Koren55
New member
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2017
- Messages
- 7
- Reason
- DX FIBRO
- Diagnosis
- 08/2001
- Country
- US
- State
- Maryland
Hi everyone,
Sorry for the longish post, but sometimes it's needed, right?
I've been taking narcotic pain meds since early 2001. They've been the only thing that controls pain. Over the years I've tried numerous alternatives, but nothing has been effective.
Acupuncture was a joke, I tried years ago, stuck it out for 3 months with absolutely no improvement. I tried again this year, with a practitioner familiar with Fibromyalgia. Two sessions and she recommended I stop. Her treatment was increasing my pain levels, not decreasing them. When she inserted her needles near a tender point, it triggered burning pain. I tried to bear it, but one time she used a needle in my wrist, only stuck it in and then removed it, and zip went the pain. I asked her to remove it not knowing it was already taken out.
Epidural injections? I have Degenerative Disc Disease in my lower spine. When a disc goes out, I see stars until it slips back. One Pain Management Specialist, supposedly a Fibromyalgia Doctor, thought epidural injections would work. They did keep away some disc pain, but had no effect on Fibromyalgia pain. After two years, he realised the injections were only lasting 3 or so weeks, not Months, he referred me to another Doc in his clinic. This one wanted to try Facet Joint injections. But when the main Doctor found out, he said no, said it wouldn't work for me. That was in 2010.
Recently I called his office to schedule an evaluation. I wanted to find out what new Pain treatments were being used. Guess what? They refused to see me! Just said they couldn't help me.
So here I am, wanting to get off of opioid meds, and they, a Smart Pain Management facility, refuses to see me.
The pain meds I'm taking are:
Celebrex 200 mg capsules one in morning, one at night.
Gabapentin (neurontin) 600 mg at night (at higher doses I tend to fall)
Fentanyl patches, the 75 mcg size
Oxycodone tablets, 45 mg in morning, twelve hours later 30 mg (or 45 mg Italian levels high)
I take a lot of other meds too, have a complex medical history.
Back in 2001 I started with size 50 patches, over the next three years went up to 75, then 100. I tried to go off them by going down to 75, the 50, then off, but by then my body was physically addicted. In response to going off it my pain levels skyrocketed. And with no alternative, I had to go back on them. About 12 years ago I settled on 75s. Been on that dose since. But for breakthrough pain, then to keep pain levels down, my doctor began me on Oxycodone, 30 mg tabs. When I began taking two at once for breakthrough, he suggested I take 15 mg tablets, 3 in AM, and 2 in PM. So I was on that dose for years. But as we all know, your body gets used to that dose and I found I was experiencing more breakthroughs. So my current doctor said I could take one extra a day, as needed. I'd say that around 80% of the time I don't take an extra one.
Fortunately my Doctor has been my Primary since 1989. And when my last Pain Specialist left the area, he again took control of my pain management. We have a good trusting relationship. He knows i don't abuse the narcotics, he knows they don't make me high either. And he knows I want to get off them find an alternative.
I'm still searching....
Koren
Sorry for the longish post, but sometimes it's needed, right?
I've been taking narcotic pain meds since early 2001. They've been the only thing that controls pain. Over the years I've tried numerous alternatives, but nothing has been effective.
Acupuncture was a joke, I tried years ago, stuck it out for 3 months with absolutely no improvement. I tried again this year, with a practitioner familiar with Fibromyalgia. Two sessions and she recommended I stop. Her treatment was increasing my pain levels, not decreasing them. When she inserted her needles near a tender point, it triggered burning pain. I tried to bear it, but one time she used a needle in my wrist, only stuck it in and then removed it, and zip went the pain. I asked her to remove it not knowing it was already taken out.
Epidural injections? I have Degenerative Disc Disease in my lower spine. When a disc goes out, I see stars until it slips back. One Pain Management Specialist, supposedly a Fibromyalgia Doctor, thought epidural injections would work. They did keep away some disc pain, but had no effect on Fibromyalgia pain. After two years, he realised the injections were only lasting 3 or so weeks, not Months, he referred me to another Doc in his clinic. This one wanted to try Facet Joint injections. But when the main Doctor found out, he said no, said it wouldn't work for me. That was in 2010.
Recently I called his office to schedule an evaluation. I wanted to find out what new Pain treatments were being used. Guess what? They refused to see me! Just said they couldn't help me.
So here I am, wanting to get off of opioid meds, and they, a Smart Pain Management facility, refuses to see me.
The pain meds I'm taking are:
Celebrex 200 mg capsules one in morning, one at night.
Gabapentin (neurontin) 600 mg at night (at higher doses I tend to fall)
Fentanyl patches, the 75 mcg size
Oxycodone tablets, 45 mg in morning, twelve hours later 30 mg (or 45 mg Italian levels high)
I take a lot of other meds too, have a complex medical history.
Back in 2001 I started with size 50 patches, over the next three years went up to 75, then 100. I tried to go off them by going down to 75, the 50, then off, but by then my body was physically addicted. In response to going off it my pain levels skyrocketed. And with no alternative, I had to go back on them. About 12 years ago I settled on 75s. Been on that dose since. But for breakthrough pain, then to keep pain levels down, my doctor began me on Oxycodone, 30 mg tabs. When I began taking two at once for breakthrough, he suggested I take 15 mg tablets, 3 in AM, and 2 in PM. So I was on that dose for years. But as we all know, your body gets used to that dose and I found I was experiencing more breakthroughs. So my current doctor said I could take one extra a day, as needed. I'd say that around 80% of the time I don't take an extra one.
Fortunately my Doctor has been my Primary since 1989. And when my last Pain Specialist left the area, he again took control of my pain management. We have a good trusting relationship. He knows i don't abuse the narcotics, he knows they don't make me high either. And he knows I want to get off them find an alternative.
I'm still searching....
Koren