NO HELP FOR PAIN

[mimi0000]

I have severe degeneration of the spine with 24 hour pain and little relief.  Although I have never supported drug use in the past I would welcome some relief .....or death.  Doctors will not prescribe pain mediction stonger than Tylonal.   I would like releif.... any kind of releif  even death  but legal assisted suicide is not allowed.

So I wonder how many  people out there are caught in the same trap I am in, twenty four hour pain?   I'm in my late 80's but I may still be here for a while.  My 40 year old Doctor told me to "fight though the pain.... like I was a football player with a sprained ankle.  Isn't it  cruel to allow people  to suffer  If my dog were in pain I would find  him a medication stronger than Tylonal.  

[dc70146343]

I hope AARP is advocating for seniors and their access to pain medication and exposing the flood CDC guidelines they came up with in 2016 . The CDC itself have admitted their findings were flawed along with the information and statistics that lead to their guidelines .

Yes the heroin and synthetic Fentanyl that is killing so many in this country is horrible, but to torture seniors by denying their pain medications , is in no way helping or hurting the war on heroin and Fentanyl .

Politicians and  law enforcement are coming between patients and doctors and most have no right to practice medicine .

There is a huge difference between dependency and addiction !

[mimi0000]

Thank you all for your concern and sorry you are suffering too. 

I have had Bronchiectasis for about 10 years and recently learned from new studies that there is a connection between that and back pain.  My new doctor is great and I have hope. It will be interesting to see what happens now.

[mm67664204]

Have you tried CBD Oil, or any type of edible products? From everything I have learned marijuana is legal now & works quite well...................I've used the CBD oil and it helps me.......................other wise I bake with cannibus butter (you have to be careful of the measurements and amount you use) cookies & brownies are good.

24/7 pain is no fun and no joke what so ever..............hope something works out for you soon

[t630536e]

My heart goes out to you. I'm sorry that you are suffering this much. I agree that it is cruel. 

[nyadrn]

---

@mimi0000 wrote:

I have severe degeneration of the spine with 24 hour pain and little relief.  Although I have never supported drug use in the past I would welcome some relief .....or death.  Doctors will not prescribe pain mediction stonger than Tylonal.   I would like releif.... any kind of releif  even death  but legal assisted suicide is not allowed.

So I wonder how many  people out there are caught in the same trap I am in, twenty four hour pain?   I'm in my late 80's but I may still be here for a while.  My 40 year old Doctor told me to "fight though the pain.... like I was a football player with a sprained ankle.  Isn't it  cruel to allow people  to suffer  If my dog were in pain I would find  him a medication stronger than Tylonal.  

---

I am sorry that you are in this situation.  If this were me I would be finding a new doctor.  Is that possible?  Has he offered you any other suggestions?  My father's doctor with the head of senior medicine department at the local hospital.  Is there a department like that near you?  I hope you find relief.

[Soosie]

Mimi, I am sorry you are having this pain and not getting relief. Do you have any family that can help you to get what you need? Have you talked to your doctor the way you explained your situation in your post? Because of an illness of my friend, I hunted a lot of resources in my area. One book that I found at the local library was free to take and it had a listing of resources. It was called, "All about Seniors." Perhaps your library may have something like this. You may be able to call your local Social Services to ask if they can make recommendations. I hope that you get the needed, right treatment.

It can be scary facing senior years with a situation that is constant pain. I hope you are able to find a resource to get help.

If your doctor is saying you should fight through the pain, maybe he can get you to a pain management clinic. Some doctors while being good are just not right for certain situations. I don't know if you are able to change or see someone else for another opinion.

Please update your situation later. Also, perhaps someone else here has more ideas for you.

Soosie

[mimi0000]

The last Dr. I saw was a pain management dr. He said fight through the pain, the other was an Ortho and he said he didn't think there is much help and although there are pain medication they try not to prescibe them. I have a Chiro in my family who has not been able to relieve the pain. I am going to shots as soon as I have an MRI. However, they said not to get my hope up.
Thanks for your concern.

