I'm a 44 year old male 18 years post--op for cervical break at C. 5 incomplete

[Brian Stevens]

I've been too quite a few doctors and now I have one that is a general practice/family physician.  My problem is that 18 years ago I broke my neck at C. 5 incomplete.  Right when I got home from the hospital and 6 months of rehabilitation I started developing bladder stones and had a foly catheter in that would plug up all the time, so my Uroligist put in a S/P tube that kept plugging up even if I use irrigation up to 5 times daily and I had continual infections so in 1987 he performed a loop and that seemed to work for awhile, but now I have kidney stones that just keep forming.  The only medication that I tried to prevent the stone formation was Lithostat and I had no luck.  Now I have kidney stones most of the time and infections.  big problem being that I am becoming antibiotic resistant and I had a ultrasound done last week and it showed stones in both kidneys, my doctors want to treat me systematically because I don't always run fevers etc. then about 4 years ago I developed colitis and taking any type of antibiotic causes severe cramping and bloody terrible stools.  This has caused my libel blood pressure to go out of site, I'm on cattapress tt-3 and Niphetapin to control the B/P.  I have cluster headaches and terrible muscle spasms because of the cord injury.  My doctors have tried various pain medications and right now I'm on Duregesic patches 100muthe next day a 25 then another25 and back to 100mu.  + 10mg of percocet for breakthrough pain and my real problem is that it doesn't always work and I would like to try oxycontin 40mg twice daily.  I have tried the last medication and it worked well at least I thought.  What do you think of this type of chronic pain management.  For the first time in 18 years I've been back to college and will graduate next year with a B. A. in Human Services with an emphasis on corrections.  I feel like I can participate in my families life and by no means do I want to back pedal but I want to do the right thing and I worry about my physician and his license, he is a wonderful man.  I have consultant pain specialist and got no further than the sofa.  Can you give me some insight on the Duragesic patches and the oxycontin 40mg time relesed oxycodone as oppossedto the 10mg percocet.  Thank you for your time.

[Brian Stevens]

I believe your Dr. and his answers are both tired.  I came here asking for several I repeat several simple questions or should be simple coming from a highly regarded physician and came back with, talk with your physician and look into a teaching hospital/chronic pain.  Please advise me to where this hospital may be in Minnesota.  I've been too Mayo Clinic and Fairview University as I said I had been too several with no help at all.  If you answer all your inquiries as such you should be out of business.  Maybe try online physicians.

[Brian to Sick and Scared § ALL you guys]

With all due respect, be fair to Dr. Steve.  You came here, to an addiction forum (not a chronic pain forum) with a complex medical history and expect some sort of personal consultation from the doctor regarding what your medical care should be.  Even prior to the current climate of litigation an answer to your "question" would have been foolhardy.  Try calling a doctor and posing your problem in 2 minutes on the phone and see if you'll get ANY doctor in this country to give you an answer.  If they did, they would be guilty of malpractice.  Why would you think it should be different on the internet?

[Brian Stevens]

so I was in the wrong place looking for the right answers, malpractice I don't think so.  I challenge you to look at what is going on in Texas.  Please give some legal advice on Texas Health web.  Internet medicine has been going on for ever or should I say since the home P. C. I haven't figured out in my head how this can be done.  But your doctor is giving nothing more than online advice that can't take 10 minutes of his time.

[Brighty]

Try the forum headdocs.com where there are various categories you can choose and a wider selection of doctors answering questions. Dr. Steve Adleman who replies here gives longer and better replies there than he posts here. The only problem is that not all questions are selected for answers. But the archive there is a very informative resource. I sent some questions and never saw a reply but when I searched the archive I found the answers to my questions. You have to read a little or a lot. My 2 cents is that no doctor is a god and I settle for nothing less than several , yep several, opinions. The net is a good way to gather information and compare it with the personal consulations you go to your own doctors for. Addiction medicine is not all fact like other areas of medicine. Research and belief paradigms are changing regularly. Consider this forum just one stop in your quest. Best wishes, Brighty

[Brian Stevens Neumann]

thanks for the info and your right on, medicine is not an exact science.  Several opinions might save your life.  Another good source is the Mayo clinic in Rochester MN.  I'm sure you've heard about it and its its commitment to excellence.