Aa
tramadol
I am on day 5 c/t and I have a bottle of tramadol. I took one last night and it took the edge of the pain. My question is....is this going to ruin my c/t? The tramadol does not give me any feeling at all (no rush or euphoric feeling) and I would not abuse them. I just thought it would be a alternative for my back pain. I saw my neurosurgeon today and he is going to do a few other tests. One of the tests in a mylegram and I am scared to death. I hate needles and the thought of sticking a needle in my back makes me want to throw up. I am not having it until 4/24/07 and I am already having bad anxiety thinking about it.
Thanks for any info on the tramadol.
Always,
Mariyah
Thanks for any info on the tramadol.
Always,
Mariyah
Hello There:
I came off 14 Norco's a day tapering and when I went C/T I would take 1 ultram a day whenever my pain dictated it. (then I switch to alleve) This went on for about three weeks and I never had an issue with that but I also never exceeded 1 a day. That is my experience. It seemed to work well on my knee pain and I did not get addicted. I think like any drug, if you begin to take 5-10 of these a day, you will suddenly be hooked.
Just my two cents.
I came off 14 Norco's a day tapering and when I went C/T I would take 1 ultram a day whenever my pain dictated it. (then I switch to alleve) This went on for about three weeks and I never had an issue with that but I also never exceeded 1 a day. That is my experience. It seemed to work well on my knee pain and I did not get addicted. I think like any drug, if you begin to take 5-10 of these a day, you will suddenly be hooked.
Just my two cents.
Hey girl. I can't speak for everyone but that is your DOC and your demon....you are doing so well....try to stay away from it. I just wish you total success! I've been in a funk since I slipped last week with the Percs...I feel very irritable and I'm thinking it's PAWS! I am so angry at myself and this damn disease that I want to hit someone or something and it is nobody's fault but mine! This is something we all have in common and we have to figure a way out that works for us.....Quitting the drugs is not the end as I have slowly come to realize, staying clean is much more difficult than I thought and I know I have absolutely no control over my use. I am doing everything I can to stay away from everyone that is a trigger for me....I cannot be near these drugs! This is completely my opinion of course and the way I feel about addiction and recovery but I have heard this from some of the most level-headed and people on the forum that have a lot of clean time behind them....they must be doing something right and I think they have a lot of insight into this problem. Stay with your recovery Mariyah....I know you can do this! DId you ask your neurosurgeon about other meds...there is Neurontin which is a pain reliever esp for nerve pain. Please stay strong ok?
Re; The Myelogram....I had one in January....it is somewhat simiilar to the way the steroid epidural is done. It is done under fluoroscopy and they inject contrast dye into the epidural space....they then tilt the table you are on to disperse the dye and take pictures....it takes about 20 min and then you stay in recovery for about 3 hrs..It's really not too bad! Just a little uncomfortable!
Always good to hear from you and I pray for you always!:)
Marcie
Re; The Myelogram....I had one in January....it is somewhat simiilar to the way the steroid epidural is done. It is done under fluoroscopy and they inject contrast dye into the epidural space....they then tilt the table you are on to disperse the dye and take pictures....it takes about 20 min and then you stay in recovery for about 3 hrs..It's really not too bad! Just a little uncomfortable!
Always good to hear from you and I pray for you always!:)
Marcie
Hi Mariyah,
First off I like to say thank you for posting that Irish Blessing a few weeks ago. I wasn't brave enough to step in the waters here at the time you posted it but I just wanted you to know it didn't go unnoticed by a fellow Irishwoman out here in the Pac NW. I grew up in New England (Connecticut) and am jealous that you are in Boston where you can get the most excellent food on earth!
You probably have read by now that I am also a recent back surgery patient (laminectomy without fusion) that regrets ever having done it. I am worse off than when I went in. I am researching my behind off on what I should do next to get some sort of pain free life back. I am taking 4 Norcos a day and lots of Advil Liqui-Gels.. Doc refilled me for only 3 a day so I am going to come up short again next week. I can't think about that right now but in a few days I'll have to call him and get him to change the script to 4 a day. But two weeks ago I found an empty bottle of Tramadol with a refill which was prescribed to me by my Family Practice doc when I started out with the dang sciatica pain (It was St. Patrick's Day 2006 of all days!) on it so I called it in and picked it up the next day. I have taken a few to see if they worked on the pain but found that they really didn't provide the relief I needed. I didn't feel any euphoric feeling either. I guess they work for some people though.
On my last visit to my surgeon he said the next step is to have a mylegram. I read up on it and called his office a few days later and told the receptionist that I WAS NOT ready to commit to that procedure AT ALL!! She said the doc said just to call and schedule it when I was ready.
