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September 15, 2008 - 9:36am
Relief - Finally!
After 21 months of constant pain, I have finally gotten some relief. Percocet is my savior. Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but this is the first thing that has reduced my pain and not made me sick.
I can still feel my pain, but it is reduced enough that I have been able to resume more normal activities. Well, at least through the weekend that's been true. Hopefully now that I am back at work, it will continue.
I will still work with my doctor to find non-drug solutions. In fact I have another epidural scheduled for Friday, and my doctor is going to have a TENS unit trial set up for me.
I just had to share my joy with you all. I know that everyone here can appreciate my happiness.
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be impeccable with your word..
Any answers I have is not medical advice only a Doctor can help you with that. Just sharing my personal experience as a fellow Spine Health member only. Mild DDD of complete lumbar area with recent healing of L5-S1 HD and annular tear.Leg &foot weakness nerve compression L4-L5.Mod. disc changes C5-C7 nerve impingement sore elbow and numb hand. Sept. 2011 MRI L4-L5 disc bulge and L5 facet joint and narrowing. Meds-Oxycontin 80mg,Cymbalta,Lyrica, Flexeril,Naproxen,Serax. Platinum Infrared heating pad. ER and Oncology trained and Cardiology RN on Disability. Keep the faith.
Hi Cathy, I'm glad to hear you've got relief and hope the next procedure makes it even better. Live your life!
Good luck, Jim
You get what you get, It has nothing to do with what you deserve!........I stole that from Susan
Click my user name to see my medical history
Today is yours to embrace, as tomorrow, Who knows what will be starring you in the face
Congrats! And props to your doctor for being so compassionate. Wish my new doctor had this kind of compassion
That is wonderful news! It's always so nice to find something that will give you a bit of relief... Don't do too much at work and get yourself in a bind!
Try to take it easy so you can still enjoy the weekend!
Terrie
Wow Cathy,
Good for you! Good luck finding the No Meds pain relief. I know Physical Therapy with Tens, ultrasound, spinal adjustments and deep trigger point massage has helped me tremendously. I feel much better when I'm physically active. Sitting at a desk or standing for very long KILLS me.
Good Luck,
Lauren
Thanks everyone
I think I did over-do it a bit on the weekend, and paid for it yesterday. But I was able to get back to feeling better with an evening of heating pad and rest. I'm also wearing a ThermaCare heat wrap today.
I'll try to keep things in perspective and take it slowly. It's hard not to try and do all the things you've had to put off because of pain, when you are finally feeling better. But I have to learn what my limits are, in order to stay feeling relatively good all the time.
I pick up a TENS unit on Monday, and I'm really looking forward to giving it a try.
Because of the ESI Friday, I haven't started the Mobic (meloxicam) yet either. So that's another thing I'm anxious to try, and see if it helps more than the Relafen (nabumetone).
just a thought i would let you know the tens unit can work great... but it is hard to get used to at first...so dont give up on it if you dont like it at first...patsy
I tried a TENS unit once, at my Mom's. And I know what you mean about it being hard to get used to.
I didn't find that one time helpful, but I realize that it can take some time for something like that to work. Also her unit was acting up, as she later found, so that's why I'm still up for giving it a try. I want to make sure that I give it the best try I can, before deciding it doesn't work. Kind of the same way I gave acupuncture a try, after 15 sessions I'm throwing in the towel on that one.
-Lisa
I had my ESI this past Friday. I started the meloxicam (Mobic) Friday night. All weekend I felt pretty good. Pain level down to about 2 (from 4 to 5 before). Monday (yesterday) I picked up the TENS unit, and was able to use it while watching TV last night, and I am wearing it today at work. I also picked up my renewal prescription for oxycodone-APAP (Percocet), and increased the number to 4/day (as per my docs instructions).
So far, I have been able to keep my pain level down to 2 to 3 (mostly 2). It's amazing how much better I feel.
I will be trying to cut back again on the oxycodone, to see if the TENS is really helping. And I also need to see what effect the ESI had. Im sure there is a cumulative effect from everything. But the important thing is that hopefully I can break the pain cycle, and wean off of everything. But at the very least I'm hoping that I can resume a more normal life. At a 2-3 pain level, that is very possible.
Good for you Cathy! Breaking the pain cycle is crucial so you are definitely on the right track
Give your body a break and don't try to wean off too soon. I'm sure your pm doc is monitoring you? He/she will be able to help you cut back at the appropriate time when your pain is stabilized. Good luck and thanks for the encouragement!
I'm enjoying this lower level of pain too much right now to risk increased pain by weaning off too soon.
But I guess I sort of wonder about this kind of dilemma. Trying all these new things at once, how do you know what it is that helped? The bottom line is, I'm happy to have less pain, but for future reference I'd like to know what it was that helped, or what combination.
I hope that I have enough time to do some experimentation. The TENS unit is on a 3 month rental right now, and of course I just had the ESI. I can stay on the oxycodone for a while (even though I'd like to eventually be able to stop), so I will continue that. But I might give the TENS unit a break after this week, just to see if my pain level stays down without it. It is expensive ($495), even the rental ($75/month), and I don't know how much my insurance is covering (I guess I could call them).
I should be able to know if the ESI helped within a few weeks. Then it is a matter of trying to figure out if it is the ESI or the oxycodone that is really helping out most.
I don't know, maybe it doesn't really matter in the end, as long as the pain is lower.