Chronic pain

I have been diagnosed by one of the top back specialists (not local) with chronic inoperable back pain. My local dr. Prescribed lortab but told me up front that this will be like taking a baby aspirin, yet he was afraid to treat my pain with meds. That would afford me some relief. I was told I needed to go to a pain clinic in order to get the adequate pain meds. This has been told to me by several doctors. I have refused to go so far.. I'm 50 yrs old and confined to bed about 70% of the time. If doctors were allowed to practice medicine like they were a few yrs ago, I would have some enjoyment in life, pain like mine allows me to do very little. Everyone gets on here condemning pain clinics yet it is our own doctors who are referring us to these places. What is a person to do when your doctor is afraid of losing their licenses for prescribing the nartcotics needed to help people like me. So,far I have stayed away from the pain clinics but at this point I don't feel I have much a choice. No one should be forced to live in constant pain. Kentucky is a mess when it comes to treating people like myself who live in daily pain. I am at a total loss as to what to do in order to live a somewhat normal life. I have been prescribed many meds that are not narcotics, so far none have helped. I am not an addict nor would I dream of selling my medicine. My pain has gotten me in such a depressed state it frightens me. So tell me what to do when your doctor knows you need serious medicine that only a so called "pill mill" can prescribe? If anyone has any suggestions I would so appreciate it.

I was in a similar situation when I fell out of a pipe rack. I ended up with compressed discs that had bulged against my spinal cord, both knee's damaged, the left worse than the right and the cartilage in my left wrist is now complete scar tissue. I was bed ridden for close to six months.

I'm not you so I can't say this or that will work for you but I'll be happy to share what I did that helped tremendously.

First and foremost however, in Lexington on Man O War blvd is a huge multi level glass building on the west side of the street that is a pain clinic or has one in it. I've seen the sign and I'm assuming it's on the level. Second, I'm not naive enough to think all pain clinics are a bad thing. People with chronic pain need relief of some sort or go insane.

For myself, something in my chemistry doesn't allow pain meds to work well for me. They either do nothing at all or I have an allergic reaction to them. So far anyways.

For my back pain, I strengthened my abs which helps support ones back. Sit ups don't do it and aren't good for your back either. With your feet supported on a chair with knees bent, start with ten crunches daily for a week, holding each crunch ten seconds or as close to ten seconds as you can stand. At the end of the week, if you can hold the ten crunches for ten seconds, try to add 5 crunches. If you can get 8 out of ten crunches, Then you can add the 5 crunches. Add crunches when you're two crunches within your goal or you'll not be able to progress to the goal of thirty complete crunches daily. When you can do thirty crunches a day you'll have a nice six pack going. After awhile though, the six pack will go away and you'll start to look like you have a bit of a pot belly but the pot belly will be rock hard and your back hurting hardly at all or at least manageable. Walking will help keep your legs strong and allow you to some limbering exercises. You have to have strong muscles to be able to be limber. Don't bend over to touch your toes. Find something waist high to support one foot on and try to touch the toes on the elevated foot. This not only limbers up the legs but the lower back as well. There is a trick to this also. The foot that is on the ground, point the toes about 35 degrees to the side to open your hips up but keep the toes of the elevated toes straight up. Push ups are a no-no until the abs are strong. I'm sure you know the do's and dont's since it's back pain. Don't bend at the waist, squat to get down low or pick things up. Keeping your weight down helps tremendously as well for knee's and back both. At times I'll screw up and I'll wear a heavy leather weight lifters belt for support for a few days. When I fell I had also ripped the entire sheet of thin muscles that connect to my lower left hip. They aren't 100% and never will be, but the things I've done have made a world of difference for me and I have no need for pain meds. The only time I have any probs is when I screw up by not thinking.

Exercise produces endorphins. Endorphins are a pain reliever. Don't push yourself to hard and you'll progress faster. Pushing to hard can cause more damage which makes things worse.

In the event this works for you, don't think that once you have gotten to the point it doesn't hurt so bad anymore you can stop. Sorry, it's like pain meds. Once you stop the hurt comes back. With exercise though, it's free and doesn't hose your liver.

Forgot to add, keep your back straight when touching the toes. Bending to touch them limbers the wrong muscles in the back and also aggravates any damaged discs.

