Pain Increasing

mike · 02-10-2003, 03:19 PM

Over the last few weeks I have had an increasing level of central nerve pain(severe burning)and I have become alarmed at the speed at which it has worsened. I had a MRI screen for a syrinx about eight months ago and it came back negative. Should I push for another test or just assume that this is a normal progression of central nerve pain.

mike

squeaks · 02-10-2003, 06:33 PM

i dont post much but i saw this treatment on a news station fromdetroit. go to "click on detroit.com" look under health news, then back and neck pain. theres where you can find some info. hope it will help.

alan · 02-10-2003, 06:49 PM

If you have any kind of bug, it will aggravate your central pain (if you're like me, the pain won't return to the prior level after the bug is gone.)

Another MRI won't hurt (and could ease your mind some), but, in my case, I've had over a dozen MRIs over the years as the pains kept getting worse, and each scan showed the same thing - no change, and no syrinx. Your mileage may vary.

SCI-Nurse · 02-10-2003, 06:52 PM

Mike, where is your burning? Is it root pain (limited to one or two dermatomes) or is it all over your body below your level of injury?

Alan is correct that fatigue, stress, infections, etc. can all exacerbate neuropathic pain, but you should at least have an examination by your physician to see if anything else can be found that might be aggrevating it before deciding on having another MRI.

(KLD)

mike · 02-10-2003, 10:17 PM

My injury was at c5. The pain is intense burning from my hip level down both of my thighs to my feet. It is unlikely that I have any infections as I do not have urinary or bowel problems. I am fully able to walk, exercise, so there is no evidence of bed sores or other skin problems. I visited my physiatrist a couple of weeks ago and she could find no reason for the pain other then just the progression of the central nerve problem.

mike

TD · 02-13-2003, 04:41 PM

How old are you, Mike? I have found that as I have gotten older my central pain has gotten worse. It's true that as we get older the pains begin to increase.

"And so it begins."

SCI-Nurse · 02-13-2003, 04:44 PM

Mike, what are you doing for your pain? What have you tried in the past?

(KLD)

mike · 02-15-2003, 09:36 PM

SCI Nurse/TD

I am 65 years old and had my injury 2 1/2 years ago. I am presently on Neurontin 600mg, 3 times per day. I also take Baclofen and urecoline. I haverecently tried Gabatril and had less relief then with the Neurontin. I have tried some anti depressants and found that besides not helping the pain they aggravated my neurogenic bladder condition.

mike

SCI-Nurse · 02-16-2003, 03:32 PM

Mike you are still on a fairly low dose of Neurontin. Many people with neuropathic pain take 3600-4500 mg. daily. Often the dose must be increased to adjust to new pain manifestations. If you are not having side effects from the Neurontin I would suggest asking your physician if you can gradually increase your dosage.

Be careful using urecholine. It can significantly increase your bladder pressures. It does not help relax the bladder neck, which may be the cause of your urinary retention. A drug called Flomax is often used for this. It would also be important to be sure you do not have any prostate enlargement.

(KLD)

mike · 02-16-2003, 08:02 PM

SCI Nurse

Thanks for your help. My only side effect from the Neurontin is that I feel sedated after taking it and frequently fall asleep after taking it in the evening. I also appear to get edema in my feet from taking it. Perhaps neither of these side effects are as bad as the pain.

I was not aware of the problem you noted with Urecoline. I am surprised that my doctor had not mentioned that to me when I was first put on this drug two years ago. I do have regular prostate checks and had a cystoscope a few months ago and everything looked normal.

mike

02-10-2003, 03:19 PM	#1
mike Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Florence, Kentucky Posts: 816	Pain Increasing Over the last few weeks I have had an increasing level of central nerve pain(severe burning)and I have become alarmed at the speed at which it has worsened. I had a MRI screen for a syrinx about eight months ago and it came back negative. Should I push for another test or just assume that this is a normal progression of central nerve pain. mike

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02-10-2003, 06:33 PM	#2
squeaks Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: michigan,usa Posts: 16	i dont post much but i saw this treatment on a news station fromdetroit. go to "click on detroit.com" look under health news, then back and neck pain. theres where you can find some info. hope it will help.

02-10-2003, 06:49 PM	#3
alan Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 5,223	If you have any kind of bug, it will aggravate your central pain (if you're like me, the pain won't return to the prior level after the bug is gone.) Another MRI won't hurt (and could ease your mind some), but, in my case, I've had over a dozen MRIs over the years as the pains kept getting worse, and each scan showed the same thing - no change, and no syrinx. Your mileage may vary.

02-10-2003, 06:52 PM	#4
SCI-Nurse Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA Posts: 29,465	Mike, where is your burning? Is it root pain (limited to one or two dermatomes) or is it all over your body below your level of injury? Alan is correct that fatigue, stress, infections, etc. can all exacerbate neuropathic pain, but you should at least have an examination by your physician to see if anything else can be found that might be aggrevating it before deciding on having another MRI. (KLD)

02-10-2003, 10:17 PM	#5
mike Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Florence, Kentucky Posts: 816	My injury was at c5. The pain is intense burning from my hip level down both of my thighs to my feet. It is unlikely that I have any infections as I do not have urinary or bowel problems. I am fully able to walk, exercise, so there is no evidence of bed sores or other skin problems. I visited my physiatrist a couple of weeks ago and she could find no reason for the pain other then just the progression of the central nerve problem. mike

02-13-2003, 04:41 PM	#6
TD Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA Posts: 649	How old are you, Mike? I have found that as I have gotten older my central pain has gotten worse. It's true that as we get older the pains begin to increase. "And so it begins."

02-13-2003, 04:44 PM	#7
SCI-Nurse Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA Posts: 29,465	Mike, what are you doing for your pain? What have you tried in the past? (KLD)

02-15-2003, 09:36 PM	#8
mike Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Florence, Kentucky Posts: 816	SCI Nurse/TD I am 65 years old and had my injury 2 1/2 years ago. I am presently on Neurontin 600mg, 3 times per day. I also take Baclofen and urecoline. I haverecently tried Gabatril and had less relief then with the Neurontin. I have tried some anti depressants and found that besides not helping the pain they aggravated my neurogenic bladder condition. mike

02-16-2003, 03:32 PM	#9
SCI-Nurse Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA Posts: 29,465	Mike you are still on a fairly low dose of Neurontin. Many people with neuropathic pain take 3600-4500 mg. daily. Often the dose must be increased to adjust to new pain manifestations. If you are not having side effects from the Neurontin I would suggest asking your physician if you can gradually increase your dosage. Be careful using urecholine. It can significantly increase your bladder pressures. It does not help relax the bladder neck, which may be the cause of your urinary retention. A drug called Flomax is often used for this. It would also be important to be sure you do not have any prostate enlargement. (KLD)

02-16-2003, 08:02 PM	#10
mike Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Florence, Kentucky Posts: 816	SCI Nurse Thanks for your help. My only side effect from the Neurontin is that I feel sedated after taking it and frequently fall asleep after taking it in the evening. I also appear to get edema in my feet from taking it. Perhaps neither of these side effects are as bad as the pain. I was not aware of the problem you noted with Urecoline. I am surprised that my doctor had not mentioned that to me when I was first put on this drug two years ago. I do have regular prostate checks and had a cystoscope a few months ago and everything looked normal. mike