Chronic Pain Support Group
Physicians and professionalsdefine pain as chronic if it lasts longer than three to six months and is persistent. It's distinct from acute pain that is a direct result of injury or trauma. This support group is dedicated to those suffering from chronic pain. Discuss treatments that have worked for you, find advice for your specific experience, and find support. You're not...
Hi All,
I just wanted to thank you all for your responses to my posts and let you know what's going on. As I said I go to 50mcg patches of fentanyl in about a month but I should have been more clear that this was my choice since the drug had stopped doing it's job very well and I wanted to clear my system a bit. I'm also dropping my gabapentin levels by choice because they seemed to cause more pain than alleviate. I've come to the decision that I want to stay at about 50mcg for an extended period because you've all made it clear that there's really nothing that will take the place of fentanyl, the top of the chart so to speak. I'll ask my pain doc about a different nerve pain drug to take the gaba's place since my lower back pain and all my others are from nerve pain. It's quite bad and makes it very hard to walk for any length of time. I've also got joint pain here there and everywhere which I'm told is fibro.
I'm also a smoker and I've been told that smoking makes it harder for pain drugs to do their job. Any truth to this? I need to quit anyway because of my breathing problems but that's another tough thing to do though I must be brain dead not to. What would you all say is the best fibro med? I'll ask about it when I see my doc in a week.
Surprisingly it was all me and none him when it came to this drug lowering, it just seemed to make sense since the drugs weren't working and my body needed a break from them. Of course the breakage is a hard thing to do but I think needed. In the future I can always move up on the fentanyl again, I hope, if I can't stand the pain.
Thanks for everything and any other advice you have would be greatly appreciated by me. Is there anything you might advise me to ask for once I have a current hernia fixed? I may just have to use a couple of leftover higher dose fentanyl patches then if there's nothing they can give me to kill THAT pain.
Once again thanks for your advice and I look forward to any more you might have. I need as much as I can get to be ready for my next doc appointment.
JC
I just wanted to thank you all for your responses to my posts and let you know what's going on. As I said I go to 50mcg patches of fentanyl in about a month but I should have been more clear that this was my choice since the drug had stopped doing it's job very well and I wanted to clear my system a bit. I'm also dropping my gabapentin levels by choice because they seemed to cause more pain than alleviate. I've come to the decision that I want to stay at about 50mcg for an extended period because you've all made it clear that there's really nothing that will take the place of fentanyl, the top of the chart so to speak. I'll ask my pain doc about a different nerve pain drug to take the gaba's place since my lower back pain and all my others are from nerve pain. It's quite bad and makes it very hard to walk for any length of time. I've also got joint pain here there and everywhere which I'm told is fibro.
I'm also a smoker and I've been told that smoking makes it harder for pain drugs to do their job. Any truth to this? I need to quit anyway because of my breathing problems but that's another tough thing to do though I must be brain dead not to. What would you all say is the best fibro med? I'll ask about it when I see my doc in a week.
Surprisingly it was all me and none him when it came to this drug lowering, it just seemed to make sense since the drugs weren't working and my body needed a break from them. Of course the breakage is a hard thing to do but I think needed. In the future I can always move up on the fentanyl again, I hope, if I can't stand the pain.
Thanks for everything and any other advice you have would be greatly appreciated by me. Is there anything you might advise me to ask for once I have a current hernia fixed? I may just have to use a couple of leftover higher dose fentanyl patches then if there's nothing they can give me to kill THAT pain.
Once again thanks for your advice and I look forward to any more you might have. I need as much as I can get to be ready for my next doc appointment.
JC
I now your in Canada and it can be hard to get surgeries and procedures done due to the long waiting lists, but are you on a list to get your hernia repaired? Sometimes we get to the stage where we're so used to being in pain constantly that we don't pay attention to knew things and the problems they can cause.
As far as other nerve meds there are several like Neurontin, Lyrica or Cymbalta. They all tend to work the same even though they're not the same chemicals, but hopefully switching to a new med. gives you the pain coverage that Gaba didn't.
Take care,
Kat
Wrap your head around this. I've seen my doctor, who has called the doctor I have to see. Once I see that doc I THINK I go on the list for the surgery. I've been waiting over two weeks for the second doc to reply to my doc so that I can wait for that visit. Until then this thing just gets worse and I get to wait. I haven't the slightest clue when I'll actually have the operation so my anxiety ramps up and up and makes me nuts. Anticipation is for those with a stronger constitution than mine.
JC
Since there are a finite number of receptors..
Well..that's as simply as I can understand or express that.
Nicotine is a " painkiller" until it isn't any more, too.
Sort of like tolerance.
Ha! It's so strange to see JC.
I usually don't capatilize them, though. :-)
Hugs
jc
It's not just JC's 2 week wait, we've met/seen many people who have had to wait on lists for weeks to months for serious life changing surgeries.....
Thanks for all the responses. For serenity94, I have to see if that med will be alright to take with the ones I'm on but thanks for the idea. I'm thinking about trying lyrica too Kat. I've been on the Neurontin, or gabapentin, and it didn't help me. Really it was the total opposite, it seemed to make all my joint pain much worse.
I'm worried about what pain med they'll be able to give me post operatively for the hernia operation and wonder what happens if it doesn't work for me.