View Full Version : backpain or not backpain, thats the question
ChinaDoll
11-24-2002, 11:02 PM
Hi there, I'm a C-6/7 quad. I came out of the hospital this late February. My L-12 was incompletly broken but was not fixed. Everyday I am living with constant back pain. I know what nerve pain feels like, but my back pain is beyond neve pain. Is this still nerve pain? I believe that I fel muscle pain as well. Is there anything that i can do to stop or control this pain? should I go on neuronton (not the right spelling)? i know that i can't live on pain killer for the rest of my life...
never, never, ever say "never, nerver, ever"
ChinaDoll
11-27-2002, 12:42 PM
i am in need, help?
never, never, ever say "never, nerver, ever"
duramater
11-27-2002, 12:49 PM
Can you tell us a bit more about your pain...when and how it is the worst , what is different about it at those times, and what you are already doing to try to manage it..the more info we can get the better chance we have at being able to help you.
Thanks
Mary
I am so far behind I think I am first....
Does the pain respond to ordinary painkillers like aspirin (even just slight improvement?) What about opiates? If it responds to them, it's probably not SCI-generated pain.
whiterabbit11
11-27-2002, 09:06 PM
I'm C-7 and get horrible backpain like sharp shooting pains mostly on my right side and through right arm and shoulder. and in bed a dull nagging ache in the small of my back. Most nights are sleepless, but my doctor just bumped my fentanyl patch to 125mc grams. I add 2 Darvocet N 100's every fewhrs along with an occaisional lortab and of course my baclofen pump for spasms. I'd be hopeless w/o the drugs. I know I'll never get rid of them. I also have 40mgs bextra daily and xanax for sleep. Better than pain. Hope you find help. and Hope you're okay too Alan.I feel for all of you.It sucks, to put it mildly. WR
ChinaDoll
11-27-2002, 10:20 PM
the kinds of pain that i have varies. some parts of my body havr burning pain -nerve pain. other parts -mostly my mid to lower back have this feeling that the muscles are being over pulled, like i torn my muscles or something. most of the times a massage with tiger bum will help a bit, Tylenol 3 works for about 1/2 and does take some pain away but very little.
never, never, ever say "never, nerver, ever"
I haven't been okay for over two decades. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/frown.gif I thought this was bad when it started - I never imagined the intensity of pains wouldn't level off. Every time I think they can't get any stronger, they do. The worst part may be the fact that there's no reason for them to get worse - no syrinx, no change in what's left of cord, no non-SCI problems (ulcer, gallstones, kidney stones, etc.) that could cause pain. There's the scoliosis, of course, which makes sitting and typing more difficult, and me always feel lopsided because I lean to one side, but that apparently has also been pretty stable, so that doesn't explain things.
Those sleepless nights suck. Even longer than the days.
If drugs work, and make your life easier, you use them. That's why they were invented. Would anyone tell an epileptic not to use anti-seizure meds?
Good thing you've got an understanding doctor, Whiterabbit.
Description of nerve pain is tough, because it's so many sensations mixed together. Burning, cramping, pulling, tight, skin rubbed off, bones through skin, throbbing, sharp, tingling, and more. I used to hate those "check which describe your pain" forms, because just about every snsation listed would describe at least one part of my body. so, I'd mark the few that didn't apply, and note what I did.
What we (and all pain sufferers) need is a device that would let us telepathically project what we feel onto doctors, therapists, social workers, politicians, etc. Pain can't really be understood by someone who doesn't feel it (men will never understand labor pain, for example, because they'll never feel it.) Let them feel for a few minutes what the patient does, and, after they stop whimpering and get out of the fetal position, they'll get their butts in gear.
[This message was edited by alan on Nov 28, 2002 at 09:36 PM.]