Hi Susie, Yes, I read everything on the NIH site. It’s a variable dosing schedule. Loading dose was 5 days in a row. Gen every 2 weeks, then once a month. And eventually less than that. It works for...
Hmmm... I'd be interested in that research if you can share it. I've always understood Arnold Chiari malformation to mean that the skull did not grow to full size at birth, which then, over time with...
I had a Boston Scientific Spectra. It took 11 months of reprogramming to get it to where it helped with the pain that the trial helped. I was told that my surgeon could not get the implant leads at...
It happened to me once with one that was on the back right side of the head. I was told that it was because the practitioner injected too much volume of the medication (I also had a swollen lump the...
I have Chiari. That doesn't sound anything like my experience. Plus, the malformation is present from birth, so it should show up on imaging (it can get worse over time due to head injuries, car...
Hello all, It's been a while since I've been on here. I have been to a number of neurologists because they had thought I had arachnoiditis, but now have instead found that I have MADSAM (multifocal...
Thanks, Susie. I appreciate your support. I know it's very uncommon to have arachnoiditis without pain -- if it's even possible at all. Every study I can find show that 100% of subjects with...
Has anyone been diagnosed with arachnoiditis but had basically zero pain? His second idea seems even more unlikely -- CRPS. My neurologist was thinking arachnoiditis was my problem last Spring & sent...
Maybe Botox? I don't have them in my jaw, but have excruciatingly painful spasms several other places on my body & that's what my neurologist has recommended we try next. So far, Lyrica is the only...
Yes, I had mine removed after 8 years. Mine had to be done inpatient due to a massive infection that had spread the entire length of the tract (that doctors denied existed for 7.5 of those years...
It happens. You can call your doctor's office when they re-open, but I have spit probably a couple dozen stitches over the years. Docs have always told me that sometimes the stitches don't dissolve,...
BakersTasha, First of all, Welcome to Healing Well! As to your question, SED rate measures inflammation in the body. ANA is one of many tests that together help diagnose certain specific inflammatory...
Actually, I'm no longer completely convinced that it's necessary to change the supply in order to address the drug problem. I saw something on the TV not long ago about Portugal, that -- who knew?!...
Have you had an EMG done? The scans of my spine came back fine, but my EMG showed significant nerve damage....
Great article. Should be a must-read for every medical professional and politician. I do wish, however, that he distinguished between deaths from pharmaceutical fentanyl and...
Thank you both. I made it to the ER. After a 45 minute drive, 5 hours in the ER & another 35 minutes home, I was able to get some Flexeril & a pronouncement that I definitely have muscle spasms &...
So my physiatrist has recommended I go to the ER because my pain is so severe & he is at a conference all week. I hate hospitals to begin with, but trying to go when I'm in such excruciating pain is...
There are other anticonvulsants that are more frequently used for nerve pain that would be less expensive. There are newer variations of gabapentin that might help; I've used Horizant (name brand of...
I am so sorry that this is causing you so much anguish. I kind of agree with Susie. You can definitely choose not to receive the medication any more. If you can manage the pain without any medicine...
Mercy, I was more than happy to comply with UA's, contracts, pill counts, showing ID to pick up prescriptions and so forth. None of that was ever an issue for me. I had been doing all that for years....
Unfortunately, it looks like things are going to get worse before they get better. History shows this keeps happening & cutting back on medical access to these meds really doesn't help. Research...
I don't believe there are any groups within the government, if that was your question. There are some privately funded advocacy groups, but even those are few & far between. Not only has the CDC put...
That flake doctor never did put me back on anything. The only decent thing about this current doctor (and the one I saw briefly before that almost immediately told me I needed to be seen at a...
Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I guess I thought we'd try a few oral meds or lots of PT or something before jumping to surgery. What am I missing? Why is a pain pump so much better than oral...
Thanks, Skeye. I'm debating about the Back on Track long johns. The mediums only have a 29" inseam & I need 34" to be long enough. But they sure seem nice, so perhaps I can try to figure out a way to...
Thanks, Skye. Yes, my contract with my PM is dissolved. However, my PCP said she just doesn't have the knowledge to know how to treat my pain. She referred me to another PM. Unfortunately, it's not a...