From my readings I found that they have improved the "material" they inject so that it doesn't become a lump of hardened goop that adheres (permanently) to your spine and then can become the cause of MORE PAIN cause it became a solid mass that messes with your nerves again. I remember having a barium study after a horrible bout I had with diverticulitis a few years ago and I drank water like a mad woman after they told me I had to get that stuff out of my system otherwise it would become like cement in my bowels. what a lovely visual that was!
Anyway, I am holding off on the mylegram and am looking at getting an MR Neurography study done instead. Perhaps an EMG study also. Anything EXCEPT another invasive procedure. I believe the MR Neurography will be the way to go. I have worked in healthcare over the last 20 years (as an Administrator) and an RN friend of mine told me about the book, "Do You Really Need Back Surgery?" by Aaron Filler, MD. He pioneered the MR Neurography here at the University of Washington in Seattle along with one of his peers who still works here at UW. Filler now practices out of Snata Monica, CA. My RN friend is contacting the his peer here at the UW and hopefully I can get in to see him, bring all my studies and get that MR Neuro study done. My healthcare background coupled with my age (52) gives me the confidence to now question what doctors recommend. I don't blindly accept all the recomendations anymore. I haven't done that for a long time. but I wish I had read the book before I went for the laminectomy! I am taking what I believe the best steps for me to achieve the best outcome. I don't expect to be 100% pain free ever again in my life but I can want to be at least functional and happy. This past year dealing with sciatica, medications and a failed surgery has been an awful drain on my boys too. My 18 year old is a saint and he has lived with seeing his mother "broken", as I call it.
I hope this post helps you make some decisions. Be sure to check out that book I mentioned too. It gives great insight.
dak
First off I like to say thank you for posting that Irish Blessing a few weeks ago. I wasn't brave enough to step in the waters here at the time you posted it but I just wanted you to know it didn't go unnoticed by a fellow Irishwoman out here in the Pac NW. I grew up in New England (Connecticut) and am jealous that you are in Boston where you can get the most excellent food on earth!
You probably have read by now that I am also a recent back surgery patient (laminectomy without fusion) that regrets ever having done it. I am worse off than when I went in. I am researching my behind off on what I should do next to get some sort of pain free life back. I am taking 4 Norcos a day and lots of Advil Liqui-Gels.. Doc refilled me for only 3 a day so I am going to come up short again next week. I can't think about that right now but in a few days I'll have to call him and get him to change the script to 4 a day. But two weeks ago I found an empty bottle of Tramadol with a refill which was prescribed to me by my Family Practice doc when I started out with the dang sciatica pain (It was St. Patrick's Day 2006 of all days!) on it so I called it in and picked it up the next day. I have taken a few to see if they worked on the pain but found that they really didn't provide the relief I needed. I didn't feel any euphoric feeling either. I guess they work for some people though.
On my last visit to my surgeon he said the next step is to have a mylegram. I read up on it and called his office a few days later and told the receptionist that I WAS NOT ready to commit to that procedure AT ALL!! She said the doc said just to call and schedule it when I was ready.
From my readings I found that they have improved the "material" they inject so that it doesn't become a lump of hardened goop that adheres (permanently) to your spine and then can become the cause of MORE PAIN cause it became a solid mass that messes with your nerves again. I remember having a barium study after a horrible bout I had with diverticulitis a few years ago and I drank water like a mad woman after they told me I had to get that stuff out of my system otherwise it would become like cement in my bowels. what a lovely visual that was!
Anyway, I am holding off on the mylegram and am looking at getting an MR Neurography study done instead. Perhaps an EMG study also. Anything EXCEPT another invasive procedure. I believe the MR Neurography will be the way to go. I have worked in healthcare over the last 20 years (as an Administrator) and an RN friend of mine told me about the book, "Do You Really Need Back Surgery?" by Aaron Filler, MD. He pioneered the MR Neurography here at the University of Washington in Seattle along with one of his peers who still works here at UW. Filler now practices out of Snata Monica, CA. My RN friend is contacting the his peer here at the UW and hopefully I can get in to see him, bring all my studies and get that MR Neuro study done. My healthcare background coupled with my age (52) gives me the confidence to now question what doctors recommend. I don't blindly accept all the recomendations anymore. I haven't done that for a long time. but I wish I had read the book before I went for the laminectomy! I am taking what I believe the best steps for me to achieve the best outcome. I don't expect to be 100% pain free ever again in my life but I can want to be at least functional and happy. This past year dealing with sciatica, medications and a failed surgery has been an awful drain on my boys too. My 18 year old is a saint and he has lived with seeing his mother "broken", as I call it.
I hope this post helps you make some decisions. Be sure to check out that book I mentioned too. It gives great insight.
dak
Do you have more info on that MR Neurography? I would like to learn more about it...Thanks!
Marcie
Marcie
Yes. You can look up "Do You Really Need Back Surgery" by Aaron Filler, MD. It is awesome and gives me great hope to make decisions on what my next steps will be to get myself well.
Or
Type in - Institute For Nerve Medicine.
