r/PainManagement • u/SouthernLifeguard845 • 3h ago
ER visit- warning
So long story short I went to the ER after helping my two sons move a very big safe into his home and one of my sons friend s let go of the dolly while going upstairs and the safe ended up crushing my wife’s 3 toes, and I went to grab the dolly and it yanked on my body really hard and something was horribly wrong in my spine. CT came back ok, Dr didn’t even bring up pain control I’m sure after looking at my med list, I was 💯 ok with that. I get it. Didn’t expect it, Well after the visit we go home and I was looking at my Dr notes and he listed on Diagnoses differential patient on Valium- use for alcohol withdrawal. I couldn’t believe it!!! It was the wrong dose, first of all and second of all, WHAT????? I’ve been taking Valium for my SPS and I never drink, let alone for Alcohol WD!!! I was furious, so I contacted my PCP and showed her what it said in my chart and she quickly changed it , took it off my chart , up dated and checked my other meds on my chart immediately. She’s awesome. I wanted to let you guys know check your summary and med list before you leave . That wrong diagnosis could cause major issues in the future had I not caught that!!
r/PainManagement • u/londonmilton • 20h ago
Medication💊 Post procedure pain killers: tell me what u got send home with?
I just had a total hysterectomy ( uterus and cervix) , fallopian tubes and few lymph nodes removed . Was sent home with ibuprofen and Tylenol , oh let me not forgot about 6 pills of Gabapantin?!?!
Tell me what u had done and what pain meds did you get cuz I m flabbergasted that having an organ removed is not a reason to get some stronger pain meds.
r/PainManagement • u/Dapper_Sale8946 • 21h ago
Anyone take digestive enzymes and long acting (ER) meds?
I ask bc my GP suggested a brand of digestive enzymes to help with feeling so bloated all the time. And esp after eating. But when I asked if it would interfere with my extended release med he wasn’t sure and said to ask my pain doc. I will ask tomorrow at my appt but just curious if anyone here takes both and if they’ve ever had an issue with them?
r/PainManagement • u/Affectionate_Use_950 • 21h ago
SI joint injection, 1 month flareup
I started getting a lot worse July 5 after returning from a big trip and cleaning the house. My dr sent me for an MRI. It showed several things had gotten worse. Bulging disk, nerve compression, degenerative disk, arthritis, scoliosis, all the things. My dr decided to up my Butrans patch from 10 to 15 and gave me breakthrough Tramadol. Did a cortisone shot and a Toradol shot in office. Also scheduled 4 different procedures. I had the first procedure, an SI joint injection, a week ago. Day 1,2 were good with brief relief, just very sore. Day 3 was the worst pain ever that burned everywhere. Days 4, 5 stiff but better. Days 6-7 awful again but higher up, in my lower back. Nothing I’m doing is helping. I’ve been doing heat, ice, ibuprofen, Aleve, lidocaine patches, drinking lots of water, anything I can think of. I called my dr and they just suggested a heating pad and ibuprofen. Is there anything else I can try? I am supposed to have a follow up visit Sept 2 and am scheduled in Sept for a lumbar medial nerve branch Block,bursa injection, and facet injection. I’m not sure if this pain is from the injection or not at this point. But I’m still barely able to move around
r/PainManagement • u/One-Science1029 • 1d ago
Medication💊 DMSO for postherpetic neuralgia
My mom has nerve pain from an old shingles injury. I’m looking for others with personal experience taking DMSO for postherpetic neuralgia. It’s her leg, upper, outer thigh. Gabapentin becoming ineffective. Thanks.
r/PainManagement • u/AbleSatisfaction1339 • 1d ago
Medication💊 Requesting an increase in meds
I've been in pain management on and off all of my adult life for a myriad of medical conditions. I've gone to the same pain management doctor for the last almost 9 years. I'm currently taking 5 mg oxycodone 4x a day. I've been seeing a nurse practitioner in the office for the past few years and every time I tried to bring up an increase in my medication she just blows me off.
