Chronic Pain Management

[Axel Slingerland]

How do you manage your pain? If you're like me, you have chronic pain and at times, no matter what you do, it's pretty bad. I have Cervical Stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal canal, which compresses your Spinal Cord and Nerve Roots. Myelopathy is Nerve Damage caused by that compression. That can effect you in many ways, such as Pain in the Neck, Arms, Hands, Back, and give you tingling, numbness or muscle weakness, abnormal or increased reflexes in extremities and decreased fine motor skills, balance and coordination. I have all of that, but the big one is balance and coordination. If I don't use a walker or a wheelchair to walk, I have been known to slam into things, like doorways. I have scars on my arms from that. In fact, it's getting rare that I don't have bandages on my arms.

I get Occipital Nerve Blocks every three months, usually with Dexamethasone but could also be Betamethasone or Triamcinolone, which usually helps a lot. But the pain relief fades away after awhile. Such as right now, I'm one week away from my next one, and the last one was not all that effective. Typically I get about two months of considerably less pain, but not this time. I think it was more like five weeks at best.

For those times that the pain relief has worn off, my Doc gives me Percocet. I absolute hate things, they make me stupid. I can't think strait, I can't drive until 12 hours after they wear off, and after having Colon Cancer surgery in 2016, I get nausea from many things, including Percocet.

Normally, I have moderately good posture. When I am in excruciating pain, the pain prevents me from holding my head up normally. The back of my desk chair isn't high enough to lean back, unless I put this rectangular pillow behind me, which allows me to adjust the height.

I inherited Cindy's hospital bed, which with a very expensive memory foam mattress she bought, is quite comfortable. (Even if it is too big...) The problem is, getting in bed is easy, getting up is a real pain in the petunias.

 

[Marie Mallory]

How do you manage your pain? If you're like me, you have chronic pain and at times, no matter what you do, it's pretty bad. I have Cervical Stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal canal, which compresses your Spinal Cord and Nerve Roots. Myelopathy is Nerve Damage caused by that compression. That can effect you in many ways, such as Pain in the Neck, Arms, Hands, Back, and give you tingling, numbness or muscle weakness, abnormal or increased reflexes in extremities and decreased fine motor skills, balance and coordination. I have all of that, but the big one is balance and coordination. If I don't use a walker or a wheelchair to walk, I have been known to slam into things, like doorways. I have scars on my arms from that. In fact, it's getting rare that I don't have bandages on my arms.

I get Occipital Nerve Blocks every three months, usually with Dexamethasone but could also be Betamethasone or Triamcinolone, which usually helps a lot. But the pain relief fades away after awhile. Such as right now, I'm one week away from my next one, and the last one was not all that effective. Typically I get about two months of considerably less pain, but not this time. I think it was more like five weeks at best.

For those times that the pain relief has worn off, my Doc gives me Percocet. I absolute hate things, they make me stupid. I can't think strait, I can't drive until 12 hours after they wear off, and after having Colon Cancer surgery in 2016, I get nausea from many things, including Percocet.

Normally, I have moderately good posture. When I am in excruciating pain, the pain prevents me from holding my head up normally. The back of my desk chair isn't high enough to lean back, unless I put this rectangular pillow behind me, which allows me to adjust the height.

I inherited Cindy's hospital bed, which with a very expensive memory foam mattress she bought, is quite comfortable. (Even if it is too big...) The problem is, getting in bed is easy, getting up is a real pain in the petunias.

Axel, I'm sorry you have to go thru this, hubby broke his back in 2002 and had fusion, lots of metal but I don't know about yours, he got off Percocet in 2019, it was a hard road to go down, I hope they find something to help you feel better. He takes nothing now since 17 years of meds Tylenol in the Percocet scares him about liver.

 

[Uncle Paco]

Hey Alex. We met on that old folks forum a few weeks ago. I am a old guitar slinger too.. 50 years ago I started slinging
I have the same condition in my neck. Got my first epidural 2 weeks ago. Didn't work. Pain gets up to about 7 or 8 in my face and legs. I use sativa gummies and 1800mg of gabapentin a day. It is very, very hard some times managing the pain. Maybe we got this ailment from looking down all the time when we were jammin!

 

[Axel Slingerland]

Axel, I'm sorry you have to go thru this, hubby broke his back in 2002 and had fusion, lots of metal but I don't know about yours, he got off Percocet in 2019, it was a hard road to go down...

