[billy027]

Hi ,

Tomorrow, I go to the pain doctor for the first time for an injection. I need relief. After using hands yesterday had bad flareups. I hope she gives me prescription for some meds to for flareups. I had Darvoset-which didn't help much. Should I ask for prescription if she doesn't offer one?

[Jomar]

If it's the first visit I would make sure you tell about all your symptoms and pain levels- making a list will help, it's so easy to forget things.

[johannakat]

if you feel you need something for day to day pain, yes-you should ask for it. I second JO's comment- discuss all your sytmtoms and how they affect your every day life- your mood, relationships with other people, ability to meet your commitments or care for yourself.

Hurting causes tension causes more hurting. something to break that cycle is VERY helpful. A muscle relaxer can also be helpful for the tension.

[dabbo]

If its not too late, I would also say that making a list of questions/comments to ask is HUGELY helpful. I would almost guarantee that without one, you'll get sidetracked, and forget some of the stuff you wanted to discuss. One other thing I think would help would be to keep a Pain Diary (like the one in the back of Managing Pain Before It Manages You). You mark down your pain level 3 times a day, what you're doing, and what your response is both physically and emotionally. This would help both you and your PM determine just what irritates you, etc.

good luck today!

[billy027]

She was very nice. I recieved injections in my back toward the neck. I thought it would be closer to the shoulder but maybe because of me having every nerve bad in my right side influenced that and I have very poor range of motion. She prescribed tylenol 3 and skelxon 800-a muscle relaxer.
Is that better then Darvoset? I had them before-they helped a little.

[billy027]

tylenol 3 made me feel dizzy-im not going to take that

Is skelexon better then Darvoset-dr. seems to think it will help more

[fern]

it's worth a try. i took Skelaxin for cervical neck pain. i was told it's more for muscle pain. I avoid muscle relaxes as they make me so sleepy. The one I use now is Flexaril--but it leaves me extremely sleepy well into the next day. Neurologist called this "hangover effect" and suggested I avoid muscle relaxers in general. The nerve drugs work best for me for day to day. neurontin, lyrica... I also like a pain patch as it doesn't affect my brain (lidoderm).

[LinJane]

Pain meds are such a problem. Tylenol 3 for me is like taking a vitamin. Skelaxin(?) I also take but it does make me tired. The only thing that helps me with pain is percocet. I hate taking it due to the addiction worry but I haven't found anthing else. I will not take oxycontin again because I had a problem before. I believe we all have to find our own medication. You definitely do have to ask your doctor for meds, they don't always offer and you can't be in pain. Good luck, Linda

[Sea Pines 50]

hi, billy,

i'm glad you liked this PM doc and that your visit with her today went well. hopefully, she will work with you to find meds that your body will tolerate better (be aware that the side effects do subside with time) and, more importantly, will work to manage your pain more effectively.

you may need to be put on a long-acting opioid at some point, if you find that your sx are pretty constant. then you would need a short-acting version for break-through pain as well. personally i use opana ER and opana IR, respectively, which is oxymorphone... but some people do not tolerate this med very well, as i understand it - so talk to your doc about it. it is one of the newer ones on the market. i like it because it has no tylenol in it, is much smoother than any of the other opioids i've tried and has much fewer of the negative side effects. (don't even get me started about oxycontin; that is one nasty drug in my opinion!...)

actually, billy, there is a lot of info about this whole subject in withmore's 05/07 thread, if you're interested. you can use the 'advanced search' function to call it up simply by punching on it and entering her poster name. i think she called it "no meds" or something like that. i'll try to bump it for ya.

just my opinion, but i generally think it's not a good idea for us to be giving each other advice about what to take or not to take on this forum in the way of rx's. we are each of us so different, you know? not to mention, we're not docs or pharmacists! unwilling experts, i'd guess you'd call us.

that being said, many of us DO have a lot of experience for the simple fact of having suffered with the TOS beast for so long... and so if we can help you in any way, of course we will try to do just that.

a good muscle relaxant should be in the line of defense of every TOS'er, according to a very wise asian doc i see at the UCLA east/west medicine center. i use zanaflex, sometimes flexeril. my PCP gave me some samples of skelaxin to try at my last physical... but i didn't notice any appreciable relief so never asked for an rx. i know that dr. jordan prefers zanaflex and he tells his TOS patients to only take it at night.

i also take topomax for nerve pain, and also to ward off migraine h/a. didn't have much luck with the other nerve meds (like neurontin, lyrica) and they made me FAT (!), can't have that, billy! cymbalta didn't do much for me either as far as the nerve pain goes; nor did namenda...

i must say, however, that namenda has helped me out a LOT with my depression. so even though dr. jordan rx'd it for the nerve pain and it didn't seem to work for that - i've kept it on board for that reason, and i've been able to STOP taking my anti-depressant. but others will tell you they've had great success with some of the drugs i just mentioned, billy. you just never know what will work for you.

don't really like having to take a lot of pills. and i really try hard not to take the ones which are known to be mind- or mood-altering (like benzos, for example). but you know what, billy? PAIN is mind- and mood-altering, too!!! so at a certain point, i had to make a choice and i was lucky enough not to have to do that alone - i got a really, really good PM doc to help me.

and i hope that your new PM doc will be able to help you as well. it does take patience to find the right "chemical soup" and i sincerely hope that with maybe just a couple of meds, together with the other stuff you're doing in tx, this will make a real difference in your day to day life, bill.

do keep us posted as to how things are going for ya. those tylenol #3's - i agree with linda - not worth it and probably not strong enough to do the job - but just know that sometimes a med can take an adjustment period, so you may have a nasty side effect or 2 for a few dayz or so, but that will lift and for the RIGHT drug, it might be worth sitting it out.

sorry this post is so long. my best to you, kid. hang in there!

alison
"Be Brave"

[billy027]

Do you think I should call right away and tell dr. tylenol 3 upset my stomach? Maybe call tomorrow. It must be the codiene but I didn't like it all.