WOW do I feel the love! You are all so AMAZING! I wish I had found you sooner! Oh, and thanks for the compliment on the name
![Stick Out Tongue](images/smilies/tongue.gif)
My actual name is Elisha Rae but everyone calls me Leesha.
Thank you for all of the suggestions. Yes, I swell up even if the heat is on too high in my house and I eat a very low sodium diet and I drink a lot of water.
I only see my pain Dr. once per year, unless he is doing an injection or something, and coincidentally I am scheduled with him during my next pump refill at the beginning of April. He is an extremely intelligent and friendly Doctor and he is precise and a perfectionist but sometimes I want to chain the guy to his seat because he can be all over the place. Sometimes he is all about "doing whatever it takes" and sometimes I can tell that he is rushing me out. I told him about the water retention and was told to wear compression socks that go up to my thighs- like when you have surgery to prevent blood clots. Gee those will look fashionable and be comfortable at my aunt's pool this summer
![Roll Eyes (Sarcastic)](images/smilies/rolleyes.gif)
I will sum him up-
He knows that I prefer to avoid pills but on occasion I have taken BT meds. I've had the pump for 4 years and it took about 2 years to get the right mix of meds to make a dent in my pain. This is the #1 thing I would like to stress to anyone considering it. I had weekly appointments for what felt like a year and then BAM we switched from Morphine to Dilaudid and started it all over again (I wanted to cry- actually what am I talking about- I did cry!) So typical me was suffering in the midst of all this but didn't speak up enough and my hubby kept telling me to ask for meds and I let myself suffer rather than come out and ask. There is a stigma with that due to the people that abuse prescription drugs (don't get me started on that). So I realized I was being stupid and asked for some meds. He prescribes me 1/2 of an Ultram every 4-6 hours! I was on 100mcg Fentanyl for months..um I might as well eat a gumball and at least enjoy it because it would have the same effect on my pain. So a few months later I was basically in the same situation and when asked to rate my pain I was honest and gave a number fairly high on the pain scale. I didn't ask for meds or tell them that Ultram didn't work for me last time (I should have, I know). So the nurse returns with my papers to leave and says that my Dr. also wrote out a prescription to ease my discomfort. I didn't bother looking because I was expecting it to be Ultram/Tramadol. So I'm on the elevator leaving and look at the prescription and it's for morphine pills.
![Confused](images/smilies/confused.gif)
He is so confusing and I never know what I am getting with him..insert the line from Forest Gump
I have grown close to most of the nurses there so I think I will start with them. In the meantime I will have a GP check out some of the other things that you mentioned.
Again I am so glad that I found this forum and I will be a regular now and would love to help anyone out there considering a pain pump, that has one, or is having issues, etc. It's also nice to talk to people that understand CP, not just the pump.
Thank you all so much!
![You Rock](images/smiliesb/You-Rock.gif)
I will keep you posted on everything. You've also sparked my interest on the SCS. I may just browse through previous posts and read a little more about it.
Enjoy what is left of the weekend!