ST JUDE DR BURST STIM, MEDS, L5/S1 OH MY!
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So I went to my PM Friday and started Morphine 15mg XR x2 alongside Perc 10mg x2, Ultracet x2 and Neurontin 300mg x4 daily for 10 days to see how Morphine affects my pain. We know I have prolapsed disc at L5/S1 and he agrees I have remaining frags from last 2 discectomies and lumbar fusions.
Questions for the group:
- Anyone had more relief with a med patch + their pill form meds VS an XR pill form? (morphine patch vs morphine XR pill)
*ultimate goal is to NOT need these meds only using the stimulator...due to needed surgery and frags, we aren't stopping narcs at this time. (my little disclaimer)
-Please send me advice, suggestions, direction to find health coverage besides disability as I am really trying to persevere and work only PT. I am unable to have surgery to remove the fragments bc I do not have health care anymore. Logically, I should listen to my docs and apply for disability benefits receiving coverage to get back to a productive life...we all know how disability goes and the length in which it takes to receive that coverage. This wouldn't be an issue if I was allowed to work, even just a little, while trying to get coverage. Disability allows PT hours AFTER being awarded benefits BUT NOT during the application process.
I thank you all in advance. This is surgery #5 in almost 3 years. I am 35 years old with an amazing 14 year old daughter. My pain is starting to get the best of me.. the worst of me..often, it almost gets all of me.
Asking for any help/advice out there..
0 likes, 1 reply
allaroundanne ellebe
Posted
Wow, that's a lot of narcs, in today's climate of " OMG there's an opioid crisis", how on earth did you find a doc caring enough to prescribe you that much? I was a bit confused, do you have the SCS already and want to have surgery to remove the disc fragments that remain? Are you sure that these discs are the cause of your pain and it isn't coming from scar tissue from multiple surgeries? Or perhaps your primary disease process that lead you to have multi-disc disease? I was a PM doc in my previous life LOL, and at this point, I really wouldn't send you back for any more surgeries. The surgeons have had their chance to fix you and failed miserably, obviously.
OK, so your question re, topical versus oral. A big consideration I found out for myself was that those patches can be very irritating to your skin. I ended up looking like I had some kind of weird disease that manifested as little square rashes all over my upper body LOL. Also, they advertise the patch as lasting for a week, ie the 10 mg ( in my case) was to be delivered slowly over a week. Nope, it was delivered over 3 days and by day 4 there was nada pain relief. Finally, forget about luxuriating in a hot bath, hot tub or even getting overheated, that will cause the patch to punch out the entire dose all at once ( well maybe not the entire dose, but a good day or two). So, I was really not happy with transdermal pain patches.
I am thinking that instead of this mountain of oral narcotics and neurontin, why doesn't your PM doc consider an intrathecal pump-ie into your spinal fluid. You would get a much lower dose of narcotic and anti-seizure med, you would have fewer side effects. if you already have an SCS, you know what it is like to have a generator-- the pump is the same sort of thing. I think you'd be a good candidate from what I have read here, obviously, there may be something I don't know that your doc does. But, do bring it up. As for your trying the transdermal route, I wouldn't bother.
Also, are you in the US? My Dad used to run the disability part of Social Security. He's retired now, but he piddles around doing disability law for people having trouble getting approved since he knows all the ins and outs ( he's an attorney). If you need some help on that front I can help there too.
Lynn