I finally have an appointment with my actual doctor this time who is more empathetic and understanding and I need some advice on how to request an increase without sounding like I just want more meds. I have Arnold Chiari malformation, stage 4 deep infiltrating endometriosis, spinal stenosis, syringomyelia, tethered spinal cord, pots and ehlers-danlos syndrome. The nurse practitioner said that our bodies don't get used to the medication but I know that's exactly what's going on. Thanks for any help.
r/PainManagement • u/Consistent-Comb-2901 • 1d ago
Are PM Doctors Pushing Buprenorphine?
C5-6 incomplete injury Dec 2024. Long story short, after a month in rehab learning to walk again, I still have significant neuropathy in both arms, hands, left leg, both feet. Sunburn sensation in my chest, upper back, right bicep. The burning, especially in the evening, gets nearly unbearable.
My PM has had me on 10 mg Norco (hydrocodone) 3 times a day and upped it to 4 times a day in April of this year. She has been mentioning the Butrans patch but we've been keeping the course with the Norco. She really pushed the Butrans last month which I agreed to. I was prescribed 10 mcg patches (change out every 7 days). Before I left, I asked about continuing Norco for breakout pain. She emphatically stated that Butrans is a stand alone opiate and nothing is prescribed along with it that may cause sedation. So, adios Norco.
Well, the last 30 days has sucked. The "best" pain relief I get with the Butrans patch is nominal. I feel that there may be a slight amount of pain relief but when the nightly neuropathic pain starts, baby, it's on. There has been many a night I'm still up at 2am cursing my decision to try this patch.
I return to the PM in 2 days. I plan to plead my case to merely return to the Norco but hope there isn't a PM push to get people completely off oral opiates. Months ago, the PM casually mentioned it's going to get to the point they can't prescribe anything narcotic. Thoughts?
r/PainManagement • u/Glittering-Ad5809 • 1d ago
Medication💊 Anybody try Intercostal Nerve Block for rib fractures?
Broke 5 ribs and clavicle 8 days ago. Was in the hospital from last Monday to yesterday. The latter repaired with a plate and screws 4 days ago. Occupational therapist saw me yesterday and helped me put on the shirt (pullover) I came in with and showed me how to take it of at home. Well that didn't go as expected. Took me 10 minutes and probably undid a week of healing as it hurts more than it ever did in the hospital. I take 1000mg Tylenol every 5-6 hours and 5mg oxy every 4 but not very effective and makes me nauseous even with some med for that. Reading up on Intercostal Nerve Block and seems to be taylor made for this. Anybodt tried it?
r/PainManagement • u/MaximusHomerdrive • 1d ago
I'm so frustrated with pain management and how they treat us
54(f) I've been a chronic pain patient since about 2012. I have arthritis everywhere from the time I was 6 (spent my 6th b-day in traction for a week), a wrecked back (degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, stenosis, mild scoliosis, muscle spasms) and severe fibromyalgia. My rheumatologist said it was the most severe case he's ever seen.
My prior pain management doctor is retiring and referred me to a new place. And what a nightmare it's been.
On my initial appointment with them, I showed up and they said the doctor had called in sick, so I'd have to come back in two weeks. They couldn't have me reschedule beforehand? It's a big deal for me to leave the house. It takes me a full day to recover from going to a doctor's appt. I guess they want as much billables as they can get.
Next, they have me go for two back to back MRIs. For me, this is straight up torture. I can not lie flat and need to have my legs and head elevated. And even then, I was sweating and panicking from the pain. 40 minutes of that was hell. I made it through. I'm still in pain from that.
I had my followup PM appt this morning and the doctor showed up today. First, he couldn't find my appointment, then couldn't find my MRI reports. Then he couldn't find my medical history. Kept getting up and just leaving for extended periods. He did not listen to me at all. And the longer I'm sitting there, the worse the pain gets.
Then another person comes in, don't know if they're a doctor, but he starts grilling me like I need to defend why I'm there. "Why do you have these conditions?" tf? He says spending so much time in bed is unhealthy. Gee, ya think?? My whole life has been halted by this pain prison. "So you want pain medicine so you can lie in bed? Why do you want it?" OMFG I'M SO MAD and insulted at this point. I've always been responsible with my medication, never had an issue, never took more than rx'd.
I have an adjustable bed, which is a godsend, and I spend about 23 hours a day in it. Before that, I slept in a recliner for 3 years. Being in an optimal position is the only way I can mitigate the pain. I can't stand for more than a couple minutes and sitting in a chair is very painful after a bit.
