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Hi everyone new to this 32 yr old male from pittsburgh bad fibromyalgia and DDD

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Posted 11/12/2010 2:36 AM (GMT -8)
HI everyone, i used this site about 5 years ago under a different name i cant remember what it was but, this all started as mono in 2005 so i was symptom surfing on here thought i had HIV was freaking out for months took the test and it came negative, took a monospot came positive, and my pain in my upper thighs was unbearable the pain was like real deep in my bones, over the years it got my arms, neck, back, legs, fatigue, pain very bad when first waking up, bad memory, depressed, so i go to my doc he would not give me nothing for the pain, after like my 4th time there he gives me 60 norco 5mg for 1 month, worked great and i told him that and whats he say ok i'm gonna take you off that, makes no sense to me, you tell the doc whats working and then he takes you off UNREAL, i tried lyrica seemed to help a little bit with my legs but not much at all i was very itchy, suicidal, and had pressure in my head and couldn't think clear so i quit after 3 days and am still itchy after quitting lyrica 2 months ago, had a mri of my back and diagnosed DDD also been too two rhumatologists that have both diagnosed me with fibromyalgia which i can not take anymore this pain is extreme, a hot bath helps for a bit but ill be going to a pain clinic for the first time ever and im afraid to get a shot in my spine, im guessing thats what they are gonna do, what is the problem with writing pain meds if they say its the acetomophin then why sell tylenol because i read on the net that the hydrocodone does not damage your liver at all, for me lorcet, and norco helped me the best and they cut me off and i am fuming and i'm no drug addict at all never have been and i do not even drink ANY alchohol, does pain clinics write pain meds for fibro and degenerative disc disease, also my doc promised a mri of my neck and then he said oh there's nothing wrong with your neck, he said the same for my back and i asked my rhummy to order the mri which showed DDD my legs are always in severe pain and i barely get out of the house or do any activity im starting to worry about blood clots from sitting around, well thanks everyone for listening to me i know this is a great site with LOTS of great people on here...take care

DDD, Fibromyalgia, Manic depression, Panic disorder, anxiety attacks

Xanax 1mg twice a day

Posted 11/12/2010 4:54 AM (GMT -8)
HI scared,
I too have ddd, and i know that will make my legs ache like mad w/o my tramadol. I am on Lyrica and Cymbalta. Cymbalta is used for depression and now fibromyalgia. I tried to take myself off the tramadol just to see what would happen... mistake. The pain in my legs came back with a vengence!!! They believe Restless Leg Syndrome is associated with Fibro. I used to come home from work and my legs would hurt so much, i would be in tears. Couldn't understand why they hurt so much.
Anyway,I personally will not go to a pain clinic unless the other meds don't work. I am so afraid of becoming addicted to them. Although, the tramadol i believe you can get hooked on. But i'm doing ok with it so far. I've been on all of them for about 2 or 3 years now. I'm on the max level of Lyrica and my therapists nurse up'd my Cymbalta 30 mgs. mainly for the depression.
I tend to ramble, but i hope you got the jist of what i said!! Good luck to you, hope your feeling better real soon.!! :)
Posted 11/12/2010 7:59 AM (GMT -8)
Scared,

I know how frustrating it is when the docs won't believe you. That is a mystery that he would take you off the very thing that was working! As far as pain clinics, people I know who go to them tell me that some are great and some seem to just exist to torture people in pain! Good luck to you, I hope you can get some relief.

Debbie
Posted 11/12/2010 9:11 AM (GMT -8)
Hi Scared, and welcome back. I have been to a pain dr. and he tried me on all sorts of different oral pain meds. It didn't work for me because for some reason I am super sensitive to all oral pain meds. I would say that it is worth a shot going for you becuase from your post you are able to take the meds. It is worth a try and I wish you good luck, please let them know what pain meds have worked for you and how your dr. took you off them it will probably make it alot easier for them to help you.
Gentle Hugs
Shirley
Posted 11/12/2010 9:53 AM (GMT -8)
Hi Scared...sorry for your pain! If your DDD is really bad...do not ignore it! I
ignored mine to the point where my right foot became floppy and dragged behind
me when I walked. Sciatica was severe and I ended up with back surgery. My
foot works properly now but I have nerve damage in my right leg from the knee
down. I can walk, but my right leg is weaker.

