Meds, mental or miracle?

[Guest guest]

Hi all and Merry Christmas!

I've been reading and soaking up so much information from this group and I can't

tell you how much it means to me to have a place to absorb and relate when it

comes to cp. For so long I thought I was alone and was so overwhelmed with all

this that I was scraping bottom and just to know that I'm not alone and to learn

coping techniques has really turned my life around. Thank you all for sharing

and for caring about everyone the way you.

I have a question if anyone can help.

I've been on Hydrocodone 10/500 for over a year. I have had 5 steroid/lidocane

injections, caudill blocks I think they are called, and have gone through pt,

have a tens unit and tried so many drugs I feel like a pharmacy. Two months

ago, my doc (pain management clinic) changed my pain script to oxycodone (this

month the pharmacist gave me endocet). For the last few weeks, I have been

almost pain free. I walk so much better and can even pick up my sons now,

which i did not do for over a year. I was seeing a chiropractor who gave up on

fixing me and then when she changed the meds it's like, bam, and I'm feeling

great. Stiff in the mornings, some pain throughout the day, but not constant

and stopping me like it was before. Coudl that be the meds doing this or

could I have gotten a miracle? I'm serious. I even thought about stopping

the pain meds to see what would happen.

I also take meds for hypertension and diabetes and I don't want to do anything

to really screw up so my question is what would happen if I were to just stop

taking the endocet? I have to take lunesta at night to get to sleep, but

don't sleep all night, every time I move I scream in pain, but once I'm up I do

much better. I also take baclofen when the pain gets too much which i've only

done once in the past month. I also have a tens unit that I use if it starts

getting too stiff again.

I'm a mental case I know and probably sound as though I'm rambling. I'm sorry

for that. My mind goes faster than my fingers and I get frustrated.

I had back surgery 8 years ago, laminectomy and discectomy (sp?) and now they

tell me that I have bone spurs on my left side hitting the nerves, arthritis in

the right SI joint pressing on nerves, and for some reason my tailbone is

shifted to the left and when I sit on it too long it cause everything to swell

and be irritated. Six months ago I was having trouble walking everyday,

couldn't sit more than 10 or 15 minutes and could lift no weight. Now all of

the sudden I can lift, can walk and go up and down steps?

Any and all opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Marie

[Guest guest]

Hi Marie,

Gosh, you sound like me! I get a repreive from severe pain from

time to time and am sorely tempted to beleive I had a miracle.

I use those times to 'catch up' on my PT exercises, do some walking

to drop a few pounds... I also cut back on the pain meds (I use

hydrocodone), cut it in half, then taper to none when possible. It

is rare I go to bed without a dose of pain meds.

Use this time wisely!! Pick up your kids, go on a picnic, chase

your DH around the house once or twice- do ALL the fun things while

you can. Yeah- let the house get messy, leave the dishes- GO PLAY!

Make some happy memories.

Perhaps this is an early Christmas present/blessing. I hope it

lasts all year for you!

GBY

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for the reply!

I have cut back to three 10mg's a day and am so scared to cut back more. I

stopped taking my bedtime dose and have noticed that I'm really sore in the

mornings.

Now I'm asking myself if I need them at all because I am doing so well without

them, so does that make me a junkie. I hear everyone talking about withdrawal,

even asked my new psych about it and He said not to go off them that they are

working.

How do I know they are, or am I " fixed " but I'm scared to death to not take the

meds as I have been on something for two years now. That brings me to another

question. I have boxes of patches, bottles of hydros, bottles of kadian,

bottles of just about everything.

I was saving them up to take at a nighttime suicidal bash I was going to through

for myself, but my paxil has kicked back in and I don't want to do that anymore.

What do I do with the old meds. I'm scared to death not to take something.

Is that normal???

at my wits end with worry, not pain, for once,

Marie

[Guest guest]

I talked to the doc and she said it's definitely the meds. I guess I just

question too much. If I eased off on the meds, how long would take it take to

know. I don't want to go into withdrawal. How long would it take to know the

difference and what should I expect. I'm not new to pain, I'm new at not

hurting and am finding that I don't know how to deal with that.

Thanks in advance,

Marie

From: Goodwin

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. You finally found a pain med

that works great for you. Enjoy it while it lasts and don't stop

taking it to see what will happen.