Unfortunately Nerve Pain is hard to diagnose, it's hard to treat and there is not often a surgical fix for it.

Narcotic pain meds do not often work on Nerve Pain, and it sounds like you've tried the meds that are used for Nerve Pain, which are Neurontin and Lyrica, Anti-Epileptic meds used off-label and Cymbalta an SSNRI Anti-Depressant used off-label. I would guess that is the one that caused the Suicidal thoughts. Amitriptyline and Noratriptilyne are also used for certain types of Nerve pan.

There are also injections that can be used for Nerve Pain, depending on the type and where it is.

Until you have a Diagnosis of what type of Nerve Pain you have and where it's located, its difficult to hunt down the right Neurologist for the right Treatment.

I will say Nerve Pain is not something that would generally certify you for Disability.

Have you seen a Neurologist since the MRI and discussed the results with them to see what the exact DX is and what their treatment plan would be going forward?

The MRI was just yesterday so I'm waiting for the doctors to review. I also took a copy to the chiropractors. I only tried Lyrica as for nerve pain medication. I'm hesitant to try others because I can't really handle that kind of reaction. I never cared for narcotic pain meds because I react the opposite to them, could repaint my house and completely awake for at least 36 hours. Anti-inflammatory medications, supplements and herbs do not help at all. Peppermint oil can take the edge off a little bit because of the sensation it causes when undiluted, but only a little. The biggest challenge there is how to apply oil to the center of my spine on my own.... Still waiting on an actual diagnosis and it just seems I've been jumping through hoops to even get an MRI. I'm so frustrated with the disease management system this country has, and that I know the doctors want to help but their hands are tied by the damn insurance companies. I figured I wouldn't qualify for disability until there is a diagnosis, I just don't know how to keep up the income with this much pain.

I think most insurance companies will pay for massage when used with Physical therapy. Mine did. I might have had to pay a small copay, not sure as it was awhile ago. I think acupuncture is the same way. It's being recognized as a viable treatment option, more and more. My doctor even recommended it to me and I was surprised my insurance was willing to pay for it.

I have a spinal stenosis at L-3, L-4 which means arthritis is pinching the nerve causing pain in my back and if I move just right by twisting my upper body, I can get an excruciating pain that shoots down my left leg, so I am pretty careful what I do.

You might want to get a second opinion or even switch to a holistic doctor who is much more likely to prescribe the kind of therapies you are looking for, and I commend you for your desire to use those natural types of healing over traditional medicine. I think you will be better off for doing so in the long run.

Good luck going forward and I hope the mri gives you some answers.

God Bless

You mentioned that your pain is around the T6 area. That is in the top of the thoracic area of the back and is the most difficult to treat other than with medications (vs. lumbar or cervical). I have a disk bulge at T7/T8 and no surgeon that I have seen will touch me. BTW - - The thoracic part of the back (the largest part) is considered the strongest and least likely to have any problems that were not caused by some kind of severe traumatic event. I have no idea what caused mine to go bad although I do have DDD and other bulges all throughout my back.

I am currently taking two of the drugs that OCP mentioned; Lyrica and amitriptyline. The combination of both are helpful but nowhere near as good as the Dilaudid that I was taking PRN before my new pain doctor decided, without my consent, to stop the Dilaudid.

I guess when you see your doctor and MRI results you may know more. In my experience, MRIs are worthless for these kinds of problems (I have had 13 just for my back). Maybe the newer, higher strength, MRI machines are better and will provide some useful information (if that was the kind you used, no way to know unless you dig real deep into the provider's equipment).

Good luck!

Once you get a Diagnosis, you'll have a better idea of what treatment options are available. If its strictly nerve pain, then Nerve meds are the option. Refusing to take any because of a side effect of 1, doesn't make sense, they are different classes of medications, they don't all work the same or on the same parts of the brain and pain receptors, and nerves and they don't have the same possible side effects.

As for being, "I'm so frustrated with the disease management system this country has, and that I know the doctors want to help but their hands are tied by the damn insurance companies." You do have to consider the fact that its not always possible to know what causes Nerve Pain. There's not always a concrete Diagnosis no matter how many Dr.'s you see.

I have Peripheral Neuropathy and it's just something I have to manage and live with...it can't be fixed. I"ve broken vertebrae at T6/T7, that healed without surgical intervention. That is not the cause of my Peripheral Neuropathy, though. I have multiple Chronic Pain causing diseases in my bones/joints/organs, as well as multiple Neurological Disorders....and have had 31 Surgeries in the last 20 years, so it could be a number of or combination of many things.

If you have luck with Peppermint Oil, you may have luck with Lidocaine Patches, those you just stick on and leave for up to 12 hours.

As Bob said, most insurance companies now pay for Massage and some Acupuncture. I use both in my pain management regime along with other therapies. You might check with your Insurance Company and see if they consider those options under Physical Therapy.

My right leg just stopped working a while back. It causes severe pain when I walk on it. I also have peripheral neuralgia. The problem was identified through mri. I have 2 impinged nerves in my lower lumbar.

On the 18th, I’m going for a trial run with the dr using numbing solution on the nerves. If that works, I’ll go in the following week so they can burn the nerves which will last for 6 months to 18 months and then I do it all again.

