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jimnyc
07-16-2012, 09:01 AM
The pain medication (Oxycodone, 5mg and 325mg acetaminophen) isn't helping much. It takes the edge off slightly, but doesn't get rid of the pain and the pain is still strong enough to wake me up. If I had to venture a guess, if possible, I would say it's dulling the pain about 10%. But for all I know, when a disc issue like this, there may not be anything that can do better. Normally I just like popping the pills for the hell of it, just to enjoy the high, but this time the pain really sucks and I want and need it to go away.

So do I call the doctor and explain that this stuff is too mild, I need something stronger? Do I suck it up and deal with the pain?

Odd, when I get them for fun, I never have any guilt or hesitation. Now when I have incredible pain, and a legitimate reason for needing them, I feel guilty and as if I need to reason with myself before taking or getting them!

Tyr-Ziu Saxnot
07-16-2012, 09:09 AM
The pain medication (Oxycodone, 5mg and 325mg acetaminophen) isn't helping much. It takes the edge off slightly, but doesn't get rid of the pain and the pain is still strong enough to wake me up. If I had to venture a guess, if possible, I would say it's dulling the pain about 10%. But for all I know, when a disc issue like this, there may not be anything that can do better. Normally I just like popping the pills for the hell of it, just to enjoy the high, but this time the pain really sucks and I want and need it to go away.

So do I call the doctor and explain that this stuff is too mild, I need something stronger? Do I suck it up and deal with the pain?

Odd, when I get them for fun, I never have any guilt or hesitation. Now when I have incredible pain, and a legitimate reason for needing them, I feel guilty and as if I need to reason with myself before taking or getting them!

Call the Doc Jim. No need to endure pain when meds are so available and in comparison so cheap. I'd call the Doc and explain the meds are not strong enough and its causing me to lose too much sleep! In fact I did just that back when the idiot hit my car from behind injuring my back and neck in June 2009. The Doc called in a much stronger pain med for me, no problem. I wanted to kick myself for having waited two days before calling the Doc.
Just consider that the much stronger pain med may limit your driving ability! Especially if you washed it down with a cold beer as was my favorite method.;)-Tyr

mundame
07-16-2012, 09:12 AM
Call, call, call!

After all, what can you lose? He'll either help or he won't (and he's SUPPOSED to do pain management!) and you've already got "won't," so you have a chance of getting relief.


Just be sure to get off them as soon as you can.

I was on morphine (back pain, hospitalized) for some .....I'm going to say two months a couple years ago, and it was easy to get off after that time, if that helps. Of course, I didn't like it --- it made me nauseous. So that helped make the switch to over-the-counter.

jimnyc
07-16-2012, 09:30 AM
I called after reading these first 2 replies, and have been on hold since, I hate being on hold! Damn, it's a doctors office, and 15 minutes already?

jimnyc
07-16-2012, 09:37 AM
Well, they answered - but it's like when the nurse finally calls your name when you're waiting in the lobby, and now you get to go wait in the little exam room.

They apparently utilize an answering service of sorts. She took all the info and said she will be passing along a message to the doctor, and that his nurse should call me back shortly.

jimnyc
07-16-2012, 11:02 AM
Curious, what would you consider a reasonable amount of time to wait for a return call from a nurse? I don't want to call back prematurely, and I sure as shit know doctors and their employees are busy... But an hour and a half so far, which is cool as I do have the other medication to take for now, but at what point should I call again if I don't hear back?

mundame
07-16-2012, 11:18 AM
Call at 2, if they didn't call back. Tell them it's serious.

Abbey Marie
07-16-2012, 02:31 PM
You may need to escalate.

revelarts
07-16-2012, 02:38 PM
Maybe a 2nd opion from a chripractor too Jim.

There are 2 women in office that have gone conventential with back issues ans both still complain. One had 3 surgeries and says the pains is "different" now than it was before.

My brother has back issues and the chiropractors has not cured/fixed it but he says it's the best relief from pain that he gets.

jimnyc
07-16-2012, 03:31 PM
So I hadn't heard back by 4pm (I suppose that was like 5 1/2hrs) so I called back. This time the service said she would stay on the phone and get one of the nurses for me. 10 minutes later and the nurse hops on the phone, and the first thing she said was that the doctor was busy, and while I got her on the phone, only the doctor can call in a prescription. The she told me to double up the original medication that he had prescribed. I told her this was fine, but I was running low anyway and am going to need something regardless. She says what the doctor prescribed me was a "heavy duty narcotic", which it's not, but anyway... She asked me for my CVS phone number that she was going to call in a prescription of "Flexeril". Hey, wait a minute, I thought she couldn't do that that? LOL I don't care, and who knows, maybe this one will work. I think they shot me down as they saw me just looking for stronger drugs. The reality is, I AM looking for stronger drugs, but to relieve my pain. But reading on this Flexeril it sounds like it may help a bit.

