[JB63]

I was doing well untill Sept 15th when I developed sudden excruciating lower back pain which was eased a bit only by lying down. My left foot is now numb, rt toes numb and don't move. Rt leg started to buckle that day and my left foot dropped. 2 days prior I did about 6 hours of standing and walking with my rollator taking short breaks to sit. Can no longer walk with a cane. Both calves have atrophy. Falls caused me to injure my rt knee which also hurts like heck when bending it. Thoracic pain is an ongoing issue,hard hard pain.

Saw neuromuscular doc last week, placed on prednisone which reduced the pain significantly, but I still get bout of it while sitting, standing, walking.
Her eval is I am basically unchanged strength and neuro wise, no progression. Disease remains in my legs.

PN diagnosis is now toxic from thyroid and chemo. Neuromucular disease moves furthur out of contention. I have no spasticity etc. And now my spinal cord indentation is finally being recognized as the doc says it can cause all of the above as well as the PN. Overdoing it and falls may have caused the herniations to get worse. Having an MRI today of the thoracic and L/S spine specifically to see it there is more pressure on my spinal cord at T6,7 and if the L/S herniations are now pressing on the root nerves. I have never had lower back pain and am quite stoic. This drove me to tears. Also have to undergo urine dynamics to eval the spine issue.

I don't wallow in self pity, but it is getting to me. The pain is wearing me down. Docs here are very skittish about prescribing pain meds since the drug store massacre by an oxycondone/contin addict. I am hoping something shows on the mris so it can be addressed.

So currently I am adapting my home to be safer and more accomodating to my disability.

[mrsD]

That sounds just awful. Have you tried ice pack on the back?

I have found ice treatments (20 minutes only) can really help an acute flair of anything!

Also I've used Lidoderm patches... they work, but slowly. You have to give it a few days.

I hope this is a self limiting issue due to overuse?, maybe with some rest you will
see some relief.

[aussiemom]

I do like the Lidoderm patches, was given a sample of Flextor sp? And they are even better! Might want to ask about that.

Good wishes

[DanP]

JB63 - you desperately need to get your pain under control...I presume your pain is constant and moderate to severe. Tell your doctor to prescribe the Duragesic Patches for you...in at least 100 mcg/h strength.
I have constant moderate to severe pain 24/7/365 for some 24 years - all caused by peripheral neuropathy. We tried all the usual stuff but none of it ever helped very much. Finally, I got rid of all the "super specialists" including the neurologists...some who "specialized" in PN. On 9 Jan 02 my primary care physician asked if any of my docs ever tried me on the duragesic patches. The answser was no so on that very date we began. We started with the 50 strength patch but that was not strong enough. I didn't get relief until using the 100 strength patch which helped a lot. I am now using 2 patches - one is 100 strength and the second is 50 strengh for a total of 150 strength. This reduces my 7 to 9 level pain down to 2 to 4 which allows me to lead a relatively normal life. The fentanyl in these patches is a strong narcotic but I am not addicted and able to perform normally.
These patches have and are doing a wonderful job for me and I highly recommend them. Hope you get your pain controlled soon and if your doctor is unwilling to do the job then find one that will.
Good luck.
Dan P

[JB63]

Originally Posted by DanP

JB63 - you desperately need to get your pain under control...I presume your pain is constant and moderate to severe. Tell your doctor to prescribe the Duragesic Patches for you...in at least 100 mcg/h strength.
Dan P

I have been using Lidocaine patches religiously for months and lyrica for pain. I did manage to get oxycodone 5/325, 40 pills to last 3 months. Duragesic?...I had to beg and plead for the oxycodone. I had my mri's, waiting for the results. I am in agony. If something shows up, like a fractured or collapsed vertebra, maybe I can get sent to pain management. On top of the herniations, I have a cervical root nerve pinched. I don't want to be put into a stupor, I just want to live a near normal existance and to stand up. Other than the time I was receiving chemotherapy 6 yrs ago (and it was oxycodone), I have never taken narcotic analgesics, not even after surgeries.

The problem now is.....

There was a pharmacy massacre on Long Island, 4 people were shot in cold blood and 30,000 vicodin were stolen by a local resident. There is much pressure from government to regulate the doctors as to prescribing narcotic pain meds, much press govs feel that docs are turning their patients into street junkies and killers. Go figure. My pharmacy has a big sign posted, "no Oxycontin here" to discourage any robbery attempts. Everyone given narcotic prescription is in a database and "frequent flyers" are flagged and names turned over to the DEA. It was very tragic, and meds are not being prescribed without alot of paranoia.

[antonina]

don't know if u have anyone who can get an rx filled for u in one of the 5 boros to use as a workaround to the LI druggists. i live in manhattan and have no problems filling scripts for "controlled substances."

don't get me wrong. this no drug paradise but it's an upscale area so the threat of a robbery is kinda remote. maybe my advanced age lends me some credibility.

[JB63]

Originally Posted by antonina

don't get me wrong. this no drug paradise but it's an upscale area so the threat of a robbery is kinda remote. maybe my advanced age lends me some credibility.

I'm 63......My pcp told me they are all afraid of writing scripts.

[Rrae]

Originally Posted by DanP

JB63 - you desperately need to get your pain under control...I presume your pain is constant and moderate to severe. Tell your doctor to prescribe the Duragesic Patches for you...in at least 100 mcg/h strength.
I have constant moderate to severe pain 24/7/365 for some 24 years - all caused by peripheral neuropathy. We tried all the usual stuff but none of it ever helped very much. Finally, I got rid of all the "super specialists" including the neurologists...some who "specialized" in PN. On 9 Jan 02 my primary care physician asked if any of my docs ever tried me on the duragesic patches. The answser was no so on that very date we began. We started with the 50 strength patch but that was not strong enough. I didn't get relief until using the 100 strength patch which helped a lot. I am now using 2 patches - one is 100 strength and the second is 50 strengh for a total of 150 strength. This reduces my 7 to 9 level pain down to 2 to 4 which allows me to lead a relatively normal life. The fentanyl in these patches is a strong narcotic but I am not addicted and able to perform normally.
These patches have and are doing a wonderful job for me and I highly recommend them. Hope you get your pain controlled soon and if your doctor is unwilling to do the job then find one that will.
Good luck.
Dan P

I too have been using these patches for a couple years now.
Sure beats popping pills all the time !