QUESTION ABOUT INCREASING PAIN MEDS.

[Guest guest]

Question.....

I have been trying to get up enough nerve to ask my Doctor about prescribing a little bit stronger pain medication. All I have ever taken is Vicodin, and I just feel that I need something a little stronger now. ......I am in constant pain, and although the Vicodin takes the edge off..... (and that is only if I lie down after taking it).....I never feel that I am getting any real relief.

I know that when I go to the Doctor on Monday, he is going to decrease the amount of Prednisone I am on, now that My rash is cleared up. I am on 20 mg. of prednisone a day, and I really do want to eventually get off the cursed stuff. .......But everytime I decrease the prednisone, the pain gets worse, and I am tempted to bump it back up just to get more pain relief......you've all been there, right?

I would just like to be able to move around a little easier, and do more things without being in excruciating pain. I have always had a high pain tolerance.....but it has gotten past the point that I can tolerate most of the time......My Lupus is in remission now .....but the Fibromyalgia and Sjogren's Syndrome is causing plenty of pain without The Wolf .

I know that many of you have much more severe pain than I do.....and I feel like a big baby to complain......but I think our pain is a personal thing.....when we own it , it's ours to deal with as best we can, and sometimes I am just in tears when I try do any housework or shopping or any of the things that I CAN still do for myself , but not without suffering.........How do you convince a Doctor that your Pain is just a little bit more than you can take most of the time? I 'm not so naive that I expect to ever be complelely pain free again.....but how do you convince a doctor that you need more relief than you are getting without having to argue the point.?