I am now in my second pain clinic for my symptoms. I have all the usual: numbness, spacticity, burning, sharp, stabbing, paresthesias, itching, cramping, aching, and shooting electric-shock type pain, mostly in my feet, occasionally in my hands, with a "hug" thrown in now and then. While my pain doc has referred me for energy medicine, PT, and bio-feedback, even acupuncture . . . it seems his personal approach is to try every drug on the market that has ever been used for neuro pain.

Is this the norm?

First it was gabapentin, but the side effects for me were non-negotiable.
Then it was tegretol, caused immediate skin issues.
Then it was baclofen, no benefits but caused issues with other health conditions.
The last one was Keppra, which I discontinued because of personality changes, irritability, and extreme lethargy.

All of them seem to mess with my GI system, and when you only have half of that left, you don't want to mess with it!

Is this what pain clinics are all about? Am I wrong to be suspect of the oral meds route, when I have a gut to take care of? Do I have to try them all?

I have found clinics vary greatly from one to the next. One clinic wanted me to use biofeedback and meditation and the next would want me on morphine. If you are having trouble with them, first try to talk to them. if you get no where, ask your MD to refer you to another if any are in your area. I had to travel 45 mins in one direction for the last clinic I went to, but it was well worth it to be treated with respect and kindness, instead of like a drug seeking maniac.

I hope you feel better.

Thanks, Dej. My first pain clinic introduced me to mindfulness meditation. Their drug of choice, I heard, was methadone. I said no thanks. However, I liked the talk therapy and the use of mindfulness. That I have been doing ever since.

The MS doc I go to sent me to their own pain clinic: MS and cancer and other pains. I believe their hearts are in the right place. It is just that the doc I see is more into the Rx pad than I expected. And they don't seem to like you asking if you could try things you have heard about. . . just those things they have on their " list." And it seems we are just going down the list.

I would love to try ativan, for example, on a vary low dose and prn basis, only as needed. Whoa, was my answer, you can't drive on that! Nearly everything they have given me so far carries that "do not drive until you know the side effects" warning label. I explained I would only use it when I am suffering so bad that I would not be driving anywhere anyway! But it is ok to prescribe drugs that make me nearly unable to get out of bed in the morning . . . or make me irritable to the point of becoming a real b**** to everyone I love.

I hope to hear from others how to wade through the process without ruining your life. And thanks for your encouragement . . . . you are a peach, you know.

Ativan has proved to be a great helper to me when I am dizzy, off balance and having anxiety issues. I dont take it every day, only when I really need it. I sometimes stick it under my tongue to let it work faster. I have found a gem of an MD who is willing to let me try, and is generous. It took him learning me and me showing him that I am trustworthy and not drug seeking. I would be lost without him now.

I enjoy mindful stuff too. to be present in the here and now and not stressed or anxious about an hour from now, or a day from now. To breathe, and feel my feet on the floor and get grounded. Greatly helpful, but I need pharmacuticals on top of that.

I hope you find a way to get them to talk to you.

I've only been to 1 pain specialist, who examined me for 4 hours, and then wrote me a prescription for synthetic THC in pill format. It's the only thing that's calmed my sensory symptoms like burning/pain in my head/face and my Trigeminal Neuralgia attacks have been lessened greatly/less frequent.

I hope you can find something to help ease your suffering.

You can feel your feet on the floor? I have just about lost all sense of contact between my feet and the material world. However, they have developed a whole universe of interesting and sometimes painful new sensations!

I am finding that meditation, breathing, stretching, and some yoga is more helpful than pain meds in many cases. But there are times when it is so difficult to concentrate, to focus . . . . and there are the shooting pains that sneak up on you and make you jump! I truly am looking for a minimal amount of substance to help my body and my mind deal with the pain. However, I am quickly coming to the conclusion that it is possible that I am doing as much as can be done, given tolerances (or lack thereof) with meds. This is one reason that mindfulness meditation is attractive to me.

And I find the tiniest dose of ativan can help reduce the stress over pain that overtops your regular pain meds. I would think the fact that I have been using norco in very low doses for years would speak to the fact that I am not seeking large quantities of drugs to abuse. And thank goodness I live in a state that allows medical marijuana . . . it has saved me time and again.

Well to be fair, I dont really feel my feet on the floor, but I can sense pressure. I have to use my imagination in order to complete the exercise, but its all about re connection to the earth, because I tend to live in my head. I am stuck upstairs and sometimes forget that I have a whole body attached that needs affection, attention and interventions.

I will sit in a firm steady chair. make sure your feet can touch flat on the floor, even if you have to use a wood block under you or pile up things to make that happen (I have little legs and a big squishy couch) and then relax. Try to force your feet to become flat footed. Sink into the energy of the earth. its better if you can do it standing, but I dont have the energy or the balance to do that anymore. Once you are aware of how attached you are to the earth, move upwards, and remember your ankles, shins, knees, and so on. Reaquant yourself with your body, and how it feels. even if it feels different.

I do have to look and make sure that my feet are flat on the floor, before I start because I am not always sure.

Imma gonna try that, Dej. Sounds good.

"Most people getting a prescription for a drug don’t ask if their doctor is getting paid to promote that drug. But thousands of physicians all over the country get paid by pharmaceutical companies to speak about brand-name medications. Some have made more than $300,000 in the last 18 months. And at least 1,500 of these speakers are licensed in New York. All these details have just come to light after the investigative news organization ProPublica compiled a database based on disclosures made by seven pharmaceutical companies after federal lawsuits."

http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-ne...-or-marketers/

You have to use various things, as they work. I usually don't use my Demerol, but today
I did, the pain was so bad it was making me depressed and even thinking on the edge of
irrational. So I took 25 mg Demerol. I can't take most pain meds because of my 2nd
disease (I have 3) Porphyria, so I do have oral Demerol. I absolutely don't abuse it as I
know how nervous I'll be if I take it often. So I don't. But I need it handy. I do take a child's dose of Klonopin, which is a benzo like Ativan, which others here say takes off the edge. I have used biofeedback and I occasionally use that, but sometimes it does not work--it's variable.

Lefthanded, what is your GI issue? When I first had MS I was also suspected by some on the forum of having Porphyria, and that proved to be true. It has GI pain issues. You sound a lot like me. It is possible to have both. Worth thinking about unless you already know what causes your GI issues. I've been better GI wise since I learned what drugs and foods to avoid for Porphyria. The neuro symptoms sound similar--the burning
numb feet, etc. I am not sure where one disease leaves off and the other begins, and
I realize that Porphyria (which is toxic) may have produced my brain scars of MS....but
that's getting more complex than even the neuros can manage.