Hey Lady! And my other spiney pals! No, I haven't been "swept away" or anything---just packing for our trip to Montana/Wyoming coming up next week---no, I don't feel all that much better, but as I...
Lady, we had torrential storms last PM, a tornado sighted & over 3" of rain in one hour.... so batten down yer hatches! Today is mild, overcast & warmer---and there is standing water everywhere. If...
Thanks Gramps for the sweet thoughts! Yes, I hope this "healing pain" stuff moves along quickly! I see my NS next week & he may suggest some mysofacsial release & deep tissue massage (he wants no PT...
I use Restoril, a very old and gentle sleeper, a benzo, member of the Valuim family. I take the smallest dose ( 7.5) but it goes all the way up to 15 & 30, which would send me into next Tuesday.......
Amen to this idea! Not that I'm a mean person or vindictive in any way, & I totally love my NS and think he's wonderful & would never want anything to happen to him (I might need him again...
Hey Lady! Yes, I'm usually outside at noon, taking one of my 3 daily walks, but the weather today is LOUSY...sorry, you'll be getting it! I just posted to a query from Cary about fusion sugery &...
Hi Cary! And Toritoo! And PALady and all my other CP pals! Cary, your question about your new improved posture and the "new" pains from that really hit me (no pun) as for the past 3 weeks I've been...
I love this thread! Dreams! Bad Weather! New Meds! Old Meds! MRI's! SI Pain! Sounds like a book about CP for those who've been around the block---dancing in the streets, Freya! Love the image of your...
Freya, glad your new meds are working! And that you actually got 8 hrs of sleep! Oh, I wish!!! Great news! Hope it "holds" for you & you can get the rest now you need to heal & feel better! I'll hear...
It was hydrocodone IBF, b/c the oxy made me sick; but the hyrdo made me sick, also. I only broke the hyrdo in 1/4's, as they said NOT to cut into the oxy, for the reason you mentioned, PALady. B/c I...
Oxy just left me a total wreck (had it RX'd after surgery # 2) I had to cut them into 1/4's to even keep them down & even then they "jazzed" me up, made me anxious & restless, insomnia, didn't help...
Thanks, Lady, I will! Hope it's what they say "unremarkable".....! Which is not to say things don't hurt, but just that there;s nothing serious that's causing it. As I said, he mentioned scar tissue,...
Hi Lady, again! In spite of the recuring sciatica stuff, I HAVE been beach-walking, as walking does feel good & helps make the fusion strong. It's just that doc was concerned about the sciatica...
Lady! Great to hear from you! I can promise to send you some lovely weather---we had 70 & sunny yesterday & so far today...so get those shorts & tank tops out! Re my recovery: I'm about 16 weeks out...
Freya, that's why i suggested Restoril---it's very gentle, you fall asleep in about 20 minutes & it should cut you about 6-7 nice hours of rest. Give it a try! It's been around for years & is very...
Hi Freya! Yes, oxy can give you awful dreams, as can hyrdocodone (Vicodin) & I got them also from taking neurontin (gabapentin) and when they gave me Reglan for anti-nausea (after my 2nd sugery) it...
Great question/thread! Reading is such a wonderful escape & diversion---really absorbing, puts the pain on the back burner for awhile... When doc gave me the 6-9 month recovery timeline from my...
Funny you should bring this up, Chutzie! I have 2 on my Jeep: One says "Fac ut vivas" (get a life) and the other one says: "Cogito ergo femina sum" (I think, therefore I am female) You can get by...
I agree with the stiffness in the back, Gramps. Most of my MRI's lasted about 50 minutes & that's a LONG time to lie so still on such a hard surface when you are already in pain. Like you, they had...
hi Achymom and everyone else! Re MRI's: I haven't had one since my fusion, but I had at least 8 of them over the past 1.5 years. Non-invasive and once you get past the "lying in the tube" factor, can...
...geting thru the knee capsule is the hard part, Anon...after that you're home free, LOL! Sounds like you have great reasons for your fusion...your neuro will do a nice, neat foramenotomy (bilateral...
Hi Mercyme! Thank you for your post & empathetic comments...yes, 3 back surgeries in about 1 year are enough for me, right now anyway.. But again, as I said b4, if your sciatica is from compression...
Hi Mercy! Sciatica is a horrible nightmare. I had it daily for over a year between my 2 -3 sugeries. It is simply the worst pain, I agree. Constant electrical burning mind-numbing pain. I also had a...
Yes!!! Some people (poor metabolizers) can't break down certain drugs & get side-effects and/or drugs stay in their system too long; other people (ultra metabolizers) break down drugs too quickly and...
