Chronic Pain - HELP, please.....

[HarleyHunny]

Anyone familiar with this? Fibromyalgia? Nerve damage? Arthritis?

 

I've had 2 cervical disks replaced in 2 yrs. I was sooo much better for about a year, until about 3 months ago. The symptoms returned and thought I had another herniated/ruptured disk. Had an MRI and x-rays, no disks problems at all. BUT, I have the same symptoms as the other 2 times. I've done PT, taken muscle relaxers, pain killers, yoga, you name it. My Neuro doc is baffled....Yesterday he put me on Lyrica, which is given for nerve damage due to diabetes, and neuro problems like seizures. (ugggh!) I took one and it MESSED ME UP! I slept for 13 hours and now feel hung over and like I'm walking to the right!!! And I am still in so much pain!!!!

 

Anybody????? Can you relate? Give me some feedback? I'm in so much pain I'm to the point of putting a gun to my head ](*,)

[OmegaMan]

Hello, HarleyHunny,

 

So you're saying that nobody seems to be able to identify the cause of your pain?

[comfyshoes]

as i am on the other side of the pond, i may not be the best to advise on this one. but.

i would consider asking for a referal to a pain specialist.

there are several types of medication that can be tried for neuropathic pain, one being anti convulsants like you mentioned. there are several drugs in this classification.

tri-cyclic anti depressants can also be used.

there are then the more 'traditional options' like non steroidal anti- inflammatory meds and opiod analgesics.

TENS machines can also be used with some effect in treating this type of pain.

my mother has suffered with chronic pain of this type for as long as i can remember and finds that she is most comfortable when taking the tri cyclic anti depressants and using Fentanyl trans dermal patches (opiod).

there are people that specialise in the treatment of chronic pain. i would think that such a practitioner would be able to set you on the right track.

as with all medications, you made need to try several to find what works best for you.

there are also complimentary therapies that claim to help with chronic pain, it just depends if you think that is an avenue that you would like to explore or not.

 

hope this helps just a little bit.

let us know how it goes for you.

hugs

shoes

[HarleyHunny]

Hello, HarleyHunny,

 

So you're saying that nobody seems to be able to identify the cause of your pain?

That's what I'm saying.

Comfy, the list of what I have NOT tried med wise or physically is shorter....

[comfyshoes]

sorry to hear that. i would seriously think about seeing a specialist in chronic pain. what you are suffering is bread and butter to these guys.

[HarleyHunny]

specialist in chronic pain...what you are suffering is bread and butter to these guys.

"bread and butter", sorry, I don't understand that? A pain specialist has not been suggested by any of my physicians.....

[avman]

Try a pain clinic. Look in your local phone book for "pain clinic" or "pain center". They specialize in treating chronic pain.

 

I also was put on Lyrica for pain from a ruptured disc. I promptly started losing my ability to talk and acted drunk and stoned. I quit taking it within a few days because of the side effects. Try Neurontin, that seemed to work much better for me. Maybe it will work for you.

[HarleyHunny]

Try a pain clinic. Look in your local phone book for "pain clinic" or "pain center". They specialize in treating chronic pain.

 

I also was put on Lyrica for pain from a ruptured disc. I promptly started losing my ability to talk and acted drunk and stoned. I quit taking it within a few days because of the side effects. Try Neurontin, that seemed to work much better for me. Maybe it will work for you.

Thanks, but I have to be referred by a physician - insurance purposes.....THANK you for the Lyrica information. I've decided I'll live with the pain before I take another of those

[avman]

Ok, well hopefully your physician will refer you to a pain center. Or perhaps you might want to try some alternative treatment like a chiropractor or some acupuncture. Some people have very good luck with those.

[HarleyHunny]

Nope. I've tried accu pressure and puncture. I have 4 metal plates in my cervical spine, no way would I let a a chiropractor touch me.... I'm hoping to come accross something that I haven't yet thought of......

[tiredofvampires]

Hey Harley,

 

I'm sorry to hear you're in so much pain!

 

Yes, I relate...

 

I have fibromyalgia, and a very debilitating case of it. I have not been able to work in a long time becauase of it. Though I have not had arthritis and actual surgical procedures like yours and frank nerve damage.

 

Which of these diagnoses came first for you, and is predominant?

 

And which of your problems or diagnoses is causing the most pain?