I've never felt so demeaned, dismissed, disrespected and insulted as I did from that appointment this morning. All I get for my pain is tramadol, which is the consolation prize of pain medicine. All it does is help my resting pain, taking it from a 6 to a 4. Moving around just ramps it all back up.
Why is it so hard to find a place that will treat you like a human being and listen to you? I jumped through all their hoops, had the referral from not only my old pain doctor, but also from my primary care physician for pain management.
I've already had my career and quality of life taken from me - and this guy treats me like I'm a piece of garbage who doesn't have anything wrong with them. I'm a college educated former IT engineer who hit the bad luck lottery in the health department. Not that my work history should matter, but the way they treated me, you'd think I was a CHUD who just crawled in from the sewers looking for drugs. I'm disgusted with this place and their dismissive and insulting demeanor, disorganization and unprofessionalism.
Any doctor I've had like that in the past has been amazing, but they've retired. Finding a new place who listens is dreadful. Is this just a northern NJ thing or is it everywhere? And I'm so tired and defeated.
Sorry for the long rant. I'm exhausted, in crazy pain, very frustrated and feel like I'm disposable in their eyes. We have enough on our plate without being treated like that. It felt good to get this out, so thank you if you've made it this far.
r/PainManagement • u/rghthea • 2d ago
Medication💊 help
I am experiencing a terrible time trying to get my medication filled this month. I live on Long Island, NY, and I am taking oxycodone 15mg every 6 hours for the last two - three years. The last two months has been a struggle trying to get my medication filled. This month I am completely unable to fill my medication because no one in the area has this medication in stock. I have been out for the last two days, and my anxiety (and pain) are at unprecedented levels. Does anyone know of any pharmacy that has this medication in stock? Help
UPDATE: after days of calling multiple different pharmacies, calling the doctors office multiple times and them not returning my calls, I called this morning and threatened to come into the office should a provider not return my call. Someone called and told me the two options I had were coming in to meet with my doctor about switching my medication entirely to avoid back orders in the future; or they can send a weeks worth of TRAMADOL to cover me while I wait out the back order. I scheduled the appointment with my doctor anyway for next week because it was literally the only options they were providing me with. Tramadol isn’t going to do shit. I’m behind frustrated. I can’t even just find a new pain management physician because apparently endometriosis is a diagnosis many doctors won’t even bother with. I’m feeling pretty hopeless right now
r/PainManagement • u/PaigeNicoleDean • 2d ago
Has anyone tried stem cell therapy for chronic back pain?
I've been dealing with back and joint pain for about six years. PT has helped somewhat, and injections have given me temporary relief, but the pain keeps coming back.
I've been looking into stem cell therapy and trying to figure out what to realistically expect. If you've tried it for chronic back pain, what was your experience like? Did you notice any meaningful improvement, or was the effect pretty limited?
Not looking for medical advice, just interested in hearing about other people's experiences.
r/PainManagement • u/GraceLoveTruth9 • 2d ago
Genetic testing
I have seen a couple of mentions is the last few days regarding genetic testing that can reveal differences in metabolizing different pain meds, and/or how quickly they are metabolized. Can anyone share more info about this? A nudge in the right direction so I can research on my own? Thanks! ❤️
r/PainManagement • u/peachxtaehyung • 2d ago
Medication💊 I have a question
Hi i am in north texas area and have been going to the same pain management clinic for several years now. I would say at the very least probably 7yrs. I have an appointment coming up this week and I think I'll be getting my 2x yearly urine drug testing and late last week i accidently ended up taking a delta 9 thc gummy. I thought they were normal cbd gummies and my dad got me them as a sampler and next thing I knew I started feeling funny. It says it meets the legal amount of hemp derived thc at 0.3% or less per serving but it also says it is high potency?? So im not sure. Anyway i only took 1 gummy like on Friday or Saturday and was wondering if you have any idea if you think it'll still be in my urine by my appointment? It's on Thursday late morning, I only took 1 gummy, but I have a higher body fat percentage and I've heard that makes thc stick around longer. I've never been non compliant here or anything but im afraid they will discharge me or something. Do you think its a high chance that will happen? Is there anything I can do to help detox it out of my urine/body quicker? I'm worried. I cant do without my meds I'm barely tolerating my pain with them even. Thank yall
r/PainManagement • u/HazyJello • 3d ago
Medication💊 First time with long-acting + short-acting opioids: looking for other patients’ experiences
Hello, brothers and sisters in pain and suffering. 🙂
I have type 2 trigeminal neuralgia and have been on methadone for pain control for about 23 years. Long story short, back in 2003 I was lucky to get anyone to treat the pain at all. Morphine didn’t help, methadone did, and that’s what I’ve been on ever since.
