Just how many PAIN meds can one take: Dilaudid, oxycontin, duraglesic for DJD

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I am wondering, how much pain medicine can one person take ... Dilaudid,

Oxycontin, DURAGESIC 50ug/h patch, Celebrex, Tylenol, etc. A new medicine

Neurotin

is planned. So, I am WAY pass worry, I am now curious. His doctors tell him

his recent hospitalization is not due to the cancer -- per se. His immune

system is " messed " up from his recent radiation and now his biweekly IV

chemotherapy. Because of that he got an infection in his medi-port due to him

not healing

correctly. That is how they put it. His implant had to be removed. The rest

of his current problems sound like EDS stuff: unusual reaction to pain

medicines with them not working or an allergic reaction. Then there is his

preexisting

severe DJD/Osteoarthritis in his back, hip, elbow. They also started using

the name conjoint or conjoint tendon to describe his DJD. This was after

detailed catscan and MRI that almost showed nothing.

Does anyone know if an illness like cancer and its treatments can cause the

" EDS normal body pains " to get <<WORSE>>. Or, perhaps, it is his intense

catscan and MRI scans from all his doctors that pinpointed his hip, back and

joint

pains. Previously, his still new set of doctors were ignoring Bills joint pain.

I suppose the " normal " folk with the same joint illness have less pain?? They

were initially finding it hard to believe that he required so much

medication.

Then again, we as EDSers have high pain tolerance and/or low pain tolerance.

In Bill's case, I believe ... while he always told me that he was always in

pain and was on Celebrex, etc., etc. ... I had NO idea it was level 7 or beyond.

IMO, at which point did he think he was going to ask for more help. Slowly I

did see that some of the doctors are no help when it comes to other peoples

pain.

It seems that each of the three time since October 29, 2003, that I know of

that Bill is in hospital and had his usual back pain, that the medical staff

ignored his request for additional or higher pain medication. This went on until

the new cancer pain started and they were amazed to find that injected pain

medicine, patches and morphine did not work. Then, it got more unusual. Bill

said the pain medicine for the lung cancer pain was not " touching " the hip pain

.... and vice versa.

Finally when they continued to insist tat 350 mg Tylenol tablets were not

working, Bill threaten to take his own medicine that he had with him in his

luggage. Well, that must have been the <<secret password>>. The believed him or

maybe seeing the strength of his own medicines they increased his dosage.

Well, that was last October when he was in the hospital twenty some days.

This hospital admission started February 1 and continues. I now realize all of

his problems stem from the non small cell lung cancer radiation and chemo

therapy. But as this message is about, it quickly became the question of what

pain

medicine for his Degenerative joint disease (DJD) worked or did not work.

At least now, they believe he is " different. " Our joint EDS knowledgeable

doctor has accepted that he seems to be EDS. Not the same type as me of course.

Bill and his mother definitely have similiar symptoms. All of the symptoms Bill

has is just like his MOM :-). Gee, no wonder parents sometimes feel guilty.

In our case, I am in the position of informing her about her own EDS. She is

reading and listening but somewhat overwhelmed with it all. I had Bill mail her

much documentation on EDS -- medical and layman simple stuff. However, since

her last seizure form her own rare reaction to Oxycontin [October 2003], she

says she no longer remembers much of her medical knowledge. Then, she was

confused over whether she was reading about me, Bill or herself :-<.

I promised her a binder with printout of EDS for all of us:-). Okay, thank

you for reading my novel. Here is my main question.

QUESTION:

When it comes to Osteoarthritis, DJD of the lower back, hip, elbow. Is it

typical that pain levels require the above named pain medicines. You know, EDSer

with this condition as compared to the regular person.

Caro.