Guest guest Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 Joyce I feel so sorry that you had to go through such pain for so long, with no accurate diagnosis. It goes to show that we must guard ourselves against overeager surgeons and be persistant in getting the right answers. Fortunately for me, my symptoms showed up in the hip where, in fact, the problem was, although I did have awful pain in the sacroiliac joints, which has now diappeared along with the hip pain, since surgery. I had no ROM to speak of in the bad hip, and the pain from bone-on-bone movement was causing me to grab any and all meds I could get, to get some relief. At that time, I had been advised that a THR was the only procedure available, so I went on a waitlist. That was 3 years ago. Gradually all my atheltic activities had to be dropped, as pain worsened. This can be so gradual that we don't always realize how much we have given up and how limited our lives have become. Not to mention, poor health from lack of any cardio work. In hindsight, I do caution about too much reliance on heavy duty pain meds. When nothing else worked, my doctor put me on morphine. Big mistake - I was allergic in all sorts of ways, and when I gave it up after about 6 weeks, I found that I could not sleep - at all...It was then onto sleeping pills, and their effect wears off very quickly. It has taken me 10 months to get the stuff out of my system, and am now beginning to get some sleep. When I gave up the morphine, I went back onto a Tylenol/ibuprofen combo, which I was able to put up with, probably because I knew I would soon be having a resurf. Btw, I had been on Nsaids off and on for approx 13 years, and there is some belief that they contribute to the deterioration of joints.... I guess the lesson learne is get a resurf as soon as possible, to avoid all the complications and to get on with living. I wish I had known about it years ago. If I had waited any longer I would not have been a candidate for it. When is your surgery? Sharry ROM & other things Hi, folks. I've been reading the messages from folks who wrote about their ROM diminishing (pre-op). The pain in my leg started years ago. I didn't have any idea what was causing it, because it manifested itself as serious lower back pain. The medical community was all about having back surgery at that time. I flatly refused. And by this time, the pain was also in my butt, around my groin (big time!) and in my quad & hamstring. Periformis syndrome?? My muscles got so twisted in pain, and so locked up from guarding against pain, that my left hip joint would, literally, have to be popped back into place just so I could stand up. I kept seeing the chiropractor (which actually helped), kept moving (which became excruciating). I took enough ibuprophen to cause bleeding, took all of the NSAI meds known to the western world, and kept saying to the doc, " I'm still in awful pain. Is there anything else I could take? " ROM was in serious jepoardy. My muscles were a mess. Total spasms. Finally one Monday morning, I plopped myself down in the local ER and told the busy young doc that I had hit the wall with pain. Xray showed OA in left hip (bone on bone). He prescribed Vicoden and Flexeril and Arthrotec. FINALLY!! Pain relief. Blessed pain relief. And I could still move my leg. I have pretty good ROM when I'm not in pain!! And have been walking and building up strength. Well, lest the story make total sense, my family doc (who is really a neat woman), lowered the strength of the vicoden and now I'm in some pain again. (Had to stop the Arthrotec for surgery)It seems that I've had to overcome the idea that a person in pain will automatically become a drug addict if given pain meds. So because no one wanted me to become a drug addict, I lived in unnecessary pain for a long time. It is my belief that when someone is in the kind of pain I've had, those drugs go to the pain receptors and not the pleasure center of the brain. Yes? Getting pain free (or almost pain free) with meds shows how much we can still move our legs. And allows us to keep those muscles strong. Not to mention that old fashioned notion that it's okay to desire being out of pain, that in and of itself is a worthy goal. Feedback? p.s. you all are so dear, thanks for the messages you've sent me for my upcoming 2/1/04 surgery date. I'm hanging in there. Joyce in Kentucky ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 Joyce I feel so sorry that you had to go through such pain for so long, with no accurate diagnosis. It goes to show that we must guard ourselves against overeager surgeons and be persistant in getting the right answers. Fortunately for me, my symptoms showed up in the hip where, in fact, the problem was, although I did have awful pain in the sacroiliac joints, which has now diappeared along with the hip pain, since surgery. I had no ROM to speak of in the bad hip, and the pain from bone-on-bone movement was causing me to grab any and all meds I could get, to get some relief. At that time, I had been advised that a THR was the only procedure available, so I went on a waitlist. That was 3 years ago. Gradually all my atheltic activities had to be dropped, as pain worsened. This can be so gradual that we don't always realize how much we have given up and how limited our lives have become. Not to mention, poor health from lack of any cardio work. In hindsight, I do caution about too much reliance on heavy duty pain meds. When nothing else worked, my doctor put me on morphine. Big mistake - I was allergic in all sorts of ways, and when I gave it up after about 6 weeks, I found that I could not sleep - at all...It was then onto sleeping pills, and their effect wears off very quickly. It has taken me 10 months to get the stuff out of my system, and am now beginning to get some sleep. When I gave up the morphine, I went back onto a Tylenol/ibuprofen combo, which I was able to put up with, probably because I knew I would