(((((Bear))))))

When my pain is high I am sometimes depressed and sometimes hyper. I'm pretty sure this is why I ended up getting misdiagnosed as bipolar, because the doctors saw my reactions to the untreated pain and thought the mood swings were bipolar. I get depressed with pain when I feel hopeless/useless, and I get hyper/manic with pain if I feel angry/frustrated... my reactions to pain all depend on the level of pain and the way the pain effects my activity levels and my life.

If the Lortab isn't helping at all for his pain, is there something else the doctor can prescribe? Lortab has the active ingrediant of hydrocodone, and there are higher doses of hydrocodone available - I know one of them is called Norco... there are also other medicines (like Percocet which is oxycodone). I know that doctors are not always good at treating pain in children, but if his pain is a 10 even after taking his meds then it seems to me that he may need something different... One thing that often helps doctors when finding the right pain meds is keeping a pain journal at home so that the doctors can see the levels of pain throughout the day and how that pain limits the patient and effects their life.

I hope that things improve for you and your family soon.

BTW - I have an appointment to see a super-specialist for the porph. The appointment isn't until June, but I have waited several years, so a few more months shouldn't be too bad... I'll let you know how that goes.

((((((hugs))))))

Take care of you,
Liz