[Susanne C.]

I know that many of you get by without resorting to heavy pain medication, but this is not an option for me. I have CMT, with advanced small fiber neuropathy, nerve fibers at hip were shown in skin biopsy to be fraying two years ago, below that they were going and gone. I also have large fiber neuropathy with visible muscle wastage. Lately arthritis has reared it's ugly head, affecting pretty much all the same areas- feet, knees, long bones in legs, hips, arms, hands, as the CMT. I wake up early, take ibuprofen, crawl back into bed until it starts to work.

I have been getting by for years by taking oxycodone as needed, basically twice a day, but now I wake up in pain and go to bed the same way, sometimes the pain is so bad I have tears in my eyes. I have prided myself on my high pain threshold, often praised by doctors and dentists, gave birth to three big babies without an aspirin as they say, so this is pretty bad. With the winter coming it will get worse, cold is the very devil and with oil at $4 a gallon, keeping the house toasty is tough.

My doctor is always open to suggestions. I think he wants to try the BuTrans patch. My husband wants to keep the cost down in case insurance changes in the future- we have a "cadillac" plan now, but he thinks a vw is coming. OxyContin is very expensive from what I have heard. MS Contin is cheaper, but the idea of morphine seems extreme. I am a relatively strong 51 year old woman with no other health problems, but disabling pain and increasing weakness.
Does anyone have something they would like to give their experience with? Good or bad? This is not a supplement and diet question. I have read everything on this forum, and follow the suggestions that apply in my case, Mrs. D.'s advice on magnesium really works to reduce the muscle spasms, but this condition is progressive and not susceptible to improvement.