What is Flexeril?



Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine) is a muscle relaxant (http://www.drugs.com/flexeril.html#). It works by blocking nerve impulses (or pain sensations) that are sent to your brain.
Flexeril is used together with rest and physical therapy (http://www.drugs.com/flexeril.html#) to treat skeletal muscle conditions such as pain or injury.
Flexeril may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

http://www.drugs.com/flexeril.html

Kathianne
07-16-2012, 03:50 PM
Jim, if I had any say, I'd cut off all your meds and put you in hospital. As you said, 'you like pills,' and that isn't good, when you could need surgery.

You belong in hospital and get the evals you need, including second and possibly third opinions. No more drugs, under your control.

jimnyc
07-16-2012, 05:05 PM
Jim, if I had any say, I'd cut off all your meds and put you in hospital. As you said, 'you like pills,' and that isn't good, when you could need surgery.

You belong in hospital and get the evals you need, including second and possibly third opinions. No more drugs, under your control.

Sadly, and I'm embarrassed to say, you are right. I just need a quick MRI now, schedule the surgery, and the pain subsides very quickly when that's completed. I need to get this over with as quick as possible to get temptation behind me.

And what worries me now is that it's getting a little worse. Well ,the pain is similar, with increasing pain here and there, but I'm getting weird tingling more and more down towards my hands and a numb feeling.

aboutime
07-16-2012, 05:52 PM
jimnyc. Don't put anything off. I injured my spine during PT aboard the USS Nassau during the First Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm. Lost all ....ALL feeling in my left side from my left cheek, down my arm, down my entire left side to my left foot.
I injured, or compressed T2, T3, and T4 that squeezed the nerves to so much pain. I couldn't walk. And the pain was so bad. If I touched the hair on my arm...it burnt, and really hurt bad.
End result. I had spinal surgery aboard the Hospital Ship Mercy in the Persian Gulf, at sea.
Took almost eight months before the navy offered to either Buy me out, or I would return to active duty instead of Partial duty.
It's not something to play with. And the Neurosurgeon who examined me just asked. If you are married. Do you want to still have a sex life?
He told me. If I just took pain killers. I'd be nothing but a basket case the rest of my life.

It's not nice to Fool with Mother Nature, or Pain.

mundame
07-17-2012, 09:52 PM
I thought I'd better check in and see how Jimmy is doing.

Okay, you got something for the pain and you are going to get some resolution soon, I hope ---

Backs get in trouble as the years go on.

avatar4321
07-23-2012, 02:19 AM
If you like pills, id do what I could to stay away from them, especially addictive ones.

Im sorry to hear about your back. My wife has been having back problems this past week. It's been tough for her. We are hoping its almost done. but its been a week... we just cant find a doctor to take our insurance at the moment.

hjmick
07-23-2012, 08:44 PM
Ibuprofen 800. Take two. Works every time.

jimnyc
07-24-2012, 07:11 AM
Ibuprofen 800. Take two. Works every time.

I have Advil which is my ibuprofen, but they are 200mg. Which brand, or how do you get 800mg pills?

Abbey Marie
07-24-2012, 08:40 AM
I have Advil which is my ibuprofen, but they are 200mg. Which brand, or how do you get 800mg pills?

I'm pretty sure a doctor has to prescribe the 800s.

jimnyc
07-24-2012, 08:43 AM
I'm pretty sure a doctor has to prescribe the 800s.

Oh, bummer. I suppose I could take 8 Advil then! :2up:

Abbey Marie
07-24-2012, 08:59 AM
Oh, bummer. I suppose I could take 8 Advil then! :2up:

:laugh2: I guess they never thought of that one.

How's the pain today?

jimnyc
07-24-2012, 09:37 AM
:laugh2: I guess they never thought of that one.

How's the pain today?