soon be having a resurf. Btw, I had been on Nsaids off and on for approx 13 years, and there is some belief that they contribute to the deterioration of joints.... I guess the lesson learne is get a resurf as soon as possible, to avoid all the complications and to get on with living. I wish I had known about it years ago. If I had waited any longer I would not have been a candidate for it. When is your surgery? Sharry ROM & other things Hi, folks. I've been reading the messages from folks who wrote about their ROM diminishing (pre-op). The pain in my leg started years ago. I didn't have any idea what was causing it, because it manifested itself as serious lower back pain. The medical community was all about having back surgery at that time. I flatly refused. And by this time, the pain was also in my butt, around my groin (big time!) and in my quad & hamstring. Periformis syndrome?? My muscles got so twisted in pain, and so locked up from guarding against pain, that my left hip joint would, literally, have to be popped back into place just so I could stand up. I kept seeing the chiropractor (which actually helped), kept moving (which became excruciating). I took enough ibuprophen to cause bleeding, took all of the NSAI meds known to the western world, and kept saying to the doc, " I'm still in awful pain. Is there anything else I could take? " ROM was in serious jepoardy. My muscles were a mess. Total spasms. Finally one Monday morning, I plopped myself down in the local ER and told the busy young doc that I had hit the wall with pain. Xray showed OA in left hip (bone on bone). He prescribed Vicoden and Flexeril and Arthrotec. FINALLY!! Pain relief. Blessed pain relief. And I could still move my leg. I have pretty good ROM when I'm not in pain!! And have been walking and building up strength. Well, lest the story make total sense, my family doc (who is really a neat woman), lowered the strength of the vicoden and now I'm in some pain again. (Had to stop the Arthrotec for surgery)It seems that I've had to overcome the idea that a person in pain will automatically become a drug addict if given pain meds. So because no one wanted me to become a drug addict, I lived in unnecessary pain for a long time. It is my belief that when someone is in the kind of pain I've had, those drugs go to the pain receptors and not the pleasure center of the brain. Yes? Getting pain free (or almost pain free) with meds shows how much we can still move our legs. And allows us to keep those muscles strong. Not to mention that old fashioned notion that it's okay to desire being out of pain, that in and of itself is a worthy goal. Feedback? p.s. you all are so dear, thanks for the messages you've sent me for my upcoming 2/1/04 surgery date. I'm hanging in there. Joyce in Kentucky ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 Joyce I feel so sorry that you had to go through such pain for so long, with no accurate diagnosis. It goes to show that we must guard ourselves against overeager surgeons and be persistant in getting the right answers. Fortunately for me, my symptoms showed up in the hip where, in fact, the problem was, although I did have awful pain in the sacroiliac joints, which has now diappeared along with the hip pain, since surgery. I had no ROM to speak of in the bad hip, and the pain from bone-on-bone movement was causing me to grab any and all meds I could get, to get some relief. At that time, I had been advised that a THR was the only procedure available, so I went on a waitlist. That was 3 years ago. Gradually all my atheltic activities had to be dropped, as pain worsened. This can be so gradual that we don't always realize how much we have given up and how limited our lives have become. Not to mention, poor health from lack of any cardio work. In hindsight, I do caution about too much reliance on heavy duty pain meds. When nothing else worked, my doctor put me on morphine. Big mistake - I was allergic in all sorts of ways, and when I gave it up after about 6 weeks, I found that I could not sleep - at all...It was then onto sleeping pills, and their effect wears off very quickly. It has taken me 10 months to get the stuff out of my system, and am now beginning to get some sleep. When I gave up the morphine, I went back onto a Tylenol/ibuprofen combo, which I was able to put up with, probably because I knew I would soon be having a resurf. Btw, I had been on Nsaids off and on for approx 13 years, and there is some belief that they contribute to the deterioration of joints.... I guess the lesson learne is get a resurf as soon as possible, to avoid all the complications and to get on with living. I wish I had known about it years ago. If I had waited any longer I would not have been a candidate for it. When is your surgery? Sharry ROM & other things Hi, folks. I've been reading the messages from folks who wrote about their ROM diminishing (pre-op). The pain in my leg started years ago. I didn't have any idea what was causing it, because it manifested itself as serious lower back pain. The medical community was all about having back surgery at that time. I flatly refused. And by this time, the pain was also in my butt, around my groin (big time!) and in my quad & hamstring. Periformis syndrome?? My muscles got so twisted in pain, and so locked up from guarding against pain, that my left hip joint would, literally, have to be popped back into place just so I could stand up. I kept seeing the chiropractor (which actually helped), kept moving (which became excruciating). I took enough ibuprophen to cause bleeding, took all of the NSAI meds known to the western world, and kept saying to the doc, " I'm still in awful pain. Is there anything else I could take? " ROM was in serious jepoardy. My muscles were a mess. Total spasms. Finally one Monday morning, I plopped myself down in the local ER and told the busy young doc that I had hit the wall with pain. Xray showed OA in left hip (bone on bone). He