Re: Questions about Treatment and Condition

[Guest guest]

Wow, Jan!!! That's a lot of Neurontin to be

on! My doctor wouldn't prescribe more than 800mg

per day! But then he turned around when he put

me on Lyrica and gave me a sample bottle of 50mg

pills for me to find my level of comfort. I

started on 50mg. That was about 6 years

ago. Now I take 300mg of lyrica twice a day, and

it works terrific! I have spinal stenosis in my

neck and lower back, also osteoarthritis there

and all through my body. I am stubborn. My DH

says he has no idea how I do the things I do. I

still work part time, although I'm not in

management anymore. Was in management (at

Walmart) for 14 years, and now have done 1 1/2

years on register or as a greeter and totally

love it! Though I do miss my more active

years. I felt " fulfilled " , if you know what I

mean. I was making a difference. Well, now the

only difference I make is my house isn't squeaky

clean anymore - it's healthy. But my grandkids

are my life beside DH and the 9 cats who own

us. We pay the mortgage on a BIG OLD house for

them so they have plenty of room to run around

in. It just so happens we fell in love with the

house, too. We've been gutting one room at a

time (the house was built in 1882), and making it

*ours*. And with the animals, ceramic tile

floors are sooooooooo much easier to clean than carpeting!

Oh my, who's going on and on now??? LOL Sorry!

I know what you're feeling, Jan. But I've asked

so many people about shots in the back and all

this stuff, and I'm not convinced it's the best

road to go. For me anyway. I force myself to do

what I do, and when I was sick recently and my

body was paralyzed from the trauma to the nerves

in my back and neck, I promised myself that every

day I will do everything that I can possibly

do. And I do. Some days I have to just take it

easy on the couch and crochet just to recuperate

from doing too much, but that's not too often.

Will your doctor prescribe Lyrica for you? Have

you tried it? Neurontin does nothing for

me. The doc started me on it, but then switched

me to Lyrica. And I fought with the insurance

about coverage for it, and they listened to my

appeal! WOW! Imagine!! Someone who listened

and did what I need to be done! WOW! <G>

Jan, I hope you find an answer to at least get

the pain to the bearable level. I take vicodin

and percoset. The percosets are for when I'm

REALLY bad off and have to function for some

reason. But the vicodins do ok. They at least

keep it bearable. I hope you can find something to help you with pain.

Sometimes just getting on here and knowing there

are others who are also in a ton of pain just

like I am helps me feel better mentally. I also

take an anti-depressant. Maybe you should ask

your doctor for one. And if you're on one and am

still so depressed, you're not on the right

one. The best one for me that I've found is effexor xr.

I'm sorry I've rambled on so much, but I find I

do that when what I really want to do is give a

person a hug. So consider yourself hugged!

Barb

At 01:14 PM 5/3/2010, you wrote:

>

>

>Hi This is my first post to this group and I

>really need some help to deal with this pain. I

>have spinal stenosis, L4, L5 and S1, I have had

>2 MRI's since June of last year, 3 Epidurals 1

>Facet Injection and 4 weeks ago (after going to

>new pain doc) had a Pulsed Radiofrequency

>Neurotomy (DRG). Currently on 1800mg of

>Gabapentin per day just to help manage the pain

>which I was on before the DRG. I understand from

>the doc that the procedure can take up to 6

>weeks to see if it worked. Has anyone had this done and what was the outcome?

>

>The pain I experienced before the DRG and now is

>mostly below the knee, tightness, electrical

>shock in various spots, toes numb or feeling of

>being bunched together. Some back pain and upper leg, but not the as bad.

>

>I am totally depressed. I cannot even drive most

>days because just flexing my right foot on the

>peddle and the pressure of the seat on the back

>leg above the knee is really bad. I can not walk

>any distance, just shopping hurts, I am totally

>sedentary. I am not expercising, the new doc

>never even mentioned PT. I did try it before my

>1st Epidural last year, but I was in to much pain so we stopped.

>

>I had my MRI report and CD sent to a

>Neurosurgeon here in Tucson and based on the the

>report (he did not and would not look at the CD)

>said he would not see me, my condtion did not

>warrant surgery. It's not like I want surgery,

>but I can't spend the rest of my life like this

>either. I called the doc for something else for

>pain and they gave me Vicodin. I took 1/4 of one

>yesterday and do not like how it makes we feel.

>

>Sorry for going on and on. Any help, suggestions would be very welcome.

>

>Thanks Jan

>

>