You know your body better than anyone and if your doctor ignores you, it's
time to find someone that will help you!

Relaxation therapy has helped with stress and pain. Take time for deep breathing
and meditation, it really helps take the focus off the pain.

Hoping, you can get the pain meds you need for relief.

Check out fibro 101, 1st thread top of the page, lots of good info...there are also
some gentle stretching excersises that might help you.

Good luck to you and keep us posted1

Hugs, Robin
Posted 11/12/2010 11:22 AM (GMT -8)
Hi, Scared, and welcome back to HealingWell!  I think you need a new doctor.  Your doctor might not believe in fibromyalgia as a true illness.  He might think you are a "drug seeker" because you were "enthusiastic" about the medication that helped you and perhaps that's why he took you off the pain meds.  (I would love doctors to spend only one week in our shoes.  My, things would change for us!) A doctor that knows about fibro and treats fibro patients will have more understanding I think. 

 

I have never gone to a pain clinic.  I would want to stick with my doctor.  I use a board certified Internist so he takes care of all my illnesses and he know all about me, the meds and supplements I take, etc.  I am just more comfortable with that.

 

No matter what, make sure whatever doctor you go to does treat fibro patients.  Many on this forum use rheumatologists...but even some of them are still in the Dark Ages when it comes to fibromyalgia.  I do think this will be turning around some day soon.  Too many people are dealing with this lousy illness.  I hope you get the help you need soon.

 

Sherrine 

Posted 11/12/2010 11:04 PM (GMT -8)
Thanks everyone so much, really great people on here, i don't go to a rheumatologist im sorry i meant my neurologist, actually they just called me in tramadol today but i'm really afraid to take it due to the side effects, go nuts did you have any side effects from the tramadol, i mean i been reading about fibro and ddd seems like there are quite a few people on that med and they say it had helped them i just see the seizure side effect and the seroronin thing where it can increase it too fast or something so i'm kinda scared plus today i wasn't in enough pain to take any yet but im guessing if i get a fibro flare or this ddd gets worse than it has been which i sure hope it don't them i may try one or just take half it is only 50 mg, can anyone tell me how their expierence was with tramadol? I may see if he can just give me fewer lortab or lorcet i just don't want him to think im a druggie i told the receptionist even if he could give me just 15 a month for my extremely bad days, but like you others said also i'm afraid to get hooked on them also but i would never pop more than 2 a day i try to watch my health pretty good i guess beside junk food and caffeine, i quit drinking and my friends always try to peer pressure me into drinking and it don't work i'm very happy i quit drinking and i don't want another bad habit, but in my opinion it's not bad if you just take the meds for when your in severe pain, when i was on norco it did seem a bit addictive i was happier but i believe i was happier because i was not in pain, and has anyone ever had the epidural steroid in their back for DDD or fibro if they give that for fibro i'm not sure but i'm guessing thats what they want me too have which i really don't want that shot since my neurologist prescribed me the tramadol if i took them and no side effects occur then i wouldn't even go to the pain clinic, i'm just afraid to tell them i'm scared to take the tramadol because he will just think i want something else and that i'm a druggie but i'd take a drug test every week or everyday for him anyway to prove it, anyhow thanks everyone you are all great and take care hope everyone is doing good and out of this darn pain.
Posted 11/13/2010 4:41 AM (GMT -8)
Quite a few members do take Tramadol.  I couldn't.  It put me right to sleep minutes after taking it.  You might do just fine on it.  Perhaps cut it in half or shave a little off it to start with and see how that goes.  You might need very little of this medication to take the edge off your pain!

 

As far as getting the narcotic medication, you could perhaps say you need something for breakthrough pain.  If they want to give you something that you've had a reaction to, then you can mention that and then tell them about the narcotics that have helped you in the past.  The doctor won't give you a lot under these circumstances either.  I have Vicodin for breakthrough pain and I think I only have 15 or 20.  I never checked because I've never taken them!  I'm like you.  It's like I have a med phobia.  There have been times I probably should have tried it but I know that fibro waxes and wanes and that the really bad time will pass and I just gut it out. 

 

Try not to worry about this.  Your doctor will work with you.  If they don't, find one that does!  The worrying is causing you more stress and that in turn is causing you more pain.  We all know what you are going through right now but you will find a good doctor that will help you get this pain under control.  No, you won't be pain free but you can live your life to the fullest. 

