Hello Char

It's nice to meet you and I'm glad you found us.

I'm really sorry for all your pain and really hope that your doctors are able to get you in a more comfortable place with your disabilities.

I think that's Deb's suggestion for the stimulator was a good one.  It's really hard to tell about meds, as with your kidney problem probably complicates things badly.   Since your not new to pain, I'm sure you already have tried nearly every technique & treatment available, so I'll not insult you and tell you to relax & take deep breathes or to try yoga or something.  But if you've not tried message or a stretching routine, you may want to try one.  I've personally found that going for a walk outside can just make my head clearer and give me a break from the constant drain that pain puts on us.  Some people find that stretching & breathing gives them a great deal of relief, but for me, the relief is very tempoary and when pain is flaring it does absolutely nothing!

I really hope someone comes along with a great new idea for you, but when you talk to your doctor, I would tell him exactly what your feeling and don't hold back about what you want out of the time you have.

Gentle Hugs

Betty

preally appreciate everyone taking time to write such considerate posts. In fact, it was the spinal stimulator that I was getting the medical & psychological tests for when they discovered my kidney problem. First, because the psychologist wasn't there, they tried to put me into the stress unit. When I explained again the reason for my appointment with the psychologist, they did say that they thought I wasn't appropriate for lock-down. Then we got that settled, started to leave when the ER doc stopped me, started an IV, and took me off over half my medications due to my kidneys. My cardiac doc told my son that had he not done that, I would have been dead in another couple of days.

So, because of that, along with the mess about the morphine pump, I haven't even heard back from my pain management doc. I was really hurt that after he did a microsurgery on both sides of my back to drill off some of the bone spurs and heaven knows what else, he didn't come when my doctor called for a consultation from a pain management doctor. Their office is on the 3rd floor, I was on the 2nd floor, yet both of the other doctors in the practice came down to check on me and not MY pain management doctor. Needless to say, I am not quite as thrilled about going back to him. The one pain doctor, who set up the morphine machine, told me that he would gladly put in a morphine pump when I was out of the hospital. But now I'm afraid THAT would backfire as well.

Anyway, I finally decided yesterday to call my doc and tell her how badly I was hurting. She told me to forget the other doctor's 20% reduction in pain (I noticed I typed 30% in my initial post), the five years he's given me to live, and has prescribed a low dosage fentanyl patch which won't react so much with my liver.

I think one of the scariest times was when I was hurting so badly although I was on oxycontin, morphine, a 100 mg patch, Lyrica, and heaven knows what else, and my son told me that there was no where else to go, that I was at the point where there was nothing stronger to take. I pray I'm never in that position again.

Thanks again for taking the time to write. You don't realize how much it means, living alone in a high rise full of elderly & handicapped people, no car, with only a couple loud mouth cockatiels to keep me company.

All my best to all,

Char