Ultram

[livie1205]

I think people have to be very wary of pain clinics. My humble opinion is their licensed pill pushers.
I was very ill & in pain 50% of the time. I was amazed at the amount of prescriptions I left with.

Back to Ultram, it's a good drug for your problem. Feel better.

I go to a pain mang doc and he is great,I told him right from the start that I did not want to go on higher doses or stronger meds then the ones I was already on and he was fine with that....he has never one time tried to push something else on me.He is trying to help the problem (getting my ins. co. to aprove my mri,setting up PT ect ect.I think some places are bad but there are some good p.m. drs out there.

 

[arminnie]

Be careful with ultram if you are taking an antidepressant. It can have some serious side effects.

I have had sciatica for two months now. The pain can be unbearable. Tylenol (worthless) is about all I am allowed. I can't take NSAIDS and choose not to take vicodan or one of the oxys for a long period of time.

Accupuncture has helped tremendously - and I was never a believer in it before this. It helps with the pain. It does not fix the problem.

 

[arminnie]

I think people have to be very wary of pain clinics. My humble opinion is their licensed pill pushers.

I certain agree with you that there are some HORRIBLE pain clinics out there.

But don't condemn them with too broad of a brush stroke. There are also some extremely professional ones out there too. One of my closest friends was on the medical board for years. She said there is a bigger problem with those "legal pill pushers" than all the malpractice complaints combined.

If you need to go to a pain clinic (and I may need to soon) do your research. I'm not sure how much info your state med board can release, but I would ask for recommendations from medical schools, known doctors, and especially nurses. I had a top surgeon tell me one time that a hospital nurse knew more about how a doctor practiced than anyone.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Isn't there a way to get your PCP to give you the steroid shot??

This is a special procedure done under fluoroscopy. It's not a regular "shot".

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I do see my pcp in a week and a half so maybe we'll revisit the nuero-surgeon option again.

I wouldn't let the bad experience with the pain doc sway you from trying the steroid injection. What I would do is try to get in sooner, if possible. Call them daily, if necessary, to see if they have any cancellations or openings. As I mentioned in an earlier thread, my DH was in a similar situation and the steroid procedure worked for him. At least give it a try.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I think people have to be very wary of pain clinics. My humble opinion is their licensed pill pushers.
I was very ill & in pain 50% of the time. I was amazed at the amount of prescriptions I left with.

Back to Ultram, it's a good drug for your problem. Feel better.

The pain clinic I work in, is far from what you describe. The doctor is a lisenced anesthesiologist. People see him as a last resort to surgery. By the time they come to us, they have been prescribed pain pills and muscle relaxants sometimes for years.

This doc uses fluoro (x-ray) to pinpoint the area of pain for an epidural pain injection. He performs epidurals, triggerpoints, as well as some simple OR pain relief procedures.

He has a NP that monitors his patients drug use very carefully. If he feels they are there for the sole purpose of seeking pain meds, which some are, they are immediately referred somewhere else. If the doc at our clinic can't help the person in pain, its usually time to live with it, or seek out surgery if they are a candidate.

 

[phorsenuf]

The pain management clinic is through the VA, which is who I receive my care through. I have never taken any pain pills prior to now because I've never wanted to go that route. But in the last few months it's gotten really bad, to the point where it is interfering with activities or me wanting to even go out to do things because of the pain.
Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend and we are going to EPCOT. It's going to be a killer. I kinda don't want to go because I'm going to end up in a lot of pain but I'll go for her. I just don't like what this pain is doing to me. I can usually just push through it and deal, albeit miserably, but I'm pretty much at the point that I can't.
My pcp is the one who suggested the nuero-surgeon since it was getting so bad. I really want a fix, not a mask. I'm tired of this problem constantly popping up.

Originally Posted by NEVERENOUGHWDW
I think people have to be very wary of pain clinics. My humble opinion is their licensed pill pushers.
I was very ill & in pain 50% of the time. I was amazed at the amount of prescriptions I left with.

Yet I left with none.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

phorsenuf, even with medication (which only serves to mask the pain), pushing yourself to walk around somewhere like WDW with your present circumstances (which I assume is a bulging disc pressing on the nerves to your lower body, given the epidural steroid recommendation) is not a good idea and can make things worse. You will need to take it easy until you have your procedure. We went to WDW around the time of DH's case, with his doc's blessing, but only with the conditions that he severely restrict his walking and did not go on any rides that could aggravate his back. He spent a lot of time bench sitting that trip and was pretty uncomfortable despite meds and having the first steroid procedure (and later needing a second before he got complete relief, which they said wasn't unusual but I wonder if it would have worked better if he'd rested instead of going on the trip). Anyway, if you go, pleast take it easy.

