Hello MBC Fighters!
I went to my pain management Dr. he gave me lyraca and morphine for my pain, it has helped a lot. Going for a CT next week he thinks it’s a pinched nerve.
He wants me to have a pain pump put in. It automatically puts pain medication in my body and then refil the pump every two or three months. Anyone have any advice or experience with this! My fear is pain helps to know something is wrong. So how will I know if something else is wrong?
Hugs!
Sharon
I think before you go ahead with this that you really have to have a good understanding of what it entails. What pain medication is going to be used? Will it be a narcotic or something like numbing medication? What are the potential side effects? Is this a usual procedure? If regular medication is helping you and you can now control your pain I would say wait a while. This is just my opinion based on what you have said. Anything foreign that is put in your body can cause problems such as infection, malfunction, etc.
Thank you for your input. I’ve thought of all these side effects and it’s a choice to think long and hard about. The morphine and lyrica seem to be the best in relieving the pain, but not 100% I just feel like I never will get back my life. I just don’t understand why I have to live in this pain. Best to you ,hugs!
Sharon
Hello Sharon, I really understand about living with nerve pain, unfortunately, even with Lyrica and morphine you may not achieve 100% pain relief. I have neuropathy in my left arm and hand for a year now. I am on gabapentin (similar to Lyrica) and morphine and I only achieve a level 5 0-10 scale) pain relief, my pain is related to tumors that are on the nerves. That said, if it were me before having a pain pump placed (in the spinal area) I would find out what the cause of my pain is first. Can you manage on the pain medications you are on just until you know what is causing your pain? There are other options for nerve pain relief too like a nerve block or nerve ablation (these aren't permanent). I recall in an earlier post your doctor thought this might be a pinched nerve. Is that still a possibility? Hugs 🤗 Alicia
I am waiting for the scan to be done, before I decide anything. Hugs! To all of you I am so grateful for this group!!!❤️
Several years ago I had severe back pain which pretty much kept me at home. After seeing an orthopedic surgeon and going through lots of PT, which seemed to aggravate my condition, I saw a neurosurgeon, who suggested an MRI. The diagnosis was a pinched nerve. After an epidural and PT tailored to my particular condition, I got my life back.
This year I have been wrestling with pain diagnosed as bilateral sciatica. I had intense, burning pain down my right leg and numbness down my left leg. Every step I took was painful. After weeks of physical therapy didn't help, I was given an MRI. The diagnosis was circumferential bulging disc. The cause was repetitive bending while gardening (I am a master gardener), up to two hours at time. The pain management doctor suggested an epidural. Since I knew the cause and my pain helped me determine my activity level, I was not comfortable with that solution this time. I have since stopped my gardening activities (for now) and consulted with my physical therapist. As a result of a new PT program and a change in daily activities, I am noticing considerable improvement in my pain level, an indicator that I am healing.
Sorry for the long explanations, but these were two different diagnoses with essentially the same outcomes: MRI, PT and education.
Reliable websites like Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic, etc. have lots of detailed information that I found very helpful.
I hope you can find a satisfactory resolution. Please keep us posted.
Mary
Thanks for your reply, and no explanation is to lengthy! I will talk with my pain management doctor and see what he says. Morphine and lyrica seem to help a bit. Hope you continue to be able to do all you want! As I told the dr, at 72, I’m not looking to ride the roller coaster, just walk with no pain. He smiled at me! Hugs to you!
Sharon
I'm with you, Sharon, there are so many things that bring us joy. Sending love and hugs and positive thoughts. Mary
Before making a decision, I would recommend waiting for the results of the CT scan. If an MRI is needed for a closer look, you will have a better diagnosis based on those results. If it’s a pinched nerve, you will likely have treatment options, like the ones others have discussed. Is you want the pain to go away, you must treat the root cause. Otherwise, you are just masking symptoms. If a pain pump becomes necessary, it would be better to try after other options to treat the root cause have failed.
Thank you, I will wait until after the MRI. And just had a bump in the road., financially with Medicare. My dr didn’t get approval for a ct and bone scan in May, as it was a rush because someone forgot to order it. The hospital is trying to make me pay $9,000 for the tests. Why should I have to pay for the dr’s screw up? This is going to be fun!!!
Best to you and hugs!
Sharon
I have had a pain pump for over a year . I have found that for me it has been a huge help to regulate the pain. I had a pain crisis at least a year and a half ago and the pump helped deliver the medications in my body .With the pump I am able to top up my medication when I need it. The pain pump has worked well for me.
Luann
That flower lady
Thank you so much for letting me know. This helps tremendously. No side effects? Hugs!
there are a few things that are a little less than ideal but for me it works and i definitely don’t want to go back to that .
Luann
side effects / inconveniences are the sight changes at first the visiting nurse visited about every 3 days to check the sight where the tubes entered my body after time my sites needed changed more frequently .i recently had a site location and it is working really well and only requires changing 1-2 times a week.
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