Please share the results of the mri. I’m crossing my fingers for both of us. Welcome to the group. Hugs, Dianna

Thank you for the replies. I can understand that most people think it is unreasonable that I am hesitant to continue taking or trying pharmaceuticals after 'one bad experience' however, that one bad experience is not just one. I have tried many medications for other reasons and still react badly to most medications. This last medication, the Lyrica, put me over the top and I'm lucky I caught on to it as quickly as I did. It has taken a lifetime to be emotionally stable dealing with PTSD. A spike in depression or anything close to suicidal ideation can go quickly too far without constant awareness and help from my support network (which is small and far away). Any medications can interfere with neurotransmitters and spike one way or another and anything that is supposed to directly affect the brain to block the transmission of pain signals is going to potentially cause problems with depression or suicidal tendencies. I've been studying the medical field for quite some time and am a massage therapist myself so I have to understand medications and interactions especially with the use of essential oils since I use them.

My lack of faith in the medical system for internal medicine is lacking simply because the last several things I have had. I got the joy of researching and self testing and self-diagnosis because the doctors had no idea what was wrong. Once was a vitamin b deficiency that lead to bleeding for almost 3 months. One is a food intolerance that I had been to doctors for years and they never put the pieces together. I know they know how to deal with a broken bone, or some kind of trauma injury. I don't have the faith in them to find underlying causes of problems because the insurance companies dictate to the doctors what they can do and in what order they have to do it or the insurance doesn't pay the doctor. The Physical Therapist I first went to with this problem took one look at me and said "you're not that broken yet," and couldn't help me. That's when I started going to the chiropractor.

As for insurance starting to cover massage, chiropractic and acupuncture I am glad to see that it is starting to grow and hope it continues to. Unfortunately, I cannot afford 'real' insurance yet so I have medicaid which covers as little as possible and none of the effective treatments. So I can be grateful that it covered the x-rays and the MRI, but the chances of it covering the cost of fixing the core of what is wrong is pretty small.

I know that many people have suffered far longer with a physical pain than I have and that some of the challenges are not given much but pain management. I wish I could help everyone find the actual cure and finally be free of it. I know I help the people that come to me for massage and I am so happy to be here for them. I'm struggling most with the fact that I can't do all that I used to do. It takes anywhere from 1-4 hours to get to a point that the pain is just a background noise and I can function for the day. I still don't have near the energy I should and the effects of the stress chemicals on my body daily are having their effect. I'm stubborn and don't want to give up, but some days I do because I'm just so tired.

I have that same ugly pain. It began in 1984. I spent thousands of $ seeking an answer for what it was. When the MRI scan was invented, I was first in line to get one. It showed I have a torn rotator cuff, ruptured tendon and joint abnormalities,


Due to the length of time between the onset of the pain and the diagnosis, my body tried to heal this mess. It was not successful. Surgery is not a viable option for me as I could lose the use of my arm!

Skip to 1995. I get DX'd with multiple sclerosis.

I now believe that the severe spasticity that I have from this disease is the culprit for the damage that causes this horrible pain in my thoracic spine and the injury to my arm and is the cause for the chronic severe pain that I live with.

I've being forcibly tapered (HA!!!) where I go for care from the medication that helps. They have no viable replacement to help. So now I have nothing for this problem. How much more damage will the spasticity do to my body being it is now not even considered? They don't know and they will never know because they DO NOT KNOW WHAT MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS IS.

I wait for the day they find out WHAT IT IS. I would never consider infusions or experimental drugs that can kill you for a disease that they seem to have not a clue to what causes it.

I do not what else to say except try doing things that cause pain. Pain is the signal that something is very wrong!

Best of luck.

Get a referral to a Neurologist. A Neurologist can do a nerve study. That should show nerve damage.

Being approved for disability is a complicated process. Do you have enough work credits for SSDI? If not, you may or may not meet the financial requirements for SSI. SSI is welfare. The non medical requirements are income and resources. Medicare comes with SSDI. Medicaid comes with SSI.

You have to be diagnosed with a Medically Determined Impairment. You need to have been seeing your doctor regularly for treatment. Do your Impairments affect your ability to perform Activities Of Daily Living ? Does someone have to help you or do some for you ? Have you discussed this with your doctor ? You need to get a copy of your medical records and read them. Doctors do not always write what patients tell them. Unfortunately I, Medicaid providers are usually especially bad about not writing details.

If you are under 50. You must prove you cannot do your previous work. Nor can you do work in the national economy. Some of those jobs are ticket taker, laundry attendant, etc. If you make $1,220 a month before taxes. You are performing SGA. If you can perform SGA. SSA will.not consider you disabled..

Hi
I've been in chronic pain for years as well and part of my pain is caused by a damaged nerve. I don't know what country yr in, but here in Britain I know of two effective pain killers for nerve pain. There's Pregabalin ( not sure of the spelling) or there's Gabapentin. I tried the 1st but it didn't help, but the Gabapentin does help me a lot. Depending on yr country it might be available or a different name, but it might be worth asking yr doctor about it. Im on a morphine tablet as well and I find it helps with the pain from my organ damage but not the nerve pain. That's why I find the Gabapentin is so much better. I just thought it might be worth u looking into it. Hope it helps.

Hi, I have neuropathy & chronic pain. For the neuropathy I was taking 2700 MG of Gabapentin a day. It did nothing to help the pain, fireworks & electrical shocks. Quit the Gabapentin & switched to CBD oil full spectrum with 003% THC. I have to take the capsules with a little THC for it to work. I tried the Hemp capsules & it did not work. It makes it work better with the little amount of THC, The brand name is Ananda. It helps right away. I took one capsule in morning & one at night. Neuropathy in check. Now to solve the other chronic pain from arthritis, failed knee surgery, stroke. They make you feel like a criminal because you have a pain problem.

For nerve pain there is also: Neurontin, Lyrica, Cymbalta and special compounded medications from a Compound Pharmacy.