Chronic Pain

When you say they mess up your stomach - what do you mean? Do you become nauseated? Have stomach cramps? The reason i ask is that when I am having lots of pain and take a more potent narcotic than my normal, I don't develop any nausea or stomach issues. However, if I take that same narcotic when my pain is not as strong, I can becaome nauseated. I have found taking them with food helps. I also have learned to take 1/2 of a tablet if the pain is not enough to require a full tablet.

Hey Sal,

Many people are trying out duragesic pain patches for pain relief. You may want to discuss this medication for your pain and see if it is somethig your physician think would work for you.



I am so sorry you are in so much pain.



Gentle Hugs,



Kitt

SnowyLynne; I know how you feel. I've tried all of the OTC meds none of them even come close to relieving the amount of pain I'm in. The only pain meds I have  now is Darvocet-N, 100mg x 2/ day, however this is no longer working either. I'm starting to think that the high amount of acetaminaphine is what is causing my nausea. I will be going to the doctor for a check-up in a few days and I'll be discussing these topics with him. Thanks for the feedback.

I use mobic for pain...the generic is called meloxicam (spelling). I take omeprazole 20 minutes before eating....have a meal and then take mobic.

I hope you are feeling better soon.

The Duragesic patches mentioned by Kitt are fentanyl patches. Fentanyl is approximately 100 times stronger than morphine, according to Wikipedia. I was on fentanyl, 25 mcg/hour, which is a comparatively low dose, but I was impressed with its ability to control my back pain! Even morphine couldn't touch my lower back pain!

As I mentioned, it's a patch that you apply to your skin, so it's definitely not processed through your stomach. I had trouble making it stick so I bought a product called Hypafix, which helped to keep it on.

I'm no longer on fentanyl because of side effects (it was interfering with my breathing and swallowing); but it sure did the trick with my pain. I'm now trying out Dilaudid; supposedly not quite as powerful as fentanyl but close. Many people over at the Chronic Pain forum have used or do use fentanyl and Dilaudid.

You are certainly welcome to join us over at the Chronic Pain forum....I'm still rather new there. The veterans can fill you in on the various meds out there and the good points/bad points about each one. Everyone is different and will have different reactions to meds, but it helps to know what your options are!

Good luck! I hope you find some relief soon!
JoAnn

P.S. I do not work for the makers of Hypafix, nor for Amazon, and I will not benefit from this post in any way! :)

I've had very good luck with pain clinics and never had to wait long to get an appointment, since there are lots of them around. If you can't get in to one soon try another. It's not like trying to find a rheumatologist!

Pain docs can often give you a cortisone injection that helps with arthritic pressure and swelling on nerves. Unfortunately they won't give you more than 3 a year, but for me. some of my problems, like the sciatica, have been fixed for a year or more with a single dose.

Sal, have you considered hip replacement?

 

  Google  Anterior Approach Total Hip Replacement.

This is a minimally invasive surgery. I had it for Osteoarthritis in September on my right hip. No physical therapy needed before or after. I used a walker the first week after surgery, a cane the second week and walked by myself and was driving in the third week. It was the easiest surgery I ever had. It takes a specially build operating table so not all hospitals do it. But I found at least one hospital in every state when I was researching. Probably most teaching hospitals.

I had mine at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore MD and believe me it would be worth a family taking you some distance to have it. when I heard that the old surgery takes 6-8 weeks or more to recover i opted for this and boy am I glad

My surgeon said insurance companies love it because it gets people well faster and with less down time

 

I found that the Ryzolt made me a bit tired..... I began to need a nap some afternoons (actually dozed off while teaching a piano lesson once!!) This to the extent that I stopped offering to drive my son back to college and come home the same day - a 500 miles round trip which I'd done some previously.

But now that I'm on regular ultram post-surgically, yeah, I'm having trouble getting to sleep at night!