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Member
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Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: IL
Posts: 279
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: IL
Posts: 279
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LIT LOVE
Dependence on opiates is not something to be ashamed of, it a biological reality for many of us.
Have things changed over the years? Absolutely. Too many people were inappropriately prescribed strong opiates that should not have been. Now, there is a backlash, that has tightened the rules.
I refused stronger meds for something like 4 years, so I'm by no means suggesting someone newly diagnosed should consider opiates as an early option. But, if your doctors can't find a combo that gives you some relief, than it might be an option later on. If you're with an experienced RSD/CRPS doctor that you develop a trusting relationship with, they should offer you the right meds, you shouldn't have to ask for them.
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I can identify 3-4 distinct pain syndromes I experience on a daily basis:
1) Bone/muscle/tendon pain in my knee. This is due to the osteoarthritis/atrophy from the palsy/non-use
2) Burning ice/stabbing/ripping apart ankle pain. I believe this is primarily attributed to the RSD/CRPS related to the nerve damage.
3) Constant tingling with occasional shooting pain in my foot. Could be again from both the nerve damage and the RSD/CRPS
4) Muscle cramping/twitching pain in my calf and foot. I think this is most likely due to the palsy/non-use.
While the gaba helps with #2 & 3, it does little for #1 & 4. And 1 & 4 inhibit my rehab the most at this point. 3 I can deal with for the most part. 2 stops me in my tracks and I have begun to see them as flares because of what I have learned from all of you. Opiates and muscle relaxers would most likely provide the best pain management for 1 & 4 and be the most helpful for my rehab. At the very least, muscle relaxers to take after therapy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LIT LOVE
Do I care what some random stranger's passing opinion is about the meds I take? Nope.
How many of them have a clue what living with RSD/CRPS is like? My guess is less than 1% of health care providers.
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The only thing that makes me care what my health care providers thinks is that they are what will get me pain relief. So long as they don't think of me as a drug seeker. Like my first ortho before I even walked in the door.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LIT LOVE
If you truly feel you can't fully participate in rehab with the meds you're being prescribed, than you need to request to change the rehab or change the meds. The rehab that was by far the easiest was in a warm pool, as others have suggested. I underwent a series of stellate ganglion blocks early on that would give me significant relief for 1-3 weeks and would allow me to participate in rehab more fully. Etc.
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I can't change therapy because it's the closest one that accepts my insurance and I haven't even started yet...the initial eval sent my pain through the roof.
I can't change meds because the only one I'm on is the gaba. I suppose adding a med would be a change but I'm not sure that's going to happen.
I'll see if the Y has a warm pool. It's 45 min away, so I'm not sure how often I could get there.
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Believe in the Strength of Faith and Hope, within there is Peace and Love...Always ~pe
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