Chronic Pain

[Sharun49er]

Hi everyone, I am new here and I am in a situation where I have severe chronic pain and if I don't take medication I suffer and if I don't take pain medication's I am sick from not having it. It seems like I am in a bad cycle and don't know how to get out of it. Any thoughts on my situation? Thanks

[Sharun49er]

Hello Tuckamore, Sorry it took me so long to get back to you, I don't get on here daily but you had a great question for me, Why do I want to quit taking my medication when it is the only thing that I can do to make my life bearable. I have had osteoarthritis all my life. I can remember my mother rubbing my knees when I was small and of course remember the growing pain stage I think everyone had when our knees hurt and our parents said it was growing pains? Well mine never stopped, the older I got the worse it got. By my early 20's my whole knee joint was swollen then the shots started then the knee scope then I had a oteostomy done (it totaly crippled me,got infected) and 3 years after that,a total right knee replacement and it still hurts like a real knee. It has helped and now they have been wanting to replace the other one for about 2 or 3 years now but I won't let them. They also want to fuse my lumbar again I said no, they wanted to cut me down the front and the back and I was reading the things that could go wrong, I FREAKED OUT! I got out that front door as fast as I could which wasn't very fast I had had surgery a few weeks before that.  Also what you said about the stigma, to be truthful to myself that could be part of it to. If people find out (and they have)the next thing you know everybody will label me as a drug addict. I suffered over 20 years before I finally went to the doctor to get pain medication. Like I said the bad pain started about when I was 22 and didn't go get medication until I was about 43 years old. I suffered many years and I still hurt. I have everything wrong with me, Osteoarthritis is just a short cut for all that goes with the word you know........Lumbar: broad-based diffuse disc bulge,far-lateral annular tear,spinal stenosis,left sided degenerative facet arthropathy,central canal stenosis,lateral recesss,neural foraminal stenosis of lumbar spine,degenerative disc disease with desiccation of disc space,disc osteophytic bulge of far right lateral annular tear,bone spurs. This is the short version of lumbar M.R.I The cervical M.R.I. -Vertebral alignment:1 anterolisthesis of C-4 upon C-5,central disc osteophytic protrusion,cervical spondylosis,narrowing on left at c3-4,annular bulge,reversal of normal cervical lordosos centered at c-5,c-4-5 central disc osteophyte complex indents the ventral CSF(CENTRAL SPINAL FLUID)minimal indents,cervical spondylosis with progression from previous exam. And of course degenerative disc disease. And Major Depressive Disorder. Sorry this was so long but I kept it as short as possible. This didn't even include my leggs which isn't much left of my knees. So I guess after putting this on the computer now I see why I choose to take my pain medication,I don't have to much of choice. The pain is just to much. Thanks for listening and I really didn't mean to write so much. Have a great day and may GOD BLESS YOU,TUCKAMORE, SHARUN

[namnam46]

Like I said, I'm not going to allow them to do anything to my spine either.  I've seen so many people on the boards that have are worse off than when they started.  It's not worth the short period of time that it might feel a little better for it to go down hill fast and be in worse shape than before!!

Because of all of this, I, too, choose to take the meds responsibly so that my pain can be controlled.  Of course, not everyone agrees with the decisions that you and I  and Tuck have made, but they don't have to live in our pain either.  We are the only ones that know how we feel.

Having arthritis from our 20's is so difficult and I'm betting that you can no longer remember a day without pain.  I know that I can't and I never thought that I would ever say that!!  But I truly don't remember not having pain.  The worst part is that for most of those years I didn't have anything to help me fight my pain.  I suffered in silence and went without being able to do anything because I never thought to ask my Doctor for help!!  I didn't get anything for my pain until 2003.  At that time I was already 57 years old!!! :(  It was very difficult.  I'm sure that you have a very similar story also.  That's why I have chosen to stay with Pain Meds because I never want to feel that way again.

I, fortunately, live in Arizona and don't have to worry about Humidity or Rain!!  It has really helped my Arthritis a lot.  I know why so many Seniors move here to retire!! :)  My Doctor's in Spring Hill told me that I would feel better when I got here but I didn't realize just how much it would help me!!  :)


Sending you (((HUGS))))............Sherry :)

[Sharun49er]

It sounds like that arthritis has you in a bad way, I have had it since my early 20's, I also have several types of buldging disc, stenosis, degenerative disc diesease, desicated disc, ankylosis spondylitis a few other things I can't think of right of the bat but I will not let them fuse my spine of do another knee replacement. I just don't have the nerve it hurts to much and I choose to take my med's rather than suffer daily, especially in the mornings and in the middle of the night.The knee replacement was all I could take.
WISHING YOU LOT'S OF NON RAINY DAYS... XOXO
Have a great day!!!

[namnam46]

Like I said, that's why we're here on MH.  You'd be surprised how often you will find someone that's in the very same boat that we are in!!  

I agree with you about the fusing.  I don't want anymore back surgery as the list of side-effects is just too long!!!  I guarantee you that you will have side-effects sooner or later!!

What I didn't tell you is that I have 2 bulging discs in my Cervical area (neck) that are moderate and 3 bulging discs in my Thoracic area, 2 are moderate and one is extreme. I've tried having the epidurals and they didn't last long-enough to make it worthwhile, so I won't be doing that again.  Other than meds, the only other option is surgery and both myself and my PM Doctor agree that all the surgery will do is cause me horrific problems afterwards.  I don't want that again!!  So, therefore, I've chosen my Meds as I do want to be able to have life!!!  I didn't have any when i didn't have the Meds.  :(  But as you know, we each have to choose what is best for ourselves!!!  

Hang in there!! We are here for you and you can always count on us to be a great sounding board or support group or whatever you want us to be, no matter what your choice is!!!  :)

I'm sending you Gentle (((HUGS)))..........Sherry

[Sharun49er]

Thank you for the sanity, just so it has it I also have been suffering from osteoarthritis since my early 20's. I have had one knee replacement that didn't do so well and need another one and they want to fuse my back and I won't let them. I have arthritis everywhere almost. Some of the doctor's say I was born with it. So as you know it's a very painful thing to go through everyday. I never have taken drugs in my life til this and I guess I fell kinda guilty but the medication does make a huge difference in weather I can go places and walk or stay home and hurt. I have to sleep in my recliner if I don't have med's because I can't sleep in the bed because of my back. So again what to do? Thank you for your kind words.

[Tuckamore]

Hello Sharun,

You are so Welcome to our Pain Management Community. We understand the challenges that the journey through this ugly thing called Chronic Pain presents.  I am sorry you find yourself in that vicious cycle that most CP patients are faced with.... it doesn't end. My heart goes out to you.

I use to think the same... I'll stop the meds or skip them and function without an opiate.... After all I use to be able to live just fine without relying upon a "pill." Sadly, it simply doesn't work that way when you have severe chronic pain. We all wish it did. So I understand where you are coming from.

If it helps your situation is not unique. We're all in the same boat. I don't know what has caused your chronic pain or the areas that are effected... In the long run it really doesn't matter. Pain is pain.

So the first question I would have for you is why do you want to stop taking medication that helps you function and have some sort of normalcy? Is it the stigma? Is it the cost? Or are you in the stage of grief and loss (for the you that existed before CP) called denial? Or are you just venting?

How long have you had Chronic Pain?

I hope you will share your thoughts with us. We're here to help and offer our support. The members of this forum really do get it.  We're not here to judge you. Goodness knows we've been there or will be there.

Please be active in our community. I believe it will help you and it will help others. I'll look forward to hearing from you soon.  

Take Care,
~Tuck

[namnam46]

Hi Sharun49er,

First, I want to welcome you to the PM (Pain Management) Forum and let you know that we are glad you found this Forum. We are all CP (Chronic Pain) Patients that help each other with our own expertise and experiences that we have developed through our own CP Issues.

We're all in the very same boat that you are in here, Sharun.  It's an endless cycle and we each have to make the decision as to whether or not we choose to take the Pain Medication that our Doctor's have prescribed to us, so that we are all able to function properly, so that we can take care of our Families and ourselves or do we want to "stop" the medication and not be able to function because of unbearable pain.  As you know, it's an endless cycle!!  :(    

I see that you are from TN.  I just moved out here to AZ, 2 years ago, from Spring Hill,    TN.   Believe me I know exactly what you are talking about.  I have chosen to take the meds, as well as do everything that my Doctors suggest I do or try in the way of treatments to help myself as much as possible.  

You haven't said anything about the type of pain or predicament that you find yourself in that has caused you to suffer from CP (Chronic Pain).  The only way to get out of it is to, hopefully, find a solution to your CP.  Unfortunately, my type of CP has no solution.  I suffer from Osteo-Arthritis (in every joint in my body) and DDD (Degenerative Disc Disease). I'm, almost 65 years old, and have suffered from Osteo-Arthritis since I was in my 20's.  It's not fun but it's a part of my life and I just try to do the very best that I can.  It's a long road, but I've found a way that I can do as much as I possibly can and still have a life everyday.  

How long have you been suffering from your CP?  Are you new to CP or a long-time sufferer as I am?  Is there hope for you at the end of the tunnel or are you in it for the long-haul?

I hope that you will remain an active member of our PM Forum, as we are here to help each other and support each other through out both our good and our bad days!!  I found this Forum just a little over a year ago and it has been a God-send for me. It's a great place to be able to find what's "new" out there, that someone's Doctor may be doing for them that our we might not have heard of yet!!  :)  Everyone here is so kind and caring and we all truly care for each other.  We love having "new" Friends come on and join and we love making them feel Welcome!!

Again, I'm so very glad that you have found this Forum and hope that you will remain an active member on here!!

I'll be looking for your updates and, as I said, hope to see you often on here......Sherry  :)