I was taking Hydrocodone 10/500 4x a day back in 2003 for 2 years then moved up to Avinza (morphine) 60mg 1x a day for about 6 months then onto Oxycodone 80mg 3x a day... all while getting epidural injections every 6 months @ 3 shots over 2 weeks...

Then I figured I was doing more harm than good to my body and quit the painkillers altogether...

About 8 months later I needed something to function, so I moved onto 5/500 of Hydrocodone 2x a day...

Worked wonders until I wrecked my wrist in March...

Now I'm back on 10/325 3x a day...

I gotta say I'm at a very reasonable dose with low acetaminophen and codeine levels...

And according to 3 clinics the benefits outweigh any adverse effects (there are none except risk of addiction - which I'm not)

I'm only 27 and have 3 herniated disks, something wrong with my wrist and right knee...

I've been working construction as a laborer in 8th grade (handing up plywood, carrying materials, cleaning) then in highschool I moved up a little with basic tools and finally just went full force after graduation from highschool...

I noticed the back pain in 1999, it was small - then I ended up getting rear ended 3 times since then...

And my body, although healthy, has been a trainwreck since...

Anyone else have chronic pain?

 

I guess you read my mind on the other thread.

I have colitis which has arthritis associated with it. I had a whiplash accident back in the 70's and now have a fused vertebra in my neck. As a child I got a compression fracture in my lower back and I reinjured it in the late 80's.

I tried the opiates from the VA for about 3 years before I decided they just didn't work that well considering the itching. Now I take a ***-2 inhibitor called Meloxicam.

I have a friend who's in real bad shape and sounds like you. She's had multiple surgeries on her back and now has a pump implanted in her butt to supply pain drugs directly to the spine to deaden the pain. She has to go in about once a month to have things adjusted and refilled. It's a real balancing act between being in pain and being able to function.

My heart goes out to you.

Edwin

 

Only 27...

 

Sorry I should have read your first post better. Are you still in construction? If you are your problems aren't going to get any better. IMHO.

Edwin

 

I've balanced out what I can accomplish...

I work at a steady pace and rarely act like an animal (humping 3 sheets of 1/2" drywall) anymore...

 

I understand but you really should consider changing. Any form of lifting, even one sheet of 1/4 inch plywood is too much. Especially if you do it all day.

I tried going back to a skilled-labor type job for a while 4 years ago. I lasted 10 days. Now I'm a full time consultant to supplement my disability pension. You're probably more disabled than I am.

I'm exactly 30 years older than you are but the injuries add up over the years and you've got your share early. If you keep it up when you get my age you won't be able to do anything. You're just punishing those damaged joints and they do deteriorate. Eventually the cushion between the injured vertebra will be gone completely and the bones begin to fuse together like mine. I now must limit my time sitting up and I can forget walking around the block.

Have you ever been examined by an orthopedist or a neurosurgeon? Opiates will dull the pain but that just allows more damage before you get breakthrough pain. I don't want to be an alarmist but have you considered being in a wheelchair before you're 40? One more injury could do it.

Edwin

 

I lived with cronic pain for 13 loooong years.

Then I got a divorce.

Pain free for the past 12 years.

Seriously,
I work with a couple of folks who have cronic back pain from doing silly stuff years ago, and one guy who suffers from migranes.
They seem to change prescriptions every couple of months looking for relief.
I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

 

I have had two fragmented lumbar discs, torn rotator cuff, torn rib cartilage and other assorted joint, muscle bone injuries and am starting to get arthritic. All I take is Flurbibrofen, before going to bed. It is just an anti inflammitory. If I stop taking it all of my pains come flooding back within a week. I also take one pill a day versus the Advil that I used to eat like Skittles. Again this is not a pain killer but an anti inflammitory. Most pain is due to some kind of inflammation. Narcotic painkillers have never worked for me. Also the old Marx Bros routine "Doc it hurts whenever I do this" Then don't do this"

Just my experience

Hondo

 