Pretty crappy actually. Today is a sharp pain from the right side of my neck at the base of my head, and it streaks down to about my elbow. The only semi positive thing is that I can almost manage it by continually shifting positions and relieving some pressure. But it doesn't always work, and when it does it only lasts for a bit before returning. I can mostly deal with all the pains so long as it's not a headache. I had about a 36hr headache Saturday and Sunday and that was the worst. I probably did more harm than good with trying so many meds, but nothing was working. Without the migraine, the pain is bearable until I get it corrected. And yes, he did prescribe me Percocet again, and although I know it's addictive, I also know it keeps me sane in the meantime. I know I won't stay addicted, I can control that, but I also know you suffer a little when stopping from withdrawals. It's a process of choosing the lesser evils!

aboutime
07-24-2012, 02:23 PM
Pretty crappy actually. Today is a sharp pain from the right side of my neck at the base of my head, and it streaks down to about my elbow. The only semi positive thing is that I can almost manage it by continually shifting positions and relieving some pressure. But it doesn't always work, and when it does it only lasts for a bit before returning. I can mostly deal with all the pains so long as it's not a headache. I had about a 36hr headache Saturday and Sunday and that was the worst. I probably did more harm than good with trying so many meds, but nothing was working. Without the migraine, the pain is bearable until I get it corrected. And yes, he did prescribe me Percocet again, and although I know it's addictive, I also know it keeps me sane in the meantime. I know I won't stay addicted, I can control that, but I also know you suffer a little when stopping from withdrawals. It's a process of choosing the lesser evils!

jimnyc. You can disagree with me, and tell me to mind my own business all you want but. You are telling me....A Heart Attack victim, and survivor all of the symptoms that are so familiar to a Heart condition...begging you to lose your pride, and GET TO A HOSPITAL.
The pain pills are never gonna stop what you are feeling. And I have never spoken to a DEAD person who would agree with you...that it will pass.
Forget the addiction talk. The lesser of two evils for you. HONESTLY....you ain't gonna like when your TICKER stops ticking.

Abbey Marie
07-24-2012, 02:34 PM
Pretty crappy actually. Today is a sharp pain from the right side of my neck at the base of my head, and it streaks down to about my elbow. The only semi positive thing is that I can almost manage it by continually shifting positions and relieving some pressure. But it doesn't always work, and when it does it only lasts for a bit before returning. I can mostly deal with all the pains so long as it's not a headache. I had about a 36hr headache Saturday and Sunday and that was the worst. I probably did more harm than good with trying so many meds, but nothing was working. Without the migraine, the pain is bearable until I get it corrected. And yes, he did prescribe me Percocet again, and although I know it's addictive, I also know it keeps me sane in the meantime. I know I won't stay addicted, I can control that, but I also know you suffer a little when stopping from withdrawals. It's a process of choosing the lesser evils!

Sorry! Sounds painful.

I totally agree about headaches. I'd rather have almost anything but.
Btw, I may be having surgery too, for a torn labrum (hip). It's a hockey players injury, lol.

gabosaurus
07-24-2012, 04:06 PM
My husband has a form of Sciatica, which I believe extends down through the upper legs. He refuses to took anything but a low dose pain medication, because he wants to be fully alert at work.
From my experience with him, the best aid to pain is a good, comfortable chair. A doctor can recommend one based on your symptoms. My husband has a fairly expensive chair for works that conforms to where his pain is.
The best thing you can do is get up and walk occasionally. Don't become too sedentary.
Check with the VA to see if the pain is related to something from your past. My husband got his from all the time he spent lifting heavy boxes and objects when we worked at an auto parts warehouse in high school.

jimnyc
07-24-2012, 06:24 PM
jimnyc. You can disagree with me, and tell me to mind my own business all you want but. You are telling me....A Heart Attack victim, and survivor all of the symptoms that are so familiar to a Heart condition...begging you to lose your pride, and GET TO A HOSPITAL.
The pain pills are never gonna stop what you are feeling. And I have never spoken to a DEAD person who would agree with you...that it will pass.
Forget the addiction talk. The lesser of two evils for you. HONESTLY....you ain't gonna like when your TICKER stops ticking.


My bad for having a few threads on the same subject... But there's another thread in this section about 'degenerative disc disease'. I've been to the doctor several times and have already had an MRI. I'm meeting with a surgeon on Thursday to map things out and set a date to have the discectomy extended.

And you're correct about the pain pills. But they do take the edge off and they do make me "happy" for a short spells at a time! :coffee:

jimnyc
07-24-2012, 06:25 PM
Sorry! Sounds painful.

I totally agree about headaches. I'd rather have almost anything but.
Btw, I may be having surgery too, for a torn labrum (hip). It's a hockey players injury, lol.

That's kinda like the rotator cuff surgery that pitchers get for their shoulders, no?

jimnyc
07-24-2012, 06:36 PM
My husband has a form of Sciatica, which I believe extends down through the upper legs. He refuses to took anything but a low dose pain medication, because he wants to be fully alert at work.
From my experience with him, the best aid to pain is a good, comfortable chair. A doctor can recommend one based on your symptoms. My husband has a fairly expensive chair for works that conforms to where his pain is.
The best thing you can do is get up and walk occasionally. Don't become too sedentary.
Check with the VA to see if the pain is related to something from your past. My husband got his from all the time he spent lifting heavy boxes and objects when we worked at an auto parts warehouse in high school.

