ooowwww..severe pain?

Question

Ok, I was taking a massive amount of painkillers for multiple physical injuries

my back, neck and shoulder are messed

and I still may have to have some surgery

I had been working with physical therapist for a long time and I am walking a lot better BUT my pain is unreal and I cannot stand the thought of taking anymore pills

If you have been taking them for awhile they really do not do much but make you feel zombie like BUT on the other hand without them I cannot so as much and the less I move...well the more muscle cramps I have and I am not allowed to be have massage therapy yet as the doctors are leaning towards surgery...im not sure if I want that but I dont know my biggest issue now is the constant pain..what I would like to know is if pain management clinics are good for this type of situation or are they just going to feed me drugs? what is the best option for me right now without jumping into surgery..I want to make sure that my pain cannot be controlled before that...but I

would prefer to find a way to control this pain without drugs...

if it helps I have a rupture in my back slipped disc and a partial in neck I also have a pinched nerve and tendon in my shoulder is impinged by a bone

i know, ouch right?

its been almost a year and I still have some days where its hard to well...do anything..you know how it is if you've been injured like this

anyhow, im rambling

what can i do?

also, i am wondering if i am in need of more mri's as finding all of these was a slow process i mean one injury spread out for months then another and they just keep popping up everytime i have an mri

is this normal treatment?

Answer 1

I can't imagine what you are going through, but let me see if I can help you. If your doctors have put off surgery this long, it likely means they are unsure if it is necessary. With a ruptured disc, if it is bad enough they will rush you into surgery because of the risk of paralysis. If they haven't done this yet, you are not at risk. As for the PT, you may want to look at another clinic. I would look for one that has a therapy pool. One of my patients is a PT, and they just opened up their pool a couple months ago and are getting great results. If you have only been to PT for a few weeks, wait it out. You may need 3-4 months before you notice the big results. As far as the drugs are concerned, there are several means to get off them. I would try 1) Chiropractic (if you were badly injured, the bones of the spine can be easily misaligned pinching nerves). A good chiropractor will evaluate you and tell you if he can help or if you are beyond what he can do. With the herniated disc, I strongly advise you to consult with a chiropractor to prevent that disc from rupturing (which it will if you let it go long enough). 2) Acupuncture. It's not as scary as it sounds, the needles are so small many times you don't even feel them. This can relieve any blocages in bloodflow that are slowing down the healing process (there's a lot more to it, but I'm a chiropractor. I try to simplify things so I can understand them!) 3) Readress the massage issue. Massage is great for many problems, and may in fact be what you need to put you over the hurdle. 4) Naturopath. A naturopath will identify exactly what nutritional deficiencies are blocking your healing, and can give you many things that have the same effect as meds, but without the side effects.
I hope this helps, and good luck.

Answer 2

First off, I would recommend getting another opinion on the surgical aspect and preferably from someone that does not share the same office of the doctors that you have seen so far.

As for Pain Management, yes they are a good way to go and no narcotic drugs (even though they can be useful, and then when taken for a while the zombie feeling usually goes away after a couple weeks or so) are not the only things they give. There are other drugs of choice if that becomes necessary but some offer injections such as nerve blocks that can sometimes be helpful. Some offer other things like accupuncture and massage (which you can't do right yet) among other things.

I would definitely recommend consulting one about your situation to see what they say.

Answer 3

It sounds like you're doing it exactly right. Pain management clinics are the best way to go. I had (have) back problems that drugs didn't help. I'd just zone out to wake up with the same pain and nothing done for the day or night when I woke up. It's pain management, not pain removal. I tossed the drugs, took some physical therapy (mixed results), and kept active. The best exercise was swimming with flippers as it strengthened my lower back muscles while keeping pressure off the spine. The flipper solution I stumbled on as I was diving and snorkeling. It wasn't part of the therapy. Many people I know became drug addicted or alcoholics trying to avoid the pain, and that just added to their misery. The pain management classes are the best alternative to that, and I think you're on the best track. I have several friends that have taken them and it helped them manage. I may need surgery in my cervical area and will put it off as long as possible. A friend went through it last month to fix ONE disk. They opened him up and did the repair. They told him later they found two more disks that need work. Why didn't that show up on the scans? He feels worse than before the surgery. You are lucky to have access to a pain management clinic. I'd try it.

Answer 4

I know what it's like to be sick and tired of taking pills. However, like me, with the injuries that you have, I don't believe that you can hardly get by without them. You have to have some relief or you won't be able to do your PT and move around enough in general. It is imperative that you stay active with these injuries or you will lose your flexibility and mobility.
If you are not with a Pain Management Group, I highly recommend it. There goal is to keep you as comfortable as
possible, with as little medication as possible. Also with the correct medication that suits your condition.
You are probably ready for a change in your medication as you have become so accustom to the ones your on that they aren't as effective anymore. A change to something else should be of great benefit.
Good Luck, I hope you get the relief you need.

Answer 5

I don't know what your injuries were caused from or how long you have had them. Have you tried a chiropractor? Mine has saved my body in so many ways...

Answer 6

Ummm, yes. Ouch is right. I dunno much about this... but you could try Acupuncture ... I've heard it helps. I'm not a fan of needles, but it doesn't really hurt :) it's known to give relief to chronic pains...