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<blockquote data-quote="susiestar" data-source="post: 388773" data-attributes="member: 1233"><p>I am so very sorry. I know something of the pain your husband is in. It truly does change who you are and so few people, even family, have any understanding of how truly awful it is. While I love to target shoot, I completely refuse to allow a gun of any type in my home because I am afraid that I would do something to myself when the pain gets bad. I have had to talk myself out of bad things quite a few times. I just picture my children and husband and somehow have always managed to not do anything so far.</p><p> </p><p>If there is an abnormality or growth it may be something that surgery can fix. If it is specialized be SURE the doctor who does whatever surgery or treatment is well qualified. We have a friend who had a terrible, enormous tumor on her spine a few years ago. the docs here who wanted to do it had only seen it done twice and done it once each - and those patients either didn't survive or were paralyzed after the surgery. The woman's daughter was my high school bff and she found a clinic in another state that had the best docs in the country for this and they had done over a hundred successful, no paralysis operations like hers. So going to the right place and the right docs is extremely important.</p><p> </p><p>Your husband may also need something for nerve pain. Neurontin is good and lyrica is better. The only thing is after you have been on them a few years you start to think they are not helping - until you go off of them for a little bit. You forget what they are doing, which is kind of nice. Many pain patients have some element of nerve pain with everything else, so it is good to try if you can tolerate the medications.</p><p> </p><p>I guess the "good" news I can offer is that there are several much stronger medications your husband can take. oxycontin and oxycodone are on the milder end of the opiate pain spectrum. He can try morphine, methadone, fentanyl, demerol, even dilaudid. If the medications are just too hard for his GI tract to handle, they have implantable pumps that deliver the medications right into your spine. Sounds icky, but it takes MUCH less medication to get relief when delivered that way. It is a minor operation to have the pump implanted, and then a shot every month or so to have it refilled. </p><p> </p><p>He can also go to muscle relaxers. Robaxin is also very mild. Soma (carisoprodol) is more effective, and they can also try baclofen and zanaflex. Benzos like xanax and valium are also used as muscle relaxers. Do NOT let them give him daily valium. Use a different benzo. After about 2-4 weeks valium induces a very strong depression and it is NOT something that a person with chronic pain should use because we have enough depression. IF we don't fight depression we are clearly nuts, in my opinion, because you would have to be nuts if this agony didn't get you down. </p><p> </p><p>Even if he has been through all the muscle relaxers before they can rotate them again as sometimes when you are off of them for a few months or years they will work again if they are tried again. At least for a while.</p><p> </p><p>The suckers that were mentioned are called supposed to be amazing. If your husband can tolerate NSAIDS he might get relief from either toradol shots or a short course of toradol tablets. you have to be super careful with the tablets because they are very hard on the gi tract and cover pain so well that some patients got bleeding ulcers and didn't know it until bad things happened. It is why so few docs will rx toradol tablets for home use.</p><p> </p><p>Your pain doctor has quite a few options available to help your husband. Just make sure that you work with husband so that if you take him to the ER he doesn't put on a stoic, brave face. If he is crying or moaning with pain he will get a LOT more help than if he is quiet and lets them do their job while trusting them to help. They will think he is either drug seeking or not in that much pain unless he SHOWS them the pain. It is a mistake I have made several times and when I finally showed the pain to the ER staff on a different trip it was incredible how much more helpful they were. </p><p> </p><p>I am so sorry. I know this tears you apart. When you see his docs be SURE to have his vitamin levels checked. Vit D deficiency can cause horrendous amounts of pain, as can low amounts of some other nutrients. If his levels are low it could help them figure out what is causing the problems. </p><p> </p><p>Many hugs.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="susiestar, post: 388773, member: 1233"] I am so very sorry. I know something of the pain your husband is in. It truly does change who you are and so few people, even family, have any understanding of how truly awful it is. While I love to target shoot, I completely refuse to allow a gun of any type in my home because I am afraid that I would do something to myself when the pain gets bad. I have had to talk myself out of bad things quite a few times. I just picture my children and husband and somehow have always managed to not do anything so far. If there is an abnormality or growth it may be something that surgery can fix. If it is specialized be SURE the doctor who does whatever surgery or treatment is well qualified. We have a friend who had a terrible, enormous tumor on her spine a few years ago. the docs here who wanted to do it had only seen it done twice and done it once each - and those patients either didn't survive or were paralyzed after the surgery. The woman's daughter was my high school bff and she found a clinic in another state that had the best docs in the country for this and they had done over a hundred successful, no paralysis operations like hers. So going to the right place and the right docs is extremely important. Your husband may also need something for nerve pain. Neurontin is good and lyrica is better. The only thing is after you have been on them a few years you start to think they are not helping - until you go off of them for a little bit. You forget what they are doing, which is kind of nice. Many pain patients have some element of nerve pain with everything else, so it is good to try if you can tolerate the medications. I guess the "good" news I can offer is that there are several much stronger medications your husband can take. oxycontin and oxycodone are on the milder end of the opiate pain spectrum. He can try morphine, methadone, fentanyl, demerol, even dilaudid. If the medications are just too hard for his GI tract to handle, they have implantable pumps that deliver the medications right into your spine. Sounds icky, but it takes MUCH less medication to get relief when delivered that way. It is a minor operation to have the pump implanted, and then a shot every month or so to have it refilled. He can also go to muscle relaxers. Robaxin is also very mild. Soma (carisoprodol) is more effective, and they can also try baclofen and zanaflex. Benzos like xanax and valium are also used as muscle relaxers. Do NOT let them give him daily valium. Use a different benzo. After about 2-4 weeks valium induces a very strong depression and it is NOT something that a person with chronic pain should use because we have enough depression. IF we don't fight depression we are clearly nuts, in my opinion, because you would have to be nuts if this agony didn't get you down. Even if he has been through all the muscle relaxers before they can rotate them again as sometimes when you are off of them for a few months or years they will work again if they are tried again. At least for a while. The suckers that were mentioned are called supposed to be amazing. If your husband can tolerate NSAIDS he might get relief from either toradol shots or a short course of toradol tablets. you have to be super careful with the tablets because they are very hard on the gi tract and cover pain so well that some patients got bleeding ulcers and didn't know it until bad things happened. It is why so few docs will rx toradol tablets for home use. Your pain doctor has quite a few options available to help your husband. Just make sure that you work with husband so that if you take him to the ER he doesn't put on a stoic, brave face. If he is crying or moaning with pain he will get a LOT more help than if he is quiet and lets them do their job while trusting them to help. They will think he is either drug seeking or not in that much pain unless he SHOWS them the pain. It is a mistake I have made several times and when I finally showed the pain to the ER staff on a different trip it was incredible how much more helpful they were. I am so sorry. I know this tears you apart. When you see his docs be SURE to have his vitamin levels checked. Vit D deficiency can cause horrendous amounts of pain, as can low amounts of some other nutrients. If his levels are low it could help them figure out what is causing the problems. Many hugs. [/QUOTE]
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