Yep, sciatica can also be caused by a herniated disk, but in the lumbar region instead. This pain can radiate anywhere down your lower back, to your butt, to your knees and all the way to your toes! My eldest brother not only has neuropathy in his feet, but also other pains associated from some sort of compression in his lower spine. He can't afford to get it fixed right now and doesn't have suitable insurance to cover what would likely be a rather expensive procedure.

And I'm one step ahead of you. I'm already poking sticks at the woman of the house to get me a new leather chair for my computer desk, to save my neck and life of course! :poke:

The better the chair, forcing good posture, will pay dividends in the long run. My sitting posture is horrible, and probably part of my problem, or at the very least makes it worse. Same as sleeping in a good bed, and having good pillows and such. I have similar to the memory foam crap from Bob's Furniture and the best pillows that money could buy, mostly from the Marriott! LOL

Here's the chair I want:

http://a248.e.akamai.net/origin-cdn.volusion.com/z7rsy.b4q2u/v/vspfiles/photos/ME7ERG_Mesh-2.jpg

But being it's $1,200, I'll likely be getting this one, which is about $319

http://static.www.odcdn.com/pictures/us/od/sk/lg/261846_sk_lg.jpg

Abbey Marie
07-25-2012, 12:01 AM
That's kinda like the rotator cuff surgery that pitchers get for their shoulders, no?

I think that is correct. Not sure what movement I was doing to bring it on. Wish I had a sporty or sexy reason for it!

jimnyc
07-25-2012, 07:21 AM
I think that is correct. Not sure what movement I was doing to bring it on. Wish I had a sporty or sexy reason for it!

You would be surprised at how many people have disk related issues and such, and have no idea how they did it! I'm not really sure how I did this to my 2 discs, but am fairly certain the first was from sneezing, as that's when the pain blew up the first time. But it could have been there already and then just "exploded" after the sneeze. This second one, not sure at all, not even a guess. Maybe when my brother in law punched me in the face, or headbutted me? LOL

fj1200
07-25-2012, 09:05 AM
I think that is correct. Not sure what movement I was doing to bring it on. Wish I had a sporty or sexy reason for it!

I was going to ask if that sort of injury happened due to being slammed into the boards...

jimnyc
07-25-2012, 09:30 AM
I was going to ask if that sort of injury happened due to being slammed into the boards...

Headboard? :dunno:

Only kidding, Abs! :coffee:

fj1200
07-25-2012, 01:13 PM
Only kidding, Abs! :coffee:

Me too. :cheers2:

Abbey Marie
07-25-2012, 01:47 PM
I was going to ask if that sort of injury happened due to being slammed into the boards...

Lol. I had decided to tell my doctor, who once worked as a doc for the Flyers, that this middle-aged mom was injured playing hockey. Just to see the look of consternation on his face. :laugh:

I learned not to play contact sports with guys years ago when I was playing touch football with my law firm. One of the partners decided to full-on tackle me for some reason. God, it hurt.

Abbey Marie
07-25-2012, 01:52 PM
Headboard? :dunno:

Only kidding, Abs! :coffee:


:smackface:

I once had Rangers tix in the first row to the side of the goal. Not a great view of the total game, but when players slammed into the boards right in front of me, it was kinda awesome. The first few times, I would kind of jump back in my seat, lol!

hjmick
07-28-2012, 11:56 PM
I have Advil which is my ibuprofen, but they are 200mg. Which brand, or how do you get 800mg pills?

Prescription.

gabosaurus
07-28-2012, 11:58 PM
Headboard? :dunno:

Only kidding, Abs!

Jim can only dream of being slammed in a headboard. :slap:

jimnyc
07-29-2012, 06:07 AM
Jim can only dream of being slammed in a headboard. :slap:

Exactly, it IS a dream of mine, a woman passionate enough to do that to the bed, and have ME hit my head on the headboard, my kinda gal! :poke:

hjmick
07-29-2012, 01:06 PM
Exactly, it IS a dream of mine, a woman passionate enough to do that to the bed, and have ME hit my head on the headboard, my kinda gal! :poke:

My wife and I once pulled a headboard of the wall in a Las Vegas hotel...

Abbey Marie
07-29-2012, 04:50 PM
Doesn't this thread make you all miss Con? I can only imagine what he would say... ;)

Kathianne
07-29-2012, 05:07 PM
Doesn't this thread make you all miss Con? I can only imagine what he would say... ;)

Not really. :laugh2: