Dealing with the pain

[Mike_B_]

I am trying to schedule an appontment with a nuro surgeon for him to review my tests.  I was doing ok on the hydrocodone and never took over 3 a day, but i took them for about 3 or 4 years.  It stoped the pain and allowed me to go on with my work wheather it was cutting the yard or just going about my daily life.  I think my doc was scarred he was going to get in trouble with the DEA if he was to keep giving me the hydro.  I do have a ringing in my ears and i think it's from the drugs that i have been taking.

Have you ever heard of that and is there anything that can be done to help that?  I just hope i can get through the next couple of weeks and start feeling better.  I am lucky that i am working from home so when the pain gets real bad i can go lay down for a little while and my kids are off at college so it's just me and my wife who has been with me for 35 years.  Keep me in your prayers that i can not take any of the prescriptions i have here at the house.  I have 2 prescriptions of the opana er and some liquid hydrocodone from where i had the flu about a month ago and a bunch of the ultrams but, i am scarred of the ultrams because they are extended release too and stay with me too long.  Kind of like this post is.  Sorry for being so long winded but i just got to typing and could not stop.  It has been reassuring to see others going through some of the things i am.  It's just tough when you are in pain and the docs realize that but are scarred to give you what really helps.  Let me know you thoughts about how long i can expect to feel so bad and not have the energy i am used to having and not being in pain.

Mike in TN

[Mike_B_]

i had cancer 30 years ago, the same kind as Lance Armstrong.  I was only given a 20% chance of even living a year.  I had all my lymph nodes from my chest to my waste taken out.  I have since had 2 heart attacks one while i was running on the tread mill in 97 and i had 2 stints put in last year.  They says it's because of the chemo i had to take.

I now have lower back pain and had a mylogram and the ortho told me there was nothing that could be done because my facet joints are covered in bone spurs and scare tissue.  I have been taking hydrocodone for about 3 or 4 years for pain.  I have only taken about 3 a day and that seemed to work for me.  However my GP keep wanting to try different things and he put me on patches and then opana er.  They were both too strong for me to function at the same time.  At least with the hydro i would be normal every once in a while.  But with the extended release it just never went away.  I have been trying to stop taking all of it so i can see how bad the pain is, and it is bad.

I took some of the ultram for a couple of days and it just made thing worse and now i am feeling bad again from not taking anything.  It's been 2 days since my last ultram and i took it 3 days in a row (200 er).  But it's been about 2 weeks since i took anything else.  I just hope i can get in with this neurosurgion and see what he says and he is a pain guy too.  So maybe he has something that can help.  My wife is so supportive she is mad at my dr for taking me off the hydro because it worked and i never increased my dosage over 3 a day except when i had a kidney stone twice.  That was painful too.

  

[bmc1976]

What kind of pain are you having? There are many on here that started using due to pain. I myself have lower back and sciatic pain. There are people that may be able to help with alternatives to narcotics for dealing with your pain. I know exactly what you're going through. I've been dealing with this for a few years. I feel for you because I know what it is like living with pain. You may be surprised on how taking the pills sometimes causes us to think we have more pain then we realized. And there are other ways to deal to with it. Vicodin seems to be the cure all and once on it we don't feel any pain. It's a good idea to come off of it every now and then and re-evaluate our pain. Let us know the source of your pain and hopefully we can help! Best of luck to you!
brian

[Mike_B_]

I think the worse part is the pain and dealing with no sleep.  I sleep for about 2 hours at a time and can't make it past 3:30 AM every morning.  I appreciate your reply and i know there are alot of people on here that are going through the same thing.  I'm just trying to deal with it.  I have no energy and i can't get too far from the bathroom.  

I think taking the ultram for a couple of days (200 er, 1 a day) might have set me back on my plan to stop all together.  I am going to see a nurosurgeon and let him read my tests to see if there is anything that can be done to stop the pain.  I told my GP i would do whatever they think i should do to control the pain.  I just want to get on with my life without this auful feeling.  I have been dealing with this since early Feb.  Slowly cutting down on the opana er and taking colendine to relieve the spikes in my blood pressure.  I went a week without anything until my GP said take the ultram er if it helps.  All it really does is stop the wd's but not the pain.  Now that i stoped again i am going through it all over again. Bummer!!!!

[newmanagment]

Mike, sorry ya are feeeling bad. i think if ya quit , you will start to feel better in the long run. best of luck toya, and keep posting . others will be on soon, after they wake up..