Pain Meds - Post-Operative Issues

[Anne Marie]

I keep trying to post my first thread & it keeps knocking me off saying I'm not logged in. I'm going to post this and see if it goes thru

Anne Marie

[Anne Marie]

As I suspected, user error. I'm going to try again

I had my ADR May 4, 2010 @ Cedars Sinai via a study to approve the Freedom disc. I received the control Prodisc. Though I've had a tough road (who hasn't!) I am extremely grateful!

Placement was L5 S1, my condition was a tear on my disc to the nucleus which was leaking fluid causing great pain w inflammation. This happened Jan 20, 2010. I was born w severe scoliosis, but it was caught wk 1 of my life,my mom was sent to a orthopedic Dr who gave her exercises to perform for 2 yrs & my spine became straight beyond his dreams, but he promised pelvic problems would arise thru my life. By 15 they were there but situational & tolerable. The disc that tore was very flat & herniated for many yrs, but I was very lucky to have mild symptoms till the tear. I'm now diagnosed w DDD & have 4 other herniations in both lumbar & thoracic, I am told they are mild herniations.

The first 3 wks post surgery I battled severe gastritis and 2 root canals, severly infected from clenching my teeth from the pain. Too many antibiotics led to a severe case of thrush which I'm told will take a long time to be rid of.

I started pysical therapy 2 mo post surgery. My back pain decreased but my sacro/iliac area has become intensely painful. My experienced PT has seen this multiple Xs as my pelvic bone is 1 1/2" higher on left & turned out.

I returned to my surgeon for my 3 mo post appt. My PT notes were sent ahead of time with a request to look for arthritis & with his opinion on current problem. My surgeon saw my discomfort & said he wanted me to stop PT & pain meds to see if I get better. He did not look at PT notes, at least not in front of me. I left the office feeling in my gut he was wrong, but I followed his instruction. In 48 hrs I was bedridden & stayed that way falling down a black hole of agony for 10 days. I could take no more, & a horrible tooth ache brought me back to pain meds. Barely able to walk, I got in forva PT appt which brought great relief. Next a dental appt & an ensuing 3rd root canal performed yesterday. I have left 2 messages & 1 detailed email to my surgeon telling him of my condition, the only response is from his PA saying they would discuss it & get back to me...nothing else.

My question is are there other ADR patients who are still on pain meds after 3 months post-op? I understand Drs fear of their patients becoming addicts, but I have never been addicted to ANYTHING in my 49 yrs of life. I've investigated addiction to death via Internet, and don't believe that is my condition as I am taking lowest dosage possible of vicodin 2-3 Xs a day. Without it I can't even manage the smallest of activities.

Please tell me if any of you have had a similar experience after surgery.

Thank you for reading, Anne Marie

[annapurna]

Are there post-ADR patients still on pain meds? Yes, some are, of course, the ones that the surgery didn't work so well on. There are others, though, that the surgery went well but between the amount of damage they had prior to surgery and the the trauma of surgery, they take a long time to come off the meds. You can find discussions if you want specific cases. Given scoliosis and severe inflammation, I would guess that pain could still be expected at this point for you.

We've heard a number of times that if you just take sufficient meds to control your pain, it's difficult to impossible to become addicted. If I were in your position, I'd push your surgeon but I'd also start looking for a pain management doc separate from your surgeon. If you can find one, I'd discuss the situation with the PM doc and make it clear that you're not seeking two sources of narcotics but you can't afford to hold out without any help if your surgeon doesn't get around to talking with you.