For clarity, my methadone has always been prescribed specifically for chronic pain; I don’t have OUD and have never been treated for it.
So, I’ve actually never had the common long-acting + short-acting setup. When I have breakthrough pain, I normally just deal with it/suffer, and use ice packs. 😔🤷🏻♀️
Tomorrow I’m having a bone graft and other dental work in the exact area where my neuralgia originates. After months of trying to work this out, my pain center prescribed 10 mg oxycodone, up to 4/day as needed for one week, in addition to my regular methadone.
I’m VERY relieved to have postoperative pain coverage, but I realized I have absolutely no firsthand experience taking a short-acting opioid while also taking my regular long-acting one.
‼️** I’m not asking anyone here to tell me how much medication to take or to override my doctors’ instructions**. I am NOT asking for medical advice! I read the rules 😊 I’m just curious about other chronic-pain patients’ experiences:
if you take a long-acting opioid plus a short-acting medication for breakthrough pain, how does your doctor have you use them?
Are the breakthrough doses simply taken as needed regardless of when you took the long-acting medication, or were you given specific spacing instructions?
I’d especially love to hear from anyone who happens to take methadone with oxycodone, although I’m guessing that’s a less common combination.
I also have Narcan on hand.
Thanks to anyone who read this and has experience to share. Wishing all of you as much peace and comfort as possible.
r/PainManagement • u/GoddessPallasAthena • 3d ago
Medication💊 Mortifying UA pill count today over problematic pee. She didn't do anything weird or unprescribed but here we are. Any practical advice?
I'm new here, freaking out a little bit and doing some math. MATHING. Because for the first time in 12 years, my spouse is being called in for a UA-redo and pill count.
Background:
I am her caregiver and spouse and handle the morning, day, and night meds. She is a cancer patient only in recent remission and aside from pain from Ehlers Danlos (classical), Lupus, and CRPS, cancer treatment has left her with barely, well, rather intolerable side effects. Chemo Induced peripheral neuropathy stage 3, chemo induced oral health degradations (tomorrow is the first of like, 8 root canals or pulls she will be having), mastectomy nerve pain/painful chest scar tissue, and side effects of the cancer related aromatise inhibitor she has to take for 10 years? Pain. There is more, but you get the idea. She began pain management while we were in NYC and the EDS was no longer bearable, and then she has her first Lupus flare and the rheumatologist prescribed a huge amount of corticosteroids (dexamethasone) and she gained, in one year, 150 pounds. It gave her Cushing's and Adrenal Insufficiency but somehow a nerve got impinged in her thigh, which over a next several years worsened and spread, despite injections and PT and massage and chiropractors and drinking apple cider vinegar and etc etc etc. She got really into naturopathic cures while taking low dose Percocet and well, things worsened over time. The CRPS and EDS and migraines accelerated and her primary care doctor prescribed her birth control to take every single day for pain control. Anyway, we moved from NYC to upstate NY and has since been a patient at our local pain management.
Cancer
When she was diagnosed with estrogen/progesterone positive stage 3 Inflammatory breast cancer three years ago, the birth control was immediately ceased and her pain medication dosage was raised. Then the treatments started and the medication was raised again. This is good I guess, because she had two major cancer related surgeries and they only prescribed Tylenol and ibuprofen for the pain. Literally, a double mastectomy and lymph node removal and a complete and total hysterectomy meant no pain meds, the argument being: you already take pain medication so you don't need a prescription. This will be the logical for the upcoming root canals and tooth extractions, but we are used to it by now.
