i dont know anyone who has crps that lasts 72 hours on the fentanyl patches. i use to last half that(36hrs) now i change patches every 48hrs. it is the only med that takes the edge off for me. i only use the gel patches( i havent heard of any others ).
from what you are explaining to me, percocet would be a waste of time(just not strong enough). i used to take norco 10/325 so i know what you mean about "feeling like aspirin".
when it rains i have to use break thru meds that dont do much for the pain but do knock me out for a few hours so i dont have to feel the agony.
zanaflex 4mgtabs work great for spasms. sometimes i need ativan 2mg or valium.
the scs did not work for me. alli say these days is you have to do a trial for the scs. just make sure you get 50% or more pain relief during that trial, if not then dont let them install permantly because you will just want it out of your body a year later.
you know that smoking is bad for you, so no further comment needed except i will say smoking causes circulation problems especially for crps patients. fix the circulation and the pain,swellinf,color,temperture,bp,etc..should get better.
hope this helps,
mike
Quote:
Originally Posted by tiredofpain07
Hi Mike,
I started out on the patch. They gave it to me years ago for the rsd in my right foot & then again for my back. They also gave them to me when I was in the hospital for my tkr surgery & they worked. The new patch---the one without the gel in them is what the PM doc gave me but they didnt work at all. I was on the 75mcg. When it would rain---it was like not having anything on at all. Even on dry days they didnt last but maybe 1 1/2 days when they are supposed to last for 72 hours. That is why he switched me to opana 20 mg twice a day. That works great but he wont increase my perocet any higher than 7.5/500 & Ive been on them every since my accident on 8-10-07--so its like taking aspirin. He wont give me anything for the spasms that I have constantly or the swelling. Asking for either means according to his notes on my chart that I put be put immediately on the schedule for the SCS. No disscussion, no nothing. I really dont understand why either. Ive been battling rsd for 7 years now with no real solution for the pain & its traveled from my right foot to my back & now my left leg. Ive not been able to bend my knee since 07. Theyve not made any attempt to fix the fact that I only have 1 artery in that leg---your supposed to have 3. I saw 2 vascular surgeons about the artery---the first one told me to quit smoking & the second one told me to shoot the dog that did this to me. I guess thats their solutions to the problem---who knows??
Janet
|