Friday, October 23, 2009 PainBack07Aust asks

Q: But what if the Chronic Back Pain is between 7 - 9 most of the time?

OK, just read the page on what the PAIN scale means and it is great advise. But since 2007 my Chronic Back Pain sits between 7 - 8 most of the day and night, then there are times it gets up to 8 - 9 for more than 3 hour at a time and I know this because I feel very nausious when it is up at these higher levels.

I have just recently had to endure more trips to the Emergency Department, to try and get the pain back to the 7 - 8 level or better on the occasional day here and there. But realy, I just seam to get Doctors to give more and more stronger medication.

A side effect of all the medication is that my bowels no longer function as they should, I am on constant medications to stop them from binding up. Also gone from MS Contin 5mg to Kapanol, then weened myself off all the tablets as I was slowly loosing my mind.

Then started on Fentanyl patch, started at 25mg/h, then 50mg/h, then 75mg/h, and 100mg/h.

Just so I can try to keep a full time job, now pain got really like 8.5 - 9.5 and visit to GP, could not help, more scans they did not find anything, and left with 150mg/h Fentanyl patches. OMG???? Where does it stop????? Is this my NEW LIFE???

BTW my 150mg/h patch due for change tomorrow back to 100mg/h to see if pain returns back to the 8 - 9 levels, feel like a walking science experiment.... Pain is already back to 7.5 after 2 1/2 days doin no very much, whats going to happen when I try to return to work next week???

Answers (2)

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Karen Lee Richards

10/24/09 8:34pm

I'm sorry to hear you're having so much pain. At this point, it sounds like it would be worth at least talking with your doctor about an intrathecal morphine pain pump. As Bonnie mentioned, because the medication goes directly into the spine, they usually provide relief with only a small fraction of the amount of opioid (usually morphine) needed when taken orally or transdermally. Here's a link to more info about pain pumps: Intrathecal Morphine Pain Pumps

Then if you would like to talk with others who are using pain pumps, the very best place to get answers to questions is on our forum. That's where everyone gathers to discuss anything to do with intrathecal pain pumps. There is an excellent ongoing thread entitled “Willing to share experience with intrathecal morphine pump implant” that was started and is maintained by Bob Englebardt. It's a pretty long thread, but rest assured your post will be read and answered. If you don’t find an answer to your question already there, just click on the last page and post your question. Here is a link to this thread on the forum:
http://forums.healthcentral.com/discussion/chronic-pain/forums/a/tpc/f/7251032/m/8491036

(Note: If you've never been to the forum before, you'll have to register separately from your registration here on ChronicPainConnection. You can, however, use the same e-mail address and password if you like to make it easier to remember.)

In your comment, you also mentioned thinking you might have fibromyalgia. It's not unusual for FM to develop when you have another chronic pain condition. With FM, the body's central nervous system – particularly the sensitivity to pain – seems to get stuck on "high." This can be triggered by any kind of trauma to the body, like an injury or illness or even a severe emotional trauma.

We have quite a bit of info on FM here: Fibromyalgia If you have any questions not covered, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll do my best to help.

I do hope you're able to find a way to get your pain under control very soon!

PainBack07Aust

10/26/09 11:55am

Thanks Karen, started on Lyrica today, and the only sidefect at this point is that I feel really tired, after my first tablet layed down and lost like 4 hours, think it was a good sleep though, and now after my second tablet 75mg I am feeling real tired again and the pain remains the same at this stage also on 150mg/h Fentanyl and Tramal...Quite a cocktail I must say. Back pain sitting at about 8.5 / 10 , I hope it starts to work soon.

Go back to work Wednesday, so I hope by then the pain is reduced.

Bonnie Girl

10/24/09 6:51am

fentnyl patchs kept me nauseated...on top of pain nausea i cou;dn't take it so i got off of them..next year i will go back to see if the pain pump will work for me..i had tried it and ended up with a 24 hr epidural headache only a blood patch would help..that was a pretty severe headache and the memory is almost gone--been 1.5 years since..

i use lidociane patches to help do some numbing..helps but doesn't take away..i too have constant back pain..feel recently at work and the pain has icnreased..did not think it possible but all i do is walk sit lay get up and go again..only someone in a lot of pain understands..i think we all try whatever we can and some go past what we can and do illigal stuff..i am hard pressed to take anything but this pain has a life of it's own..

i do hope you find something that works for you..maybe the pain pump would be good for you?

PainBack07Aust

10/24/09 9:59am

Thanks Bonnie girl,your an angel, I hope we can compare notes, and the more I look into it it gets very close to fibromyalgia, omg I hope it has not developed into this in me as well.

Most of the symptoms fit and all MRI, xrays, CT don't show up my Chronic Back, and Shoulder pain, also when my arms are bent for more than 10 minutes, it hurts so bad to straighten them again and there is a nerve point in inside elbo. And the other things that I have been experiancing for about 2 years now.

Is the pain pump like a morphine pump? Have to investigate and ask specialist.

Thanks for your kind support BG, I too hope you had a good day.

Bonnie Girl

10/24/09 10:46am

The pain med is powerful but becuase it is so strong and goes direclty into the spinal column it does not take as much pain med so I am told..I am not sure I can wait as long as I had thought as each day the torment worsens..

I know that I had a partial rotator cuff tare which added to some form of numbing into my arm but since my fall this has icnreased dramatically...I can lay my arm across my abdomen or upon my chest and wihtin a few seconds it goes numb..Same when I lay my arm flat on the bed..I do not notice extreme numbness when I am moving about..

I begna my illness/pain after I had pneumonia 17 yrs ago..I never got better..It took severl years to get diagnosed with Fibro..sice then other autoimmune disease have kicked in..I have had some say Fibro. is not autoimmune-I disagree with them..Dibiliatating-yes, painful OMG yes, memory fog-yes..This and other isseus is why I wnat to find a pain psychiatrist..I saw a psychologist but had to tell them about my meds. and he had little sympathy or emapthy.I have no desire to teach a doctor who cannot give of himself..I am sorry my spelling gets so messed up anymore I just move forward..Bonnie

Q: But what if the Chronic Back Pain is between 7 - 9 most of the time?

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