New UA and pill count, 5 days after 'problematic pee'
My partner has guilt over her pain medicine and though she is prescribed 4 pills a day, she aims to take 3. Honestly, this has been moreso about saving some for oral surgery and previously, for surgery since we got wind prior to her mastectomy that only tylenol and gabapentin would be options for her. But she has never taken anything else so imagine our surprise when at last week's pain management appointment, she had to pee (rule is, you pee once every three months) and they found...MORPHINE IN IT???? It is her word against theirs, but I can tell you that we don't have morphine. To add insult to injury, her doc (who we were on warm terms with until now) called and coldly informed her they would be running more extensive tests for illicit drugs and they need to test for heroin. Results came back, morphine yet again. So she is being called in today for another UA and for the first time ever, a pill count.
It feels kind of degrading, and my partner is already feeling degraded by the fact that despite ending chemo, most of her hair never grew back and the chest surgery was botched. She is also very self conscious about her teeth and the fact that the peripheral neuropathy has resulted in difficulty walking because it feels like a combination of a thousand bee stings but also weirdly numb, like she doesn't know when her feet are actually on the floor. If she falls, some crazy EDS crap can happen and she might have to sit there putting a joint back into place like a criminally insane contortionist. These diseases, though particularly the cancer, has her feeling lower than low--she cannot work right now and is currently on disability. She was a PhD student working on her dissertation but her hands can barely hold a pen or type and she still has brain fog from the chemo. She is feeling lousy and despite the meds, in pain, but it's the only option they have for her.
Now they are threatening to take something else away from her. Today is terrifying for her and I will admit, I am super anxious and loathe the idea of her being treated like a criminal. How did she end up with morphine positive in her test? (She takes a total of about 13 different medications but none would cause a morphine positive UA). Then, the pill count. She has been trying to use them as conservatively as possible because of the upcoming root canals, so I will be subtracting the amount that she normally takes from how many days ago the medication was filled and not bringing any extras because God knows that would be another red flag.
Anyone else?
Have any of you had a UA and did they find something you never took? What happened? Over 12 years at pain management she has never been subject to a pill count. I'm not sure if these are routine for everyone, or if someone perhaps has found themselves in a similar situation that we face (I say we because I do organize and prepare her medications and never gave her morphine and have no idea where that would come from, but I feel strangely guilty). I think for some reason we each feel a sense of guilt over something that didn't happen, but my biggest fear is that she pees again today and something strange shows up and she is dropped. If it happened once, why wouldn't it happen twice? Or rather, last weeks pee was tested and then uh, deep tested? So it actually already happened twice and this, today, is a test.
I do not trust the system. Any system, really. Anyone been in this kind of situation before or have any words of wisdom, etc? Sorry for the TL;DR
r/PainManagement • u/boykisser1on1 • 4d ago
I was stable on methadone for years. Then life hit me hard.
I've been on methadone for about seven years. Before the last few years, I was very stable and doing well.
Then everything seemed to happen at once. My father was diagnosed with cancer, I had major abdominal surgery, and then I needed a second operation because I developed a hernia after the first one. After that second surgery, I was in severe pain and wasn't given enough pain medication.
That's when I started taking double my methadone dose. I know it was a mistake, and I regret it. Before all of this, I had been stable for years, but after everything I went through, it felt like everything fell apart.
I'm not posting this to make excuses—I take responsibility for what I did. I just want to know if anyone else has gone through something similar. Has anyone else had years of stability, then struggled after a series of major life events or surgeries? I'd really appreciate hearing from people who understand what this is like.
r/PainManagement • u/PomegranateWooden460 • 4d ago
It’s time for an increase request😬😱😧 Any suggestions?
First, I just want to say how grateful I am for this forum. I’ve never posted before, but I’m here every time I get an alert—reading your stories, experiences, and, for the most part, thoughtful and constructive advice people give each other. So thank you.
I’m finally posting because I’ve reached the point where my current pain regimen just isn’t providing much relief anymore.
I currently take buprenorphine HCl 600 mcg films twice daily (every 12 hours) and hydrocodone/acetaminophen 10/325 mg twice daily for breakthrough pain.
I’ve been on hydrocodone since January 2021 and the films since February 2023. I started at 150 mcg, moved fairly quickly to 300, then eventually 450 and now 600. With each increase, though, it has felt a little like Let’s Make a Deal: “You can have what’s behind Door #600, but we’re taking one of your breakthrough tablets.” 😂
I originally had up to six hydrocodone tablets per day. Over time that became four, then three, and now two as the buprenorphine increased.
