My back

[Xwing]

My back problems began while on active duty in the Coast Guard. They diagnosed me with degenerative disc disease and osteoporosis. In May of 2019 I had a Lamondectomy, and in 2020 I had a discectomy. In November, 2023 I had a tubular decompressioin. This comming Fall I will be having a spinal fusion. Recent MRIs have indicated that my T12 vertabra was injured at some point and there are more issues with my neck that are affecting the mobility of my arms. This is the big question, this comes with a great deal of pain; and with the recent crack down on pain medication I have found it very hard to get it perscribed for me. I was on it for several years and just recently my new VA doctor took me off of it and refered me to pain management which only does Epidurals which my Neurosurgeon highly recommends me NOT to do with more spinal surgeries coming up. To make a long story short when I ask the VA for pain medication they refer me to the neurosurgeon who is not part of the VA and the neurosurgeon refers me back to the VA so its a round robin and I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place in pain. Any suggestions?

[pjlava]

Has your doctor recommended trying Gabapentin? I've had a cervical spine fusion, disc replacement, and laminoforaminotomy.... AND I have listhesis/slippage at at least one level still. I also had two sacral fractures. For my cervical spine issues, taking Gabapentin doesn't resolve all my pain, but it does calm the nerve pain so I can function better in daily life. It's worth a try since it is not a controlled drug and it might bring some relief????

[Southerngirl2787 in reply to pjlava]

If you are in the Texas, Gabapentin is a controlled drug now. Many states are moving to schedule it. My neurosurgeon just recommended it, then changed to Pregabalin, and NP said, nope, gotta send her to her pain management, it's controlled now. So, I asked pain mgt doc, and he said no...to big of an allergy risk, and probably won't work for me.