Now what? so many docs...

My husband is the one with the pain - not me, just so you know.

Nearly 2 years ago he sneezed and threw out his back, and it's been slowly getting worse ever since. 20 years ago he had Harrington Rods implanted nearly his whole spine (L4 through between his upper shoulder blade area), so he's had non-stop 2-3 level pain since. Occasionally he'd throw out his back for a day to three days at most, nothing too bad and short bursts of hydrocodone and muscle relaxers helped.

The sneeze seemed to feel like kidney stones (he's had them in the past, too), but backed off slightly after a couple weeks, but then started shooting down his legs then his arms. His legs and arms also have numbness and tingling throughout (arms just barely now with the Lyrica, legs are a 4 most days with the symptoms, left leg worse as he has a torn ACL as well). No MS per neurologists, nerve activity within normal levels, spinal injections did nearly nothing, physical therapy makes the pain worse although his flexability and movement is improved. We do want to go back to physical therapy IF we can get a med to help enough with the pain.

Has tried Percocet - not as effective as hydrocodone for him. Tried Flexeril for over a year, off now and weight is more stable. Hydrocodone works OK tho not great, but docs took him totally off. One pain "specialist" (really an addiction specialist) put him on phenobarbital to prevent seizures as he went off Soma (he was on for less than 4 weeks on 3/day yet she still thought he needed a HIGH dose of PB), and told us to deal with the symptoms when he choked me while he slept - he was acting out his dreams, tried to KILL ME AS HE SLEPT, yet he should have "just dealt with the symptoms". She got fired.

Another doc had him on metaxalone, soma, and flexeril at the SAME TIME, yet to narcotics and told the ER no narcs or barbituates because she was scared of addiction problems, even when he FELL DOWN THE WHOLE STAIR CASE - she said no pain meds at all for him past toradol or tramadol. Yeah sure. Er doc said screw that and gave him Dilaudid. :) We were out of there within an hour after that, while over 9 hours in the hallway writhing in pain before it. Yeah. She got fired to - I don't think she believed he was in pain, really.

He's now seeing an anestesiologist to treat his pain (ok, only seen once but seems to not want to use narcs or similar meds), who put him on the max dose of Lyrica under studies (300mg twice daily), he's on metaxalone three to four times daily, occasionally takes Soma when pain is bad, has ketorolac tablets when needed. Venlafaxine supposedly for pain (replaced Cymbalta - took 15minutes plus to pee while on 60mg, and 45 on 120mg, even though it helped the pain). He was also taking norco 7.5mg three per day, but the doc won't keep that up. So he's still in level 7/8 pain non stop. Other meds to treat blood pressure, low thyroid, vitamin D, etc... BUT, now what?

I don't think the doc wants to get him on a narcotic type, and my husband had a bad reaction to Morphine and suboxone (tried both). I want to try fentanyl, maybe a higher dose of oxycodone than the 5mg he tried in the past, dilaudid tablets, etc. Heck, even Marinol or Cesamet as I know many swear by the pain relief from these (studies on these meds are showing the same, although they are still being worked on in many countries - I like the looks of the spray allowed in the European market, although it's only in phase 2 trials in the US).

Anyone know of a good specialist in SE Michigan (within an hour of the Ann Arbor area) that may be able to help? He's at home all day with our 1 year old, but in such pain he basically can't do anything or play with the baby. :( Grandpa has to come over to play most days to help. Heck, our sex life is nearly null when he's on Norco, but no way no how when he doesn't have it - way too much pain! I'm OK with things as he's in so much stinking pain, but... I'm totally OK with an improvement as well in more ways that one. ;) I just want my husband from 3 years ago back - the one that was playful, loving, loved to bowl and hang out with people...

BTW, Just saw the rule change.

We're currently also using Medical Marijuana. Husband had NOT tried it in about 20 years - had an interesting teenagehood to say the least.

July we were out of state and he was out of his norco. A cousin we were seeing uses marijuana to treat his pain after an accident as many other meds just didn't work for him and marijuana does.

It's also why I want to try the marinol or Cesamet to see if those will work just as well - it's fully legal, even though medically marijuana is legal in my state (with proper channels). That way we are totally legal about the meds no matter where we go.

And when we tried it? Pain level went from 9 down to 2. Serriously. Only problem is it doesn't last too long - just a couple hours, although norco lasts only about 1 to be honest. The combination of 3 norco plus dosing the marijuana 2-4 times per day (depending on the day and his activity level for the pain) works very well for him, allowing a LOT more activity although he's still in pain. He's often around level 4-6 for a good amount of time most days when he has most meds. With just the marijuana and no hydrocodone, he's about a 7 if he's not had the marijuana within the past 60-90 minutes.

Now, he only uses it by smoking. We have not been able to afford enough to be able to make it into an edible form which still releases the form of THC that is used by the body both for the psychotropic symptoms as well as the medical results (pain, anti-eplilepsy, etc - some cannabinoids are even anti-bacterial and pro-bone-growth and anti-cancer!). Without heating, some of the cannabinoids can be used by the body while others can't. With heating, some can be used and likely others can't - something I'm looking into so as we use unheated for certain treatments and heated for others.

ABOVE ALL, we want to have something that is totally above board and legal and not looked down on for treatment - also something that is a regular dose, such as phamaceutical products! :) If we can find a good treatment that works for his pain, we'll stop use of the marijuana. Until then, we're using something we know that helps - even if it is as a smoke and isn't legal per the feds (stupid reasons, IMO, that it was made a Class 1 and that it was taken out of treatment options back in the late 30s and early 40s) - very fishy in many ways, but that seems that it's how the government works generally. It sucks.