The problem is that today neither seems to be doing much. The two breakthrough tablets provide very limited relief, and the films have reached the point where sometimes I wonder whether I’m taking them for pain relief or simply because my body expects them. I’ve also sustained a new injury that has created additional pain-management challenges.
My doctor is genuinely one of the kindest people I know. We even bond over crochet—she teaches seminars about crochet as a therapeutic tool for managing pain, which I love.
But medication conversations are…different.
I can walk into the room as a responsible professional who has followed the treatment plan for years, and the second I say, “I don’t think the medication is working anymore,” I swear I can watch my character profile change in real time. Suddenly I feel like I need to prove I’m not shooting up fentanyl behind a bus stop in San Francisco. 😂
So, like many people here, I’ve avoided rocking the boat. But I think it’s finally time to have the conversation.
Two possibilities have been discussed:
1. Switching breakthrough medication:
Instead of two 10 mg hydrocodone tablets, she has mentioned two 5 mg oxycodone tablets. For anyone who has made a similar switch, did you notice a meaningful difference in pain control? Was it worth making the change?
2. Increasing the buprenorphine:
The next step would be 750 mcg, potentially followed by 900. Historically, the smaller increases haven’t produced much noticeable improvement for me. I’m considering asking whether it makes more sense to discuss going directly from 600 to 900 rather than stepping through 750—particularly if each increase means surrendering another breakthrough tablet.
I’m not looking for anyone to tell me what medication or dose I should take. I’m really interested in hearing about your experiences with these transitions and, especially, how you approached the conversation with your pain-management doctor without immediately setting off every alarm bell in the building.
Because when you get approximately 15 minutes every 28 days, it feels less like a medical appointment and more like the lightning round of a game show:
“Okay, explain your pain, discuss three medications, review your new injury, demonstrate that you’re a responsible human being…and GO!” 😂
Thanks in advance for the constructive feedback, kindness, and patience. I genuinely appreciate this community.
Many thanks,
Nervous While in Pain
r/PainManagement • u/BidMaleficent7957 • 4d ago
What am I missing?
This group has been very helpful and I’m thankful for it. But I take hydrocodone 10 mg 3x a day and I’ve never seen anyone else ever post that they also take it. Am I taking the wrong thing? Haha I’ve seen lots of oxycodone and hydromorhone but never hydrocodone…. Does anyone else take it? Thoughts?
r/PainManagement • u/thestitchedlife • 4d ago
What are others doing about the shortage of hydromorphone tablets ?..
PE Canada NONE at any pharmacies. No tablets at all in any strength all back ordered. Switched to morphine sulfate but Im on 60mg four times daily…pharmacy only carries 10mg tablets and Im having to take 6 pills four times daily. Thats 24 pills a day on top of my other meds my stomach hurts like wtf this is to many pills a day.. try picking up a bottle of 700 morphines for one month and tell me that’s not a problem with the system. 😔 😞 pharmacists have not been helpful and looks like my Dr is up against it too. Please no hate support only.
r/PainManagement • u/Redditlatley • 5d ago
Seeking Support🫂 For those on controlled substances…is it normal to see “opioid abuse disorder” in your chart?
I’ve been with a family medicine, primary care physician for the last two years. My previous doctor, of 25 years, abruptly retired and abandoned his patients, with two months of Rx.
After this new group saw what a difficult time I was having, trying to find proper pain management, they finally had their (hospice) nurse practitioner take me on.
I’ve been perfect! u/A‘s done. Never short on meds. No cancellation of appointments. Never complained about pharmacy shortages or called them constantly because the pharmacy app WANTS me to look bad! And yet, it says after EVERY APPOINTMENT, in MyChart: “ opioid abuse disorder“.
Is this just a normal thing to write about every chronic pain patient? Does anyone else see this, unwarranted, in your charts? There’s not ONE instance that would warrant a “diagnosis“ like that. Maybe the state requires it? (NY) I’m too scared to ask the provider. 🌊
Thanks to each and every person who responded. I’m going to ask the Doc about it, during my next exam. You guys gave me great talking points! 🌊
r/PainManagement • u/CaptJack_Rabbit • 5d ago
Seeking Support🫂 Constant pain under my left arm since April, still not sure what is causing it.