 

There are many, many courses of action to take, but if the pain is stemming from an injury and mechanical issues that are not resolved, there are two courses to take. First, as others suggest, is to talk to a chronic pain specialist. If you have not done this yet, it's a MUST. Also, you should try a physiatrist (specialist in rehabilitation.)

 

There is a device that some physical therapists use and that you can purchase for home use (though it is expensive) called an STS machine. You could try googling it -- it works on central pain by altering the chemical messages involved in the sympathetic nervous system that amplify pain. It's something like the effect of Neurontin (have you tried that?), only it stimulates the nervous system without using drugs. Not all physical therapists know about it, though mine does and she said it had a profound effect for many of her patients. A good pain specialist or physiatrist should know about this.

 

I am very much against surgery unless absolutely necessary, too. It should NOT be undertaken for herniated discs in most cases. There are other ways, including time, that this can be rehabilitated, though I don't know all your complicating factors.

 

Of course, fibromyalgia is a very complex syndrome with many causative theories, and as many approaches to treating. I will be going to a clinic myself in 2 weeks out of state (in California) specializing in it, as most doctors only have "band-aid" cures for it. This clinic is affiliated with Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, who is a national expert on fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He has a book out about the way his clinics treat these disorders, and when I saw him speak here, I was hugely impressed by his breadth of knowledge and well as compassion as a physician (he had these illnesses for a while in medical school and for a time was homeless! True story.) During his lecture, he talked about how there is a method of treating disc problems that does NOT require surgery. I forget what the treatment is (he is about non-invasive therapy, wherever possible, which I am a proponent of as well), but if you google his name and "endfatigue", you should find his home site and perhaps you can contact him. There is a spot on his site where you can ask him a question, and I've used that and he actually answered! Only it took a couple of months. You might also call the office for some immediate answer about the name of the treatment for herniated discs that is non-invasive (I hear it's something injectable that shrinks the disk swelling), if that is a continuing problem in your case. (edit: though re-reading your OP, it sounds like this isn't so much the case as phantom-like pain from the operation itself. Cervical trauma and injury are major precipitating triggers for developing fibromyalgia, as this area is very close to the brain and brainstem.)

 

 

This is a giant topic (each of the diagnoses you mentioned in itself), and there are often systemic issues with nutrition, mechanical correction, and increasing health of tissues that should be treated without just slapping drugs on but getting to the root of why you have the problem in the first place. This can be quite a tangle. Starting with specialists in pain is a good thing, but fibromyalgia is a bear of a diagnosis involving many immunological and neurological and rheumatological aspects that intertwine. You can only start to unravel it by careful history of what occurred when. I have primary fibromyalgia, which means that it developed without a traumatic incident as a trigger. It sounds like yours is a secondary fibromyalgia case (which is when it occurs after physical trauma), but it still might require comprehensive care. I think you should look into Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, that is the direction I've gone anyway, since his is a very comprehensive approach to pain, not just simply a neurological one.

 

Good luck and hang in there, Hunny!! ((hugs))

[tiredofvampires]

P.S. One of my doctors just recommended I start Cymbalta, which is an antidepressant in its own class. He said it has helped many of his patients with fibro. It is supposed to help in part by improving sleep, and this is one of the biggest problems with fibro (sleep). It improves pain tolerance and availability of neurotransmitters like endorphins that are really depleted when you have chronic pain. Which is a vicious cycle.

 

I haven't started it yet because I don't want to try something new when I am about to travel, in case I get side effects, but I see giving it a try in my near future (and I am leary of drug side effects and drugs in general, I don't tolerate them well, but I have heard some good reports about this one.)

[OmegaMan]

I just want to say something.

 

I think you're very courageous about this.

 

Here I go complaining about really petty things which prevent me from enjoying life when you take this situation, which sounds almost unbearable, really bravely.

 

That's all. I think you're very brave.

[HarleyHunny]

.tov....as for the surgery, I had no choice, one disc had already ruptured and blown out, and the others were on their way....I had tremendous success up until about 3 months ago. The pain returned and was positive I had another blown or herniated disk somewhere because it's exactly the same....I have read up on Fibro. and can't decide if that's a possibilty or not. I have an appt with my GP and will have him point me in the right direction for pain specialists, talk about firbro, etc. Thanks so much.....Omega, thank you so much for your encouraging words. It's tough some days. I'm also a single parent and don't miss a day of work unless the pain is debilitating. I have no choice, I need the insurance to be able to pay for the doctors - uggh! ....God bless you all.