Im cracking up

[Penny80]

i really feel like i cant handle this pain anymore its UPPER back pain well mid to upper, i've had an M.R.I, x-ray, seen pain specialists back specialist, physio who gave me crutches/sticks, which i cant use as it hurts my wrist?? and am due to see a rheumatologist this month, my dr has me on 5x30mg dihydrocodeine a day and will not alter this in anyway i get 70 a fortnight and thats it, so, i've just been and bought 28 morphine sulphate modified release tablets 100mg i took one after cutting it in half, on the hope it would work quicker, about a half hour ago, i have a 4 year old son and cant live like this, i feel like walking infront of a car so my back IS broken, then they can fix it, or at least i'll get some decent pain relief, im only 28 and the dr's seem to think i've been on the dihydrocodeine too long and are talking about reducing them incase i get addicted! what a joke, i've been on them 6 years, i think its a bit late now.
i just dont know what to do anymore, can anyone help me at all or is this to be my life, because if it is, i dont want it.

[heatherwallace]

It sounds as if the medication isn't working. I couldn't get pain relief from the opioids and I tried a lot of them over the years. Why don't you try a pain management programme and different types of medication. I get on well with anti epileptics. I still have pain but I have found a way of getting on with my life. The pain management programme was great. Try it - your kids will be glad you did: do it for them. Good luck.

[heatherwallace]

It sounds as if the medication isn't working. I couldn't get pain relief from the opioids and I tried a lot of them over the years. Why don't you try a pain management programme and different types of medication. I get on well with anti epileptics. I still have pain but I have found a way of getting on with my life. The pain management programme was great. Try it - your kids will be glad you did: do it for them. Good luck.

[Penny80]

Thanks for your reply, i have had pain management but all they did was refer me to physio (which had been done already) and gave me a Tens machine which i still have but is so useless its stuck in the back of a cupboard, and i have tried with it, tried for months, they said use the crutches but its pretty impracticle with a four year old who likes to hide, the morphine i bought were great but actually STOPPED me sleeping on the night i posted (mon), as i have found with other opiate based meds, if i take them late on a night, well, after about 5pm, so i have been managing on the morphine for 2 days but dont want to keep taking them, as i will obviously get addicted and i dont really like to buy medication from people, and my dr wont prescribe them, there was a point when the pain management team referred me to there boss at the hospital who phoned my dr to try and get him to put up my dihydrocodeine but he would'nt, now the pain management have referred me to a rheumatologist??, i've since changed dr's but have'nt really had a chance to meet the new one properly, im also cutting the morphine in half to try and get them to work quicker, i dont know, im lost :-(

[fionamasters]

Hi Penny,
You dont mention if they have been able to identify the cause or have given you a diagnosis for your back pain. Ultimately though whether you have a diagnosis or not, it is the day to day living and coping with the pain that we need help with, especially when trying to care for a young family. I think Heather has a very valid point re the pain management suggestion. However there are a lot of different aspects to pain management, physio being just one of them. I know I benefitied greatly from the psychologists input. when it was initially suggested I may benefit from seeing a psychologist, I was not too sure, however I benefited greatly in that it really helped me move forward in my acceptance of living with pain. At that time I was very depressed, yes I can see that now but living day in day out with pain does take its toll. There are ways in which we can learn to start living with it rather than constantly trying to fight against it. Dont give up, go back to GP and ask if you can be seen by/referred to Pain Management again and this time maybe have some input from other areas perhaps a psychologist as well as a physio. Hang in there. This site is also a real wealth of knowledge and support for people living with chronic pain.
Best wishes
Fiona

[fionamasters]

Hi Penny,
You dont mention if they have been able to identify the cause or have given you a diagnosis for your back pain. Ultimately though whether you have a diagnosis or not, it is the day to day living and coping with the pain that we need help with, especially when trying to care for a young family. I think Heather has a very valid point re the pain management suggestion. However there are a lot of different aspects to pain management, physio being just one of them. I know I benefitied greatly from the psychologists input. when it was initially suggested I may benefit from seeing a psychologist, I was not too sure, however I benefited greatly in that it really helped me move forward in my acceptance of living with pain. At that time I was very depressed, yes I can see that now but living day in day out with pain does take its toll. There are ways in which we can learn to start living with it rather than constantly trying to fight against it. Dont give up, go back to GP and ask if you can be seen by/referred to Pain Management again and this time maybe have some input from other areas perhaps a psychologist as well as a physio. Hang in there. This site is also a real wealth of knowledge and support for people living with chronic pain.
Best wishes
Fiona

[Hilary]

In addition to what Fiona says, I found the pacing and learning to build up activities systematically very useful - I learned this on the Pain Management programme.

http://www.inputpainunit.net/pain_whati ... gement.htm

[michael lewendon]

Article
Thalidomide a promising new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis
Oscar Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, MD *
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle; Consultant Rheumatologist, Hospital Universitario del Valle Evaristo García, Cali, Colombia


*Correspondence to Oscar Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Apartado aéieo 6636, Cali, Colombia

Abstract
In an open study, oral administration of thalidomide to 7 female patients with classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis, in doses ranging from 6.9 to 15 mg/kg/day, led to clinical improvement within several weeks. In 4 women, remission lasted long after discontinuation of the drug. All patients showed normalization or marked reduction of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and several showed a significant decrease in rheumatoid factor titer. Adverse side effects included drowsiness, constipation, and edema of the lower limbs, which disappeared after discontinuation of the drug.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Received: 6 June 1983; Accepted: 25 April 1984
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

[michael lewendon]

Article
Thalidomide a promising new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis
Oscar Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, MD *
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Facultad de Salud, Universidad del Valle; Consultant Rheumatologist, Hospital Universitario del Valle Evaristo García, Cali, Colombia


*Correspondence to Oscar Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Apartado aéieo 6636, Cali, Colombia

Abstract
In an open study, oral administration of thalidomide to 7 female patients with classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis, in doses ranging from 6.9 to 15 mg/kg/day, led to clinical improvement within several weeks. In 4 women, remission lasted long after discontinuation of the drug. All patients showed normalization or marked reduction of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and several showed a significant decrease in rheumatoid factor titer. Adverse side effects included drowsiness, constipation, and edema of the lower limbs, which disappeared after discontinuation of the drug.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Received: 6 June 1983; Accepted: 25 April 1984
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

[Penny80]

Hi well i have'nt been on for a while now as sitting at this computer desk does not help me at all, my g.p now has me on butrans/ bupenorophine *spell* patches, first they kept me on my dihydrocodeine and 5mcg patch a week then they upped it to 10mcg a week, which still did'nt help so i went back again and they've upped them to a 5mcg and a 10mcg so im on a 15mcg a week, but the dr stopped my dihydrocodeine all in one go so i feel awful, she told me i would'nt withdraw from them because of the butrans patches, but i am, really badly, plus im still in agony with my back, she has said i can just go back on to those if i want but have to stop the butrans the same day, and now im worried about withdrawl symptoms from those, she's suggested seeing a chiropractor as they've pretty much ruled everything else out as i've tried it, i've still been taking the dihydrocodeine when i can get them as i feel so ill but cant do that forever, nothing seems to be helping and i dont know what to do???? thanks for your replys, Penny