Digital, your preachin to the choir man, my dad had me on the jobsite at 7 years old, i did underhouse plumbing fixes, rough in drywall, paint and pull electrical wires. ive broke all my fingers and toes, most more than once, except my thumbs, 1 dislocated thumb, 3 dislocated shoulders, 5 dislocated ankles, 3 dislocated wrists, arthritus in fingers, tendinitus (sp?) in right elbow and shoulder, hard to type or write sometimes, broken left wrist that pops and has limited movement, cause my mom refused to have it fixed once it grew wrong after being broken, my left hand is almost completely useless, i can barely crush a pop can on a good day, 3 compressed disks in my neck, 4 compressed disks in my lower back, both of my scapula's are permanently dislocated, along with my top 4 rib bones, have to fix that all with surgery, spine kinked into a nice "V" shape at the base of my skull instead of the usual "S", various pinched or damaged nerves. when you take an X-ray, you should be able to see through muscle, you can't from the center of my back up its so tense. i stand funny sometimes cause of the pain. everything from the compressed disks and down the list was caused by falling out of a barn loft when i was 12 working straw. mom would'nt listen to me and she refuses to believe i am actually hurt, so now everything has pretty much "healed" and the only way to fix it is with ALOT of PAINFUL surgery and ALOT more MONEY!!!! god forbid my stepdad or sister stub their toe, they are in the emergency room for the dumbest stuff, i just deal with the pain, ill be crippled one day so i just figure i might as well have fun now.

 

I had been on low dose various pain meds over the years with no problem. In March of this year, acute kidney failure! Almost died from it. Kidney Dr. about went nuts when he found out my history of pain meds. Unknown for sure what caused it but pain meds are a good bet. Educate yourself as best you can and ask lots of questions of your Dr.

 

I was in a bad car wreck years ago. A guy talking on a cell phone ran in to the back of my truck doing 70mph while I was sitting still. I was very lucky and pretty much walked away from the crash with only a lifetime back injury . I was given 10/650 hydrocodone and pretty much got hooked on it. I have been told that hydrocodone is about the closest that you can get to the “high” of heroin without actually doing heroin. After a while your body builds up a tolerance to pain pills and of course you have to take more. I always had a prescription but I am ashamed to say that I didn’t always take them for pain. I am proud to say that I no longer take any kind of prescription pain meds and haven’t in many, many years. This is just a warning for anyone that has to take prescription pain meds. They are VERY easy to get addicted to and to abuse. Please be careful.

Britt

 

i had one friend die of a Oxy overdose, ate 6 Oxy 80's cause he thought he was invincible, he had a sandwich baggie that looked like a bag of skittles with him that night, probably 5,000 dollars in pills street value. his friend, a friend of mine also, was lucky enough to only die 3 times before they stabilized him, he also had the same amount of pills on him too. the first kid lived on Beam's 8 Star whiskey and pills. there wasnt a drug he hadnt done, just fell asleep and stopped breathing. everyone around here loves pills cause you get high and you dont get side effects, its really sad, they aint even drug heads, they just do it to be "cool". me and my dad have such a high tolerance for pain that any kind of pills dont help pain, they just make me tired, wired, or feel like crap, they dont make the pain go away. tylenol 4's help every once in a while, used to make me sleep and drool in the chalk tray when i was in 8th grade when i broke my wrist.

 

I get the occational headache. I usually ignore it until it goes away.

I may take two advil per month on a bad month.

 

The ER gave me Percs (which don't work well for me) for my shoulder. Then I got 5/500 Vicoden. Much more effective. Still have half of those left. For the surgery they gave me Perc and Narco 10/325. I had a nerve block so I took one Perc (pharmists said it was 10x stronger) before bed for when the block quiet. I woke up in major pain and took another and waited an hour and then took the second. Then laid there in pain for four hours to take the Narco. Then went to sleep.

I quit taking them a week later and felt fine. Then it started hurting intermitantly. I started to worry it was in my head. Docter said I can expect to go on and off the pain killers for at least 3-4 months. I have to say the acetiminephin makes a big difference on the effectiveness. The 10/325 is probably less effective then the 5/500 for me.

I know I'll probably feel it a lot if I make it to retirement, but I feel lucky my pain is not the degree or duration of some of you guys. I can't imagine the impact on my activities. This sling for 8 weeks is enough to drive me nuts.

Randy

 

I'm lucky I don't have chronic pain. I can't take most narcotic pain killers. I'm allergic to codiene and morphine. I've taken Vicodin before and it just gave me a headache and problems with my liver. About the only thing that doesn't have side effects is perc, but I'm pretty much non-functioning after that. I've never had Oxy before and I never will because I'm afraid of what side effects it might have. I busted my nose pretty bad once and have had two sugeries on it and the only thing I could take was Advil. Most pains that I get now I pretty much have to grin and bare it.