ROM & other things

[Guest guest]

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