 

I've had fibro long enough that I'm accustomed to pain being a part of my life.  I'm legally deaf and lost my hearing over a few months period.  That drove me crazy at first but now I'm used to it.  I also have an ostomy and that took some getting used to, also  But now, these things are a part of me...just like fibro.  This will happen with you about fibro if you don't fight it.  Relax.  Do everything good for yourself that helps with controlling the pain and you will find that you aren't thinking about it so much and that helps cause it to fade in the background some.  Also focusing on other things and not thinking about how you are feeling all of the time helps, too.  I love to do genealogy and when I get doing that, I get so engrossed that I don't think of the pain for hours! 

 

Bottom line...you will be fine.  You will get help.  Keep your hope alive and a smile on your face because there are better times in your future!  Let us know how things go for you!

 

Sherrine

Posted 11/13/2010 2:55 PM (GMT -8)
Thank you soo much sherrine you all are great on here and thats exactly what i was thinking about doing just shaving a little bit of powder of the the tramadol at first to make sure im not allergic or scared and get anxiety from it i almost needed it tonight especially with my leg and back pain today, thanks so much and im sorry to hear about your hearing loss but glad you are in good spirits about everything thats the way to be, god bless you..
Posted 11/14/2010 1:19 PM (GMT -8)
Scared -
Don't be afraid of the spinals. They give you a local anesthetic and it doesn't hurt at all afterward, just a little stiffness. When they work it's wonderful, but they're not 100% guaranteed and don't last forever. Any relief though, is worth it.

The pain clinic will probably have you try meds until you find one or two that work. I'm currently on Cymbalta and am going to stop it because all I get is side effects, no pain relief worth mentioning. Sometimes muscle relaxants help. I tried Flexeril, but I was on tramadol (which helped fibro a lot) and I got serotonin syndrome (I seem to be exceptionally sensitive to it) because the meds interacted. I tried one other muscle relaxant that didn't help at all, just gave me a headache.

I think I'll go back to tramadol, but carefully, since if I even take two I get SS.
Posted 11/14/2010 9:55 PM (GMT -8)
Scared

I read your story and I felt sad. You are in your prime as a young man. When I was first diagnosed I was in "white light" pain (as I called it) - tramadol did help then. I had just turned 50 and was fit all my life and got fibro after a minor road accident and then a bad flu. I couldn't walk, and had to use a cane for nearly two years. Went into remission and now it's back after cancer dx.

Now I'm managing it quite well with the help of forums like this, research and life style changes.

I know it sounds silly, but try something Sherrine's links put me onto. 2 cups of magnesium sulphate (sulfate to those of you in the northern hemisphere) in a warm to hot bath for 10 minutes. Google Mg SO4. It works for me - after the bath I feel like I've just taken a tramadol.

Goodluck and best wishes.
Oxygene
Posted 11/15/2010 7:44 AM (GMT -8)
Thanks oxygene, and alcie, oxy i believe my fibro seemed to hit me after mono in 2005 either that or i did have a bad flu in 2004 and 2005 which it could have been from that i guess i which we all had the right answer, i am tempted to call my neurologist to see if he would put me on something for the breakthrough pain, but i just don't want him to think i'm a drug addict, the drug addicts really ruined it for us that need meds for pain i believe, i'm just too scared to take pain meds im not familiar with i believe i took tramadol years back a dentist prescribed it to me and i believe i got real twitchy, and i definately don't want to have no seizure, i wanted to know to if you guys know if they can prescribe like lortab or lorcet with less tylenol so it isn't as hard on the liver, i know when i was on norco it only had 325 mgs of tylenol. Thanks everyone and oxygene i have faith that your cancer will be treated and eliminated, god bless
Posted 11/15/2010 8:21 AM (GMT -8)
Welcome Scared...I hope you find some pain relief soon!

Krista
Posted 11/15/2010 8:37 AM (GMT -8)
Thanks krista i also see you have ddd and fibro as well, as of now i been just using vit D 3- 1000 units my neurologist wants me to take 2 a day, see i had my calcium and vit d checked through bloodwork and it was good he told me but he wanted me to try the 50,000 units once a week which i did but i quit taking that high a dose because i was very itchy i wasn't sure if it was from lyrica or the vit d but so far im just taking the vitamin d3 1000 units, what is the difference from d3 and regular vit d and which seems to work better, thanks again everyone
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