5 level lower back fusion at 32, what do you think?

My physcian put me on oxycontin 40 mgs 2x's a day approx 4 mos. ago. He want's me off ty4 w/codiene for fibromyalgia which I've had for 28 yrs.

However, I balked at the oxycontin, all it does for me...is rev up my insides and not take care of the searing skin burning feeling I often get when my clothes are touching me. Along with the tender points that flare and when it's cold outside, I'm unable to walk. It scares me to death.

I didn't want to take it but he says it's safer than ty w/codiene due to the acetaminophen. The amount of oxy can go as high as needed

with no side effect and can be taken as long as needed. He finally acknowledged the

fact I'll need narcotics the rest of my life due to so many outstanding ailments.

The oxy does not kill the pain like codiene does and I've tried to get that across to him, but he can't understand why I'm wanting to hang onto the codiene. I realize it

doesn't work without the salts of acetaminophen. But why take oxycontin when it doesn't work as well as ty4?? He keeps switching things around and it's getting to me,

I just need the ty4 with diazepam and alprazolam 5mgs ea. 3 x's a day and I'm fine.

When a flare happens, I get an injection of stadol with phenergan, I asked about stadol also. I'm so tired of feeling so bad fo so long without any relief.

I'm almost to the point of giving up, curling into a ball and staying in bed. The holidays are coming and depression rears it's ugly head even though i'm on anti depressants too. I feel like such a mess, it's no wonder I have no friends, and we're together 24/7 with both of us on disability.

thanks for listening.

You should be monitoring your liver with blood work.  If the enzymes are high that is especially why the meds should be changed.  You can have permanent and irreversable liver damage with all those years of takin ty#4.  There are so many different med's.  Each person is different.  Have you or doc considered any of the new meds for fibro?

I didn't catch if you were on any or not? might be worth looking into, with oxy.

go to fibro questions, and read Karen's posts and articles to get some ideas for yourself.

good luck

My blood work is monitored monthly and I appreciate your concern.

The reason I've not taken the new medications is due to cost.

sHERRY

I know about the cost, i titrated on a sample of savella and it worked wonders, except I sweat like I had never sweat before, doc wouldn't go thru hoops to let me get it approved so ins would pay for it.  Now I am in the situation of having to switch to a medicare supplement in 1 month or so.  My employer had been paying for my health insurance for 4 1/2 years and this is up next month.  I have also discovered that when you are on disability and get supplement insurance for medicare you are penalized when you are to young.  The figure you are going to cost them a fortune so for both supplemental and part d  the premiums are 30-50% higher.  I even will have a deductable on part D which I didn't even know existed.  I am to young to be able to continue my coverage with a higher deductable (early retirement 55, and I am not there yet)  So, I have been in a mad dash dc'n meds that aren't necessary for me to breath.  Ie insulin, oxy, and bp meds.  No muscle relaxers, (will have to have new doc put in pump) no cymbalta, nothing extra.  By the way at the same time pain doc is "no longer treating patients with medicare as primary"  Note the quote signs, make your own decission, I have.  I truly hate discrimination, it makes my blood boil, and I have seen so much these last 4 1/2 years to last a billion lifetimes. 

If your income is compromised, have you looked into any of the drug programs regarding helping you with the cost of meds?. 

I really don't know what to tell you, but to talk to him,  I understand trying to give you something that has no additional tylenol in it.  I was on norcote 10/325  which is the lowest amount of tylenol you can get in a pain med that requires the tylenol to carry it.  I am not to familiar with anything else that doesn't have to go piggy=back with something.  I am sure someone in chronic pain does, keep the faith, things will be alright.  (try a benadryl with the oxy, who knows it might work,--just kidding)

God Bless you on your journey

I thought about a Benedryl with oxycontin, and wondered what

a Mucinex tablet would do also (not with Benedryl)

Mucinex for fibro?...I do not know how to explain this in anything but simple words)

I'd heard Mucinex helps people with Fibro and thought I'd try it. It really helped (me) but

being otc, the cost is a little high. I was taking it on a regular basis bc it was doing

me so much good.

Mucinex is Guifenesin an expectorant and mucos thinner used to help coughs. I didn't have a cough but was willing to try anything at this point.

By this time, my last mail pharamcy fill of tylenol was in Feb and was going into May. I was

a complete mess!!! I used anything I had to dull the fibro pain and I mean anything, nothing illegal though.

(The problem with mail pharmacy said they couldn't read the Dr.s

name at the bottom of my script, had called him once and that was it. So I was on the phone making a pest of myself trying to get this straightend out.)

So FINALLY my meds came in and boy was I glad to see them, thought everything was going to be fine, then dr starts talking about taking me off the ty 4, I could've cried.

As of now, he has me on 60 mgs of oxy 2s'x daily, was taking 80 2xs day, and I can't tell

any difference in how it's affecting the fibro pain. In fact it doesn't do any good untill I take 2 ty with it. So I'm back at the same ball park and ready to throw in the towel.

Oh and then our private ins. is going over to Humana the first of the year. I had asked my dr about Barbiturates and he said "yes, they're available too", so I don't think we're finished yet on this trial and error venture.

The one thing I truly appreciate is that he now believes me, after I've gone through all the testing he asked of me and that included a colonoscopy, which I've never had before.

Plus the test results from my neurologist and rhumetologist.

I'm definetly not playing around and now he knows the truth.

Thank You for responding, I appreciate your feedback.