Thanks so much for the advise. I am on a mild exercise program, very mild, just enough to keep my back somewhat limber and walk What i can. If not for this I would be almost immobile. Until someone lives with this kind of pain they have no idea the quality of life we live. I've lived like this for several years, if u can call this living. Taking m y life is not an option but when u live in constant pain all kinds of crazy thoughts go through ur head. After several nights of no sleep your brain just doesn't think right, it scary. Driving to the next county is about all I can tolerate. Depression has set. In so bad that I don't think anyone cares especially the medical community. I just don't understand how doctors or legislature would even dream of allowing a human being live like this. I have so much in my life to be grateful for but when i can't even hold ur grandchildren it sadden me to no end. Before the accident I was such a happy active person, my world has completely changed. I am no longer the person I once was and I understand that I never will be again. I'm just searching for something to elevate my pain just some of the time. I am at my wits end. I just wonder if our local doctors treat their own family the way they treat someone else's family. I can't imagine them watching their spouse suffer in this way

Pray medical marijuana gets legalized.

Honey bucket,if all u have to contribute to such a serious topix (my life) please keep ur unneeded comments to yourself. If this were u, I'm sure u would not find anything funny about this. I'm not critizing u but please educate ur self . I need people who are informed about this subject to give me advise any good advise. This is not the place for ur comic routine.

Frustrated wrote:

Honey bucket,if all u have to contribute to such a serious topix (my life) please keep ur unneeded comments to yourself. If this were u, I'm sure u would not find anything funny about this. I'm not critizing u but please educate ur self . I need people who are informed about this subject to give me advise any good advise. This is not the place for ur comic routine.

Don't feed the troll Frustrated. What you just saw seems to be her life since there isn't a single thread in topix she has contributed anything worthwhile to. Ignore her and eventually she'll go away.

It's moot since I doubt you'll find anyone qualified in the area but accupressure and accupuncture work also for pain.

There may be a therapist in the area that can also teach you self hypnotism. Don't poo-poo it off. It also works. The only real trick behind hypnotism is confidence in yourself in being able to train your subconscious to reinterpret things.

Serious martial artists and fighters have figured out how to train their subconscious to ignore pain and focus on something else. There's no hoodoo or tv crap involved. On paper it's simple. In life not so simple until you've experienced it.

Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research
Released:June 29, 2011Type:Consensus ReportTopics:Education, Public Health, Select Populations and Health DisparitiesActivity:Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education Board:Board on Health Sciences Policy
Chronic pain costs the nation up to $635 billion each year in medical treatment and lost productivity. The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act required the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to enlist the IOM in examining pain as a public health problem.
In this report, the IOM offers a blueprint for action in transforming prevention, care, education, and research, with the goal of providing relief for people with pain in America. To reach the vast multitude of people with various types of pain, the nation must adopt a population-level prevention and management strategy. The IOM recommends that HHS develop a comprehensive plan with specific goals, actions, and timeframes. Better data are needed to help shape efforts, especially on the groups of people currently underdiagnosed and undertreated, and the IOM encourages federal and state agencies and private organizations to accelerate the collection of data on pain incidence, prevalence, and treatments. Because pain varies from patient to patient, healthcare providers should increasingly aim at tailoring pain care to each person’s experience, and self-management of pain should be promoted. In addition, because there are major gaps in knowledge about pain across health care and society alike, the IOM recommends that federal agencies and other stakeholders redesign education programs to bridge these gaps. Pain is a major driver for visits to physicians, a major reason for taking medications, a major cause of disability, and a key factor in quality of life and productivity. Given the burden of pain in human lives, dollars, and social consequences, relieving pain should be a national priority.
Mainly around this region what has happened is, Good people pushed too far without looking past the immediate problem & considering what ramifications their actions would have on those who suffer from pain or how it would become a burden to the medical community- DR'S.

LMAO, you a martial artist? You are another one on the draw who feels us tax payers owe you something. Get off your butt and get a job loser. If you would stop popping those pills like dime store candy, maybe you would not be mentally disabled, Tai Kwan Dummy.