prescribed Vicoden and Flexeril and Arthrotec. FINALLY!! Pain relief. Blessed pain relief. And I could still move my leg. I have pretty good ROM when I'm not in pain!! And have been walking and building up strength. Well, lest the story make total sense, my family doc (who is really a neat woman), lowered the strength of the vicoden and now I'm in some pain again. (Had to stop the Arthrotec for surgery)It seems that I've had to overcome the idea that a person in pain will automatically become a drug addict if given pain meds. So because no one wanted me to become a drug addict, I lived in unnecessary pain for a long time. It is my belief that when someone is in the kind of pain I've had, those drugs go to the pain receptors and not the pleasure center of the brain. Yes? Getting pain free (or almost pain free) with meds shows how much we can still move our legs. And allows us to keep those muscles strong. Not to mention that old fashioned notion that it's okay to desire being out of pain, that in and of itself is a worthy goal. Feedback? p.s. you all are so dear, thanks for the messages you've sent me for my upcoming 2/1/04 surgery date. I'm hanging in there. Joyce in Kentucky ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 Hi, buddy. That's interesting about ibuprofen maybe contributing to this joint break down. Wouldn't surprise me. It's not that I think docs should give out any and all sorts of heavy pain stuff -- but I do think some of them think pain sufferers are just trying to get a " buzz " or " take the easy way out. " Whatever they think THAT means. Anyway, I'm getting resurfed by Dr. Gross, in South Carolina. My sister and I are driving down tomorrow, surgery on Monday morning. I think I contributed to my own lack of timely diagnosis because I'm essentially the sort of person who stays far away from the medical establishment if I can. I'm not at all " anti doctor, " but have learned that usually there are other, less toxic & traumatic ways to deal with most stuff. Believe me, I entirely grateful that the medical community has done what it has for many human sorts of conditions -- resurfacing being at the top of the list. Anyway, I just was staggered by the way my ROM improved without so much pain. And amazed at how long I was able to just keep going before I knew what the heck was going on. Wish me luck, buddy. And thanks for the good words. Joyce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 Hi, buddy. That's interesting about ibuprofen maybe contributing to this joint break down. Wouldn't surprise me. It's not that I think docs should give out any and all sorts of heavy pain stuff -- but I do think some of them think pain sufferers are just trying to get a " buzz " or " take the easy way out. " Whatever they think THAT means. Anyway, I'm getting resurfed by Dr. Gross, in South Carolina. My sister and I are driving down tomorrow, surgery on Monday morning. I think I contributed to my own lack of timely diagnosis because I'm essentially the sort of person who stays far away from the medical establishment if I can. I'm not at all " anti doctor, " but have learned that usually there are other, less toxic & traumatic ways to deal with most stuff. Believe me, I entirely grateful that the medical community has done what it has for many human sorts of conditions -- resurfacing being at the top of the list. Anyway, I just was staggered by the way my ROM improved without so much pain. And amazed at how long I was able to just keep going before I knew what the heck was going on. Wish me luck, buddy. And thanks for the good words. Joyce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 28, 2004 Report Share Posted January 28, 2004 Hi, buddy. That's interesting about ibuprofen maybe contributing to this joint break down. Wouldn't surprise me. It's not that I think docs should give out any and all sorts of heavy pain stuff -- but I do think some of them think pain sufferers are just trying to get a " buzz " or " take the easy way out. " Whatever they think THAT means. Anyway, I'm getting resurfed by Dr. Gross, in South Carolina. My sister and I are driving down tomorrow, surgery on Monday morning. I think I contributed to my own lack of timely diagnosis because I'm essentially the sort of person who stays far away from the medical establishment if I can. I'm not at all " anti doctor, " but have learned that usually there are other, less toxic & traumatic ways to deal with most stuff. Believe me, I entirely grateful that the medical community has done what it has for many human sorts of conditions -- resurfacing being at the top of the list. Anyway, I just was staggered by the way my ROM improved without so much pain. And amazed at how long I was able to just keep going before I knew what the heck was going on. Wish me luck, buddy. And thanks for the good words. Joyce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 29, 2004 Report Share Posted January 29, 2004 Joyce, Don't worry if you don't have a 'quick' recovery. You'll have whatever recovery your body needs. Rejoice and let it do what it needs, remembering that ultimately it can only get better and better. Go with the flow. Good luck. Your 'life' will expand. Looking forward to hearing your experience. Eleanor London England 11/26/03 now almost 9 weeks and finally things are starting to really be different. Re: ROM & other things I'm leaving this morning for S. C. One thing about the pain -- it wonderfully focuses the effort & determination to do something about this! Jeeze, buddy, I read the posts about quick recoveries and pray that I, too, have that experience. Yesterday, out doing errands to get ready for this trip, I could barely make it in and out of Wal-Mart, even with heavily leaning on my cane. My " life " shrinks around me. I'll be back when I'm post-op -- and steadily working towards expanding my world again. Thanks -- many, many thanks. Joyce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.