Hi dear Toritoo! I totally understand, as well, as PALady says also, that yearning for a END to all this pain....for something to FIX our worn-out backs once & for all...but it does sound "too good...
Hi Everyone! Yesterday, I remember a post about why some of us get bad side-effects to meds & others of us don't, etc. I posted that I read somewhere that now they think there is a genetic basis...
Shannon: If you have nausea from some of the meds, ask about taking some Zofran w/ your meds. It's an anti-nausea med that worked well for me when I needed morphine, etc. It used to be very $$ but is...
Thank you PALady for the advice & explanation. I'm sure I AM one of his "longer seen" patients, due to all the complications etc. Many others see their neurodoc, have the surgery, are followed...
Hi PALady! thanks for the info! When I see my neuro in May I'll ask him WHO should be doing my maintenance meds for the continuing CP and post-surgery pain,too. My GP, him or a PM doc? (I have access...
Hi Gramps! I should call you "DR Gramps" haha! Now that I took my SCRPITED noon dilaudid & my bain is no longer shouting PAIN alert !!! here's what I think my doc has in mind: Get up in AM &...
Wow, Gramps! Thank you for explaining that! Yes, the effect, of my dilaudid, (& it IS very effective at first) does "wear off" in about 4-5 hrs, but until this dumb hip crest started to hurt, they...
Under, exactly! And Lass, exactly@ As with your RX, my doc's instructions were for MORE than I was taking! According to his RX, "1 every 6 hrs" I would have "permission" to take 4 w/in 24 hrs,...
Hi LassieLuv! You won't believe this, but the exact same situation happened to me yesterday when I called my doc's nurse for a refill on my dilaudid. On the container it reads "Take 1 tablet every 6...
Hi Toritoo! With everything else on your "plate", now this! Oh my! Above posts are excellent advice, hope you get some relief. Re the nausea: I had constant throwing-up for 3 weeks (sorry guys!) when...
Hi Shelter! Glad to hear you're home & resting! I'm so sorry you felt so much pain, tho! That SI joint is a deep one---but ice packs tonight will help & hopefully you'll get some relief. It takes...
Sheler, it's 5:45 AM here (Central Time) & in mydaly AM prayers, Ihave you 1st on the list! Bless you today & througout your injection procedure. Be of good courage, know that your doc & his staff...
Shelter, dear! Please don't be afraid! It sounds like you'll have an injection (of steroids I would assume) into your SI joint. I had many of those & if you have a good PM doc, they will give you...
PALady, how insightful! I totally forgot about those natural daily body rhythms! Of courrse! And they often hit about 12 hrs after your deepest sleep, which makes total sense, as most of us sleep...
Quick hi tonight to all, & welcome MarleneS & Lassieluv, I LOL'd at the MALE black cat!! Ha ha ha!! You are just too funny! Marlene, I love how you ponder over your AM coffee how you will mete out...
Quick thought re grief & anger over what we've had to change & the losses we've had to face. I used to feel very guilty about these feeings, as I was thankful that my doc was caring & very skillful,...
Excellent advice! And yes, when I feel that afternoon "slump" & start to get the blues, if I'm home (which is almost always now haha) I do take a nap & it does help! It also advances the time from...
Just about to throw another log into the woodstove, as we have a NE wind & snowstorm going on, but just had to thank you Toritoo for the smiley face and the wonderful descript ion of your...
Mala, I would mention it to whomever RX'd it. But you may want to tell all your docs, esp if they are in contact w/ each other &know about your total condition. Hope you have better day today! If...
Hi Mala! Thank you for your post on meds & moods---I think there are some other allied posts that have been active recently re this including the one on CP & depression, some specific to back pain,...
Good evening all! So glad we are continuing this thread, as it is so inspirational and affirming! And I agree: Toritoo, please just say/write whatever is in your heart! It gives us all comfort and...
Yes, PALady, he is a rare combo of excellent surgical skills & human-ness & compassion. He raises show (dressage) horses in his spare time (!) and once compared me to a "Throughbred" as I was so...
Good morning! I'm so glad others are adding to this post! We need all the encouragement we can get & we all "get it", the CP part & it's wonderful that we can all support each other--laughs, tears,...
Wow, PALady, that's pretty cool! Doris Day to the rescue! And our weather today (yours coming up) was cool today too! Hope you enjoyed our former sunny days! Get out your umbrella! There IS a movie...
SheilaJ: Re your spinal headache: after my 1st surgery,I develped a post-surgical spinal fluid leak & endured 3 weeks of spinal headaches (the worst on earth, like acid pouring over your brain, as...
Lake here again---sorry to bother you some more & PLEASE forgive the typos, etc as those daily dilaudid/Vailum cocktails wreak havoc w/ one's fingers, too! But here's the detail info on specifically,...