Well, it's not even an option until at least the end of March with my former PM so I will try to research it some more. I have seen that the ketamine infusions have been well studied -- I was on a...
Thanks, Karen. I'll give the Arnica a try. My psychiatrist was never very helpful. I only went with her because I needed a psych for SSDI. Ironically, I'm approved for SSDI for PTSD, but she doesn't...
My PCP doesn't have Torodol in her office. She doesn't even do flu shots. She sends patients either to the acute care clinic or the ER. Unfortunately, my former PM has said I'm not even allowed...
Psych said the acute withdrawal period from fentanyl is 6 months -- Nov-May. It's already been over 30 days & I'm still having a lot of GI symptoms even before I started taking Advil so I could get...
Yes, I know it's not ideal to take more Advil than recommended, but the pain I have is bad enough that I'd go to the ER, except that my useless former PM will tell them not to do anything at all to...
You could try asking her if she took any. Or you could file a police report and they'll investigate. Other than that, all I can recommend is to take preventative measures for the future. Get a locked...
I don't know if the BM was painful due to constipation. If so, Susie's advice is really good. If it was soft stool, but still excruciatingly painful, that can also be caused by the pudental nerve. I...
I'm sorry for what you're going through. Give the lower dose a try & see how you do. If it's not enough, call the prescribing doctor or get to the ER. Definitely do NOT just take more (meaning what...
Targeted antibiotics, got my SCS explanted & had a world-class reconstructive plastic surgeon who was able to surgically excise, irrigate & whatnot the infected tissue to get the bacteria count down...
Hang in there, Jodi. I can definitely relate to how frustrating it can be to deal with chronic infections. I had an infected implant for 8 years. For the last 4 of those years, I had an open wound...
I would ask your doctor to be sure, but I have had RF's in my neck & back. Some of them didn't hurt at all ... I just had to wait for the relief to kick in. Others hurt like the dickens all the way...
Perhaps they can actually test for what kind of bacteria it is growing in your sinuses & use targeted antibiotics? My mom gets sinus infections a lot & they did that for her once and it really helped...
I'll have to check out the OTC TENS units. I used to go for PT years ago & they did that. It's the reason why I got the SCS (now removed due to infection). I didn't realize they now sell them at...
My neurologist is trying to get me in to a new PM. I definitely agree that twice monthly epidurals is a bad plan. As it is, my spine is covered in Tarlov cysts from ~6 epi's a year (often multiple...
Well, I made it through the withdrawal period, but the pain & weakness in my leg, and to a lesser degree my low back, is quite bad. I was pulled off all pain meds -- even Lyrica -- because even...
ChickenArise, Thanks for your thoughts. I'd never heard of Kratom, so I looked it up. Turns out the DEA is planning to change it to a Schedule I (I.e., ban it). Yet another option that soon will be...
Karen, first of all, please accept my sympathies on the loss of your friend. The world is better for him having been here & it is a great loss that he is now gone. I get that kind of hopeless, dark...
Yeah, I agree that's part of it. The other issue is that the FDA has finally admitted that their numbers of abuse of "prescription drugs" also include users of the homemade versions of those meds....
To qualify as an Emotional Support Animal in some states (including Illinois), the animal must have received specific training to provide assistance with a particular task. For example, it behaves in...
Thanks, Susie. I knew we were headed for trouble back in March when the CDC put out its recommendation that no narcotics should be prescribed to non-cancer or non-acute pain patients for any reason...
Thanks, Chart. You are always so kind & encouraging. The docs will still write meds for acute pain, just not chronic pain. Arthritis, neuralgia, disc problems & such are all considered by a large &...
Around where I live they are no longer prescribing any opioids unless you have Stage 3-4 cancer. I'm now looking at having ECT to manage the horrific pain. Back in better days, if I was having a...
Actually, there have been studies of its use for chronic pain: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/11749873/ https://www.google.com/amp/www.practicalpainmanagement.com/amp/361?client=safari...
Just found out that one of our local teaching hospitals has fired all its PM's and replaced them with a "Chronic Pain team" comprised of 1 physiologist, 2 psychologists & 2 psychiatrists. A couple...