I have pain too from sitting. The sides of my waist hurt. I haven't been to a movie since this started. It is hard to explain this to other people that sitting hurts. H

Don't be sorry-you do need to vent. I understand the frustration & the " thoughts you wouldn't normally have". I fantasize about chopping my legs off I'm in so much pain. I can't take any of the drugs you're on b/c my neuropathy is due to a problem w/neurotransmitter and receptors in my brain. I currently take 40mg of oxycodone a day, but still have pain. I've found research that says up to 60mg/day may be needed, but my doc won't increase it. I recently started lidocaine ointment, 5%, 1/2 tsp to each foot/leg 3X's a day. The literature says you can use it 4X's/day, but once again, my doc won't increase it. It does help some, more w/the burning pain than the sharp, electric, jabbing pain, but it's an improvement. It's topical & the absorption rate is minimal, so there are basically no side effects. My feet are numb anyway & it doesn't make them any more numb, which was a concern of my doc. It's not magical, but does help enough so I can sleep for an hour or two. Hope this helps.
Annie

Gabapentin never worked for me. Dr. put me on Lyrica 50mg 3 xs a day about a year and 1/2 ago, and I can honestly say my PN is about 70% better. Ask your doctor about it.

Hi was your pain standig up late due to a car accident? I had good chiro treatment, but probably stopped too soon and worked at the same time and did not follow through with a gp like I should have especially when I was being woken up by pain and could not sleep because of pain. i followed with an Ortho Surgeon who did nothing further and stated I do not understand even with all the symptoms and stuff I had. so now I gotten worse and do not know what is wrong particularly in the neck. I cannot seem to find a doctor to start anew with me. Any Thoughts? I have had burning sensation down arms, freezing sensation, numbness, tingling, etc..

Hello! I'm new and have been reading some of the posts. I've had 2 car accidents and am in pain every single day. The neuro surgeon did back surgery on L5 and S1 back in 2008. A few months after that he sent me to a pain mgmt doctor I've been seeing ever since.

Of course I've done physical therapies for months at a time, tried the stimulator and that made me feel like I was in back labor. I've done and tried everything they have asked me to. I've had the epideral injections many times and even tried the chiropractor for a while. This landed me in the hospital for 4 days back in October, was going numb from waist down and my left side of my face slumped over. So of course I'm never going back to the chiropractor.

Went to the pain mgmt doctor a few weeks ago and he was reading my MRI from October. He said he was sending me back to the neuro surgeon and thought I would benefit from a decompression surgery. Went to the surgeon yesterday and he is sending me for the myelogram to get a better picture. Then he hit me with he thought I had neuropathy and possibly fibermyalgia but really thought I had the neuropathy.

I'm waiting for the appointment date for the spinal tap now. But he started me on Cymbalta 30 mg yesterday. Gave me samples, 30 mg - 1 a day for a week, then 60 mg - 1 a day for 2 weeks.

I've been on percocets for several years, 10/325. Is that a high dose? I'm also given Tanzadine to take but it doesn't seem to do anything so I wasn't taking it. He told me yesterday to take it like prescribed for at least a week to see if it would help.

They have been telling me I have degenerative disc disease, arthritis, 4 pinched nerves, sciatica, scoliosis, 2 buldging discs, 1 ruptured at the top of my back where the chiropractor popped me many times but that doesn't bother me that much, it's the lower back, hips, legs ect... that are the killer. Now he's telling me he doesn't see anything that pops out at him that I need surgery - hopefully he'll see more in the spinal tap. I dunno.

Guess I'm just frustrated as H*ell. Tired of being in pain, having to cancel plans bc of the pain, lower back feels like it's breaking in half, the shooting pains down both legs, burning down the backs of my legs down to my feet, tingling, numbing and having to use a cane so I don't fall. I'm 49 and feel like I'm too young to have my life over with like this. Also, this makes my depression so much worse being like this.