Wish people like you had to work a a 8-10 hour shift, maybe you would not have the time to whine and cry over Topix about your drug addiction and your lies about martial arts. Freaking Moron.

ethics

Undertreating pain violates ethical principles

C Macpherson
Correspondence to Cheryl Macpherson, St George’s University School of Medicine, Bioethics, One E Main Street, Bay Shore, NY 11706, USA; ccox@sgu.edu
Received 18 June 2008
Revised 29 May 2009
Accepted 11 June 2009

Abstract

Disabling pain or symptoms can occur at any age from many different causes. Pain and palliative specialists are able to relieve most pain and symptoms, although repeated adjustments to modalities, medications and doses may be needed. Because pain and palliative specialists comprise only a small percentage of physicians, many patients find it difficult to access them or obtain pain relief. Globally, there are too few such specialists to meet existing needs. Most are affiliated with hospice and palliative units, so their accessibility to patients without terminal conditions is negligible. Doctors outside pain and palliative specialties are often unfamiliar with pain guidelines and sceptical about patient reports of unrelieved pain. They are therefore likely to undertreat it. Undertreating pain, however, violates respect for persons and beneficence. This paper reviews literature supporting these claims and offers a narrative description of the author’s attempts to find relief from shingles and postherpetic neuralgia. It argues that physicians in most specialties are not, but should be, familiar with palliative evidence and guidelines so that they are equipped to relieve pain and symptoms quickly and effectively. Such information should be routinely introduced in medical curricula to encourage the mastery of knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to upholding ethical principles and to ensure that more doctors in any discipline are willing to believe and be compassionate to patients whose pain is unresponsive to initial treatments. Routinely exposing students to such information would better prepare them to fulfil their professional duties to patients and society

Disabled Gaytor wrote:

LMAO, you a martial artist? You are another one on the draw who feels us tax payers owe you something. Get off your butt and get a job loser. If you would stop popping those pills like dime store candy, maybe you would not be mentally disabled, Tai Kwan Dummy.
Wish people like you had to work a a 8-10 hour shift, maybe you would not have the time to whine and cry over Topix about your drug addiction and your lies about martial arts. Freaking Moron.

Comments & uneducated people, such as we have here, should simply be overlooked.

Frustrated wrote:

Honey bucket,if all u have to contribute to such a serious topix (my life) please keep ur unneeded comments to yourself. If this were u, I'm sure u would not find anything funny about this. I'm not critizing u but please educate ur self . I need people who are informed about this subject to give me advise any good advise. This is not the place for ur comic routine.

You're funny. Not funny ha-ha. Funny strange.

Disabled Gaytor wrote:

LMAO, you a martial artist? You are another one on the draw who feels us tax payers owe you something. Get off your butt and get a job loser. If you would stop popping those pills like dime store candy, maybe you would not be mentally disabled, Tai Kwan Dummy.
Wish people like you had to work a a 8-10 hour shift, maybe you would not have the time to whine and cry over Topix about your drug addiction and your lies about martial arts. Freaking Moron.

How impressive. You've never met me yet you know all about me. You're all of what? 15? 16? I'm talking your intellectual age, not your chronological age here. You're like the rest of those on here who get a headache if they have to think for themselves so they just make things up to justify their hatred of something. Notice you're the one who ran out of legit arguments since you started pulling ignorant remarks out of the air as well as name calling. Methinks the moron is sitting behind your own keyboard. Not mine.

Ignorance is Bliss wrote:

<quoted text> Comments & uneducated people, such as we have here, should simply be overlooked.

I think they may have been adopted. No one would give birth to and then raise children such as this on purpose.

Honey Bucket wrote:

<quoted text>
I agree. Ignore Goiter Butt.

Gaytor Trash is the Topix Village Idiot. Everyone laughs @ him. Just another pill head milking the system claiming to be "disabled".

Pain sucks

To bad there aren't a lot of mods here willing to take out the trash.

gaytor_bayt wrote:

To bad there aren't a lot of mods here willing to take out the trash.

I agree. You need to be blocked from this website.

Honey Bucket wrote:

<quoted text>
I agree. You need to be blocked from this website.

Shudup dude!

No shat wrote:

<quoted text>Shudup dude!

You told me, didn't you? Do you feel all grown up and special now?