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Posted 8/6/2015 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
How do you know if you've accidently messed up the tube from your pain pump? I haven't been the best patient and have done some things I was told not too, like carrying in groceries, lifting a flower pot and couldn't set it down as soon as I remembered as it was too late, hands over my head getting something down from a cabinet (I do it without thinking sometimes). After today's increase (which was more than she did the last couple times) I think I feel a little too good, I haven't needed a pill at all since i got home, but that gets me thinking "How do you know if you've messed with the tube?" I'm a bit jittery tonight but maybe i'm just nervous or this is the longest i've gone without an oral and it's withdrawal ? Pain is much decreased however, and that's a wonderful thing, but now I have myself worried that I might have damaged something but didn't admit to her that I had done things I shouldn't to the dr, but was never this jittery after an increase before.
Posted 8/6/2015 6:41 AM (GMT 0)
It's not as easy to do as you think and it's generally a situation where the tube would get kinked and not pulled loose. I'm assuming your thinking a leak and your getting too much? I'm not at all sure thats what this sounds like and jittery is more likely a withdrawal symptom of no oral meds. You have to understand the pump meds do not enter your system in the same way as oral meds do. Do you know what or how much the increase was? To calm your anxiety you can try taking your oral meds and see if the jittery subsides,if it does there's your answer and if it doesn't give your Dr a call and see what they have to say.
Posted 8/6/2015 10:03 AM (GMT 0)
I feel better this morning and some pain, but duller than before. I went from .4996 mg to .7495 which she said would be a bigger jump. I think it is a withdrawal symptom, but in the back of my mind I still am mad at myself for not following orders like I should so I wouldn't have to worry about it. Thanks for your input and have a blessed day.
Posted 8/6/2015 4:44 PM (GMT 0)
dianne I too don't think its the catheter. It would take a lot of twisting to kink a catheter. A hard fall can crack a catheter. Either of the above would most likely cause a big increase in pain & possible withdrawal type symptoms because you would not be getting the normal dose. If a patient is getting too much medication with a pump they are drowsy & have problems staying awake.

All I can tell you is you need to cool your jets & do exactly what you were told to do by the dr & let yourself heal up correctly. A repeat surgery at this point would not be much fun. You will have plenty of time once healed to do many things.

By chance do you know what mg of Morphine your dr is using in your pump?

Take care.
Posted 8/6/2015 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, Susie, i know you're right and I've been good lately. Thanks for comforting me that it would take a lot to mess up catheter. I am now at .7495 as of yesterday and have to tell you that this is how I expected (hoped) I would feel at my first dose, each week it's been .2 something, then .4996 mg to this last one of .7495.

Thanks again for responding, it's nice to have this forum to ask questions from folks who share this experience.
Posted 8/7/2015 2:12 AM (GMT 0)
Susie, do you think those numbers above are about right ? She said yesterday that 1.something is the highest they like to or usually go, and I said I just want to be able to get off the morphine and she told me not to worry nor rush it, that there's still other options down the road, I think she was referring to the ITM (IMT?) I forget what it's called, and indicated there were different oral meds I could take. i think you or another moderator in another post said it was unusual to get the pain pump and not accompanied by oral meds. I was just wondering about it. I was really feeling good today but then the orals wore off and I realized I'm not out of the woods yet. Last week before the dosage increase the 15mg IR weren't helping me at all, but today along with the heavier dose they did really relieve my pain and I was able to do stuff, like housework, etc. (no lifting, I swear). I took three pills about four hours apart, but then this last one wore off, not the intensity like last week, but it's still there so I got to wondering about this post and what you thought. Is 1.xx the normal dosage for a pain pump? Appreciate your input, thanks !
Posted 8/7/2015 4:32 PM (GMT 0)
dianne, the purpose of the PTM is to get you off of all oral BT meds. The dr can program several small bolus per day.I do not want to come across as knocking your dr or PA, whoever it is managing the pump, but just from reading what you are posting I am wondering if they fully understand the purpose of the PTM. A lot of drs do have a max they will allow a patient for a 24 hour dose in a pump.

WhiteBeard is another mod here that has a pain pump. He has had his a little over a year now. He was on a very hefty dose of Oxycontin plus BT meds & he of course relies on the pump & he uses his PTM for BT pain.

I cannot answer your question about the dose you get in 24 hours because I do not know what milligram of Morphine you are getting. The number you posted above is how much you get in a 24 hour period. I don't know if the dr is using 10mg, 15mg or what, lol.

These pumps can be great devices in helping manage pain but it does take some time to get the dosage figured out for the patient. Just give things some time.
Posted 8/7/2015 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
Again, thanks Susie. My printout reads morphine 5.0 mg/ML so I guess that's the answer. Yes, they told me before hand it would be a process getting the dosage figured out and I realize it is. I'm sure they do know the PTM, my doctor does quite abit of these and has four different offices and is pretty well known and spoke very highly of. He of course doesn't have time for patient one on ones since he does most of the complicated procedures and implants. The day I had mine there were three of us, me a new one and two replacements. I trust him explicitly, his PA is a woman who is the go to for patients with pumps and I really like her. At this point, I'm very happy that i took this step, I was very reluctant and it took me a long time to decide whether I wanted to do it or not from the stories I've read about bad results, as long as I do as I'm told i don't expect anything but good for me.

Thanks again
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