If you click on his book it will bring up some explanations and graphics of his state of the art practice.
Hope this helps!
dak
Or
Type in - Institute For Nerve Medicine.
If you click on his book it will bring up some explanations and graphics of his state of the art practice.
Hope this helps!
dak
Once again, thanks so much for the encouragment and your support. I think I will try to stay away from the ultram. It is such a hard struggle and I can deal with the physical aspect of it, but I can't deal with the mental very well. You did it and although you had one tiny slip , I believe made you even stronger. For you to flush the rest down the toilet was something I really don't think I could do. I will be honest with you, I asked the neurosurgeon if he was going to give me something for pain. He told me that my primary doctor had been prescribing them and I should call him. I guess he doesn't write a prescription until you have had surgery. I didn't call my primary doctor because the feeling passed and I did not want to go through the bother. The doctors in Mass are very strict and it is probably a good thing for me :0).
I hope all is well and you take care of yourself too!! You are doing so great and I know you work at it very hard. I remember about 3 months ago I ran out of vics for about a week. I was told by my co-workers how great I looked and my eyes were bright and my skin looked beautiful. I try to hold that thought because I can be sort of vain :0) I think all women are just a wee bit vain. The pills do take a toll on your physical appearance.
Sending warmest thoughts and wishes your way,
M
I hope all is well and you take care of yourself too!! You are doing so great and I know you work at it very hard. I remember about 3 months ago I ran out of vics for about a week. I was told by my co-workers how great I looked and my eyes were bright and my skin looked beautiful. I try to hold that thought because I can be sort of vain :0) I think all women are just a wee bit vain. The pills do take a toll on your physical appearance.
Sending warmest thoughts and wishes your way,
M
you know what I will say about Ultram...I do not have an addictive personality and I was totally against taking anything due to the fact my family are all alcoholics and I was so afraid to be like them. I don't drink because of that. My dr reassured me that Ultram was not addictive and that I would be fine....well guess what here I am 11 years later fighting the Ultram demon. They are so easy to get to that once you are hooked, you are hooked for a very long time. If you find yourself taking more ...STOP...I mean everyone is different but that drug just scares me. I don't want to see you ever have to go through this again. If you really don't have to take them please don't. Your freind...Michelle
I am so happy you liked that Irish Blessing. Can you tell I am Irish???? My family came from Donegal.
Thanks so much for that informative post. I am really going to research this on the computer. I am really afraid of the milogram. The doctor is ordering me a sitting x-ray. I have multiple bulges and spurs? The area he is concerned with the disc is squashed (you can tell I am real techinical when it comes to medical terms...NOT) lol.
I am so sorry for all the pain you have gone through. I have only had this sciatica since Jan. 1st. My back would hurt off and on, but I had vicodens that I bought. I used those rather than go to the doctor and that was very stupid of me. I might have caught it. I have a few issues going on here :0). I think it shows that pain killers can mask a lot of medical issues. I think that is why some people say they hurt so bad when they quit the pills.
It is so nice to meet you and I will keep you posted. Have a super night.
Sending warm wishes your way.
Mariyah
Thanks so much for that informative post. I am really going to research this on the computer. I am really afraid of the milogram. The doctor is ordering me a sitting x-ray. I have multiple bulges and spurs? The area he is concerned with the disc is squashed (you can tell I am real techinical when it comes to medical terms...NOT) lol.
I am so sorry for all the pain you have gone through. I have only had this sciatica since Jan. 1st. My back would hurt off and on, but I had vicodens that I bought. I used those rather than go to the doctor and that was very stupid of me. I might have caught it. I have a few issues going on here :0). I think it shows that pain killers can mask a lot of medical issues. I think that is why some people say they hurt so bad when they quit the pills.
It is so nice to meet you and I will keep you posted. Have a super night.
Sending warm wishes your way.
Mariyah
I think I will toss the ultrams in the bucket. I will just take the nerve pill Gabentim? that the doc gave me and some ibruprophen. I am going the w/d's and very antsy tonight. Thanks so much for the posts and it really was beneficial to me. You are very supportive and informative. I don't want to get hooked on something else. :0) I am hooked on reality programs since I have been out of work. I don't think there is one that I have not seen. LOL, I am more than a little bit bored.
Have a peaceful night and sending warm wishes your way.
Always,
Mariyah
Have a peaceful night and sending warm wishes your way.
Always,
Mariyah
Yes, everyone is different with what works for them and what doesn't. I'm just giving you my experience with Ultrams. I've had a whole bottle up in the cabinet for about 7 or 8 months. They don't work for me at all. When I take one for back pain, it doesn't even take the pain away for me. Some people say they work wonders but for me it doesn't do anything for some reason. Advil liquigels work great for me. The doc said I can take 4 at a time. Try that and see if that works also. Thinkin of you, Lil. Hope that helped :)
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