I'm sorry that you are suffering so much right now Peg.

What does your neuro say when you ask him about his not following his own medical advice ? In his talks does he specifically mention the use of narcotics or does he just say to try to manage the pain ? I've seen quite a few pain management doctors who don't prescribe meds at all.....it's injections or nothing.

Have you tried any 'non medical' treatments like massage, accupuncture, hot packs, cold packs, pain creams, epsom salt baths, relaxation, or visualization ? Non invasive treatments like that don't eliminate my pain, but they can cut it down.

There was a time when my pain was unbearable. Using a mix of measures, including narcotics, thank God my pain is more bearable now. It's still not well managed.....my activity level is severely limited by pain.....if I had stronger meds, I could do more, but my doc wants to manage things with lower doses if possible.

How high were you able to go on Lyrica and Neurontin ? Were you able to take increased doses for a few months to see if it had any effect ? Neurontin did nothing for me at lower doses, but now it does help. My side effects are not pleasant....weight gain, diabetes, hot flashes, but that beats unbearable pain