I'm now a Pain Pump recipient

Finally, I had the pain pump implanted on friday. The surgery was not as bad as I initially thought, but the area of the incision is just sore. I really don't know how I can continue taking care of my English bull dog when Im not suppose to be bending at all. My back and my back and leg pain was already a mess when I got her, so I really had no business trying to take care of a dog, but I do love my Chloe, But i love myself first and wants nothing more than to have this thing work.

My PM doctor wish is for me to get off all oral pain medication minus my Lyrica. I asked him what about break through meds, and he stated that Im currently not taking any breakthrough meds now, so that should not be a problem, but I don't trust my pain since its just my back, but its also both my legs and foot burning. Who else from the HW family has the pain pump and can give me some good feed back on it. Some do's and don'ts and how well your quality of life have since been managed since getting the pump.

Hi Lynn, congrats on your pump. It will take a good 6 weeks for you to heal inside & out and by all means follow your drs instructions or you will pay for it later. Get a friend, neighbor kid, family member or someone to handle the dog. You will have plenty of time later to take care of her.

I am not sure where your pump is located but mine is on my right side of my stomach barely above the belt line. My first pump was higher up. If yours is at the belt line you may be more comfortable wearing elastic waist pants or shorts for several months before wearing button/zipper ones. People who have worn extremely tight blue jeans have actually caused their pumps to flip over then the drs has to manually flip it back & that is not fun. Something that still is painful for me and always has been it taking a direct hit on the pump. I have hit it getting clothes out of the washer that were in the back & I am short so I have to tiptoe to get stuff from the back of the washer. Also, I have hit on the edge of the counter some how. Trust me if you ever hit it, you will know it, lol. I am on my 2nd pump, it was implanted the first part of February. The first pump was a Medtronics and my battery finally died after a little over 7 years. My new pump is a Codman.

Is your pump activated now with medication? If it has not been activated when does the dr plan to fill it & what meds will be used in your pump? As far as break through meds this is really the drs choice. I have had 2 pump drs & both believe pump patients should have access to break through meds because you will have break through pain. You will not ever be pain free again and just because you have a pump does not mean your life is now pain free. What is the brand of yur pump? My first pump dr was not qualified to handle pumps or to know what meds & dosages to use in pumps and as a result I suffered a lot. I reached the point of wanting the pump out because this rosy story he painted about pumps had not happened. He ended up quitting pain mgt and that was a blessing in disguise. My new & current dr has lots & lots of experience with pumps & she mixes her own compounds for the pumps. I have Dilaudid, Bupivicaine, Clonodine & Fentanyl in my pump. I currently am not using any BT meds except Ibuprofen. Its been over a year since I have used any. Do I have pain,oh you bet I do, but if I take the Dilaudid then I am not going to be up doing things I usually do every day. Its my choice to not take it unless I am at the end of my rope. Most of the time the Ibuprofen curbs the pain to a tolerable level. I take Baclofen for muscle spasms which helps a great deal plus Mobic for arthritis. I also have gastroparesis because of the pump meds & take Reglan for that.

It will take your dr 6 months or more to get your dose correct in your pump. My increases were 20% while ramping it up. I had to wait 4 weeks in between each increase. Now that I have a dr that knows what she is doing with pumps my life is so much better. I am very active as a rule & do many things that I had to give up before.

If you have anymore specific questions put them out here or go to my profile & get my email addy. If you decide to email me be sure to state in the heading you are from HW so I don't erase the post, lol. Take care.....Susie

If your dr said no bending for now you really need to listen to him.....Susie

Hi Lynn! Glad to hear that you got your pump - hope it starts doing its job quickly and you get some much-deserved relief! Just be patient, follow your doc's instructions, and I'll bet you'll be feeling better before you know it.

I know you'll have to take some precautions when taking care of your pup - no bending, lifting, etc. - but those things are only temporary, so please don't give her up. If there is no one to help with her, here are a few ideas that might be helpful. You can fill her food/water bowls, and put them on the floor while sitting in a chair - maybe even let her eat/drink on an elevated surface, until your restrictions are lifted. As for cleaning up her potty messes - they have pooper-scoopers with long handles, so you can scoop while standing up. And like Lexie said, Chloe can also have a role in your recovery! The pain you are experiencing from the procedure, and the restrictions you need to adhere to, are short-term - it would be a shame to give her away.

Hope you're feeling lots better soon! Have a peaceful day.

Hi Lynn,

Glad to hear the surgery for the pain pump was okay. I hope it works and give your some relief.

Try the suggestions Vickie have you before you give up Chloe. Dogs are very caring and understanding animals. I'm sure she'll understand and adapt quickly and she wouldn't mind.

Keep us updated on how you're doing.

UA

@Suzie, thanks so much for the kind advice and believe me, I will take this information and run. I will find out on the 28th the medication that is in the pump and how often the docs will take the levels up. I do have to buy myself some sweat pants something with a draw string instead of wearing my blue jeans. I have to get use to not wearing my jeans but I do want to be comfortable and don't want any mishaps with this pump. Its really hard for me to stay still, and relax, but this is one time I will pay attention to the do's and dont's. My sister came over to help me out for a week and make sure that I am sticking to the doctors orders, no bending, twisting and so on. They said you cannot drive for two weeks, but I will need to drive the end of this week to buy lose clothing, but I will be careful driving. Im hoping that the doctor will mix the meds in the pump, due to the fact that my pain in very strong.

Also, I will be e-mailing you from time to time just to ask questions that I might need help with in the future, Im just looking forward to doing some of the things I was able to do before I had the back injury.

Lynn

Post Edited (Lynnzack) : 8/26/2013 3:43:02 PM (GMT-6)

Yes Suzie, its a Medtronic. Im to pick up the hand held device on the 28th. So thats a good thing so far. Yes, I will make sure that my jeans are not too tight, although thats how most of the pairs that i own. I really cannot wait for my appt on Wed, I am still burning in my feet and legs and want this pump to do its job.

thanks