Last post Sun, Sep 28 2008 12:10 AM by joesan. 35 replies.
nina, I don't think anyone answered you yet about being able to work while on meds. I am not working now, but I was able to work for years with my meds, including some heavy duty muscle relaxers as well as pain killers. I think once you get used to the meds, you should be able to function alright. Drowsiness can be a problem, especially for us fibro people who never sleep well to begin with. Shortening my commute (75 minutes down to 30 minutes each way) helped alot.
I find that oxycodone and or oxycontin helps me alot with my back and my knees. Just thought I would put it out there. If I could, I would take away everone's pain. God bless, Wendy
Hi Ron, I am so sorry for all your pain. I am waiting to have a frontal/back fusion done. I wish so bad I didn't have to have it, but I have no choice. So even after the surgery, the chance of the pain going away is still slim? Thank you Wendy
I have fibromyalgia, polyneuropathy, severe djd and chronic migraines. I have been on slow release morphine but try to stay off it because for all but the djd its not really effective. I take fiorinal for the migraines but am also on gabapentin for the nerve pain and that has dropped the headaches from as many as nine a month back to 2 or 3 a month and it helps immensely with the nerve pain. However i am on a very high dose in order to get the relief. My doctor said i can also add nortriptyline if I need it for sleep to help with fibro pain. At present i have constant tingling in my feet but only breakthrough neuropathic pain in legs and feet so I dont take anything else for it. Whew it was a chore to write all that hope it makes some sense.
I'm currently taking Tylox, which I think is basically Tylenol 5, for all the pain I have from a my fall. However, we're currently talking about changing to something else, just not sure what. As I also have those pesky migraines, I take Mazalt-ODT. Of course after taking it I'll get such pain from the blood vessels constricting, that I normally have to figure out, what type of pain do I want: a headache or all over body pain. Also, I swear by Vick Vapor Rub for all those little aches and pains, it works wonders.
As a long time sufferer of migraines, I did find that Imitrex worked, but it took a LONG time. I am told that there are more modern medications out there that work faster, but they all have the same side effect of feeling like you were beaten with a bat for days. I found that there are great meditation techniques out there that can let you cope with the pain while leaving you MUCH more functional that traditional "stone you out of your mind" pain killers and without the "smashed repeatedly with a hard object" feeling from migraine medications. It took me years to be able to reach a level where I don't rely exclusively on meds to deal with the pain, but now days, when a migraine hits, I can usually get by with a single naproxin (Aleve) and a couple mental exercises. The day is long and tiring, but at least I can be relatively "normal" and without the use of heavy meds - as opposed to our current state of healthcare which seem to promote take a pill for everything. Yes, I still take the Aleve, but considering people on Mazalt and Oxy, this is nothing.
KevSam, if Vicks works, you should try CryoDerm or Biofreeze, you'll be surprised by the result! Better relief, less burning and the smell is much less intrusive.
That is just my 2 cents.
