Re: New member intro

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

Comforting to realize that I was not the only person who hurt so bad

that they entertained thoughts of suicide. I kept thinking that there

had to be a better life than I was living. The only thing that kept me

from it was a VERY strong belief in heaven and hell. Also, did not want

to put Elwyn through that, as he lost a son to suicide in 1992. I don't

know if my internist sensed how desperate I was and this was why he put

me on the Oxycontin or not, but this medication did LITERALLY save my

life!

gentle hugs,

Sharon

Faith...with it, miracles *CAN* and *DO* happen!

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

I absolutely LOVE my doctor. He's the best. Even though we live in

a pretty small, almost rural area, he stays very up to date on

things. He even took all of the info I gave him on fluoroquinolone

adverse reactions (Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox, etc.) with a lot of

grace, and even read it all right in front of me. Not too many

doctors take too well to being educated by their patient, but he

took it in stride, and was actually grateful for the information.

He's treated me all along, but has tried to send me to specialists

as well. None of them have done me a bit of good, so I've always

fallen back on him. I'm not sure I would even feel comfortable with

another doctor now...he has me so spoiled on his caliber of care!

Dr. Lee used to prescribe my A/D, til I started seeing a

psychiatrist, who took over all of that when I started bipolar

treatment. He still keeps up to date with it though, asks what I'm

taking now, and how much, and if it's working okay for me whenever I

go to see him.

I haven't " technically " started using a BT med yet, but I have used

my leftover Vicodin during the very rough moments. I'm thinking of

asking for an increase in my Oxy dosage the next time I see him

though. I don't think that 10mg is enough!

Well, I'm about falling asleep writing this, so I'd better go. Take

care, and I will talk to you later!

All my best,

Jen

[Guest guest]

Sharon,

As I was sitting there at work today, with horrible pain in my lower

back and SI, and muscle spasms so bad I wanted to cry, all I could

think about was making it til 3:30, and making it to my

chiropractor's appointment, then getting home to take some relief

meds....without bursting into tears or laying on the floor, no

matter how nasty and dirty it is!

I think my back problems are starting to progress, and so does my

chiropractor. We both think it's time for another MRI, to see if

the damage has gotten worse. The last one I had was in 2000 or

2001, and it showed a slightly bulging disc and SI joint

dsyfunction. I'm kind of afraid of what it will show now!

I was also talking with a co-worker, whose husband also has chronic

back problems. She said that their doctor gave him Lidoderm patches

to use, and I'm thinking of asking my doctor if I can try them,

particularly while I'm at work. That seems to be where I have the

most back and hip pain, and also the place where I'm not " supposed "

to be taking any form of relief medication (narcotics and muscle

relaxers) since I work with heavy machinery (OSHA laws). Since I

can't function when I'm in that kind of pain either, I thought that

maybe the Lidoderm patches might be a viable alternative. Hell,

it's worth a shot!

At this point, my doctor only has me taking the Oxy " as needed " ,

such as when I have an acute flare up, or when the pain in my back

gets too bad to bear. Neither of us wants really wants me to be

using it as a daily med...I'm just not ready for that yet, or the

thought of a dosage increase. I'm sensitive enough to the Oxy that

10mg does ease my pain the biggest majority of the time. I still

think the weather has a lot to do with my current pain levels, and

my doctor agrees. It didn't seem to be as bad until winter started,

and he told me that winter is an extremely rough time for

Fibromites. If things aren't better by the time the weather is

warmer, and definitely here to stay, and getting back into my

walking routine doesn't help, he and I will probably go back to the

drawing board on my treatment plan. He doesn't feel comfortable

with going too high on Oxycontin dosages, so he said that if I ever

needed more than 20mg, he'd switch me to another med, probably a

patch or MS Contin. He wanted to go with MS Contin to begin with,

but I felt uncomfortable with taking a morphine based drug.

My doctor has been so great about working with me....even

prescribing the Oxy to me in the first place was an incredible leap

of faith for him. He hardly ever prescribes it, which shows me that

1) He knows how much pain I'm in, and 2) He has a lot of trust in me

to prescribe it for long term use. I'd be heartbroken if I ever

felt like I needed to change doctors, because he's the best doctor

I've ever had in my life. He tends to err on the side of caution

with me, but with all the things that have happened I don't mind,

and never fails to go above and beyond the call of duty for me.

Luckily, he's young, so I don't have to worry about him retiring on

me for a long time! LOL!

Jen

[Guest guest]

Dear Jen,

You are fortunate to have found such an understanding doctor, and a

YOUNG one at that!! My internist is a little younger than me (I am 53),

so I do worry about him retiring before I die! I honestly do not know

what I would do without the Oxy... it has literally been a lifesaver. I

was suicidal when Dr. Finn first rx'd it, not because of depression or

any psychiatric disorder, but simply because of the excruciating pain

that I was in and being shuffled from one doctor to another. However,

the Oxy keeps the pain at a level where it can at least be tolerated. I

have decided that NOTHING will EVER get me to the point that I am

completely pain free, but will settle for " bearable " . I have an

appointment on the 29th to see Dr. Finn and discuss my current meds with

him. I am not necessarily looking for an increase in the Oxy or Lortab,

but do want to know that the Lortab is there in case of emergencies, and

want to discuss which meds, if any, he feels I can safely discontinue.

Please pray that this visit goes well and that I do not end up in tears

before it is over.

hugs and prayers,

Sharon - Memphis, TN

Faith...with it, miracles *CAN* and *DO* happen!