He mentioned a bunch of other meds he might prescribe for the neuropathy but only put me on the Cymbalta yesterday. I'm wondering why I was told about the 4 pinched nerves for all this time and now the neuro surgeon is saying it's not definite on the pinched nerves. HUH?? I've heard of neuropathy before but never researched it till he mentioned it yesterday.

I'm diabetic and he thinks it came from that also. Do the meds help? I remember one of the meds he mentioned yesterday was neurotin. What does that do? Basically from what I've read, if it is neuropathy the nerve damage is already done and it won't heal right? It just slows down the progression?

I've read people saying they have memory loss from some of these meds and other side effects that don't sound very good. Which meds cause that? I'm kinda scared starting new meds if it's going to cause a bunch of weird side effects. Anybody have any advice for me?

I'm also definitely NOT looking forward to the myelogram(spinal tap). I've had 2 of them years ago and it HURT and after I had to lay there for a couple hours and they tried to sit me up. I got the worst migraine immediately!! I have migraines anyway but these I had after the spinal taps were over the TOP.

Sorry to vent to you guys, I'm just so frustrated. Like I said, I'm 49 and my back problems started in my early 20's after my car was totaled. Then a few years ago I had another car accident. Both times kids slammed into me on the side and trashed my back. Thanks for any help you guys can give me.

Susie

10/325 is not a small dose, but it isn't huge either, how many are you taking per day? That is pretty relevant!
I also have arthritis of the spine, but most of my pain is from my hereditary neuropathy. I am on 1800 mg. gabapentin, 15mg. MS contin ( time release morphine) twice a day, and 7.5/325 Percocet twice a day. The MSContin made a huge difference and really gives me more consistent pain relief, allowing me to take fewer percocets. These are relatively small doses, it is working for me, but pain is a very individualized thing. I think that getting a time release pain reliever is very fundamental, and OxyContin is no longer being used very often.
Opiates are actually pretty safe drugs with long track records, but you want the minimum effective dose that allows you to function. Since tolerance develops eventually you need to leave room to increase it, even if that means accepting less than optimal relief.

I can take 3 percocets (oxycodone) a day. I take anywhere from 2-3. Sometimes I just say screw it and don't take the 3rd one bc it's not helping really. Well, it does take a small amount of the edge away at times. What is mscontin? Gabapentin? The pain mgmt. doctor did try me on the time released pill a year or so ago, I believe it was morphine? I had a weird reaction to it so he switched me back to the perco's. I'm looking at my prescription bottle and I don't know if mine is time released or not. How do you tell? If time released is the better way to go I want to figure this out.

All I want is to get some relief so I can have a semi normal life. I don't want to get high, I just want some relief from my pain. Thank you for responding and trying to help me.

Sorry, I forgot I had a question. Not sure if I'm entering this where I'm supposed to on this forum.

Someone told me there was a test to diagnose neuropathy. Is that true? They said they hook up all these electro things to you and some sort of zapping to see if the nerves react normally or abnormally? Thanks!

I am sorry you have been through so much. What got my attention is that two doctors didn't agree on the issues you are having. I would go to another physician and another opinion before I would proceed with the spinal tap. That one is use for dianostic purposes I know. However unless two docs. said I needed it, I would decline it after going through it painfully as you have. I run from needles unless it is absolutly positivly needed. Sounds like your doctors are guessing at this point. Your dose of percocet is not that high. It is kind of a normal dose for the kind of pain you have. Because you are young, I agree, it is too soon to just give in to what you have. Can you seek yet another opinion with a neurologist? Either these pinched nerves are there or they arn't. I wish I could think of something other than that proceedure that could help you find out the true cause of all that pain. Have you posted your MRI? Leesa is really good about reading them and has excelent knowledge. I will be thinging of you. ginnie

Time released will say ER. Neurontin and that class of meds. can and do have side effects as well. Morphine usually doesn't have such weird reactions. Gab. and the Neruontin I could not take because of the moods alterations I had almost imediately. Methadone or even an SCS or pump type device might be considered. First you need to find exactly what is wrong without all the guessing. ginnie