Monday, December 21, 2009
Can a person with chronic pain just be laying in bed one minute fine and the next be in such severe pain they say they cant stand it?
chronic pain
12/29/09 1:49am
I would have to say yes, because it happens to me every so often. After a failed back surgery and several tries with injections, ablation and lysis of adhesions, my nerve sensations have not improved. I can be lying in bed reading a book and then suddenly have the worst sciatica pain or lower back muscle contractions. Everyone is different, and so is how their doctor treats them. My doctor found that I have nerve damage from not only the treatments over the last couple of years, but from prior to me having back surgery due to lack of treatment (isn't that ironic...). Make sure that whomever you choose to check out this problem doesn't automatically jump to the most extreme diagnostic methods. If stretching more can help, then don't let them sign you up for a myelogram.
By melanie sharpe— Last Modified: 12/20/10, First Published: 12/21/09
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Not knowing the cause of the chronic pain, it's hard to be specific, but yes, pain can come on fairly suddenly. It's also possible that the person had been in pain for some time but just didn't mention it until it became severe.
Personally, I almost always have some degree of pain, but I know people around me don't want to hear me compain every few minutes, so I seldom mention it until it gets so severe I can't stand it or I have to say something because it interferes with something I need/want to do.
I second the previous response...neuropathic pain is very odd and it seems that it can come/go and/or its' intensity level go/up down with no real rhyme/reason.
I pretty much always have some degree of pain and agree that folks get tired of hearing about it after awhile....
. mom has had 4 back surgeries and on every pain med known to man. Her pain dr had her go through detox because she was so addicted. As soon as she got out she went back to the dr and asked for meds and he said no because she is experiencing the same pain she had as she did when she was on the drugs. Now she is searching for a dr to do another surgery (that everyone is against her having , family and Dr.'s) i dont know what to do for her. She is always angry and getting to the point of being mean.She dosent want to do anything to take her mind off the pain. She lays in bed all day making excuses. She is gaining weight ,which adds to the pain. Any suggestions on how to help her . Thank yo so much and best wishes for you.
Hi Melanie,
I'm sorry to hear your mom is suffering so much. Chronic pain is such a difficult thing, not only for the person who has it, but also for loved ones who feel helpless to know how they can help.
It sounds like your mom may be dealing with some depression, which is completely understandable. She's probably angry because she feels like the pain has taken away her quality of life. She may also be angry that people accused her of being addicted to drugs. The truth is, when someone has severe pain and needs to take opioid medications, they will usually become physically dependent on the medication, but they rarely actually become addicted. There's a very important difference. If you'd like to learn more about that, please read: Opioids: Addiction vs. Dependence
If your mom is not being treated for depression, I would encourage her to talk with her doctor about how she is feeling.
But back to the main problem, which is finding a way to help relieve her pain. Even if she was not actually addicted to oral opioid medications, they obviously didn't give her the pain relief she needed. There are two options I would suggest you look into. Both are implantable devices that help relieve pain around the clock. One is a neurostimulator, which involves stimulating the spinal cord with tiny electrical impulses that block the transmission of pain messages to the brain. The other is an intrathecal pain pump, which delivers medication (usually morphine) directly to the spine. Although it does involve using opioid medications, because the medication goes directly to the spin, it only takes a tiny fraction of the amount that would be needed if it were taken orally, and it provides much better and more consistent pain relief. I would encourage your mom to talk to her doctor to see if one or both might be appropriate for her. Here is a link to more information about both: Neurostimulator and Pain Pump
Finally, I'd like to share one more link with you. No matter how much someone loves and cares about another person in chronic pain, unless you've experienced it yourself, it's impossible to really understand what that person is going through – what it's like to always be in pain. I wrote what I call an open letter for those, like you, who have a loved one in chronic pain, to hopefully help give you at least a glimpse into what they are experiencing. Understanding Chronic Pain
I hope you're able to find some effective help for your mom very soon. – Karen
Thank you Karen for taking the time to read and comment on my post. It is nice to know there is someone out there who understands and is offering help. Unfortunatly my mom has tried both of those devices and she said neither one worked. That is why her DR. and I feel like we are up against a brick wall. Everything they have tried she says dosent work.
I am currently looking for a psycologist for her to talk to , but right now she is not reseptive to the idea. Like I said we are going for a second opinion on her back surgery, but I fear they are doing more harm than good. This wold be her 5th surgery. But she is searching fr a release of the pain and dosent care what it is, so sometimes she dosent look at the whole picture. I will keep yo posted and read all the links yo sent. How are yo doing? I hope yo are well.
Thank yo so much,
Melanie
haha Karen my u button dosent work sometimes sorry
Hi Melanie,
I see what you mean by feeling like you're up against a brick wall. I have to admit, I'm surprised that your mom has tried both the pain pump and the neurostimulator. Even though they may not bring complete relief, there is at least usually some significant improvement. I can't help but wonder what your mom's expectations for pain relief are. If she's expecting the pain to completely go away, that's probably not going to happen. Here's an article that you might find helpful: How Much Pain Relief is "Enough"?
There's also something else worth considering. Sometimes when a person has been in pain for quite a while, the brain develops what is called a memory trace of the pain. Then even though the original cause of the pain may no longer exist, the brain still keeps sending the same old pain signals. I'm just starting to study this, so I'm afraid I can't give you a wealth of information on it yet. There are several different therapies that focus on controlling or retraining the mind to help control pain that may be helpful, such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Amygdala Retraining, or a combination of biofeedback and cognitive behavioral therapy. Of course, all of these would require your mom's full participation and determination if they were to have any chance of working. In trying to research this for you, I came across an interesting study that was done in 2007 on rats using the medication D-cycloserine to treat this kind of problem. Here are links to a couple of articles about it that you might want to look over and possibly share with her doctor if you think this could be at least part of her problem:
Chronic Pain May be Triggered by Old Memory Traces in the Brain and D-cycloserine, an antibiotic, relieves chronic neuropathic pain
I can understand your hesitancy about her having another surgery. There are no guarantees with back surgery. Unfortunately, they not only don't always work, but many times patients are left with even more pain than before the surgery. Unless something new has developed with her condition and/or her doctor is strongly recommending it, I would probably try to discourage that option, too, if it were my mother.
I can also understand why your mom isn't too receptive to the idea of seeing a psychologist. She probably feels like everyone thinks her pain is all in her head. Maybe it would help to explain to her that anyone who has to live in chronic pain can benefit from getting a little help in coping wih it. A good psychologist can help her find ways to deal with the pain that will help make her life a little more pleasant and happier. Is your mom being treated for depression? It's not unusual for depression to accompany severe and long-lasting pain. If she's not already taking an antidepressant, you might want to consider a psychiatirst, who can prescribe medication for depression in addition to the counseling, rather than a psychologist.
I really feel for both you and your mom. Please keep me posted on how it's going and how she is doing. – Karen