New to site--frustrated with pain and no relief

Hi and thanks for this site. I'm 47 married, have two teenagers and work full time and have been dealing with chronic pain since an auto accident inn fall 2008. I was hospitalized for a minor spinal cord contusion/syndrome and whiplash which in the next several months deteriorated into severe spinal stenosis and numbness in both arms..they were worried about permanent damage so a neurosurgeon performed an acdf spinal fusion C5-7 and I ended up also having a MRSA staph infection at the incision site which luckily was quickly halted with antibiotics..

My life changed after the accident and I have not felt right since..The fusion was successful in that I no longer had numbness/pain in my arms. However within months horrible radiculopathy down my left arm and leg set in..My middle back between my scapula pains and has spasms. During am MRI summer 2010, it was discovered I had a herniated disc at c4-5 which is "supposedly" common after fusion, because of the pressure/strain put on the adjacent levels.

They tried a nerve root injection into the nerve root but it did nothing,.I have tried so many medications including gabapentin, lyrica, savella, cymbalya, percocet, oxycodone and oxycontin..Because of side effects I could not take many and the only drug that takes the edge off the pain and allow me to full is oxycontin. I hate taking this as it has its side effects, it is very expensive and it has an unfortunate stigma..I really get angered at the folks that take this recreationally to get a high because it make it very difficult for those who are suffering.

I am paranoid when I fill my prescriptions and worry that the drug will not be available,today I had to go to 4 pharmacies before I could find one that carried it.I have seen a neuro who basically said I have to live with it..its at a point where I just am so tired and want to give up..I just needed to vent as I feel very hopeless tonight..thanks for listening..Amy

(I took the liberty of  editing you're post and splitting it up into paragraphs for an eaiser read for the members here. Please take note and try to do the same when posting or replying in the future) Just a friendly reminder! Thanks! SE

Post Edited By Moderator (Screaming Eagle) : 5/6/2011 6:49:32 AM (GMT-6)

Wanted to say hi and welcome. Others will be able to pitch in more. Gotta make it short, see ya 'round!

Oxycontin, oxycodone and percocet all contain the same opiate, so I am surprised that the only medication that you are able to take is oxycontin. The only differences in them is that oxycontin is the long acting/sustained delivery over 12 hours of oxycodone. Percocet is the same base pain medication, as oxycodone but contains tylenol used for it's ability to boost the pain relieving effects of the oxycodone.
Most PM doctors tell their patients to stick with one pharmacy, it prevents problems with having to travel to multiple pharmacies to find the pain medication. I have found that using a small, mom and pop type pharmacy is much easier and there are less problems than there tend to be with using chain store pharmacies.
Radiculopathy pain usually responds much better to neuropathic type of pain medications than to opiates. The difficulty is that all medications, regardless of the type, have side effects and we, as patients need to work with the doctors to find the right combinations of medications , at the right doses , to get the maximum pain relief, while keeping the side effects manageable.
You also need to use ice, heat, TENS, physical therapy, over the counter heat wraps, lidocaine patches, anti inflammatory medications, bio feedback, massage, accupuncture and even the old standard SSRI anti depressants work remarkably well for neuropathic pain.....
Learning to live with our bodies new normal is challenging but with some time and some tools other than just relying on opiate pain medications will help you to find other avenues of learning to adjust to the new life of living with chronic pain.
Welcome to the board.......
Sandi

      Hello Sinatrafan!

          Welcome to the "Chronic Pain" forum!

               It looks like several of the members have already given you a warm welcome! Trust me!.... we have the best website "in town", "out of town", and "all around", when it comes to dealing with CP and the members are top notch when you need support. Truly they are!

       We are sorry to hear of your long term pain diagnoses, but rest assured!... we will be here for you! This is a wonderful place to come and rant, and or share, when you become over whelmed.

       We do have some good reading material that may interest you here on the forum. Take a peek at the "Chronic Pain 101" listed at the top of our forum page. There are some great article's and I'm sure you will find them excellant reading. Also, we always encourage new members to read the forum rules, as they may come in handy someday.

            You are always welcome to visit as often as you like, and ask any question you want. While our members are not Dr's, they do have alot of life experience, when dealing with "Chronic Pain", and are always willing to share it.

       I, like so many others here understand the frustration of living with CP and it can certianlly wear on a persons demeanor. Hang in there! I think once you get to visiting with the members here, you may learn how to deal with it a bit better,...and of course, we all can use some extra friends. I think you will find that those suffering with CP are sadly the only ones who fully understand.

          Again!...we welcome you, and please to keep posting and make yourself right at home!

       Enjoy!

    SE