Quote:
Originally Posted by misterkatamari
Thanks everyone.
I have actually tried Lidoderm patches, but it sorta just numbed the top of my skin. I don't really know if it is supposed to do that or not, but that is the only real noticeable change I felt.
I have actually found heat to be more helpful than ice for whatever reason. I have a heating pack that helps. It actually helps way more than say, the Hydrocodone did.
Also, the whole 'hydrocodone and xanax' thing sounds strange. Maybe I should talk to my doctor about it, because I'm actually already taking xanax. lol! (Never took it with the hydrocodone, though.)
But yeah, so far my best way to reduce pain has been basically this: Take tramadol, recline on my chair, and stick the heating pad on. I'd say it helps more than anything else I have tried. Obviously, I don't expect any of the pain to go away really..but that combination above is the only thing I found so far that I would even say 'takes the edge off'. Course, the downside is that I am stuck lying on a couch with a heating pad on.
But yeah, I intend to ask my primary doctor about all this. He's been really helpful, but also forthcoming on what he can--or feels comfortable--prescribing. My clinic has a no-narcotic approach, officially, but they make exceptions in certain cases. He made it for me when I took the hydrocodone, but he could only go so high in dosage. So, if he does think I would benefit from something like that or a combination--I am thinking he is going to suggest I go back to the pain management doctor and update him about what's going on and my current situation/pain levels.
Thanks again!
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I've been dealing with a work injury low back/leg pain for three plus years now, and your body will eventually need something more than the Tramadol for the pain.
I had been taking 50mg 3x a day for trigeminal neuralgia before my back injury, and they added it at 100mg 3x a day to my pain regimen after the injury. Now I'm trying methadone, building up very, very verrrrrrry slowly, to avoid fatal side effects and percocet 2x day for breakthrough.
Although my pain is nerve pain shooting down the leg, I also found that ice did nothing and that reclining on heating pads helped more than anything. However, after 3 yrs of sitting on heating pads for 16+ hours a day, I now have 2nd and 3rd degree burns and skin changes on my back and buttocks as a result, and you can see purple outlines of my veins all over, which may never go away even if I stopped the heating pads now. (They are STILL the main relief I get!)
Do NOT try Xanax and Hydrocodone on your own without discussing it with a doctor, as many fatal overdoses you hear about on the news are from a combo of Lortab and a benzodiazapene. It sounds like your pain management doc is one of those that are afraid to prescribe opioids, and I can speak from experience, it is unlikely you will find too much relief for too long without them. Flexeril, a skeletal muscle relaxant, can help some, for relaxing the muscle spasms in the back that likely trigger nerve issues down the leg, so that may be an option.
I found in my experience, and many others hear also recommend it- one of the best things you can do is to keep a pain journal of your pain levels, when and where, and any triggers you discover, as well as the medications you take when, so a doctor can keep track of your flares and determine the best course of action for relieving your pain. It also, as one person put it to me, lets your doctor know that you are a patient in pain, willing to work with the doctor- rather than just a drug seeker. The pain journal I used I found and printed from here:
http://www.painfoundation.org/learn/...etNotebook.pdf
Good luck!