I am considering a trial for a lumbar disc problem... this story is a bit frightening. I hope that you are doing well and thank you for sharing your story!...
I think this is what my doc was saying - I remember him talking about cutting part of it off. So, if the trial failed, I think he intends to cut off the part that sticks out of the skin but leave the...
BW, I have to ask my PM doc to clarify. He made it sound like he puts in the permanent subcutaneous leads for the trial, unless I heard him wrong. I was under the impression that if the trial didn't...
Thank you for the great answer Frances! I just wish that they could remove all of it - leads included - if they had to. The idea that I may have a trial, fail, and then have the leads in me for the...
Thanks to all for the information. One last question - did anyone else's doc act like a "salesman" for one of these units? I get the sense that my PM doc is pushing this, to be honest. That brings up...
Danimal, Yes, I am considering it, though I find the idea of something with a battery permanently implanted in my body a bit scary (the stuff that makes up batteries is invariably both toxic and...
Thank you everyone for the input. Looking at the Mankowski scale above, it is clear that I am under-reporting my pain. When I say "2" or "3" I should be saying "5" or "6" based on the inability to...
White Beard, the downward spiral I fear is not the physical - it is the emotional / mental. I feel like if I give up on a significant level once, I will have dishonored myself (not quite the right...
I had the misfortune of having a cheating wife. I discovered her adultery in May of 2007. It took me well over a year to get over the blow. I tried to work things out at first, for the benefit of my...
Danimal, did they tell you how long the battery (or the whole unit itself) will last? Will you need periodic surgeries to replace things as they wear out? Did they say if the leads ever need to be...
Tony - that sounds awful. I hope you get relief from your meds! My lower back always hurts - a dull ache that never goes away, and it is intense enough that I cannot simply block it out of my mind -...
PaLady, what I find useful is anger. Not outward anger at other people, but internal anger at my situation. Perhaps anger isn't the best word... maybe resentment or frustration? In any case, it is...
One question I have for others is the whole "rate your pain" thing. I feel that I would have to step on a land mine to warrant a 10. When I say 3 or 4, I feel that the doc ought to know that means I...
I still struggle with accepting that my pain will quite likely be a lifelong condition. I revel in my denial, actually. I feel that if I give in and accept limitations, it will all be downhill from...
Everybody is different. I was on Kadian. As the dose was increased, I experienced weird sweating even when I wasn't hot. It worked well enough for pain, but the sweating was hard to tolerate. I was...
Pamela, Yes, pain meds help. My PM doc and I have discussed a neurostimulator, but not a pain pump. For now I am doing well enough to keep working, so I am in no hurry to move "up the pain management...
'Foraminal stenosis" means that the holes the nerve roots go through are narrowed. The nerve is "threaded" through the foramen (a hole in the bone), and stenosis means narrowed... so yes, it sounds...
Pamela, The answer is "sometimes". In my MRI's it can be easily seen that the disc height has decreased,so it can be inferred that there is nerve impingement that correlates with my symptoms. I think...
Thanks everyone for all the comments & support. I do know that all men need to release their feelings & vent negative emotions for health reasons, but I just am what I am. I have few close friends -...
Well, with regard to the best I can do - my CP doc thinks I should tolerate as much pain as I can within reason. Since I am still working and driving, I need to avoid getting too gorked out. That...
A couple of weeks ago I had a nasty flare-up. It had been kind of cold & damp (I am one of the weather-sensitive ones), and I just hurt like hell. It lasted well over a week. Anyway, I am doing...
I have found many people are simply ignorant. They are not meaning to be rude & hurtful, but in their ignorance they say & do things that are quite inappropriate. A few are indeed intentionally mean,...
For me the generic oxycontin only lasted about 5 or 6 hours, whereas the brand name at the same strength lasts 10 hours or so....
Karen, My prayers are that you feel comfortable and optimistic, and that you heal fully from the stroke. Brent...
Thanks for the kind words. I am just having an awful time right now. I keep hoping it will calm down a bit but so far it just hurts like crazy. I keep telling myself that I can handle it, but it is...
For some reason I am hurting much worse than usual. It came on suddenly yesterday evening, and hasn't let up yet. I feel like sreaming. It hurts so bad I can't even think....
Susie: Yes, the PM doc does the implant himself, unless the paddle leads are required. Those he turns over to a neuro, but he assists....
I have a question. Why do patients need an evaluation with a psychologist to receive a neurostimulator? Is it an insurance issue? I have Blue Cross PPO in California, and my PM and I have discussed a...
Thanks everyone! I feel lucky to have found this group. It feels good to finally have some people to "talk" to that understand what I (and all of you) go through just as a part of our daily lives....
Great news, Pete. I hope that you get relief from the surgery. I have read many of your posts and you sound like a great guy. Good luck....
PALady - excellent point. After the way the guy treated me, I was tense, and that surely isn't conducive to therapy. I didn't think of that, but it seems like a PT ought to. This guy was too busy...
PaLady, Susie, thanks for the reply. I understand that there is a lot of prescription forgery, drug seekers, and all that. If I go to a pharmacy and see a pharmacist I don't know, I could even see...
I saw my PM doc yesterday. I was kind of reluctant to discuss a certain event with him (description to follow), but reading on here that we should always be 100% honest reinforced my decision to do...
Stella, Tony, thanks for the replys. Did either of you experience what I did where the nature of the sensation changed more than the intensity of it? For me changing from a sharp pain to a dull ache...
My PM doc recently started me on Cymbalta. I took 30mg a day for two weeks and then 60mg a day. It took a couple of weeks for the medicine to kick in. It has really helped with the pain in an odd way...
I was just notified yesterday that my Blue Cross PPO (a group policy through work) is going up over 13%. We were notified a couple of weeks ago that we would not get a cost of living raise this year....
Yes, the disc has lost height. I guess that means it is compressed? The doc told me that the outer shell of the disc is fractured in a couple of places. The protrusion of the inner gel matter that...
Scarred - Yes, my L5/S1 disc herniated. I had a microdiscectomy that relieved the leg pain, but the low back still hurts a lot. It has been a few years. I have done PT, inversion, TENS unit, etc.,...
Thanks, PAlady. I am just tired of living like I do. My insurance will likely cover a neurostimulator, but after hearing how many people have trouble with shifting leads and stimulation of the wrong...
One of the things I keep thinking of is trying to get up the cash for a lumbar disc replacement with a prosthesis. Does anybody out there have one? If so, which type and how well did the surgery...
Here is a blurb from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists website: Bulletin Oxycodone Extended-Release Tablets 06 February 2009 Products Affected - Description Oxycodone Extended-Release...
The cost of narcotic pain relievers is criminal. I have insurance but the receipt shows the list price for my Oxycontin 40 mg tabs. They are supposedly over 800 dollars for 90 tablets! That is...
Chris, my first doc told me I had "sprained my back". I waited almost 3 months for real treatment for what was really a herniated disc with nerve impingement. I ended up with a spot on the bottom of...
Boxerlover said... I'm with Dagger, I fill mine around every 3 weeks. I know that narcotics are different, but I thought as long as you have the script and the insurance clears it then the pharmacy...
Thanks! Yes, PaLady, I am fairly satisfied with mu current PM physician, but I do still have pretty bad pain even with the meds, and his idea is to try the neurostimulator. Before I get something...
A pharmacist is a health professional with a license. They have a "corresponding liability" when they fill a Rx given by a physician, so they must exercise judgment and they can decide not to fill,...
Hi everyone. I have been reading a lot of posts and thought I would join and introduce myself. My name is Brent. I have had pretty severe back pain for several years. This site is great. To know that...