Don't be sorry, Marie. It was my choice. As a musician I have had a lot of friends, former band mates who had fusion surgery, and while times and changed and modern medicine and technology has drastically improved since I talked to any of them, they said don't do it and so far I haven't. I know kicking opioids is a real pain in the petunias, and that's another reason I don't like them. I take one and then I don't take any more for a few days. My Doc told me that I was one in a million because I would rather be in pain, than addicted to anything.

Hey Alex. We met on that old folks forum a few weeks ago. I am a old guitar slinger too.. 50 years ago I started slinging
I have the same condition in my neck. Got my first epidural 2 weeks ago. Didn't work. Pain gets up to about 7 or 8 in my face and legs. I use sativa gummies and 1800mg of gabapentin a day. It is very, very hard some times managing the pain. Maybe we got this ailment from looking down all the time when we were jammin!

I remember... There's something about musicians, I tend to remember meeting them more than other people. Maybe it's because there's strings attached?

Well, I'm certainly no Doc but I've had so many details about "my condition" drilled into me that a lot of it stuck to the ol' bean.

I had an epidural once, and like yours, it didn't work. In fact, I felt worse afterwards. I don't think I'll ever go that route again. Talk to your Doc about Occipital Nerve Blocks (ONBs). If done properly, they work wonders. The last pain management Doc I had in Eureka, was the kindest, most gentle man and the most professional Doc I've ever seen. I asked him once why I got ONBs when I don't have any problems with my Occipital Nerves. He said it's because when you give someone shots of Dexamethasone in the base of their skull, the medication radiates through your entire upper body. I must be one of the lucky ones, because he said that would have no effect on my lower body, but they do.

Since we moved to Edison, and this is why I said "If done properly, they work wonders.", the Doc I get my ONBs from is kind of rough, he's one of those Docs who never give you a second longer than they have to, and he never explains anything. But the real bummer is that you would think that since we have to go to Bakersfield for almost everything, with a population of 410,000 people, you would be able to find several Pain Management Docs... But nope. I've been looking for one since first got here,and the only options I really have are to stick with this Doc, or go to Los Angeles. And I'd really rather not do that. I don't call it "Smell A" for nothing...

But I try to look at the brighter side of life. I make jokes about with the exception of Diabetes, and it's resulting health issues, nearly all of my health problems are self-inflicted. I have severe COPD, but I smoked cigarettes for 40 years and Whacky Tobaccy for 30. It's a miracle I can breathe at all. All of my back and neck problems are a direct result of playing a band. We did one nighters for 15 years, setting up the gear, playing for hours, packing up the gear, etc., all of which is very physical. Then of course, my business partner and the band's other guitarist Gary and I were avid bicyclists and backpackers.

So while I've had a great life, I'm paying for my choices now. But my Dad was in almost the same condition, but he spent 40 years in a smelly factory. I'm glad a chose a career that was a lot more fun.

 

[Uncle Paco]

Ya didn't have to be a rocker to have self destroyed during this life time. There were plenty of options for hubris. I guess it has always been in some of the darker corners of the culture. I wonder if I had a ton of money if the world would turn a little easier.?

 

[Uncle Paco]

I was thinkin about our shared cosmic fate....a rocker, and into a rocker ( with our spine probs) A similar fate. Then that song by the Allman Bros "Whippin' Post" entered my head. I messed around with it some awhile back and thought you might enjoy my solo like I can just imagine you on the same song. Right?

 

[Axel Slingerland]

Oh yeah... I'm not kidding. Between the time "At Fillmore East" on vinyl (1971) to the time it was released on CD (1990), I wore out so many copies of that album. That was my favorite "Keep Your Chops Up" album. That, and "All The World's A Stage" by Rush. Between those two albums, that's how I kept my fingers moving...

 

[Shortie]

I have fibromyalgia which causes widespread pain for me from muscle pain to migraines and it has been difficult to manage but I am now finding ways that help me manage it.

There are days I get pain so bad, nothing helps and it ends up being a day just resting, I used to feel guilty about that but now, not so much.

At the moment I am taking Fluoxetine, Amitriptyline, and Naproxen to help with pain, lack of sleep and depression.

 

[Axel Slingerland]

Before I forget, again... I had an uncle named Shortie from Tennessee. He played banjo and him and I used to play bluegrass together when him and his wife would visit. Of my Dad's two brothers, he was by far my favorite. I remember once one of my neighbors heard us playing and came over to watch for a few minutes. She requested "Foggy Mountain Breakdown", and we played it for her, with his wife playing the fiddle. A 2 minute song, for half an hour. A bluegrass front porch jam... Along with playing blues with my Dad, that was one of the best things about my childhood.