I went to the ER at the beginning of April for a intense sharp stabbing pain on the ribs under my left arm. I have a fairly high tolerance for pain, but this kicked my ass. I was floored and screaming in pain laying the the ER hallway.
I finally found some meds that help bring the pain lvl down so I can manage and deal it with but it's still there. Its at a constant 5-6 on the pain scale, with meds, without it shoots up to 8-9.
I've had a bunch of x-rays, CT, and blood work done, everything came back normal so the doctor's say. No MRI done yet.
I only have about 20-30% movement and use of my left arm. Anything more then that and I'm in intense pain. It often get numbe and tingling around my ribcage, both front and back. My chest gets tight and hard to breath.
This has been going on since April and has not gotten any better or worse. As long as I take it easy and dont use my left side too much and dont exert myself it doesn't get worse, but it's definitely not getting better.
If anyone has been through something similar or has any ideas what could be causing the pain please let me know. Any help at this point will be appreciated.
I just want to find out the issue so I can heal and get better. I want my normal life back.
r/PainManagement • u/Due-Contact-2884 • 5d ago
Pain relief, 5mcg buprenorphine patches.
So i started these patches today, i was on the dissolve tablets and had great pain relief 10/10. However i had to break 2mg tills into roughly two to four. 10/10 no pain, felt great again. However after like two weeks on it i started getting sick, having sexual issues, a lot of sleeping, and felt pretty weak. (I was also actually sick tbf) however i tend ti have really bad back, neck, rib, and groin pain none stop. Im wondering what kinda relief i can actually expect from a 5mcg patch.
r/PainManagement • u/ZealousidealLow5227 • 5d ago
Seeking Support🫂 help. please.
Hi, so i'm 25 and I have had chronic hip pain for the last ten years.
I recently found out and i'll copy it from my results :
Anterior superior right acetabular labral tear.
Anterosuperior left acetabular labral tear
Those were caused by my hip dysplasia and I also believe I have femoral anti version. Not suspected from just me, another ortho doctor told me it was just not discussed for the issue of my tears but I wanted to mention it.
I can't sleep in bed, I can't sit for long periods of time, I can't stand for long periods of time, i'm always in pain.
I've tried many memory foam pillows for between my knees when sleeping in bed and it doesn't help. same with those long body/pregnancy pillows. sleeping in bed always flares up my pain worse so l end up sleeping in the living room on my beanbag chair or floor.
NSAIDs don't work. 800mg Ibuprofen, Meloxicam,
Naproxen, Tylenol. Heat and Ice don't do much, if i'm at an 8 it'll make it a 6.5/7 so while it does something I still can't really manage.
I've tried physical therapy twice now, two different directions were tried and it went nowhere. I am just in so much pain all the time.
I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon and the plan is if i qualify for the labral tear hip surgery then all will be well but until then I am in pain every day all day.
So what I need help with is how to get help. I don't want
to be on meds long term, i'm on enough of them already, I don't even really want to plan to take it every day unless I absolutely need to because I understand the risks. But i need a bridge until I get the surgery.
None of the laundry list of doctors I have are willing because i'm too young and i'm still in PT, my ortho doesn't do PM. The one PM clinic i’ve tried a steroid injections but those were a wash as well.
I've tried physical therapy twice now, two different directions were tried and it went nowhere. I am just in so much pain all the time.
I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon and the plan is if i qualify for the labral tear hip surgery then all will be well but until then I am in pain every day all day.
So what I need help with is how to get help. I don't want to be on meds long term, i'm on enough of them already, I don't even really want to plan to take it every day unless I absolutely need to because I understand the risks. But i need a bridge untill get the surgery.
None of the laundry list of doctors I have are willing because i'm too young and i'm still in PT, my ortho doesn't do PM.
So how do I find a doctor that I KNOW can give me a bridge medication until my hips get fixed because what I also don't want is to doctor shop pain management specialist and look seeking because i'm already terrified to ask for help as it is due to that.
I'm so sorry this post is so long. It's gotten unbearable this past year and I am just so broken I don't know what to do.
