Living with chronic Hip pain and back pain

I have not had my intake at the VA Pain Clinic yet to see what other options I have to deal with the pain from severe degenerative disc disease.  My pain is also in my back and through my hips with nerve pain radiating down both legs.

I recently was put on slow release morphine at a very low dose and I have to tell you it has helped considerably.  My doctor explained to me that because of the slow release nature that I wouldn't experience the loading effect of taking the pain medication and getting it all at once and then several hours later going down the roller coaster to the pit of severe pain once more before taking another dose of pain medication.  Instead the drug releases slowly and though I still have pain it is not as intense and I am functioning at a level I haven't been able to for nearly 2 years.

Because I have never had a substance abuse issue I cannot answer any questions pertaining to that area of your care but I hope what I have said helps and let me know if you want to discuss this further.

Semper Fi

Hi, My mother was diagnosed with this in 2000, she has a couple other things with her back and they wanted to do a 2 level fusion right away, but my mother refused, and still to this day she hasnt been back to the doctor, or take her medication they proscribed her, and now today she is experiencing chronic back, hip, and knee pain, and shes unable to work, are you going through the same thing?