neuro pain

[jmac]

im currently takin neurontin(1600mg),duragesic patch(100mcg/h) and actiq fentanyl suckers(600mcg).i just started the suckers 4xs a day.has anyone got any pain relief from these suckers?and if not what have you found that works for you?what other pain meds can i ask my pain management doc about?any info would be wonderful,my pain has been lingern at about an 8 or whatever that means thanks for listenin.glad i found this great site!!!!!!!!!!!!

[David Berg]

jmac, describe the quality your pain a little. I'm sure you know all the standard shooting, stabbing, etc. type categories.

Also describe if the pain feels like burning, if it's really hard to describe because you'd never felt anything of this quality before your spinal injury, if there's any metallic or electrical quality to your pain, etc. What I'm after here is if you're feeling pain of a "bizarre" quality, not the *severity* of your pain. I have no doubt that it's severe enough. The "bizarre" pain traits are a pretty decent sign that you're dealing with neuropathic pain, and the drugs that you're on indicate that your doctor might be trying to at least in part to address pain cause by nerve damage, which you have to approach a little differently.

David Berg

[This message was edited by David Berg on September 29, 2001 at 09:02 AM.]

[jmac]

i definitely have the electrical pain,where my legs feel like they are bein shocked,burnt,frostbitten,pins/needles,throbbin/shootin,and then theres the unexplainable feelins.i also have a baclofen pump for my spasms,which on bad days causes alot more pain.thanks for listenin!this is only my second post,but it makes me realize im not alone in all of this.

[David Berg]

On PainOnline I have a section called "The Mnemonic of Central Pain," which talks about the 7 basic types of pain that can occur in central pain. Some of your descriptions fit right in.

Originally posted by jmac:

i definitely have the electrical pain,where my legs feel like they are bein shocked.

This is probably the lanciating pains that can feel like lightening shocks in the body.

burnt,frostbitten

This is likely part of the dysesthesia which is usually just described as burning, but can be a very complex sensation with many other components. This is probably the most common type of pain reported in neuropathic pain. It can include elements of burning, cold (at the same time), a metallic quality (either like touching your tongue to a battery or having a dental probe touch a raw nerve) and a number of other possible descriptions.

pins/needles,

This is sometimes described as a painful version of when your leg falls asleep because of lack of circulation, or sort of so-called Circulatory pain.

throbbin/shootin,and then theres the unexplainable feelins.

I usually lump the sensations that seem to defy description into dysesthesia, and they're a classic hallmark of pain resulting from nerve damage.

One thing I like to do is to collect attempts that people make to try to describe this "indescribable" feelings. If you'd be willing to give it a shot feel free to post here, but I'd consider it a favor if you'd copy your description to me by email to david@painonline.org

David Berg

[alan]

Every possible word that can describe pain fits some part of my body. Just my luck to be a dictionary of pain. :-( I used to get sick of filling out those sheets for pain doctors, since every description of pain warranted a check.

I suppose the feeling of my shoulder blades and vertebrae protruding through my skin qualify as dysestheia, as does my burning and queasy abdomen?

[David Berg]

Alan,

I was just browsing back through this thread tonight and came across your description again of how you feel like your shoulder blades are protruding through your skin. Have you considered the possibility that this might be some form of pseudo-phantom limb pain?

I've read of cases of people having phantom limb pain for false limbs, e.g. a third arm, and when I read your description tonight the idea of something related to phantom limb pain came to mind.

David Berg
PainOnline webmaster
http://www.painonline.org

[alan]

I suppose it could be a form of phantom limb pain.