Anyway, back on topic, I am all too familiar with fibromyalgia. So I can understand how you feel. Sometimes it's only a few days, others it goes on for weeks.

I mentioned a few posts back in this thread that I get Occipital Nerve Blocks (ONBs) for Cervical Stenosis and Myelopathy. (And today was the day...) They are also considered secondary treatments for fibromyalgia. In fact, the way I found out that I had it was several years ago I was in considerably more pain than normal after the three months between ONBs and I told my Doc that I was looking for some pain relief in my legs. At that point, I needed help just to stand up.

He said that an ONB wouldn't help with that. But the next day after he gave me the shots, I could stand up without help, as if that was never an issue. An ONB typically works for me for about two months, which is unfortunate, because with Medicare they will only cover them once every three months. So that last month can be a real pain in the petunias.

So I go to see him for the next one and I reminded him of what he had said the last time, and that he was wrong about the ONB not helping my legs. And the look on his face was classic.

He said it was not that he was wrong, ONBs don't help with lower extremities. But it does help with fibromyalgia, and that since the ONB helped relieve the pain in my legs, that told that him I may be needing ONBs for a different (or more than one) reason that I had been told here since 2010.

So today was the day for my ONB. I've been in excruciating pain for about a month and a half. The last ONB didn't last as long as most do. But sometime in the next few days I should be starting to feel better. My pain level is half what was this morning because of whatever they use as a numbing agent. Novocaine, etc. So at the moment, "I'm feelin' so much betta I could cakewalk inda town"...

So I recommend you talk to your Doc about an ONB, with Dexamethasone (or Betamethasone or Triamcinolone) and Novocaine. As I said earlier, it really does work wonders!

 

[Mary Stetler]

How do you manage your pain? If you're like me, you have chronic pain and at times, no matter what you do, it's pretty bad. I have Cervical Stenosis, which is a narrowing of the spinal canal, which compresses your Spinal Cord and Nerve Roots. Myelopathy is Nerve Damage caused by that compression. That can effect you in many ways, such as Pain in the Neck, Arms, Hands, Back, and give you tingling, numbness or muscle weakness, abnormal or increased reflexes in extremities and decreased fine motor skills, balance and coordination. I have all of that, but the big one is balance and coordination. If I don't use a walker or a wheelchair to walk, I have been known to slam into things, like doorways. I have scars on my arms from that. In fact, it's getting rare that I don't have bandages on my arms.

I get Occipital Nerve Blocks every three months, usually with Dexamethasone but could also be Betamethasone or Triamcinolone, which usually helps a lot. But the pain relief fades away after awhile. Such as right now, I'm one week away from my next one, and the last one was not all that effective. Typically I get about two months of considerably less pain, but not this time. I think it was more like five weeks at best.

For those times that the pain relief has worn off, my Doc gives me Percocet. I absolute hate things, they make me stupid. I can't think strait, I can't drive until 12 hours after they wear off, and after having Colon Cancer surgery in 2016, I get nausea from many things, including Percocet.

Normally, I have moderately good posture. When I am in excruciating pain, the pain prevents me from holding my head up normally. The back of my desk chair isn't high enough to lean back, unless I put this rectangular pillow behind me, which allows me to adjust the height.

I inherited Cindy's hospital bed, which with a very expensive memory foam mattress she bought, is quite comfortable. (Even if it is too big...) The problem is, getting in bed is easy, getting up is a real pain in the petunias.

My answer to pain is to sleep around.
l keep the tv on as a distraction and change my sleep position several times a nite. Sometimes I sleep in a recliner. I use a cane, sometimes two to lesson pain. I have never been much on tylenol, ibuprofen, or aspirin because of side effects on live and kidneys. but I found wild lettuce and take a good bit of that. I intend to grow it in with my weeds this year.

 

[Axel Slingerland]

My answer to pain is to sleep around.

Good one, I almost keeled over from that.

Sometimes I sleep in a recliner.

I can relate to that. My wife Cindy was always putting stuff on the bed, pretty soon it was starting to push me out of bed. I would box up a bunch of it and within days it would reappear. Since I had a bad habit of falling asleep in my desk chair all the time, I just started sleeping there all the time.

It wasn't always that great... One night I forgot to line the 5 point legs up with two behind me and one in front, and I leaned back in my sleep and seconds later I was on the floor. That was also the first time I hit the floor and couldn't get up. That old lady on TV popped into my mind "I've fallen and I can't get up!" Fortunately, my son was there and he helped me get up and flip the chair back on it's wheels.

That was in December 2022, just two weeks before I got Covid and the "Caca en el ventilador"...