Pleased with myself then .....

[gaj6512]

I've been under the care of a really good pain consultant for nearly a year now. One of the things he explained to me is how too much medication can in fact amplify your pain instead of stopping it. So I stopped my oramorph and have been steadily decreasing my dose of MST (morphine sulphate tablets) from 120mg a day to being free from it last week. I was so pleased because after 3 years taking it I was addicted to the stuff. Unfortunately getting out of a car I felt my back go and I'm 100% sure I've slipped a disc again. So I'm totally cheesed off I only had a nerve ablation procedure 5 day's before to reduce the pain and now this. I'm annoyed because my previous orthopaedic consultant changed his mind about fusion surgery at the last minute. So I see my Gp on Monday to try to get a referral to get this disc looked at and I should be getting a spinal cord stimulator fitted early in 2017.

[cyberbarn]

That's brilliant news! I mean about coming off the drugs, not the slipped disc!

I know that a lot of people are reluctant to let go of the drugs, but there is more and more evidence that they are part of the problem not part of the solution, and you are proof of that.

I hope that the your back was just a small blip and it gets better without intervention. Good luck with the GP on Monday.

[Steve_inpaintoolong in reply to cyberbarn]

Yes after years of being on various Opiates I have to agree with them not helping long term.

However I usppose it just depends on various cases.

If you were in employment you just have to get back to work to ASAP.

Otherwise you'll have a very strong likelihood of loosing your job.... (Thanks to our lovely Goverments workers rights agreements)

So in effect you could be forced into using strong painkillers to get back to work.

Then after a few weeks your employer will expect you to be back to full health and you'll need more painkillers due to the increased work load... plus you'll be looking to do some overtime to make up for your loss or wages as youve only been employed for 2 years (Thanks to our lovely Goverments workers rights agreements)

So your now more stressed leading to more pain...... so more pain killers.

And your working more hours so needing more painkillers.

So your finding balancing work with home life more sresssfull. .. leading to more painkillers.

You've been backwards and forwards to your doctors about the pain.... and he/she says.... well you've been on these painkillers for a good while now, you really should be comming off them after all, as you said you've been back at work for the last three months.

....... Pain....... you have to laugh.

[lovenothate in reply to Steve_inpaintoolong]

Hi, had to laugh, great example! All the best, Will 😁

[gaj6512 in reply to lovenothate]

And to you

[gaj6512 in reply to cyberbarn]

I'm still taking 300mg of pregabalin twice a day, 120mg of Duloxetine twice a day, paracetamol and Levothyroxine one a day. My last orthopaedic consultant had planned to fuse my lumbar spine at 4 levels then changed his mind and discharged me! I'm due to have a Spinal Cord Stimulator fitted April/May next year to hopefully reduce the pain in my right leg. Now I'm going to have to ask my Gp if he thinks it requires another MRI scan. Good job I retired early at 55 earlier this year I wouldn't be able to get enough time off to go to all my hospital and Drs appointments.

[gaj6512]

Got to see my Dr on Tuesday. He's not sure if I have slipped a disc or if the pain is coming from my Sacrilliac ? joints. Before we start again on the long process of an MRI scan then referral to an orthopaedic consultant he's given me some Diazepam to relax the muscles in my back which have all gone into spasms in response to the pain. Hopefully once I'm all chilled out he can make a more complete diagnosis. This is all getting very annoying now, if they had gone ahead and operated again 18 months ago I'd be sorted now. I'm not saying I'd be bungee jumping, free fall parachuting or running marathons but im at the point where a lack of movement would be better than pill popping day after day and not being able to do much in the way of a normal life

Graham