 

[phorsenuf]

phorsenuf, even with medication (which only serves to mask the pain), pushing yourself to walk around somewhere like WDW with your present circumstances (which I assume is a bulging disc pressing on the nerves to your lower body, given the epidural steroid recommendation) is not a good idea and can make things worse. You will need to take it easy until you have your procedure. We went to WDW around the time of DH's case, with his doc's blessing, but only with the conditions that he severely restrict his walking and did not go on any rides that could aggravate his back. He spent a lot of time bench sitting that trip and was pretty uncomfortable despite meds and having the first steroid procedure (and later needing a second before he got complete relief, which they said wasn't unusual but I wonder if it would have worked better if he'd rested instead of going on the trip). Anyway, if you go, pleast take it easy.

Thanks Pea. See, that's part of my problem is I push myself too far. I do things I know I probably shouldn't and I pay for that.
That's the other thing too is I've never been told what I can or cannot/shouldn't do. I guess that's the aggravating part. My son and DIL are coming in a few weeks on leave and guess where we are going. I'm thinking I may rent a scooter for that trip though. 5 days with all that walking will do me in for sure.

I have 3 discs that are hitting up on the nerves, so essentially everything from the waist down is affected in some way. There is the one spot that is in constant pain, other things get aggravated by activity. It sucks.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

BTW, did he try to manipulate your foot against your resistance? My DH is a pretty strong man and the doc couldn't do much to move his "good" foot. With the "affected" foot, DH could not offer any resistance whatsoever to his manipulation. Amazing. It meant the nerve function to that leg was severely compromised. (And was no wonder he could barely walk, like you!) To determine the procedure's success, not only did he ask about pain and other symptoms, he did the "foot manipulation" test again, and voila, he could not move DH's foot at all. Once doc saw that, he knew he was better. I hope this helps you and/or someone else - it's a tough thing to go through, not being able to walk.

 

[phorsenuf]

BTW, did he try to manipulate your foot against your resistance? My DH is a pretty strong man and the doc couldn't do much to move his "good" foot. With the "affected" foot, DH could not offer any resistance whatsoever to his manipulation. Amazing. It meant the nerve function to that leg was severely compromised. (And was no wonder he could barely walk, like you!) To determine the procedure's success, not only did he ask about pain and other symptoms, he did the "foot manipulation" test again, and voila, he could not move DH's foot at all. Once doc saw that, he knew he was better. I hope this helps you and/or someone else - it's a tough thing to go through, not being able to walk.

That Dr did nothing like that. Didn't even check my knee reflexes, which if he did he would have seen I have none, not even a little kick. And my Achilles....don't even think of touching those! He checked no function or strength at all.

 

[cm8]

The pain management clinic is through the VA, which is who I receive my care through. I have never taken any pain pills prior to now because I've never wanted to go that route. But in the last few months it's gotten really bad, to the point where it is interfering with activities or me wanting to even go out to do things because of the pain.
Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend and we are going to EPCOT. It's going to be a killer. I kinda don't want to go because I'm going to end up in a lot of pain but I'll go for her. I just don't like what this pain is doing to me. I can usually just push through it and deal, albeit miserably, but I'm pretty much at the point that I can't.
My pcp is the one who suggested the nuero-surgeon since it was getting so bad. I really want a fix, not a mask. I'm tired of this problem constantly popping up.





Yet I left with none.

I was going to ask you if this was at the VA, They are known to do exactly the same thing that you described. I bet they started you off on 1/2 dose of a 50mg pill huh?

I volunteered in the PC for my rotation and it was a joke meeting with the doctors, The Doctor here, Tabor is very nice, but he does that 10 minute visit of stand, twist, bend, and looks at electronic records, then OTD you go. He also prescribes ultram/tramadol. I think you should see if your PCP at the local clinic can arrange to send you outside the VA and have them pick up the tab.

Ultram/Tramadol, is also usually prescribed to treat people who have chronic pain. It is also SUPPOSED to prevent people from becoming addicted to narcotics, which is why it is the most prescribed medicine for chronic pain. I have however read that it is also not as non addictive as it were to be.

Have they offered you a TENS unit? that may assist you with some of your pain. I am sure that they have probably already prescribed you gabapentin and or Lyrica for your neuropathy. If they have not, you may find that either one of those can help with the numbness and burning sensation that comes from back pain that you have described. I hope that you find something that helps your pain.