the tramadol which im out of so i cant, i said im in pain and im supposed to be getting a call back. does anyone know what they might have been talking about?

and as for why i split the pill in half is because ive read that it releases the medicine at once, so i did it, can you blame me...yes you can, but i am in severe pain here.

i knew the tramadol wasnt working because i got out of the shower the other day while taking tramadol for the last 6-7 days, i was writhing and moaning in pain because i stood up in the shower for 10 minutes or so. this is completely and utterly rediculous, ive had this pain for a year now, i wish i wouldnt have been so stubborn. maybe i would be further in the process of treatment and pain relief. i am at square one it feels like, but as ive read on other similar sites. what im going through is going to be a long strung out process, and as far a physical therapy goes, i want to get on a tredmell and show them what my side looks and feels like after 15 minutes. lets see them forget and shake off the pain.

thanks for your replies, it means so much to me to have yall here to stand beside me. and im sure i will be getting ahold of you very soon Chutz, again thank you all for your concern.

 

they just called alittle bit ago and called in vicodin. when i first visited my doc. i gave him an idea of how much pain i was in, i had 2 previous scripts of vicodin 1. wisdom teeth and 2. the ER and were within a month of each other. so basically what im saying is i took vicodin for a month and i still hurt like a SOB. if he wants me to suffer this through til i see him again i will, but im going to be firm next time about my pain.

you can promise im never holding off any pain i feel ever again.

PAlady - you really need to learn more about what your tests say, and you need a support person along with you to help.

i suppose the ultrasound cant see thru my intestines so i was confused for a minute when i was told. i feel my pain more internal so if there was anything visible it wouldnt matter cause my insides would be in the way. i guess the ultrasound was for ruling out possibilities

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PAlady - Sometimes ligaments can be very difficult to heal; they're the closest thing we have to bone in our body. So I'm not sure if you did anything to stretch a ligament, but I do know from my physical therapist that it's very difficult to tighten ligaments again, and they can cause a lot of problems.


ive played hacky sack for years now, i used to play really hard. my knee started to feel like it was going out, it feels sorta like its dislocated sometimes but not much pain from it. i think my side hurts from playing really hard, all the jumping and landing on your single leg...i pretty much thought thats why my leg felt the way it did, but the more i think about your talk of ligaments and what my docters told me. i think its from heavy activity all these years. he also told me that he thinks my pain is muscular/skeletal just to give some more input.

 

Post Edited (supercharged) : 2/5/2009 2:43:42 PM (GMT-7)

PAlady - I do hope you're not doing any of that physical activity any more, at least for now.

i wish i could do those things again, all ive done for this year is sit around...standing little as possible. there isnt even a chance i could do any sort of sport, hell i cant even tell you the last time i did any real walking or running.

i remember not playing hacky sack, i would sometimes just play until my side felt like it feels nowadays.

ever heard of foot bag?

it was derived from germany, actually you are very warm...it came from soccer. the goal in hacky sack is to pass the bag around to everyone in the circle, and during this time you try to keep it from hitting the ground and you gotta try to "save" the bag from hitting the ground if you can. the point is to keep the ball in the air.

the last move at the end of this video is called a jester...at :06 he does a jester. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwaY3mB5KjI

not to be conceded but that is a poor example of how i played, i would do that jester trick 3 times in a row....jump, kick, land on your single leg, and repeat when the bag drops back down. i also could switch and kick and jump with my other foot, do stalls, i use to play every lunch and i suppose simply put i was a complete badarse when it came to hacky sack...excuse my language

Post Edited (supercharged) : 2/5/2009 5:43:46 PM (GMT-7)

is there any non-opiod meds out there that are severe pain killers?

ive read and searched other sites and only find opiates....i wish there was something legit, non-narcotic, legal, and effective existing somewhere out there.

Super,
I'm only posting short replies right now because of some stuff I'm dealing with, but I had my gallbladder removed when I was 19. And yes, I do remember the pain! I was in college, and ended up in the ambulance one night going to the E.R. I had the surgery decades ago when the incision was quite large. Now they often do them laproscoprically, so it's not as tough on you.

But yep, that causes lots of pain. They probably already told you to watch what you eat in the meantime, as lots of foods can make it worse (greasy, spicey, etc.).

PaLady

Super,
Your proceduer and mine will be totally different. Mine was done in 1969! That's when they cut you all the way down the center of your abdomen! I don't think you'll have that kind of procedure.

I know it took me a long time to be able to stand up straight, and I also know I tried to improve too fast, and a couple of months after the surgery ended up with a relapse! I doubt you'll have as difficult a time, but all surgeries will be painful, and you'll have internal stitches. Just follow ALL your doctor's orders afterward. But you'll heal, and go on with life, just like I did!

PaLady

Super,
I really can't remember. I think I got something pretty strong for the first day or two in the hospital, but that was before they had the pain pumps. I remember getting an injection that would wear off in about 3 hours and that last hour of waiting was awful. But again, you'll probably get a pain pump in the hospital, so you can regulate it yourself.

As far as after I went home, I honestly don't remember. I don't recall taking anything heavy duty for any length of time, just remember being very sore. But again, I had an incision (and still have the scar!) all the way up my abdomen. Some people got them on the diagnonal! Your surgery will be much, much easier but again, you'll need to watch your activity. I suspect you're going to feel better than you think, and want to do more than you should! I did that, and paid a price.

You probably won't hurt nearly as much as you do now! Those attacks are horrible. THAT pain I remember, way more than the surgery.

PaLady