I have/had the same herniated disk, I had surgery you do not have to have surgery it is up to you I have a PC doctor and I had a surgeon. I also used long acting Morphine and it was ok I had alot of side effects but I did with all the opiates I was on for awhile. I had a really hard time going to the bathroom on Morphine to the point it was ridiculous. I mean it was off the charts one of the worse things I had to go through and you would not think that having a dang number 2 was a big deal but it was crazy.

Go to a regular doctor and then go from there and if you want surgery they usually want you to exhaust all other options first like PT and shots and time and then they will usually perform the surgery mine did not help much on my back I also had neck surgery which was ok but I guess the success rate for lower back is pretty low

what is a pc doctor? Is this the type of specialist I should see?
What type of injections are you referring to and were they helpful? What do you do for pain now? Are you able to work?
Sorry for so many questions

You need to see an orthopedic back and spine specialist. Check with your primary care physician and also your insurance to see about their requirements for referral. I have the same herniation and also at l-4; both with nerve impengement. I have done well on esi's (epidural steroid injections) every three months and take Lortab (one step above vicodin) for break thru pain. Morphine sounds like a bit of overkill to me after they get you stabilized. I would rather save it for the last hurrah than take anything stronger than lortab or norco at this point in time. Good luck, hon, and keep us posted.

Questions are good,

PC is a Primary Care doctor and the shots I had were ESI shots dang And I cant remember what they stand for something steroid injections the shots did not help at all and they sort of made it worse but I had to exhaust all options before surgery and I really thought surgery would help.

I am on suboxone for pain now which is off label and it works I just could not take opiates anymore after awhile I had to many side effects and this was my last hail mary and it worked

Suboxone is sort of like Methadone.

I also have the same herniation at L5S1 and have been told I am not a candidate for surgery (my back issues are due to degeneration which can't be surgically fixed). I had two images done last year - a CT scan and then an MRI about 6 months later. The spine specialist said the herniation had shrunk considerably in that time so I guess it can get 'better' without surgery but for me I am still in alot of pain.

I have never tried morphine, I am on Oxycontin ER but I'd talk to your doctor and see what he recommends. Morphine does seem like overkill but we can't feel your pain. The way my pm doc does it he starts with the lesser medications and works up to something that relieves the pain, saving the 'heavier' meds for the future when the others aren't doing the trick any more. Makes sense to me.

Good luck, hope you find some relief soon. Hugs,
Lisa

Manny I guess we were typing at the same time. ESI is epidural steroid injection. My pain doctor doesn't recommend them unless a patient is in severe pain and nothing else is working but I've noticed they seem quite popular in the USA. He prefers to use oral meds or patches first.

Yes thank you was having a brain fart and here in the US they sort of push the shots and I had to exhaust all options before the surgeon would operate it is like a requirement with my insurance. I was in alot of pain I was in a car accident so it came on really suddenly not sure if that makes a difference or not Or I was just impatient and I just wanted the pain gone.

Let me tell you how that turned out LOL

Hi all and thanks for the replies. I figured Morphine long acting was similar in strength. Do you know what long acting med is similiar in strength. I have an appointment today and need to address this change to avoid withdrawals.
I will ask for a referral to a spine specialist and go from there.

Jenny,

I am not a medical professional so please do not take this as any type of medical advice. But I can only speak from my own experience.

I do not know what is similar to the oxycontin that you are on. But I am wondering if you have tried Norco? I have had two knees replaced and one revised and also have the back problems that I mentioned above. Norco stayed on top oof the pain from these surgeries for me. I mean, you have to take it as directed to stay on top of the pain but if you do, it stays on top of the pain. I also had to keep my new eleated and iced to have complete relief.

It was sometime right after the first round of replacements that my back began to "kill" me. I finally was referred over to the back and spine specialist in this same clinic. I had to have a MRI and xrays before seeing him. He told me right off the bat that he thought there were some non invasive procedures that would help me. After nerve testing in the short stay unit in the facility, he injected me with a steroid and I can not begin to describe the relief I felt. After a couple of injections spaced three months apart, he changed to the long acting version. I believe it is called kenalog. I an over four months now but can't get in for one until the 20th due to extended vacations and the holiday season and the fact that there are others in line before me.
I won't lie, the nerve testing is bad and they can't give you any sedation on that part but they can with the injection. Like I said in the previous post, Lortab takes care of any breakthru pain I have. I had to sign a pain agreement and also submit to a UA. I have to go in every four weeks for pain management. Hopefully this will be stretched to sixty to ninety days in the near future. When you sign a pain agreement you are saying that you will not get narcotics from another provider. If there are situations where you might need surgery for example, you must notify their office for approval.