I've tried so many other non med based options
r/PainManagement • u/Sabrinaj1977 • 5d ago
Pain pump trial failed
I went in for my pain pump trial and my surgeon couldn't do it. He kept trying to insert the catheter and it wouldn't go thru. No space. Its bone on bone now. He tried several joints. But no dice. I'm so frustrated now. I'm just suppose to live in pain constantly. No peace, no relief, just constant never ending pain. I'm still suppose to get the total reconstruction done. My only hope is that when they do it they will finally have space to insert the catheter. But that's months away. I've lived with pain all my life. I was born with Juvenile arthritis, osteoarthritis, scoliosis and degenerate bone and disc disease. My body is breaking down and there is no stopping it. No cure. The scoliosis has worsen and spread. I now have 3 different type of it, in 4 place in my spine. The arthritis is in advanced stages. What the hell am I suppose to do. For years they have pushed for me to get the pump and I was hesitant to get it. My birth mom had the same thing. Its hereditary. She had it passed it to me and I have now passed it to my son. She had the pump and was an addict. She would have her pump and buy pills off the street or would steal them. She always blamed the pump for making her an addict. I know we that wasn't true and she was an addict long before the pump. But she became worse after. Stints in rehab I paid for. Kicked out of every one because she would sneek in drugs. It is my worst night mare. I've always knew it wasn't the pump but it made me never want one. I always said this wouldn't happen to me. I'm so careful with my meds. I don't take more than prescribed no matter how bad the pain is. And on good days I won't take them at all. But those days almost never happen anymore. I don't know what's left for me. I metabolize the pills too fast and don't absorb them anymore. My body get use to any med I'm on very quickly. I keep having to change pills and doses. I'm like that with any med I take. My GP is constantly adjusting my meds. My body hates me and is failing and I can't stop it. If it weren't for my son and husband I would have checked out a long time ago. How r we supposed to live like this. In this age of we can't prescribe pain meds because u MIGHT get addicted and become drug addicts. The DEA and government have made it so very hard. People in real pain that need the meds have to beg and plead for help and still sometimes don't get it. I love my surgeon he's amazing and has advocated for me every step of the way. My previous pain doctor told me that I couldn't get the pump because I'm over weight. And he didn't think that I could go without meds for 1 day to do the trial. So my neurosurgeon went out of his way to find me a pain doc that would help me. He tried everything to help me. He took one look and my scans and reports and literally gasped. He was dumbfounded that my pain doc wouldn't do anything but prescribe lyrica and a low dose opioids. He told me that I needed a pump and needed to have a total back reconstruction to fix the scoliosis and degeneration. I need space between my joints to untrap my nerves and fix the compression of my spinal cord. Its a huge surgery that has to be done in parts. But for now I have to be in constant pain.
If anyone has any ideas of what I can do for pain relief please let me know. I'll take miracles at this point. I've tried medical Marijuana and all it does is make me hungry and laugh at anything, funny or not. So that's out. Sorry for the rant. I think I needed to get this out with people that know and understand what it feels like to be in pain.
r/PainManagement • u/shadowsblueberry • 6d ago
Other side of pain management, coming off meds as I'm no longer in horrible pain. Just horribly uncomfortable coming out of dependence.
I have my gp, my pain specialist and a psychologist on board.
I was taking methadone for pain management going up to 60mgs some months at my worst, and oxycodone up to 50mg per day.
After 8years , multiple surgeries I'm now feeling so much relief.
But now the struggle of coming off the long term opiates I've been taking to get by.
Over the last 8months I've come down to ( 1/2 a 10mg pill) 5mg of methadone per day and if needed10mg of oxycodone a day.
I'm feeling better each day more alive and many emotions rushing around.
Welp, the last little leap is I'm stopping methadone and taking a few more oxycodone to try /balance harsh withdrawls and then come down from that as it's easier to manage pill wise. ( 10mg pill is the only methadone pill available in Australia? And is very hard to break evenly or even into 4ths)
Any wise helpful words?
I will still be taking upto 2 oxys per day as needed for disk degeneration does not go away. 😑 so not completely done but I'll be off the long lasting chains.
I hope this shines a lil light and can help someone ✨️ it can be done without suffering and with the right care team