[Prosecco6247]

@mimi0000  I am so sorry to hear that you are in severe pain.  The advice to get a referral to a pain clinic is a good one.  You should be followed by a good neurologist.  

I think the attitudes about pain control some MDs exhibit may be a function of  whichever state you live in and how rigid it's laws are regarding narcotics and dangerous drugs.  Some states have gone to central reporting and dispensing pharmacies are required to alert the authorities if / when they see dangerous trends in prescribers or patients prescription activities.

Some states do have exceptions for certain types of pain.  I don't know if you would qualify for a program like that.  I believe they are called Intractable Pain statutes.

If you don't have a philosophical bias against it, I wonder if you live in a "medical marijuana" state.  That could be helpful.

Have you tried prescription muscle relaxants along with the Tylenol?  There are also some anti-convulsant drugs such as Dilantin, Tegretol, Neurontin and Topamax which are used in the treatment of chronic pain.  They are definitely worth a shot.  Ask your MD.  

I cannot vouch for these myself but some therapies target an area in the spine called the dorsal root ganglion.  Some stimulate the area and there is another that involves precise radiofrequency pulses to create a small scar that will remove the sensation of pain.  

http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/injections/radiofrequency-ablation-procedure

I have personally had epidural steroid injections for chronic back and hip pain.  My first experience helped a little but I still did not reach a level of comfort that would allow me to resume normal activities.  I had repeat injections and it amplified the relief to the point that I was able to control residual pain with OTC drugs.

Good luck!  My prayers are with you and I hope this helps!  (The other Mimi)  

[mimi0000]

Your advice is so helpful, thank you.
The concern and information on this forum has been great.
Appreciate all you folks. mimi

[MIseker]

---

@mimi0000 wrote:
Your advice is so helpful, thank you.
The concern and information on this forum has been great.
Appreciate all you folks. mimi

---

Hi MIMI. I have severe back pain too as you know. Opiods are the most effective pills for pain relief, but after 10 years I was taken off because of what the pharmaceutical industry is doing..pushing illegal prescriptions. I did nothing wrong.. but so it goes the govt knows best. lol. I also get injections in my back, probably have has close to 20 over 10 years and they work.

The last 2 I had ( sometimes takes 2 ) my back was causing pain so bad in my hip it felt like it was fractured, and immediate relif with 1 injection, and no pain in hip after 2nd. I had my hips xrayed a week later and I have NO hip problems, it was all a bruised nerve in my back. Also, have these docs get an mri and cat scan that shows your damage, and keep trying pain clinics ( take your films) until you find one that helps you. It is drug seeking..but its for pain not addiction. SOme pharmaces also only give out a weeks worth, and some insurance will only pay for that much at a time, forcing you to go to the doctor weekly. Maybe your state has regulations to help pain patients get relief..contact your governors Omsbudsman.

[Soosie]

Glad to see that you are better and able to post in the "Politics and Current Events" group. I checked the posts today and saw that you have a few.

Take care,
Soosie

[nyadrn]

---

@mimi0000 wrote:
The last Dr. I saw was a pain management dr. He said fight through the pain, the other was an Ortho and he said he didn't think there is much help and although there are pain medication they try not to prescibe them. I have a Chiro in my family who has not been able to relieve the pain. I am going to shots as soon as I have an MRI. However, they said not to get my hope up.
Thanks for your concern.

---

I had a friend who had shots for her hip pain and it did help. Hope they help you!

[WebWiseWoman]

This is a great topic and thank you for bringing it up. I am so very sorry you have this pain.

I have constant pain in my left leg and sometimes shoulder area.

I have never taken presciption meds as I was cocaine person in the 70s so easily addicted.

So wonder, how do we, the newest gen of "old" people grow old without unnecessary but with helpful meds?