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Posted 12/12/2012 3:27 AM (GMT 0)
Hello to everyone this is my first post just sitting here tonight feeling alone.  I have been a chronic pain patient for in excess of 30 years 4 level fusion cervical spine 12 operations in last 8 years I have also had two ribs removed due to Thoracic outlet syndrome I am in pain 24/7 some days its just hard not on  my body just aches and aches ears ringing constantly feels like something electrical in my brain.  I have been on every pain medication know to man and have had every block known to man.  I just continue to see help I just feel like if I give up looking for help I will die.  I now take 24 mgs of Exalgo and 4mg of hydromorphone only 2x per day.  My pain Doctor makes me feel so guilty when I have to tell him I need more breakthrough meds like I will have to tell him tomorrow.  This exalgo is new med for me along with the hydromorphone  I just want to be able to participate more in life I had asked to try this med but feel it is not completely helping with breakthrough.  Just wondering if anyone is on this med and if they could tell me what they take for breakthrough pain.  I looking for any suggestions to tell Dr. tomorrow.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

The Artist 

Posted 12/12/2012 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Artist,

Welcome to HW! This is an incredibly supportive forum, so if you are in need of support, you've come to the right place! While we all have different conditions, we all understand pain, and the effect that it has on all aspects of our lives.

I don't have any experience with exalgo myself, although I do take hydromorphone. If you just started this med, it may take some tweaking to find the right dosage for you. I know it isn't always easy to ask for a med increase, especially with the huge stigma that there is regarding pain medications, and people who take them long term, but it is also up to us as patients to be our own advocates.

Sometimes keeping a pain journal for a few weeks can help to show your doctor if/when a med increase would be helpful. It is tough because pain is such a subjective thing, and everyone's bodies have different tolerance levels to both pain, and pain medication. If your doctor isn't taking you seriously, then perhaps it is time to switch doctors. Just like anything else, some are better than others. Having your doctor always make you feel guilty for just wanting to be able to function as well as possible, and to live a normal life, doesn't sound healthy to me. Yes, maybe your doctor won't approve a med increase, but they shouldn't make you feel so bad about it. There are ways to say no, and still treat the patient with respect!

Anyways, I hope you find some of this helpful. I'm sure other members will be along soon to welcome you, and help you in any way that they can! Once again, welcome to HW! Do let us know how things go tomorrow, and in the future. Everyone here really does care!

Skeye
Posted 12/12/2012 6:24 AM (GMT 0)
Artist,

Welcome to the CP forum.... as Skeye said -- this is a very supportive forum - so we are glad you've found your way here.

I, too, have been on almost every med that there is... and at all different strengths, doses, etc. Please, please don't let your doctor make you feel guilty because you are needing something different or stronger for pain control. Of course -- we should all try to stay on the lowest amount of meds possible.... but it's also a quality of life issue.

I actually haven't been on exalgo... but have spent years off/on hyromorphone. My doctor has not seemed thrilled about exalgo for me -- so I'm on different meds at the moment (Opana and Oral Fentanyl).

It could be that the Exalgo is just not the med for you. Or maybe you need a higher dosage?

I think Skeye's recommendation of keeping a pain journal is a great idea... because it can show your doctor when you are having the most spikes in pain. For tomorrow's visit - maybe you can just do a "typical day" sheet - and show on paper when you take your meds, when your pain feels covered and when it doesn't.

Try to just be really open and honest about your pain - and advocate for yourself that you are simply looking to get better pain control.

Good luck tomorrow - and update us when you can. --Tina
Posted 12/12/2012 12:51 PM (GMT 0)
Adding my welcomes as well...

Some people, after dealing with chronic pain for extended periods of time can actually (and cruelly) become more sensitive to pain, while becoming less affected by the medication they are on. You can build up a dependence and a tolerance to the meds, while the level of pain actually increases, even though the tests/xrays/CT scans/whatever may not show it, as the injury or condition may have not changed, yet the pain values have.

Anything that you can write down, positive or negative, regarding your pain, including any beneficial effects or side effects you get from medication, exercise, or anything else, are going to help the doctor down the road. Type them up nice and neat, print them, and request that a copy be put in your medical records. Keep your own copies, so if you ever have to change docs, like I did, the info is already there.

Doctors like patterns. Patterns means something is happening. Cause and effect. Get that info to him.

Good luck.
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