Like I said before, I hate to see you be dependent on morphine if there are other lower class drugs that might work. You didn't say how long you have been on the oxycontin so I do not know what kind of withdrawal you might have but that can be managed.

If the ESI's are offered to you please try them. There are different ways and order that the surgeons give them .. I think; not just the long acting one that I am on. Have you tried any physical therapy or water therapy? Also, ice has become my best friend forever.

I should stress that I only get the injections for the lower two levels.
I have done radio frequency ablation on the upper levels, which is almost a completey pain free procedure. You also can be given a little sedation or at least this is the way it works in the clinic where I go. The nerves will grow back afte a year or so and they can simply redo the procedure.

Hon, I wish you all the best. If I can answer any queations, please let me know and please keep us posted on your situation.

Melinda

.

I think the reason for the stronger pain meds is because I have two issues. One is the bulging disc and the other is from polycystic kidney disease that causes large kidneys. This causes chronic pain in my back and abdomen as well. I take 80mg of Oxycontin and 60mg of Oxycodone daily and still spend most of the time in pain.
I will ask about Norco, but it states it's not as strong as Percocet and I can take those all day with no success. Does Norco work differently maybe?

MSContin has worked for me for many years. I tried different meds when 1st diagnosed and recently came across the med log they asked me to keep when titrating me. Maybe it would help? Keep in mind that everyone has different reactions to different drugs.

They asked me to keep a journal of pain, movements, which med worked, which didn't, why, etc. Then I summarized.

According to my journal(and bad handwriting) this is how they started:
Vicodin- pain still unbearable
Oxycodone- better somewhat but still very bad
Oxycontin- worse
Oxycontin with oxycodone for breakthrough better

Then we have 2 weeks where I did well on the Oxys, and then I was in the office getting a shot of demerol and all I can say is, it must have been horrific as I'm TERRIFIED of needles.

That day they began MSContin and tried it in differing doses with MSIR for breakthrough. By the end of THAT experiment I was moving around again, no longer homebound, and soon I was back to work.

That said, every person reacts differently to the meds. I've heard some say Oxycontin worked better than MScontin. For me, MSContin worked like a miracle. I did need the MSIR for breakthrough but RSD is a tough disease. And as Manny said, suboxone worked for her.

As for side effects, I WAS constipated with every opiod drug they tried so I took fiber and a stool softener and it worked like a charm. Now, all these years later I rarely have to worry about it. But that was the only side-effect I noted, other than the 1st few weeks feeling so darned tired and clumsy with a dry mouth- but they ALL did that to me. And THAT side effect goes away in time.

Good Luck, be sure you keep records of everything and I hope whatever you end up taking works for you, and that they're able to fix it!

I love this board!! I can always count on several replies with experiences and opinions :)
I went to the doctor today who agreed to a referral to a spine specialist, but still feels the disc is very minor and the majority of issues is coming from my very large kidneys. They did a prior auth for Oxycontin so hopefully I can stay on the same meds for now. He also agreed to long term disability for 6 more months.
Peppermint tea was helping with constipation but now I can't go again so I need to address that.

Jenny,

What thialajen said is so true. Every reacts differently to drugs. I was not aware that you had an underlying disease. I am so sorry.

It is my understanding that norco and percocet are about the same level. I cannot take morphine or percocet..I recently had surgery and was given percocet liquid. I halluncinated. I thought my cat was in bed with me in my hospital bed. Years ago I had ankle surgery and was given it as well as morphine...I climbed the walls and thought I was climbing right up them. I forgot all about what happened thirty years ago. Back thin it was percodan, today it is percocet..anyway long story....my chart now reflect that I cannot take perccet. I will take norco or lortab any day.

Please keep us posted. Fingers crossed that insurance will come through for you. Big gentle hugs,

Melinda

Hi Jenny, I too have PKD with grotesquely enlarged kidneys. My kidneys measure just under 12 inches each and extend far into my abdomen. Do you mind if I ask how large yours are?

Chronic pain is an issue for me too. I recently spoke with my kidney specialist regarding better pain management. He told me hydromorphine is his preference for PKD patients.

I find a heating pad really helps but have an idea it would be a poor choice on a bulging disk. But maybe on your stomach? I hope you find some relief soon.

FYI--Norco, lortab and vicodin are all combinations of the narcotic hydrocodone and acetaminophen (tylenol). Vicodin and lortab come in 5, 7.5 and 10 mg of hydrocodone and varying amounts of tylenol. Norco comes in 7.5 and 10 mg of hydrocodone and 325 mg tylenol.

What I'm getting at is they're the same drug, just different names. Sorry, every once in a while the RN comes through and I have to share my knowledge, lol. Certainly no offence meant.

Hugs to all,
Theresa